⭐ OFFICIAL 2020-2021 NBA Off-Season Thread: Olympics begin 7/23; NBA Draft 7/29⭐

[atlsfinest]

This is all speculation and they probably do away with the draft, but the NBA could follow the path of world football and open academies and bring in cats to tryouts, house them, provide them with an education etc. Have multiple sub divisions or teams etc.

This is a conversation I've had many times with friends. At the end of the day, there is no perfect system for cultivating professional athletes and no perfectly equitable system for diving up talent.

One thing that a lot of people miss when talking about the soccer academies is that these kids are essentially pro-athletes at 13 or 14. They kind of go to school but their number one priority is becoming a better soccer player and eventually making it to the top team. They're getting paid, so they're expected to be professionals at a young age.

Essential these kids stop going to school in eighth or ninth grade. Obviously for the guys who make it to the top teams in the world, it's well worth it but, like any pro sport, the guys playing for Arsenal, Barcelona, Chelsea, etc only represent a small percentage of the kids who go to those academies.

A lot of those international soccer prospects get screwed over too. Throughout Europe, there's an entire generation of kids who wash out and they're in there early twenties with eighth grade educations.

 

[KHUFU]

A couple years ago my homie tried to give me the whole "NFL players or slaves" talk and made a bunch of analogies between the NFL and slavery ("owners", the NFL combine, etc). I'm thinking "I'll gladly be somebody's slave for millions of dollars a year". It would sure beat working at 9-5.

I'm not saying that sports leagues are perfect but miss me with the "I'm not somebody's property, they can't tell me what to do". Kyrie signed a contract and he's making $33m this season. The nets made a huge investment in him. If he really doesn't want to be somebody's property, he can gladly retire and miss out on the remaining $100m of his contract.

He disagrees.

 

[amitt5504]

Late.....

but Bucks and Sixers have the best shot at stopping the Nets. Then Cs right after.

Cs got wings in Brown, Tatum and Smart to guard the Nets big 3 but that’s it. KD cooking whoever and not telling when Smart gonna have his hot shooting series. Kemba getting played off the court tryna stay with Joe Harris

Bucks (in theory) if Yawnist actually decides to guard KD. I like Jrue to body up with either Harden or Myrie (if he’s around, that’s the biggest question)

Sixers got the size on the wings with Benjamin, Green, Thigh-bull and FNL Tobias. Plus they got Dwert to get silly lol Nets also have no answer for Embiid and that’s what everyone is ignoring. His improved passing out of doubles and Hardens tendency to not do anything on defense is a match made in heaven

 

[N41D]

This ain't it

Look - the way she’s talking about it is wild outta line, no doubt. They’re obviously not property. But she’s not wrong about where she stands on it as it relates to the draft.

There definitely needs to be some cap reform on a few levels. I hate restricted free agency - give players options to get out earlier in their careers and make their moves if they so choose without being tied to the team that drafted them matching whatever offer.

I don’t think the current Max deal/salary slotting structure works long term.

Could see some room for reform in the draft but “let us go wherever we want and get rid of it” isn’t the answer.

 

[bostoiah]

nobody brings up the 08 C's on here as much as MLGA
maybe a handful of C's fans, but they aren't talmbout it like it's the 70/80s

yea literally no Celtics fan on here hang onto that 08 chip like that lmao

the Celtics players do tho I’ll admit

 

[MVP]

Look - the way she’s talking about it is wild outta line, no doubt. They’re obviously not property. But she’s not wrong about where she stands on it as it relates to the draft.

There definitely needs to be some cap reform on a few levels. I hate restricted free agency - give players options to get out earlier in their careers and make their moves if they so choose without being tied to the team that drafted them matching whatever offer.

I don’t think the current Max deal/salary slotting structure works long term.

Could see some room for reform in the draft but “let us go wherever we want and get rid of it” isn’t the answer.

Words matter. If anyone paying even a little bit of attention over the last few years would be able to get it's that. I don't care about the rest. That soundbite is terrible and the subsequent post you made is not it either.

 

[Hahahaha]

This convo is funny cause I ran into Jackie Mac at the African American museum in DC like two years ago. Random as hell seeing her, I was confused.

 

[MIKE LOWERY]

Oladipo and Prince active tonight?

 

[atlsfinest]

yea literally no Celtics fan on here hang onto that 08 chip like that lmao

the Celtics players do tho I’ll admit

This is what I meant. It's typically not Celtics fans talking about it. It's the players from that team getting nostalgic about that championship over a decade later. KG, Paul Pierce, Rondo are giving interviews well over a decade later still talking about it.

 

[pmatic]

Rubio and Juancho just played last night...

 

[getback]

This is what I meant. It's typically not Celtics fans talking about it. It's the players from that team getting nostalgic about that championship over a decade later. KG, Paul Pierce, Rondo are giving interviews well over a decade later still talking about it.

Lol so? There was a just a 10 hour series on the 1997-98 Bulls but KG and Rondo can't give a few sound bites without upsetting people?

