Around the League News - 2022 Offseason Edition

[Shabazz]

Is it just a coincidence that NO got the #1 pick, where they got AD, when they needed the Saints owner to bail them out, buy the franchise, and keep them in NO?

Or when AD screwed them over and wanted out, they just so happened to get the #1 pick again? And in order for the Lakers to make the trade for AD, that they jumped up to the #4 pick that year to sweeten the deal?

How about the fact that LA jumped up in the draft 4 times in 5 yrs(2015. 2016. 2017, 2019), and the only one they didn't(2018), it was the one that they didn't own that pick? How about if they didn't jump up in the 2017 draft, they would have lost another pick too? When was the last time they dropped in the draft? Has it ever happened? Just lucky, I guess.

How about the Knicks and the Suns haven't been able to jump up in the draft since 1985(Knicks) & 1987(Suns) respectively, yet consistently drop in the draft like clockwork? Ayton wasn't a jump in the draft.

How about the year after LeBron left Cleveland, they magically get the #1 pick? It seemed that Cleveland was so upset about it, and the league felt so bad about LeBron leaving, that they got the #1 pick 3 out of the 4 yrs he was gone, paving the way for them to get LeBron back and win a title.

There is more "coincidences" too.
But it's all just tinfoil hat kinda stuff.

This is all nonsense. In any of these conspiracies, it's never clear who is actually doing the conspiring. Adam Silver? He's an employee of all 30 owners, not just Jeannie Buss. All those owners were OK with New Orleans winning multiple lotteries? Is Ernst & Young in on it and would they be willing to destroy their credibility to fix the NBA lottery? Mechanically, how do they weigh the balls in the lottery machine (in view of all NBA teams + media) to get the desired outcome? This is Qanon garbage.

[Superbone]

That Poole story seems to be made up.

You're not going to be able to swim in Jordan Pool either if you keep it up.

[In2ition]

Is it just a coincidence that NO got the #1 pick, where they got AD, when they needed the Saints owner to bail them out, buy the franchise, and keep them in NO?

Or when AD screwed them over and wanted out, they just so happened to get the #1 pick again? And in order for the Lakers to make the trade for AD, that they jumped up to the #4 pick that year to sweeten the deal?

How about the fact that LA jumped up in the draft 4 times in 5 yrs(2015. 2016. 2017, 2019), and the only one they didn't(2018), it was the one that they didn't own that pick? How about if they didn't jump up in the 2017 draft, they would have lost another pick too? When was the last time they dropped in the draft? Has it ever happened? Just lucky, I guess.

How about the Knicks and the Suns haven't been able to jump up in the draft since 1985(Knicks) & 1987(Suns) respectively, yet consistently drop in the draft like clockwork? Ayton wasn't a jump in the draft.

How about the year after LeBron left Cleveland, they magically get the #1 pick? It seemed that Cleveland was so upset about it, and the league felt so bad about LeBron leaving, that they got the #1 pick 3 out of the 4 yrs he was gone, paving the way for them to get LeBron back and win a title.

There is more "coincidences" too.
But it's all just tinfoil hat kinda stuff.

This is all nonsense. In any of these conspiracies, it's never clear who is actually doing the conspiring. Adam Silver? He's an employee of all 30 owners, not just Jeannie Buss. All those owners were OK with New Orleans winning multiple lotteries? Is Ernst & Young in on it and would they be willing to destroy their credibility to fix the NBA lottery? Mechanically, how do they weigh the balls in the lottery machine (in view of all NBA teams + media) to get the desired outcome? This is Qanon garbage.

Really? It's been widely speculated since the frozen envelope/bent corner of the 1985 draft that went to the Knicks. It all started with Qanon? LOL, what a crock.

[JeremyG]

I know most these reporters are usually just a "mouthpiece" for a team/agent to control a narrative so make what you want of this

Not surprising. Poole has always seemed like an arrogant punk. Can't stand the guy.

[JeremyG]

[Shabazz]

Is it just a coincidence that NO got the #1 pick, where they got AD, when they needed the Saints owner to bail them out, buy the franchise, and keep them in NO?

Or when AD screwed them over and wanted out, they just so happened to get the #1 pick again? And in order for the Lakers to make the trade for AD, that they jumped up to the #4 pick that year to sweeten the deal?

How about the fact that LA jumped up in the draft 4 times in 5 yrs(2015. 2016. 2017, 2019), and the only one they didn't(2018), it was the one that they didn't own that pick? How about if they didn't jump up in the 2017 draft, they would have lost another pick too? When was the last time they dropped in the draft? Has it ever happened? Just lucky, I guess.

How about the Knicks and the Suns haven't been able to jump up in the draft since 1985(Knicks) & 1987(Suns) respectively, yet consistently drop in the draft like clockwork? Ayton wasn't a jump in the draft.

How about the year after LeBron left Cleveland, they magically get the #1 pick? It seemed that Cleveland was so upset about it, and the league felt so bad about LeBron leaving, that they got the #1 pick 3 out of the 4 yrs he was gone, paving the way for them to get LeBron back and win a title.

