I’d be pissed if I were him, too. Giannis threatened to leave so MIL ponied up. Does Butler have to threaten to leave too in order to get the Heat FO to get him some support? He’s the perennial over achiever and the FO won’t put the winning pieces around him
Happy Media Day, all! That's right, it is Gary Payton II (#0), and maybe Jonathan Kuminga (#00) days until media day. I was informed that 00 really stands for 100 and doesn't mean zero, but I'll treat it like an ace that you can play high or low, and play it low today. But, for the purists, it is only JK (#[1]00) days until the Jan 10th game against the Pelicans at Chase.
I think most people know a lot about both players, but beyond his work on the court, if you aren't familiar with Gary's work with kids that have dyslexia (as does he), here is a good article from a few years back:
Remember, he turns 21 on Friday (Oct. 6th, Happy Birthday JK!), so there is still a lot of room to grow, but I'm looking forward to seeing that third year leap, and watching JK destroy a lot of second units this year.
A final note from me, I appreciate the support and encouragement from the community for this series, and I hope it helped make the slow month before training camp go by a bit faster for everyone. Now, on to training camp!
Their last two draft picks were great defensive prospect wings with good motors and very shaky jump shots. Their title chances may come down to if either become a rotation worthy player.
I was thinking about Carter, too. They've subtracted two of the, say, five best guard defenders in the league? I guess one reason these blockbuster trades don't always yield immediate results is that the opportunity to make them tends to about unexpectedly, so you can't plan the roster as you'd like to.
Celtics got Jrue, and Blazers got Williams III, Brogdon, and two first round picks. Interesting. I dunno how much the trade will improve both teams, but Blazers now have multiple future first round picks, which is great for them in the long run.
[there are a lot of different threads/comments about Portland's status post-trade so is it ok if I do a sort-of mass reply as a standalone comment?]
There are three ways to screw up a non-playoff team: don't have picks, don't have promising young players, and have long-term contracts that don't fit the timeline. Portland has the picks (and will have more when Brogdon is traded). They have Scoot as a season-ticket-seller (and hopefully future star). Assuming they trade Brogdon, they have one player who will be over 30 when his contract expires.
They're kind of in a tricky spot now, though. Do they sell high on Ayton or Williams and regret it if Scoot turns out as advertised early in his career? Or do they start thinking about the play-in, and refuse good offers for Timelord and even Ayton, creating a mediocre team that then has to give Scoot a huge contract down the road just to avoid losing him for nothing?
Either way, they avoided The Process when they got Scoot while Lillard was still there. And they have at least a few months to make that decision. I personally think they give the current team (minus Brogdon) at least until the deadline. If they're terrible and they don't gell as a team, Grant is probably gone, too. It still wouldn't be a tank, though. It would just be the first stage of a rebuild around Scoot.
The Blazers are going about it more sensible than OKC who have stockpiled more picks than they can actually use. If they could have turned a couple of those picks and Dort into, say, Cam Johnson, they would actually have a pretty competitive team this year. Had they been able to get KD back, they actually would have been good but maybe KD wanted no part of that. For the Blazers, it would probably make sense to keep one of the centers and convert the other into a couple of near term picks and then tank this season as their own pick is top 14 protected.
I'm impressed with OKC's rebuild so far. Having more picks than you can use is not an issue. It's easy enough to trade current picks for future picks. Most NBA teams would prefer the current picks.
The only downside is that their picks are slightly deflated in value, because teams know that they have to offload some of them. But ultimately that’s a minor issue.
They are an inevitable juggernaut unless their pathetic owners let guys walk for financial reasons like they did with Harden. They have maybe the best drafting GM in the game and hit big on the Paul George trade with SGA, hard not to see them running the conference for awhile soon.
The Blazers situation right now sorta feels like what the Timberwolves wanted to have; an okay team that can support a young highly regarded prospect as he grows into the NBA. And they got to do it without buying into sars-Gobert, so they have that going for them
I’m ok with this. I have huge respect for JTA and wish him more than the best. I hope he lands with the Dubs post-playing, he could be a great mentor for a lot of up and comers. But really his time as an NBA contributor is done.
My hope is that he comes back to the team as a 'goodwill ambassador' or something like that (unless he can coach, perhaps).
Oakland guy, Warriors guy, sterling character ... he may not be a name, like other team representatives, but he's going to bring honor to the franchise with the way he works and is much more relatable with his own personal story.