God forbid athletes reminisce about a special achievement. Someone gotta put a statute of limitations on that.

 

[dman14]

yea literally no Celtics fan on here hang onto that 08 chip like that lmao

the Celtics players do tho I’ll admit

true. most of them work in the media on tv or podcast and doc still coaching
of course they going to bring it up

doesn't bother me one bit

 

[nick.]

Taurean Prince got a better farewell tweet than James Harden

 

[lawdog1]

Yup...

If it's the other stuff going on in the world that's got his mind in other places, that's certainly understandable.

But miss me with the 'woe is me' nonsense about being someone's property while you're cashing $7m a year as a rookie that had to move to Cleveland. Boohoo.

And, the thing is, Kyrie did not have to go to the NBA. He could go play in another country. But the NBA presents the best competition and opportunity to maximize wealth playing basketball. In exchange for that, players have to comply with their rules, including the draft process. Seems like a fair trade off to me.

 

[N41D]

And, the thing is, Kyrie did not have to go to the NBA. He could go play in another country. But the NBA presents the best competition and opportunity to maximize wealth playing basketball. In exchange for that, players have to comply with their rules, including the draft process. Seems like a fair trade off to me.

Yup.

I’m not going to apologize for not feeling sympathy for dudes making generational cash having to spend time in cities they maybe dont wanna be in early in their careers. If that ain’t it or rubs people the wrong way, whatever man.

There’s a big gap between that and saying they’re property. They’re not.

These guys are gaining more and more control over their careers every single season. The NBA has to balance and try to keep 30 franchises halfway relevant with some level of talent pipeline. Right now, the draft is really the only way to do it.

 

[atlsfinest]

Yup.

I’m not going to apologize for not feeling sympathy for dudes making generational cash having to spend time in cities they maybe dont wanna be in early in their careers. If that ain’t it or rubs people the wrong way, whatever man.

There’s a big gap between that and saying they’re property. They’re not.

These guys are gaining more and more control over their careers every single season. The NBA has to balance and try to keep 30 franchises halfway relevant with some level of talent pipeline. Right now, the draft is really the only way to do it.

Exactly. And the players only need to spend the first four or five years of their career on the team that drafted them, It's not like the NFL where they can franchise tag you before seasons at a time. Players don't have to sign those rookie extensions but the vast majority of them do because the team they're on can offer them the most money.

This is why I don't feel sorry for players like Devin Booker or Bradley Beal. They knew that they were signing up long-term for organizations that weren't well run yet they did it anyway because they wanted to maximize their earnings

 

[antidope]

This really got out of hand smh

 

[pmatic]

Who knows what Maxey becomes, but he's a keeper.

 

[N41D]

Who knows what Maxey becomes, but he's a keeper.

He’s a player. How good he gets is tied entirely to whether or not he can ever shoot.

 

[tomdiginson]

This is a conversation I've had many times with friends. At the end of the day, there is no perfect system for cultivating professional athletes and no perfectly equitable system for diving up talent.

One thing that a lot of people miss when talking about the soccer academies is that these kids are essentially pro-athletes at 13 or 14. They kind of go to school but their number one priority is becoming a better soccer player and eventually making it to the top team. Essential these kids stop going to school in eighth or ninth grade. Obviously for the guys who make it to the top teams in the world, it's well worth it but, like any pro sport, the guys playing for Arsenal, Barcelona, Chelsea, etc only represent a small percentage of the kids who go to those academies.

Throughout Europe, there's an entire generation of kids who wash out and they're in there early twenties with eighth grade educations

I know someone who thought he was going to be a futbol player.He was really good and talented. He had tryouts with a few teams and long story short, he tore his ACL. Came back and tore it in the other leg. His futbol aspirations were gone. Dude put on tremendous amounts of weight. He did go to college and got a degree and job, but you can see this is a far cry of what he wants to do.

 

[HOU$TON]

Rockets let’s get it

 

[Hahahaha]

Shaq killing Harden, I love it

 

[HIM]

This 13-year long lovefest for the 2008 Celtics is so weird to me. Like you said, the Lakers have won three championships since then and people talk about it 1/10 As much as they talk about the 2008 Celtics. Is it because KG finally got one? You'll see podcasts in 2020 and 2021 still talking about the '08 Celtics.

It's not even like they were a dominant playoff team. The eighth seed hawks took them to seven games and a Cleveland team that was essentially just a LeBron took them to seven games. They're not some all-time great team or anything

Celtics are a bigger deal than the Lakers. Their accomplishments will always generate more reaction than the Lakers.

 

[MajinZuub]

Well damn

 

[dacomeup]

Who knows what Maxey becomes, but he's a keeper.

Why did he drop again?

And I don’t think that anyone feels sorry for NBA players having to be in whatever cities, but Jackie Mac referring to them as property is wild. These are two way contracts that both parties enter into.Especially speaking about Black men — not referring to or propagated the idea that they are property should be fairly obvious, especially given the historical context in this country.