There is more "coincidences" too.
But it's all just tinfoil hat kinda stuff.

This is all nonsense. In any of these conspiracies, it's never clear who is actually doing the conspiring. Adam Silver? He's an employee of all 30 owners, not just Jeannie Buss. All those owners were OK with New Orleans winning multiple lotteries? Is Ernst & Young in on it and would they be willing to destroy their credibility to fix the NBA lottery? Mechanically, how do they weigh the balls in the lottery machine (in view of all NBA teams + media) to get the desired outcome? This is Qanon garbage.

Really? It's been widely speculated since the frozen envelope/bent corner of the 1985 draft that went to the Knicks. It all started with Qanon? LOL, what a crock.

I'm not saying it started with QAnon. I'm saying it's garbage, QAnon-level conspiracy nonsense.

Please address any of the questions I posed above. Starting with who is actually "fixing" the lottery.

Or, you can watch this and try and rebut any of his points:

[Drewsprocket]

I’d gladly take JP in a suns jersey if they don’t like his ass. I’d even take on Draymond for Crowder and change. When is JJ gonna update this roster?!

[wpmiller42]

I’d gladly take JP in a suns jersey if they don’t like his ass. I’d even take on Draymond for Crowder and change. When is JJ gonna update this roster?!

It's worth a shot. You know the warriors have to be quietly shopping some guys and I'd bet Draymond is one of them. We could do a lot worse than Crowder for Green

[Aztec Sunsfan]

Revenge Draymond could be a huge boost for our current dynamic.

[Split T]

I’d just be worried about having to pay Draymond’s next contract. What would we have to add to Crowder to get GS to bite?

Crowder/Saric/Craig gets us there contract wise, but we’d have to add something. I’d do it for 1 first, but moving 2 1sts for an aging Draymond who wants a big payday doesn’t excite me.

We also don’t have the Curry to help compensate for Greens complete inability to score.

[wpmiller42]

I’d just be worried about having to pay Draymond’s next contract. What would we have to add to Crowder to get GS to bite?

Crowder/Saric/Craig gets us there contract wise, but we’d have to add something. I’d do it for 1 first, but moving 2 1sts for an aging Draymond who wants a big payday doesn’t excite me.

We also don’t have the Curry to help compensate for Greens complete inability to score.

I don't think I'm overly concerned about his next contract. If he plays well, then great let's pay him, if not he can go find his next spot.

We do lose some shooting, but I'm hoping Cam J can more than pick up the slack, and Green is a better passer than Crowder.

[Split T]

I’d just be worried about having to pay Draymond’s next contract. What would we have to add to Crowder to get GS to bite?

Crowder/Saric/Craig gets us there contract wise, but we’d have to add something. I’d do it for 1 first, but moving 2 1sts for an aging Draymond who wants a big payday doesn’t excite me.

We also don’t have the Curry to help compensate for Greens complete inability to score.

I don't think I'm overly concerned about his next contract. If he plays well, then great let's pay him, if not he can go find his next spot.

We do lose some shooting, but I'm hoping Cam J can more than pick up the slack, and Green is a better passer than Crowder.

You’d give up 2 1sts for 1 year of Draymond?

[wpmiller42]

I’d just be worried about having to pay Draymond’s next contract. What would we have to add to Crowder to get GS to bite?

Crowder/Saric/Craig gets us there contract wise, but we’d have to add something. I’d do it for 1 first, but moving 2 1sts for an aging Draymond who wants a big payday doesn’t excite me.

We also don’t have the Curry to help compensate for Greens complete inability to score.

I don't think I'm overly concerned about his next contract. If he plays well, then great let's pay him, if not he can go find his next spot.

We do lose some shooting, but I'm hoping Cam J can more than pick up the slack, and Green is a better passer than Crowder.

You’d give up 2 1sts for 1 year of Draymond?

No, sorry, that wasn't clear. I wouldn't give up any firsts. I'd be hard pressed to even include seconds.

[In2ition]

Is it just a coincidence that NO got the #1 pick, where they got AD, when they needed the Saints owner to bail them out, buy the franchise, and keep them in NO?

Or when AD screwed them over and wanted out, they just so happened to get the #1 pick again? And in order for the Lakers to make the trade for AD, that they jumped up to the #4 pick that year to sweeten the deal?

How about the fact that LA jumped up in the draft 4 times in 5 yrs(2015. 2016. 2017, 2019), and the only one they didn't(2018), it was the one that they didn't own that pick? How about if they didn't jump up in the 2017 draft, they would have lost another pick too? When was the last time they dropped in the draft? Has it ever happened? Just lucky, I guess.

How about the Knicks and the Suns haven't been able to jump up in the draft since 1985(Knicks) & 1987(Suns) respectively, yet consistently drop in the draft like clockwork? Ayton wasn't a jump in the draft.

