2024-2025 NBA/Toronto Raptors thread

[Joborule]

Gambling ads need to become illegal just like smoking ads. This #### is dangerous to society and we need to curb it.

[devo22]

https://twitter.com/user/status/1981221349239533609


dude is just an alien. Just need that body to hold up ...

[bluejays]

This gambling thing is yet another red flag about the NBA. Further evidence that Tim Donoghy wasn’t lying and he wasn’t a lone ranger. What’s going on with the Kawhi probe? When will it be swept under the rug?

[chemgear]

Farcical league. Nevermind gambling on sports is a chaos pit of self immolation.

[devo22]

it's not limited to the NBA, the whole sports world is infested by this gambling crap. I watched a soccer match on Sky the other day, and 5 of the 6 ads at half time were for different gambling sites/companies. NFL/NBA/NHL obviously infested as well, with the added wrinkle that TV commentators have to "present" those ads as well. I sometimes wonder if any of those guys know someone with a gambling addiction and still have to go "... presented by Draftkings!". Yuck.

What irks me most is the double standard, those leagues will happily take every cent that those companies throw at them but will then wag a finger when one of their own players fall victim to the poison they peddle.

Sports gambling just needs to die, period. Unfortunately, with the way leagues have sold their souls over the past years, there's no way you can put that genie back into the bottle.

[Mathgod]

The injured Pacers going toe to toe with the champs.

Double OT!

SGA too good tho.

[chemgear]

https://twitter.com/user/status/1983332079489442121

[Scornfire]

Originally Posted by devo22

it's not limited to the NBA, the whole sports world is infested by this gambling crap. I watched a soccer match on Sky the other day, and 5 of the 6 ads at half time were for different gambling sites/companies. NFL/NBA/NHL obviously infested as well, with the added wrinkle that TV commentators have to "present" those ads as well. I sometimes wonder if any of those guys know someone with a gambling addiction and still have to go "... presented by Draftkings!". Yuck.

What irks me most is the double standard, those leagues will happily take every cent that those companies throw at them but will then wag a finger when one of their own players fall victim to the poison they peddle.

Sports gambling just needs to die, period. Unfortunately, with the way leagues have sold their souls over the past years, there's no way you can put that genie back into the bottle.

The number of friends I have in their late 20s to early 30s who spam group chats every single day with their sports bets is genuinely depressing.

[SuperMatt18]

It is crazy at this point.

I have friends that I wouldn't even consider big sports fans, that have never really talked about sports in their life prior, that are now seem addicted to sports gambling.

[Senator Clay Davis]

This is just where society is going to keep going. Young people have low opportunity for well paying jobs, AI and automation will keep reducing opportunity, so gambling is now the way many see to making money. Really sad, but it's a societal issue that is gonna be tough to solve.

[devo22]

Mavs have fired Nico Harrison.

Amazing he's kept his job for so long, given the damage he caused to the franchise.

[Blaster86]

Originally Posted by devo22

Mavs have fired Nico Harrison.

Amazing he's kept his job for so long, given the damage he caused to the franchise.

He has his marching orders and did them. He's a fall guy for an ownership group that either wants a new arena with a casino or a move to Vegas.

[bluejays]

Re: Nico, surprised to hear today that he was supposedly the one to sell to ownership the idea to deal Luca. Not sure what to believe anymore.

[Sylvanfan]

What's going on with the Pacers? I see they're 1-12 after losing to the Raptors last night. I see that Halliburton didn't play. Are they trying to lose on purpose right now?

[trackercowe]

Originally Posted by Sylvanfan

What's going on with the Pacers? I see they're 1-12 after losing to the Raptors last night. I see that Halliburton didn't play. Are they trying to lose on purpose right now?

Haliburton tore his Achilles tendon back in game seven of the finals. He will likely miss the entire season. This year is basically a write-off for the Pacers. They may as well tank for a higher lottery pick.

[Sidney Crosby's Hat]

Originally Posted by trackercowe

Haliburton tore his Achilles tendon back in game seven of the finals. He will likely miss the entire season. This year is basically a write-off for the Pacers. They may as well tank for a higher lottery pick.

This is why NBA ranks fourth of the four major North American sports to me.

[trackercowe]

Originally Posted by Sidney Crosby's Hat

This is why NBA ranks fourth of the four major North American sports to me.

A distant 4th. Back when Jordan was will the Bulls, Kobe was entering the league, the Grizzlies were still around, and the Young Guns era basketball was my #1 sport.

Now the NBA is essentially a commercial spot filler. Flipped to the Kings/Spurs game yesterday during NFL breaks only to see another team (the Kings) mailing it in What's the point when 2/3 of the teams are incapable of contending for a playoff spot?

[Sidney Crosby's Hat]

Originally Posted by trackercowe

A distant 4th. Back when Jordan was will the Bulls, Kobe was entering the league, the Grizzlies were still around, and the Young Guns era basketball was my #1 sport.

Now the NBA is essentially a commercial spot filler. Flipped to the Kings/Spurs game yesterday during NFL breaks only to see another team (the Kings) mailing it in What's the point when 2/3 of the teams are incapable of contending for a playoff spot?

It's brutal. And the fact that one team makes that much difference that their absence causes an entire team to just give up. They made it to Game 7 of the finals! Imagine the Jays had Guerrero injured for next season and they just said, "Well, we're the worst team in the league now might as well embrace it."

I also hate "load balancing" where most star players won't play back-to-back, etc. Just awful. And like you, I loved the sport in the 90s. Was a big Sonics fan.

[Senator Clay Davis]

The Pacers Finals run was fueled equally by Halliburton and Satanism. I get them giving up on this season cause to have any chance they'd have to go deeper in Satanism and that is a hefty price to pay. But it's the dilemma for the NBA (and MLB and NHL too for that matter), regular season is way too long and barely relevant. How do you thread the needle to reduce games while maintaining revenue to try and make a more compelling product? Not easy.

[devo22]

NBA is also way more top heavy than other leagues. Losing a single player can turn your whole season into a write-off in an instant.

I was a huge NBA fan in the late 90s and early 2000s, but it's been a distant 3rd behind NHL and NFL for me for a long time. Worst thing is load management. A 82 game season is one thing, but if you regularly sit star players on top of that, it really becomes a drag.