2019-20 Raptors and General NBA Thread

[bluejays]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

I will say yes. It's sounds drastic but i think we're done. These players have to prepare to never play again. I've watched a lot of coverage today and one thing I've heard over and over again is, "Today there are bigger issues than basketball, basketball is just not important today." While this is may be more true today, basketball, and sports in general, is not that important in the grand scheme of things. Sports is just an escape. Millionaires playing a game. If you polled any random 100 people, maybe 20 are into sports?

I hear this is to put pressure on owners and executives. What would happen if billionaires owners walked away and the NBA folded? Would America care? I get the players are really upset but there's a player's meeting going on right now and there's probably a split between boycotting for a few days and going home for good. I think if the players leave the bubble and the season is cancelled, the league probably folds. I can't think of a condition to return that would work.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1298802298827812867

I think folding implies that they go backrupt. If the players go home, this season, with no slack, is done. However, the league itself isn't done. Next year is next year, things change, feelings change. From a business standpoint, there's about a 0% chance the league folds for good.

[mile]

https://twitter.com/user/status/1298811949736701952


wow

[KootenayFlamesFan]

https://twitter.com/user/status/1298812640173719553

[KootenayFlamesFan]

https://twitter.com/user/status/1298814035438301185

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by Cali Panthers Fan

Holy ####, you have no idea what you're talking about. Have you spent ANY time in America? Yes, they would care.

Wow...just wow.

We are huge sports fans but it's really not that important in the grand scheme of things. I respect the actions of the players today, but they have to prepare for possibly the worst.

[Drake]

@ShamsCharania:

Sources: Every team besides Lakers and Clippers voted to continue playing. LeBron James said in meeting he want owners to be more involved/take action.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by Drake

@ShamsCharania:

Sources: Every team besides Lakers and Clippers voted to continue playing. LeBron James said in meeting he want owners to be more involved/take action.

so the Raptors and Bucks weren't the strongest voices in the room for shutting down?

[Magnum PEI]

Yes, sit out the playoffs. Take next season off too. The less I have to hear about Raptors and their pugilist GM the better.

[The Big Chill]

Originally Posted by Magnum PEI

Yes, sit out the playoffs. Take next season off too. The less I have to hear about Raptors and their pugilist GM the better.

Huh?

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

Originally Posted by dino7c

so the Raptors and Bucks weren't the strongest voices in the room for shutting down?

It is entirely possible that they are referring to specific players as having the strongest voices (Van Vleet, Giannis, others), whereas the majority of players on those teams still want to play.

Honestly, leaving aside whether postponing the games is a good idea, shutting the league down for this purpose doesn't make any sense to me. It'll be a big story for a day or two, and then it'll be the new reality and people will stop talking about it. In contrast, if you keep playing, you have a platform with an awfully large number of eyeballs on it, for months.

Various players emphasize various different things, but a lot of them are emphasizing voting. Want to impact the election? Don't turn your megaphone off two months too early.

[Strange Brew]

This might fundamentally change the power dynamics in pro sports. Yes owners can lock players out or play hardball in negotiations. The players can cancel a season whenever they want. How about halftime of the Super Bowl next time?

What’s happening is incredible honestly and I’m sure it’s not easy for the players to decide how best to wield this power. I have no doubt of their sincerity.

[Blaster86]

Originally Posted by Magnum PEI

Yes, sit out the playoffs. Take next season off too. The less I have to hear about Raptors and their pugilist GM the better.

Green text? /s? jk?


Say psych right now.

[Mr.Coffee]

Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague

It is entirely possible that they are referring to specific players as having the strongest voices (Van Vleet, Giannis, others), whereas the majority of players on those teams still want to play.

Honestly, leaving aside whether postponing the games is a good idea, shutting the league down for this purpose doesn't make any sense to me. It'll be a big story for a day or two, and then it'll be the new reality and people will stop talking about it. In contrast, if you keep playing, you have a platform with an awfully large number of eyeballs on it, for months.

Various players emphasize various different things, but a lot of them are emphasizing voting. Want to impact the election? Don't turn your megaphone off two months too early.

You’ve gotta get football.

If every other sport does it, there will be immense pressure on the NFL. And if the NFL does it...... that will be pretty seismic as a form of protest.

[Acey]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

the NBA folded? Would America care?

Some context for you, since you seem to have no idea what you're talking about in general.

America would care as much Canada would care if the NHL folded. Which is to say they would care.

[jayswin]

What in good god is going on here with the hot takes?


- If the players boycott the playoffs they need to be prepared to shut down the leagues for good?

- Would America care if one or all of it's majory sports never came back?

- The Raptors pugilist GM (I'm assuming he means their President, where we literally just got the final info the sheriff actually went after him and instigated).

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by Acey

Some context for you, since you seem to have no idea what you're talking about in general.

America would care as much Canada would care if the NHL folded. Which is to say they would care.

Canada wouldn't care either. I'm a huge sports fan but professional sports is viewed by a very small portion of the general population, 20% if I'm generous. Just take a poll of your workplace, or look at ratings.

[The Big Chill]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

Canada wouldn't care either. I'm a huge sports fan but professional sports is viewed by a very small portion of the general population, 20% if I'm generous. Just take a poll of your workplace, or look at ratings.

How is that small? That’s millions of people.

[Azure]

Originally Posted by Jason14h

NBA team owners have some of the deepest pockets in America

They want to owners to put pressure on government to make changes.

You do realize that the owners would have been fine in canceling the season?

They were losing money, ratings are not what they wanted, and will possibly get worse with football starting.

Plus, walking out an agreed upon deal to keep playing, where you are already on a thin line in regards to the CBA has now just put more power into the owners pockets.

Not a very wise decisions by the players, especially when the NBA has gone out of their way to support BLM. One would think it would have been wiser to get the NBA to support more community outreach programs that actually make a difference would be wiser in the long term.

Unfortunately the NBA is now done. And the owners have all the power.

[Azure]

Originally Posted by devo22

maybe, but I think that's a cynical way to look at it. You never know which sort of dialogue and movement such protests can lead to, and I take that over "the show must go on" any day.

You realize real change is generational, right?

If the NBA (and the players, and the owners) would really want to enact change, they would get everyone together to start a multi city support program for African American youth, where a combination of the owners, NBA and the players create programs to help those communities.

Instead they put lettering on jersey's, and logos on the court and walk out in hopes that something will change.

That is the problem right now. Everyone is trying to outdo someone else to get more media attention. It is clearly not working, and the viscous news cycle will forget about this in a day or so.

If 'change' is about getting media attention, that isn't change.

Yet around and around we go.

[Azure]

Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis

If he mismanages this situation, the league could suffer irreparable harm. As a basketball fan I don't envy his predicament. He's done mostly good, and yet it could all come undone.

Yes, considering the exact situation the USA is dealing with right now, lets continue to ignore the obvious hypocrisy of Silver and the rest of the NBA in cozying up to China and ignoring the obvious human rights issues and genocide that is going on there.

Or those million dollar endorsement deals with companies found to use child labor?

Sorry, you can't have it two ways. Either you actually do stand for human rights, or you don't. You can't chose which to stand for.

The NBA is in a tough position because they don't exactly have a good foundation to stand on. That is why nobody gives a crap about what they're doing.