Around the League: Week 11 3/1-3/7

[Mori Chu]

So, what does the HEAT acronym stand for?

“Hovering Elite And Talented”

LOL.

[Superbone]

Huge Energy and Teamwork.

[Flagrant Fowl]

Hung Elite and Tasty

[Superbone]

Hung Elite and Tasty

Ok, now I'm sorry I asked.

[Cap]

Hugely Egregious Antisemetic Talk?

[ShelC]

Just gonna leave this here.

[Flagrant Fowl]

Now that's a guy the Suns should make every effort to sign. Assuming the Spurs are buying him out.

[pickle]

I would be up for an Aldridge signing. I haven't watched him much this year, but I feel like he's got a little more in the tank than Blake tbh.

[pickle]

The thing about Meyers Leonard is, he can say he didn't know what that word meant. But if he said it so casually in his gaming stream, he has heard and said it before. He probably hangs out in a circle of guys who casually throw out edgy words like "the N word," or the "F word" for gays, or this "K word" for Jews, without hesitation. And it just seeps into your vocabulary. He probably didn't realize how not-cool it was to say that word in a general context.

I don't want to launch into a whole political argument about cancel culture in the main section. My personal opinion is that you should call people out strongly when they make mistakes or do things that are wrong, but you should give people opportunities to learn and grow. If Leonard will put in the time to learn from this and become a better person, I don't want him to face devastating consequences. For example, I would be disappointed if the Heat cut him or suspended him for the season, or if he had a hard time finding work in the NBA for this.

If he were to never appear in an NBA game again, I'd say that's a little strong, but that wouldn't be a Miami decision. But to get suspended for the rest of the season, I don't know if I'd consider that an egregious punishment.

[specialsauce]

This team is in need of athleticism. LMA doesn’t have it. But I’d still take him I guess.

[The Bobster]

It isn't a punishment. It is just when you miss a third of your games during your peak, you aren't going to get credit for what you might have done if you could play.

And much like Karl Malone, he isn't going to be on a lot of all-time great lists because of the child molestation issues.

Yes, but going strictly by how good he was when healthy on the court would put him at a different level than if evaluating off the court issues or what he wasn’t able to do on the court due to missed games/less-than-fully-healthy games.

So if Zion only lasts 3-4 seasons before breaking down, but plays at an all-nba level, he can still make the hall or be considered one of the best ever?

Ralph Sampson is in the HOF.

Sampson was 3-time College Player of the Year though.

Zion doesn't have that kind of resume.

[Indy]

The thing about Meyers Leonard is, he can say he didn't know what that word meant. But if he said it so casually in his gaming stream, he has heard and said it before. He probably hangs out in a circle of guys who casually throw out edgy words like "the N word," or the "F word" for gays, or this "K word" for Jews, without hesitation. And it just seeps into your vocabulary. He probably didn't realize how not-cool it was to say that word in a general context.

I don't want to launch into a whole political argument about cancel culture in the main section. My personal opinion is that you should call people out strongly when they make mistakes or do things that are wrong, but you should give people opportunities to learn and grow. If Leonard will put in the time to learn from this and become a better person, I don't want him to face devastating consequences. For example, I would be disappointed if the Heat cut him or suspended him for the season, or if he had a hard time finding work in the NBA for this.

If he were to never appear in an NBA game again, I'd say that's a little strong, but that wouldn't be a Miami decision. But to get suspended for the rest of the season, I don't know if I'd consider that an egregious punishment.

Exactly. Who would expect to keep their job if this happened to them? Any of you? If I heard one of my employees say this, I would go straight to legal and HR advocating for their termination.

[virtual9mm]

Why are the Spurs phasing out LMA? Still a productive player. Would be the perfect complement to the bench.

[pickle]

He's not really a productive starter anymore. He's dealt with some injury issues and apparently lost the new-found three point shot and paint protection abilities from last season, when averaged something like a career high 1.7 threes and 1.6 blocks per game. They have more or less converted to small ball with Keldon Johnson and DeRozan up front, and Poeltl is a much better rim protector and rebounder.

What does worry me is whether LMA can accept a 7th or 8th man role. If he can, he's another big body to throw against those bigger centers in the playoffs for when Ayton gets into foul trouble, and he can certainly teach Ayton a thing or two in practice, if he were so inclined to accept such a role. I'd still prefer Nance, Young, and Bjelica, but I would certainly not be disappointed in LMA.

[Split T]

Aldridge loves that midrange shot, I’m not sure we want him teaching Ayton, haha.

[specialsauce]

It makes no sense. He wants out of SA assuming to get regular PT. I have no interest in him taking Dario’s minutes as backup 5. He’d be looking at Frank’s role, which I don’t see him being okay with.

[Split T]

It makes no sense. He wants out of SA assuming to get regular PT. I have no interest in him taking Dario’s minutes as backup 5. He’d be looking at Frank’s role, which I don’t see him being okay with.

Yep, he’s not coming here. Boston or Portland probably. They can give him minutes.

[Cap]

It isn't a punishment. It is just when you miss a third of your games during your peak, you aren't going to get credit for what you might have done if you could play.

And much like Karl Malone, he isn't going to be on a lot of all-time great lists because of the child molestation issues.

Yes, but going strictly by how good he was when healthy on the court would put him at a different level than if evaluating off the court issues or what he wasn’t able to do on the court due to missed games/less-than-fully-healthy games.

So if Zion only lasts 3-4 seasons before breaking down, but plays at an all-nba level, he can still make the hall or be considered one of the best ever?

Ralph Sampson is in the HOF.

Sampson was 3-time College Player of the Year though.

Zion doesn't have that kind of resume.

Sampson was 3-time CPOY and had 2 kick-ass NBA seasons before starting to break down. If Zion is 1-time CPOY (his only season in college) and has 4 kick-ass NBA seasons before breaking down, isn’t that at least an equal resume?

[pickle]

It makes no sense. He wants out of SA assuming to get regular PT. I have no interest in him taking Dario’s minutes as backup 5. He’d be looking at Frank’s role, which I don’t see him being okay with.

Yep, he’s not coming here. Boston or Portland probably. They can give him minutes.

That's probably right. He would certainly have other destinations, though other than the Raptors and Nets I'm not sure he would get a starting role in any other scenario. Would Boston start him over Theis?

[Split T]

It makes no sense. He wants out of SA assuming to get regular PT. I have no interest in him taking Dario’s minutes as backup 5. He’d be looking at Frank’s role, which I don’t see him being okay with.

Yep, he’s not coming here. Boston or Portland probably. They can give him minutes.

That's probably right. He would certainly have other destinations, though other than the Raptors and Nets I'm not sure he would get a starting role in any other scenario. Would Boston start him over Theis?

Probably not, I think his starting days are over.