THEE OFFICIAL 2019-2020 NBA OFFSEASON THREAD: VICTORY LAP

[BIG LEEMELONE]

Since MArch? Are you seriously asking me this question??

Just GOogle it. Players have done A LOT since March and before going into the Bubble.

Google it, I am not doing that easy assignment for you.

DOZENS of examples will come up. Pick whichever one you want.

So outside of attending protests, what won't the players be able to accomplish while playing? Not talking about what ESPN or nbatv has on their agenda. Specifically the players who have their own platforms independent of mainstream news.

 

[BIG LEEMELONE]

Nets’ Garrett Temple pushing social justice message at NBA restart

Nearly two months have passed since George Floyd was killed. The streets are quieter. Protests against racial injustice have shrunk from an unprecedented and unsustainable size and pace. COVID-19 h…

www.google.com

With less than two weeks until the NBA season restarts in Orlando, Nets guard Garrett Temple participated in a call with roughly 30 players Thursday night, focused on how to ensure their platform to amplify the Black Lives Matter movement — and other related causes — isn’t overshadowed by the upcoming games, as teammate Kyrie Irving and others opposed to returning to play feared.

“Obviously, we want to keep the conversation going. That’s one of the main things that needs to happen. In this world, in America, things die down quickly,” Temple said on a Zoom call Friday night. “We want to talk to each other, talk to like-minded individuals about whatever issues we want to change and try to find tangible things we can actually do to create those changes to push policies in the cities that we’re in. I think us being on the court, pushing that, is gonna be great to have people watch us, but also we need to come out of here with some strategy in order to make some tangible changes.”

 

[lawdog1]

For whatever this is worth, I just Googled Jerami Grant. Two articles came up about his comments on Breonna Taylor, the one that was already posted from ESPN and the one from The Root.

I then Googled “NBA players shot-gunning beers” and at least dozen articles came up, including from USA Today, SB Nation, the NY Post, etc.

 

[DCAllAfrican]

So outside of attending protests, what won't the players be able to accomplish while playing? Not talking about what ESPN or nbatv has on their agenda. Specifically the players who have their own platforms independent of mainstream news.

You can't say, "Outside of attending Protests" because that is a MAJOR tool in player participation.

Listen.

Follow me now.

At the height of the movement, when the NBA Season as at a stand-still, players were very active with their VOICES and with their moves. (You can Google what those moves are, you already named one in Protesting; there are others).

When there was buzz about the Season starting back up people wondered if the movement would be intercepted by the return of the Season.

People wondered if players would continue to fight AS STRONG if they now had to worry about PLAYING.

There was a debate online, on NT, even some players chimed in on the topic.

I was one that wondered if players WOULD be distracted if they had to think about PLAYING basketball.

I was told that,"If anything, them playing would provide them with a BIGGER platform than they currently (As of May) have."

I disagreed. (See explanations scattered through my last 10+ responses to you).

I said that ANYTHING they could do in the Bubble could also be done outside the Bubble.

That is my stance.

 

[DCAllAfrican]

..

I can do the same thing............




Lou Williams on returning to Basketball: "In this climate...it's a distraction" https://www.si.com/nba/clippers/news/lou-williams-believes-basketball-could-be-a-distraction


"Even though Jackson played 14 seasons in the NBA, he doesn't want to see the league come back right now. He believes the country's focus should stay on the Black Lives Matter movement and its demands to fight racial injustice. " - Stephen Jackson joins justice for Breonna Taylor protesters | whas11.com https://www.whas11.com/article/spor...tice/417-944c9d2b-b599-4075-8caa-6184a6e3aa3c


Tracy McGrady reveals 2 reasons why the NBA should not return this season - https://clutchpoints.com/nba-news-t...ns-why-the-nba-should-not-return-this-season/

 

[MVP]

You could argue that Bam is the best player on a playoff team.

BI’s team was losing most of the year till he took a back seat to Zion

Heat got another AS in Jimmy Butler though.

The Pels record was in large part due to the ridiculous schedule they had for the entire season up to the point of Zion's return. His debut and play lined up almost perfectly for when it turned into the easiest schedule remaining.

 

[DCAllAfrican]

For whatever this is worth, I just Googled Jerami Grant. Two articles came up about his comments on Breonna Taylor, the one that was already posted from ESPN and the one from The Root.

I then Googled “NBA players shot-gunning beers” and at least dozen articles came up, including from USA Today, SB Nation, the NY Post, etc.

Outside of the JJ Redick picture, I didn't know this was a "thing."

So yea, something else that Social Justice has to compete with when it comes to things covered within the BUbble.