The finals should be a really good matchup. Even though I'm not crazy about either of these teams, I do like that they both feature really amazing guard play. You could make the case that five of the top seven or eight backcourt players in the league are in this series.
And then on the front line, I'm curious how Vegas will handle Jonquel Jones. Feels like they're at their best with Wilson at center, but JJ is such a load, and asking Clark to defend Stewart is a tall order, too. They may need more from Kiah Stokes in this series (barring a Willis Reed moment for Candace Parker).
Wow, just finished the game, and hmm, that was not what I'd call boring. One of those series that could easily have gone the other way. With a week off, I'm hoping that the tougher competition helps NY get ready for the Aces but man, I also hope they call some fouls in the finals, that was some physical play.
"We should totally have a WNBA Playoffs thread. Given that it's the offseason and its playoff basketball, why not?"
Why not? Because the WNBA is terrible. And boring. It can't attract a TV audience, hasn't expanded in 15 years and has been subsidized by the NBA for 20+ years. It was a great idea at one time but just can't catch enough momentum or audience of the NBA's worldwide popularity. Sorry.
Sounds eerily similar to this other league I heard about in their first 30+ years:
> In HBO's Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, Jerry Buss buys the Los Angeles Lakers, but many believe it's an unwise investment given the NBA's unpopularity in the 1970s. His mother refers to the team as a "money pit," and at a meeting of NBA owners, there are jokes about the league's low TV ratings. This may come as a shock to modern viewers, who know the NBA as one of the world's most successful sports leagues, but it is accurate of the time period of 1979 when basketball was struggling to gain popularity for a variety of reasons.
> Created by Adam McKay and using his distinctive fourth-wall-breaking style, Winning Time is a stylized account of the real-life history of how the Lakers became the NBA's biggest dynasty, raising the league's popularity along the way. The NBA got started later than North America's other "Big 4" leagues, beginning in 1945. While the NFL took advantage of the rise of television, the NBA struggled to surpass the existing fanbases of older leagues like MLB and NHL. Average attendance was around 8,000 per game, meaning arenas were often at half capacity or less. The 1979 NBA finals did a 7.2 rating, a meager number in an era where there were only three networks. Many teams were losing money, and while none ceased operations, the future of the league seemed shaky when Jerry and his daughter, Jeanie Buss became involved with the Lakers.
I don't know what your beef with the WNBA is but the only reason I don't watch more regularly is that there is no local team for me to root for (Fuck Seattle, LV, and LA). That may change in the near future and I will likely watch every game. Some of us just like basketball.
What in the flying fuck does any of this have to do with creating a playoff thread for those of us who enjoy the WNBA? I’ll give you a hint, nothing.
However, given how you tripped over your dick to make these statements about the WNBA (and sarcastically act excited for the Liberty vs Suns game), I think you just wanted to take any opportunity to shit on the WNBA. So let’s address your points.
Firstly, the WNBA is incredibly fun to watch for anyone who actually cares about basketball. The passing/shooting alongside innovative offensive schemes are an absolute joy to watch. Sure, they are less athletic but that’s not too much a bother.
Secondly, the WNBA’s viewership has been skyrocketing lately with a 67% increase in viewership. This last year has been the most watched WNBA season ever with a 27% increase in attendance, 78% increase in merchandise sales, and double digit growth in sponsorships. They’re projected to create over 200 million in revenue this year and continue to increase revenues in time due to investments in advertising. The WNBA is fledgling industry and its well on its way to becoming a highly profitable one.
" Firstly, the WNBA is incredibly fun to watch for anyone who actually cares about basketball."
Ahhh ... no it's not. You think it's "incredibly fun" while I think it's simply boring. And from that perspective you determine who "actually cares" and in conclusion, who doesn't. Sorry to break up your party.
Here's the thing. if they make said thread then you and I and anyone else who is not into it can simply ignore said thread.
Personally I find womens soccer and bball bland but find things like women's tennis way more fun to watch then the guys. (love the long volleys not so much the one and done servs) but to each their own. Now if they made an AEW PPV thread I'd be all over it.
Well, I don’t think the WNBA is terrible. Also, the finals are going to be shown on ABC because there is an ever increasing audience for WNBA games. As the WNBA has become more popular, they are planning to expand and, in fact, may be expanding to San Francisco. So I really don’t agree with your pronouncement.