How about the year after LeBron left Cleveland, they magically get the #1 pick? It seemed that Cleveland was so upset about it, and the league felt so bad about LeBron leaving, that they got the #1 pick 3 out of the 4 yrs he was gone, paving the way for them to get LeBron back and win a title.

There is more "coincidences" too.
But it's all just tinfoil hat kinda stuff.

This is all nonsense. In any of these conspiracies, it's never clear who is actually doing the conspiring. Adam Silver? He's an employee of all 30 owners, not just Jeannie Buss. All those owners were OK with New Orleans winning multiple lotteries? Is Ernst & Young in on it and would they be willing to destroy their credibility to fix the NBA lottery? Mechanically, how do they weigh the balls in the lottery machine (in view of all NBA teams + media) to get the desired outcome? This is Qanon garbage.

Really? It's been widely speculated since the frozen envelope/bent corner of the 1985 draft that went to the Knicks. It all started with Qanon? LOL, what a crock.

I'm not saying it started with QAnon. I'm saying it's garbage, QAnon-level conspiracy nonsense.

Please address any of the questions I posed above. Starting with who is actually "fixing" the lottery.

Or, you can watch this and try and rebut any of his points:

I freely admit that it's much much harder, maybe even impossible to rig the lottery today. So let's go with it not being rigged.

I'm also not a huge fan of luck being the determinate factor. As a Suns fan, knowing that we were garbage for years, couldn't catch a break, but the LA Lakers catch every break? What is that exactly? What did the Suns do to get that hand drawn and what did the Lakers do to be impossibly lucky over and over and over? Dropping in the lottery every year, while it seems nearly impossible that the Lakers would jump every year. Can you tell that I despise the Lakers?

[In2ition]

I’d just be worried about having to pay Draymond’s next contract. What would we have to add to Crowder to get GS to bite?

Crowder/Saric/Craig gets us there contract wise, but we’d have to add something. I’d do it for 1 first, but moving 2 1sts for an aging Draymond who wants a big payday doesn’t excite me.

We also don’t have the Curry to help compensate for Greens complete inability to score.

I don't think I'm overly concerned about his next contract. If he plays well, then great let's pay him, if not he can go find his next spot.

We do lose some shooting, but I'm hoping Cam J can more than pick up the slack, and Green is a better passer than Crowder.

You’d give up 2 1sts for 1 year of Draymond?

Isn't he under contract for this year and next?

[Split T]

I’d just be worried about having to pay Draymond’s next contract. What would we have to add to Crowder to get GS to bite?

Crowder/Saric/Craig gets us there contract wise, but we’d have to add something. I’d do it for 1 first, but moving 2 1sts for an aging Draymond who wants a big payday doesn’t excite me.

We also don’t have the Curry to help compensate for Greens complete inability to score.

I don't think I'm overly concerned about his next contract. If he plays well, then great let's pay him, if not he can go find his next spot.

We do lose some shooting, but I'm hoping Cam J can more than pick up the slack, and Green is a better passer than Crowder.

You’d give up 2 1sts for 1 year of Draymond?

No, sorry, that wasn't clear. I wouldn't give up any firsts. I'd be hard pressed to even include seconds.

Gotcha, ya I’d be all in if we can just flip Crowder and contracts for Green

[Split T]

I’d just be worried about having to pay Draymond’s next contract. What would we have to add to Crowder to get GS to bite?

Crowder/Saric/Craig gets us there contract wise, but we’d have to add something. I’d do it for 1 first, but moving 2 1sts for an aging Draymond who wants a big payday doesn’t excite me.

We also don’t have the Curry to help compensate for Greens complete inability to score.

I don't think I'm overly concerned about his next contract. If he plays well, then great let's pay him, if not he can go find his next spot.

We do lose some shooting, but I'm hoping Cam J can more than pick up the slack, and Green is a better passer than Crowder.

You’d give up 2 1sts for 1 year of Draymond?

Isn't he under contract for this year and next?

I guess he has a player option…didn’t realize that. He’s probably hoping to decline that and sign a big deal with GS. Not sure how he’d feel if he was in Phoenix. I’d be cool if he picked it up. 2 years at 25 and 27 million is pretty fair value for him I think.

Interesting thing I heard on Bill Simmons/Zach Lowe podcast, they talked about how it’s Green who is often talked about as the guy GS can’t afford and might move on from, but maybe it should be Klay? I think Green has been and is clearly more important to them, yet Klay is making 43 million a year and Green is making 25.

[TOO]

Klay is definitely expendable, especially with Poole coming on, I don't think there is any question there.

[Split T]

He’s just more universally loved and I don’t think GS would move him. Ultimately I think GS and Dray work something out. He won’t get a max level deal, but maybe like 3 for 100? It might cost them Wiggins though and GS hoping Kuminga/Moody can step up. Or maybe they just keep spending nearly 200 million or more in luxury tax penalties.

[Wally_West]

You punch him for telling a stupid joke and being annoying?

This is a troll tweet lol

Another one