 

[BIG LEEMELONE]

You can't say, "Outside of attending Protests" because that is a MAJOR tool in player participation.

Listen.

Follow me now.

At the height of the movement, when the NBA Season as at a stand-still, players were very active with their VOICES and with their moves. (You can Google what those moves are, you already named one in Protesting; there are others).

When there was buzz about the Season starting back up people wondered if the movement would be intercepted by the return of the Season.

People wondered if players would continue to fight AS STRONG if they now had to worry about PLAYING.

There was a debate online, on NT, even some players chimed in on the topic.

I was one that wondered if players WOULD be distracted if they had to think about PLAYING basketball.

I was told that,"If anything, them playing would provide them with a BIGGER platform than they currently (As of May) have."

I disagreed. (See explanations scattered through my last 10+ responses to you).

I said that ANYTHING they could do in the Bubble could also be done outside the Bubble.

That is my stance.

Alright bet. Sports and entertainment in general is meant to be a distraction. That's the purpose. Not denying that. You saying that anything done in the bubble can be done outside is confusing me because you're also arguing that the bubble is a distraction. We have players donating all the money from the restart and guys organizing to make sure the message doesn't get lost and using the platform to their benefit, taking steps to make tangible change. The NBA could potentially provide a bigger platform than the players would have without it. Whether it does or doesn't is largely reliant on how the players utilize it because we know the execs will only do the bare minimum. If every interview was on the same time as Jerami Grant's, if every player gave a little, that would be an effective use of the platform.

 

[DCAllAfrican]

There are literally no sports leagues going on right now and this is the most awakening that most of us have seen in our lifetimes. Them getting back to playing will only shift the focus to the actual playing.

Right.

And to his point about “people can avoid the protests now by staying off the internet and not watching the news” in the same vein, if they do start playing again, what’s to stop people from changing the channel or walking away from the TV when the social change messages come on?

Not playing is more noticeable and lets the players control the narrative much more than playing and having to partner with TV networks and advertisers to get the message out. In my opinion.

The NBA is going to comeback and we’re gonna sit around the TV with the family, like a FDR fireside chat. Everyone will drop what their doing, forget their differences and ‘Merica will be peaceful once again.

We honestly don't know because this is unprecedented. We just haven't even seen this kind of consistency in our lifetimes. We have been conditioned to be cynical b/c in the last decade we've seen outrage and a spotlight on these public executions maybe for a week at most and then everything goes back to normal.

That hasn't been the case with this so far, we're going on 3 weeks of continued demonstrations not only here but worldwide. There are already tangible changes as well as attitudes in some respects.

Who's to say in this pandemic in the absence of stuff to really do in the next month that things don't continue progressing by the time the NBA comes back.

It's also part of our generation wanting instant gratification and results for things. This is a marathon not a sprint but why the attention of the world is on this their needs to be maximum pressure for reform, accountability, and equality.

I've been hearing the argument that these guys can protest while playing too. How so? What can they do more effectively in the "bubble"?

Nothing i never understood the bigger platform thing when majority of these players have their own individual platforms (ie LeBrick and Slim Reaper)

 

[rolaholic]

 

[B Sox]

Couldn’t a form of protest happen within the bubble?

 

[lovehateself]

Couldn’t a form of protest happen within the bubble?

not if the nba and nbapa put pen to paper to an agreement
Im
Sure BD Disney might have had some input as well

 

[DCAllAfrican]

Alright bet. Sports and entertainment in general is meant to be a distraction. That's the purpose. Not denying that. You saying that anything done in the bubble can be done outside is confusing me because you're also arguing that the bubble is a distraction.

*Sigh*

One doesn't negate the other.

The Bubble doesn't offer any NEW opportunity for PLAYERS to fight for social justice.

Playing sports and consuming sports IS a distraction.

Players can still VOICE their displeasure for the current climate (which they were already doing on the outside) as well as DONATE for the cause (which they were already doing on the outside) while in the Bubble.

So again,
The Bubble doesn't offer any NEW opportunity for PLAYERS to fight for social justice.

One doesn't negate the other.

 

[DCAllAfrican]

Couldn’t a form of protest happen within the bubble?

BEST case scenario, what would that even look like?

 

[206to813]

I lean BI over Bam slightly because
1. It's harder to make the AS team in the West than the East
2. Basically got the same amount of minutes from but jump in production in every category (where as Bam Is playing 12 more minutes a game)
3. There was the prevailing thought by most that he was going to fall off
4. From jump went to that Pels squad and became the guy in Zion's absence

#2 is my main reason for Ingram to be my MIP pick. Kudos to Bam but going from 23 mpg to 34 mpg, I want to see that improvement in his 3rd season. His “per 36 mpg” stats showed +3.3 points, +1.9 assists, and same rebounds, blocks, steals, lower shooting %’s.
BI made a bigger improvement...