Those might* be reasonable points to make if you're looking to profit from these games or if it cost you much and you're relying on it to grow your audience. Unfortunately, we're doomed to being a self-selecting NBA (of which we just had a discussion about whether it represents the world) basketball forum. It's reasonable to ask about a potential thread to discuss games from a league heavily intertwined with this blog's primary focus.
*this comment strikes me as factually wrong. The WNBA is drawing better than it ever has and is approaching hockey on viewer numbers. Comparing it to a sister league that was capitalized earlier and had about 80 years worth of growth and development worldwide doesn't strike me as particularly insightful.
Beyond this, why does a leagues worldwide popularity have any bearing on its quality or excitement? There are many things I find personally exciting/ worthwhile that others find dull; should I base my opinions and actions off the crowd?
Finally, your comment strikes me somewhat patronizing. It appears dismissive of a game that (as I said and can back if you want) is growing and already has a fan base, and does so without much substance. I don't know what kind of tone you meant to strike, but the sorry and imprecise statements rub me the wrong way.
It's all factual, what I said. And yes my comment was dismissive. They're trying but basically no one is watching. Taylor Swift has a fan base. WNBA has a bunch of followers. I really do hope they make it - on their own - but having spent 50 years in the business world, sometimes, no matter the favorable circumstances, there's just not enough interest. The WNBA is up against an American culture that still sees women as ... women.
"The WNBA is up against an American culture that still sees women as ... women."
Yoooo... what do you mean by this? As written, this reads like some projected "a woman's place is in the kitchen" sort of stuff... you probably didn't mean that, right?
The culture of course says that still exists but there's also quality of play. Women's tennis used to be just getting the ball back over the net. Then the William sisters got the attention of the male audience with power tennis - and everyone started watching. The WNBA has none of that.
Implicit in the statement "American culture still sees women as ... women" is the disgusting insinuation that women athletes are somehow less than real women. If that isn't what you meant, you were given an opening by DFiB to retract. Instead, you just kept digging.
OT, but Steffi and Martina, among many others, were about much more than "getting it over the net." And women's tennis was hugely popular in the '70s and '80s. As far as the Williams sisters: IIRC, Venus in particular was more about length, grace, and skill than power per se (I'd argue much less of a punishing hitter than Steffi was) which makes me wonder if you're now starting to mix in some racist tropes with your sexist ones. :-(
What you're writing is some ignorant bullshit, not facts. Arash already outlined why these statements are factually, objectively wrong, so I won't repeat what they wrote. I'll also note that the wnba got similar ratings to the NHL this year, so if no one is watching then idk what that means for professional hockey.
I'll also note that this comment suggests a very static view of what people choose to pay for, especially in a world where Apple got to its current size as much from their advertising as their actual product.
I'm sorry you don't like my "facts" but they are facts. And you're all wrong on Apple. Apple got to its current size b/c of need. Not everyone needs the WNBA.
It may be facts. It’s true that viewership and attendance figures are low compared to the NBA. But it’s all in the eye of the beholder to determine what facts are most relevant.
That's not the main point of what was written, though? Your point and the amount of capital in the WNBA are grounds to call it a small cap industry compared to the NBA. I think that's a fair statement and the facts back it up. The post, however posits the WNBA is boring and unpopular; that isn't equivalent to your statement. In the abstract, I don't even know when comparing the WNBA and NBA viewership numbers would be useful because they don't compete with each other.
In the particular, NBA owners are variously invested into local WNBA teams, the NBAPA added similar investment options into their CBA, revenue has sky-rocketed over the past few years, viewership was seriously up this year. All this circumstantial evidence suggests the WNBA is viewed--at least--as a growth industry if it's not already profitable (and I bet it's straight up profitable now for most WNBA teams).
I think having owners is stupid for a game (baseball proves that with the A's getting shipped out because their owner wants to play house in the desert), but they're usually not going to dump good money after bad and they're not known for being woke, so no it's not a useful metric in this discussion imo. I think I understand you're point, but I think you misunderstand what in this post I think is bullshit.
In a separate comment where I was talking excitedly about a WNBA game that was going down to the wire, he sarcastically talked about how excited he was about the game. You read his tone right, it absolutely was patronizing and dismissive.
I've observed your commentary over the years and appreciate the insights you provide. However, I recall a time when you mentioned not having a personal connection to a certain region, only to later share about behind-the-scenes access thanks to a close friend. Has it always been easy for you to stay impartial and guided solely by the facts in your discussions? Maybe you’re closer to the author on certain things than you realize
Exactly. Probably the best response to this kind of pontification is just to ignore it. Say no. And go onto something that is more interesting and informed. Like how did the liberty win with Alyssa Thomas on a tear and Breanna Stewart shut down? The suns have such great guards, that play unusually effective defense.
