Championships = dynasties 

Caps are nowhere close to being in that discussion...unless, like many of you said, they can rattle off 2 more SC championships in the next few seasons. 

Honestly, I don't mind the rebuild.  Knowing the team/org. has an actual vision, makes the ups/downs that much easier to stomach.  This year, like with the Orioles, I'm looking for player development.  We know what we have in Beal, but guys like TB13, Troy Brown, etc. I'll be keeping an eye on for them to make a significant jump in their development.  COMPLETELY raw guys like Bonga, Wagner, etc. I'm just hoping that there's a diamond in the rough that we look back in 5 years to say, "I can't believe _______ gave up on him."  Better days are ahead for this franchise.  Trust the process. 

*Speaking on Bonga, he was REALLY impressive last night.  Not sure what to expect from him, but I'm really high on his potential. 

I mean, getting a loser point on the 2nd night of a back-to-back against a rested team isn't the worst result in the world. 

Caps didn't play a great game last night.  There was little to no intensity or physicality from the team.  If they play a heavy game, there is NO way Carolina can handle it.  Oh well...on to Dallas on Tuesday. 

This is an EXCELLENT Caps team.  They're deep and I have high hopes for this year, assuming everyone keeps relative good health. 

This is no surprise...but I do fear for the safety of this sergeant. 

A growing number of police departments in America's largest cities told CBS News that they've added implicit bias training. Nevertheless, hundreds of officers in multiple states have recently been exposed for racist social media posts attacking minorities and promoting racial stereotypes.

In St. Louis, Missouri, one sergeant whose department has officers at the center of the controversy said that the culture among her department's top brass is allowing bad cops to slip through the cracks.

"Do you think that there are white supremacists on the police force?" asked CBS News correspondent Jeff Pegues.

"Yes" said Heather Taylor, an almost 19-year veteran on the St. Louis Metro police force.

"You didn't even pause," Pegues said.

"Have you seen some of the Facebook posts of some of our suspended officers right now?" Taylor responded. "Yes."

St. Louis sergeant: There are white supremacists on the police force

4 hours ago, Rocky21 said:

I turned on the TV last night just in time to see Tauchman go yard.  Incredible timing.

 

Villar hit for the cycle.  Pretty cool. 

If you can find the clip, check out how he got his double.  REALLY smart play....caught Judge snoozing. 

2 hours ago, CousinsCowgirl84 said:

 

 

I’m sure their was gun violence in Toledo this weekend... maybe thats his point?

No way you're this obtuse. 

*apologies if my sarcasm detector is broken...

Got people in power pushing the MS-13, ISIS, etc. narratives, when the bigger issue is the domestic terror cells (white nationalism) we have right here in our own country. 

9 minutes ago, Llevron said:

 

What’s easier? Money out of politics or “taking our gunz” 

When the two are tied together, it presents a big issue. 

33 minutes ago, Burgold said:

Personally, I think when McConnell, Gaetz, or Trump say or tweet the words "thoughts and prayers" I think they are really saying, "**** you! We're ain't going to do **** and there's nothing you can do about it." to the survivors and grievers.

45 was tweeting out thoughts in prayers to El Paso, and 15 minutes later, he's tweeting out congratulations to that MMA clown who won yesterday. 

7 minutes ago, Burgold said:

You know how the A-okay sign has been subverted to be a racist symbol? Part of me wonders what the modern translation of "thoughts and prayers" really is?

The modern translation is just hollow because there is no action taking place to make any actual change.  Rinse/repeat until the next tragedy.  SMH. 

2 minutes ago, Skintime said:

No to both sides. GOP has done everything it can to make sure that nothing passes on gun control. If you cannot see that then it's useless debating with you.

Part of the problem is how powerful the NRA is. 

RIP to the innocent. 

1 hour ago, CousinsCowgirl84 said:

 

What does that have to do with gun control?

 

Youre being rediculous. It’s pretty obvious ending racism won’t scratch a dent in gun violence. White people are killing plenty of white people... which is what that graphic also shows.

Let's see...you were quick to pull the "blacks kill more blacks" card while completely misunderstanding @AsburySkinsFan's point.  You not understanding the context behind the statistics is something you should probably do a little more research in.  It's a different topic for another day, so I'm not going to derail the thread.  However, it would serve you well if you read up a little on systemic racism and why it's such a problem in many urban communities. 

1 hour ago, Llevron said:

 

Failed to or chose not to? Bringing that stat up, especially when it doesn't really fit the context of the conversation, is a white nationalist go-to in many other corners of the internet. Its hard to fight/argue without the use of facts. And these people often dont want to use facts and wont agree on them regardless of how you present them. Pointless battle, this one. 

What she said is cousin of the “what about the gun violence in Chicago?” dog whistle. 

@CousinsCowgirl84 Statistics are just numbers w/o context.  You failed to mention systemic racism. 