 

[BIG LEEMELONE]

Players can still VOICE their displeasure for the current climate (which they were already doing on the outside) as well as DONATE for the cause (which they were already doing on the outside) while in the Bubble.

Ok....

 

[lawdog1]

Couldn’t a form of protest happen within the bubble?

It could, but if it took the form of traditional protests like marches, sit-ins, etc. the people involved likely would be violating bubble safety protocols and could get penalized. And if it was all the players involved, it could interfere with the season resuming.

But maybe there’s way to pull off an effective protest from within the bubble that I’m not thinking of.

 

[DCAllAfrican]

1. We have players donating all the money from the restart and guys organizing to make sure the message doesn't get lost and using the platform to their benefit, taking steps to make tangible change.


The NBA could potentially provide a bigger platform than the players would have without it. Whether it does or doesn't is largely reliant on how the players utilize it because we know the execs will only do the bare minimum.

If every interview was on the same time as Jerami Grant's, if every player gave a little, that would be an effective use of the platform.

Players lose a level of control when it comes to their own messaging while they are in the Bubble. Garrett Temple can attempt to control the narrative all he wants but they aren't in control to the degree in which they would be if they were on the streets.

There is a higher chance they are censored.
There is a higher chance they aren't even ASKED questions related to social justice. (Once games start)

 

[BIG LEEMELONE]

Players lose a level of control when it comes to their own messaging while they are in the Bubble. Garrett Temple can attempt to control the narrative all he wants but they aren't in control to the degree in which they would be if they were on the streets.

There is a higher chance they are censored.
There is a higher chance they aren't even ASKED questions related to social justice. (Once games start)

Grant fielded five questions, including one about teammate Nikola Jokic joining the Nuggets in Orlando for practice. No matter the question, he responded by making a statement and keeping the focus of his answers on Taylor and social justice.

The first question was about how the Nuggets had been spending their free time.

"It's great to be here with my teammates, great to be back playing basketball but for me personally, and I think a lot of players, it's imperative that we focus on what is really important in the world," Grant said. "One thing for me is Breonna Taylor's killers are still roaming around free, so I want to focus on that with these interviews and things like that. I want to keep the focus there."

 

[DCAllAfrican]

Grant fielded five questions, including one about teammate Nikola Jokic joining the Nuggets in Orlando for practice. No matter the question, he responded by making a statement and keeping the focus of his answers on Taylor and social justice.

The first question was about how the Nuggets had been spending their free time.

"It's great to be here with my teammates, great to be back playing basketball but for me personally, and I think a lot of players, it's imperative that we focus on what is really important in the world," Grant said. "One thing for me is Breonna Taylor's killers are still roaming around free, so I want to focus on that with these interviews and things like that. I want to keep the focus there."

It sounds good in theory but when games start, we will see if they are speaking the same tune.

Better yet, we will see if they will be allowed to speak the same tune.

 

[NickFolarin]

Couldn’t a form of protest happen within the bubble?

The only effective one I can see is them not playing, which I think would never happen, but would be cool.

Not doing interviews or posting on social media would be the opposite of what I think their only outlet in spreading the message is.

 

[BIG LEEMELONE]

It sounds good in theory but when games start, we will see if they are speaking the same tune.

Better yet, we will see if they will be allowed to speak the same tune.

What will you say if they are?

 

[DCAllAfrican]

What will you say if they are?

God is GOod.

 

[lawdog1]

Players lose a level of control when it comes to their own messaging while they are in the Bubble. Garrett Temple can attempt to control the narrative all he wants but they aren't in control to the degree in which they would be if they were on the streets.

There is a higher chance they are censored.
There is a higher chance they aren't even ASKED questions related to social justice. (Once games start)

Agree. Look at how the jersey thing has worked out. I didn’t like the idea of a pre-approved list of messages to begin with and it’s played out as badly as I thought it might.

The focus from the media has been more who is not choosing to wear a social justice message, rather than the messages themselves. Then you have that conservative congressman using the whole concept for his own political purposes. Leads to the actual messages kind of getting lost in other noise.

 

[NickFolarin]

Can we stop acting like the players going back “is an opportunity to amplify their voice for equality?”

The pure reason is money and a championship. IMO nothing is wrong in living your truth and going for that reason. However, to add social justice as a reason, is disingenuous. It’s more an excuse/justification at this point.