In the real world, like at a gas station, “ignore and move along” is the right approach for dealing with trolls. Maybe same approach is good on Reddit . Here, however,it’s a bit of a public forum of a community and I think ignoring empowers actually trolls. As such, I do prefer engagement at the right level, so the community doesn’t take them at face value.
The other problem with engaging in a discussion after he posted his negative comments about the WNBA, is that it diverts the attention from what’s going on in the WNBA and in the game today to a discussion of him and his opinions. This is what makes it difficult for me to believe in engaging with this kind of negativity.
Yes, I agree to a degree. And see the value in a discussion. However, when someone posts a nasty and sarcastic comment, I don’t think there’s any value in engaging.
Yikes. I like to give the benefit of the doubt (esp since tone can be difficult to convey over text for some) but that's a really frustrating mindset. I don't get dudes who want to express contempt for stuff they don't understand or don't care about. I stopped doing that bc it felt gross in middle school
Joe Montana: not that highly regarded coming out of college, not fleet of foot, but could make five reads in under a second and find the open man, was always calm, and just kept winning.
He was unbelievably efficient today. Football equivalent of a point guard moving the ball around -- a bunch of assists and very few turnovers. Niners look tough (and I'm a Seahawks fan).
I don't really like either of the remaining teams, so just hoping for some good basketball. Having the W's kick so much ass over the last decade really made me forget how sports usually involves seeing your team lose in gut-wrenching fashion, then adopting another compelling underdog, only to see them lose, and so on, so that by the end you're left to watch the crowning of a worthier team for which by that point you've inevitably developed a deep loathing. Lol. It's been so much better to the team that inflicts that experience on others.
LIVE: GSW media day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqopb1qzOq8
Emo Jimmy Butler: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_CD50gnC3k
I’d be pissed if I were him, too. Giannis threatened to leave so MIL ponied up. Does Butler have to threaten to leave too in order to get the Heat FO to get him some support? He’s the perennial over achiever and the FO won’t put the winning pieces around him
He's a national treasure...
Thinking Basketball's smartest plays of the season! | NBA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmD3vAKyit8
First half is a recycled video from the first half of the season (still good!) and second half spans the second half and playoffs.
Happy Media Day, all! That's right, it is Gary Payton II (#0), and maybe Jonathan Kuminga (#00) days until media day. I was informed that 00 really stands for 100 and doesn't mean zero, but I'll treat it like an ace that you can play high or low, and play it low today. But, for the purists, it is only JK (#[1]00) days until the Jan 10th game against the Pelicans at Chase.
I think most people know a lot about both players, but beyond his work on the court, if you aren't familiar with Gary's work with kids that have dyslexia (as does he), here is a good article from a few years back:
https://apnews.com/article/golden-state-warriors-nba-sports-health-dyslexia-f3cd386c5adaabcb4fd43d4ec3522c69
With Dante moving to the Knicks, GP was able to reclaim his preferred #0, and the Warriors put out a highlight reel to celebrate:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9gXlk_gkeQ
I'm looking forward to seeing that bounce again with him healthy this season.
And, if you are like me, and would rather watch 8 minutes of him stealing the ball and blocking shots, well, we got that too:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tinSfgAhfzs
Yeah, we missed that defensive stopper last year, especially on the road.
For a few clips of double zero, here is JK making a bunch of amateurs look like ... a bunch of amateurs, at the Crawsover:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-QiF5RkHB0
for a few more highlights, here is JK dunking and blocking:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NdlnWGHZPQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9Q00h-SmHE
Here is a half hour interview from when he visited Jo'Burg a month ago:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hqrOV9ObTc
and this clip is of JK handing out presents to kids at the hospital last Christmas:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKTl9Vb0-kA
Remember, he turns 21 on Friday (Oct. 6th, Happy Birthday JK!), so there is still a lot of room to grow, but I'm looking forward to seeing that third year leap, and watching JK destroy a lot of second units this year.
A final note from me, I appreciate the support and encouragement from the community for this series, and I hope it helped make the slow month before training camp go by a bit faster for everyone. Now, on to training camp!
Whew! First time back in a while here and seems like you’ve done a few of these! Well done!
First. Day. Of. Camp.