On 7/26/2019 at 1:56 PM, TheDoyler23 said:

 

Probably because of the typical "Play the right way" shenanigans we experience in baseball. 

 

Plus if it doesn't work and a guy smashes it 500 feet, you look like a complete asshole. 

That could totally be it.  However, imagine if you're in a critical situation and are known for throwing gas...all of a sudden, you throw a 52mph "fastball."  Wait...that wasn't on the scouting report.  Easy strikeout b/c timing is beyond screwed up LOL.

Also...I still maintain that if the price is right, ANYONE can be had on this Orioles roster, but Nunez, Means, and Santander have been awesome.  Those three should figure in the plans going forward for the team. 

Makes me wonder why we don't see more eephus pitches in MLB. 

It's not even that he's charismatic...dude KNOWS his stuff. 

7 minutes ago, Barry.Randolphe said:

Gil ruined his reputation with Twitter posts about WNBA players not being hot enough. No team is coming within a 10 foot pole of him now....sad

Well, yea...that, too. 

Something to think about...

Also, if Gil didn't sabotage his career, he would have been FANTASTIC on TNT. 

At some point, a major network has to call him, right?  Dude is brilliant with his insight. 

I mean, if Dennis Scott can carve out a career after his "ready to die" episode at a youth b-ball camp, surely there's hope for Gil's mainstream media career.  

4 hours ago, StillUnknown said:

 

Game is different now though. Kidd was also much more consistent defensively which added to his value. More than anything else, Wall has to develop a consistent shot. You cant reach certain levels in todays nba being a guard with no shot. Second is his off the ball movement. If he cant embrace that, its gonna be a hard few years. He cant live in todays nba of spacing and movement the same as he was doing before he went out. He's clearly smart enough to realize it, i just hope he's kicked the stubbornness out

Kidd didn't become a perennial 35% 3pt threat until he turned 31.  John has had at least one season of doing that, but he needs to be a guy who can consistently make at least 35% of his shots from behind the arc.  If he can do that, everything he does off the ball becomes that much easier.  Plus, it will open things up for everyone on the court if you have guys 1-5 that have proven that they can knock down mid-range/3balls. 

The way Wall sees the floor and can pass is VERY similar to Jason Kidd.  Where the difference is between the two guys is in two areas:

1.  The ability to limit TOs.  This has been Wall's weakness since day 1.  With diminishing athleticism, maybe.....just maybe, slowing things down will benefit him in this aspect.

2.  Playing tough defense.  It's not a skill deficiency, it's more of a "want" than anything.  The team needs Wall to become more engaged and locked in on defense. Simple as that.  I'm not saying giving 110% on each defensive possession, but moving his feet, clogging lanes...giving at least 80-90% effort. 

45 minutes ago, CRobi21 said:

 

"Long term."

 

Maybe we'll get the details next week.

"More changes to follow...."

Hmmm...

4 hours ago, StillUnknown said:

 

Michael Lee and Fred Katz have both talked about the dichotomy of Wall's basketball intellect and how he plays. They both talk about how he is damn near savant like in his recollection of defenses he faced. Despite his clear ability to diagnose an issue, he's lacking in something to make the necessary changes.

Hearing this makes me feel even better about what he'll do in his return.  As we've said, the athleticism won't be the same....but if he can channel 30+ year old Jason Kidd (who also had a ridiculously high bball IQ,) his game will age well even with the major leg injuries. 

9 hours ago, stevemcqueen1 said:

 

John isn't an egotistical player and Beal has already been playing first option and leading the team in scoring.  I've never understood the narrative that they can't coexist, it has never been true.

 

John also had his teammates in awe when he was younger.  Including the vets.

 

Beal says all of the right things, and he has a good temperament, but the truth is a big part of leadership is on court dominance.  Leading by example.  And I'm not sure Beal is good enough to be that kind of a leader.  He strikes me as more of a cog in the machine type.

 

But Beal is a no bull**** low maintenance all star who is a stabilizing presence in an organization and a good culture guy.  He'd work well in a strength in numbers type of culture.

Though it’s not completely John’s fault, the organization NEVER provided him with a stable culture, aside from the year PP34 was here, to develop any sort of leadership skills. Yes, 100%, guys are in awe of him, but that’s based more off of his natural talent than his ability to lead. Even with it being an extreme, you can say the same about JR Smith lol.  I can’t recall ANY young players like TB31 and TBJr looking up to Wall the way they do with Beal. I’m a huge Wall believer, but there is a different vibe with the team having Brad as the lead dog. Could be a shift in culture, but it’s just different. 

Now, we’re in the midst of a rebuild. There’s a cloud of uncertainty around the status of both Wall/Beal.  If Beal truly wants to be here and see this rebuild through, then a hard decision needs to be made on Wall. It’s not that these two can’t co-exist, but the org will have made their decision as to who the face of the franchise is, and that would be Beal.