This stumbled through my feed and I had to share
https://youtube.com/shorts/PWHmQucb1qo?si=1AFr8f6sJvwYE2Eh
Boo. I hope he gets well soon. He seems like one of the genuinely good guys of the NBA.
I dunno if anyone else posted this, but here are some free agency moves made today:
Free agent guard Cam Payne has agreed on a one-year deal with the Milwaukee Bucks
https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1708536077986766987
Free agent F/C Wenyen Gabriel is finalizing a deal with the Boston Celtics
https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1708557589133295885
Bucks are still probably gonna be great, but they seem to be leaning way into poor perimeter defense.
Meanwhile Boston should have stout perimeter defense, but I don't know about their interior as much anymore
If their perimeter defenders are playing without confidence in what's behind them, they're going to be giving up jumpshots.
They lost Jevon Carter too.
Their last two draft picks were great defensive prospect wings with good motors and very shaky jump shots. Their title chances may come down to if either become a rotation worthy player.
I was thinking about Carter, too. They've subtracted two of the, say, five best guard defenders in the league? I guess one reason these blockbuster trades don't always yield immediate results is that the opportunity to make them tends to about unexpectedly, so you can't plan the roster as you'd like to.
Celtics got Jrue, and Blazers got Williams III, Brogdon, and two first round picks. Interesting. I dunno how much the trade will improve both teams, but Blazers now have multiple future first round picks, which is great for them in the long run.
[there are a lot of different threads/comments about Portland's status post-trade so is it ok if I do a sort-of mass reply as a standalone comment?]
There are three ways to screw up a non-playoff team: don't have picks, don't have promising young players, and have long-term contracts that don't fit the timeline. Portland has the picks (and will have more when Brogdon is traded). They have Scoot as a season-ticket-seller (and hopefully future star). Assuming they trade Brogdon, they have one player who will be over 30 when his contract expires.
They're kind of in a tricky spot now, though. Do they sell high on Ayton or Williams and regret it if Scoot turns out as advertised early in his career? Or do they start thinking about the play-in, and refuse good offers for Timelord and even Ayton, creating a mediocre team that then has to give Scoot a huge contract down the road just to avoid losing him for nothing?
Either way, they avoided The Process when they got Scoot while Lillard was still there. And they have at least a few months to make that decision. I personally think they give the current team (minus Brogdon) at least until the deadline. If they're terrible and they don't gell as a team, Grant is probably gone, too. It still wouldn't be a tank, though. It would just be the first stage of a rebuild around Scoot.
The Blazers are going about it more sensible than OKC who have stockpiled more picks than they can actually use. If they could have turned a couple of those picks and Dort into, say, Cam Johnson, they would actually have a pretty competitive team this year. Had they been able to get KD back, they actually would have been good but maybe KD wanted no part of that. For the Blazers, it would probably make sense to keep one of the centers and convert the other into a couple of near term picks and then tank this season as their own pick is top 14 protected.
I'm impressed with OKC's rebuild so far. Having more picks than you can use is not an issue. It's easy enough to trade current picks for future picks. Most NBA teams would prefer the current picks.
The only downside is that their picks are slightly deflated in value, because teams know that they have to offload some of them. But ultimately that’s a minor issue.
They are an inevitable juggernaut unless their pathetic owners let guys walk for financial reasons like they did with Harden. They have maybe the best drafting GM in the game and hit big on the Paul George trade with SGA, hard not to see them running the conference for awhile soon.
The Blazers situation right now sorta feels like what the Timberwolves wanted to have; an okay team that can support a young highly regarded prospect as he grows into the NBA. And they got to do it without buying into sars-Gobert, so they have that going for them
I didn't see this posted.
https://www.si.com/fannation/nba/fastbreak/news/golden-state-warriors-nba-champion-signs-with-new-team-juan-toscano-anderson
JTA signs with Mexico City Captains, leaving the NBA.
Time to sign Reggie.
I’m ok with this. I have huge respect for JTA and wish him more than the best. I hope he lands with the Dubs post-playing, he could be a great mentor for a lot of up and comers. But really his time as an NBA contributor is done.
My hope is that he comes back to the team as a 'goodwill ambassador' or something like that (unless he can coach, perhaps).
Oakland guy, Warriors guy, sterling character ... he may not be a name, like other team representatives, but he's going to bring honor to the franchise with the way he works and is much more relatable with his own personal story.
Sigh, too bad. I loved having him on GSW and wish him all good things in the future,
I feel like Our Guy Juanito is low key one of the patron saints of DNHQ.
I like Jrue Holiday, and I'm glad he made his way back to a contender -- in the east.
Blazers are like an arms dealer selling to both sides of a conflict.
Milwaukee-Boston games are gonna be must see TV eh
We should totally have a WNBA Playoffs thread. Given that it's the offseason and its playoff basketball, why not?
The finals should be a really good matchup. Even though I'm not crazy about either of these teams, I do like that they both feature really amazing guard play. You could make the case that five of the top seven or eight backcourt players in the league are in this series.
And then on the front line, I'm curious how Vegas will handle Jonquel Jones. Feels like they're at their best with Wilson at center, but JJ is such a load, and asking Clark to defend Stewart is a tall order, too. They may need more from Kiah Stokes in this series (barring a Willis Reed moment for Candace Parker).
Wow, just finished the game, and hmm, that was not what I'd call boring. One of those series that could easily have gone the other way. With a week off, I'm hoping that the tougher competition helps NY get ready for the Aces but man, I also hope they call some fouls in the finals, that was some physical play.
Nah I like the physicality lmao. NBA needs some more of that!
"We should totally have a WNBA Playoffs thread. Given that it's the offseason and its playoff basketball, why not?"
Why not? Because the WNBA is terrible. And boring. It can't attract a TV audience, hasn't expanded in 15 years and has been subsidized by the NBA for 20+ years. It was a great idea at one time but just can't catch enough momentum or audience of the NBA's worldwide popularity. Sorry.
> It can't attract a TV audience
Sounds eerily similar to this other league I heard about in their first 30+ years:
> In HBO's Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, Jerry Buss buys the Los Angeles Lakers, but many believe it's an unwise investment given the NBA's unpopularity in the 1970s. His mother refers to the team as a "money pit," and at a meeting of NBA owners, there are jokes about the league's low TV ratings. This may come as a shock to modern viewers, who know the NBA as one of the world's most successful sports leagues, but it is accurate of the time period of 1979 when basketball was struggling to gain popularity for a variety of reasons.
> Created by Adam McKay and using his distinctive fourth-wall-breaking style, Winning Time is a stylized account of the real-life history of how the Lakers became the NBA's biggest dynasty, raising the league's popularity along the way. The NBA got started later than North America's other "Big 4" leagues, beginning in 1945. While the NFL took advantage of the rise of television, the NBA struggled to surpass the existing fanbases of older leagues like MLB and NHL. Average attendance was around 8,000 per game, meaning arenas were often at half capacity or less. The 1979 NBA finals did a 7.2 rating, a meager number in an era where there were only three networks. Many teams were losing money, and while none ceased operations, the future of the league seemed shaky when Jerry and his daughter, Jeanie Buss became involved with the Lakers.
https://screenrant.com/winning-time-nba-basketball-unpopular-1970s-reasons/
One wonders how many 50+ year businessmen advised the NBA to cut their losses at this point.
I don't know what your beef with the WNBA is but the only reason I don't watch more regularly is that there is no local team for me to root for (Fuck Seattle, LV, and LA). That may change in the near future and I will likely watch every game. Some of us just like basketball.
You know how much it costs to setup a WNBA thread? Not much. No need to shit on people for liking WNBA, my dude…
What in the flying fuck does any of this have to do with creating a playoff thread for those of us who enjoy the WNBA? I’ll give you a hint, nothing.
However, given how you tripped over your dick to make these statements about the WNBA (and sarcastically act excited for the Liberty vs Suns game), I think you just wanted to take any opportunity to shit on the WNBA. So let’s address your points.
Firstly, the WNBA is incredibly fun to watch for anyone who actually cares about basketball. The passing/shooting alongside innovative offensive schemes are an absolute joy to watch. Sure, they are less athletic but that’s not too much a bother.
Secondly, the WNBA’s viewership has been skyrocketing lately with a 67% increase in viewership. This last year has been the most watched WNBA season ever with a 27% increase in attendance, 78% increase in merchandise sales, and double digit growth in sponsorships. They’re projected to create over 200 million in revenue this year and continue to increase revenues in time due to investments in advertising. The WNBA is fledgling industry and its well on its way to becoming a highly profitable one.
" Firstly, the WNBA is incredibly fun to watch for anyone who actually cares about basketball."
Ahhh ... no it's not. You think it's "incredibly fun" while I think it's simply boring. And from that perspective you determine who "actually cares" and in conclusion, who doesn't. Sorry to break up your party.
Here's the thing. if they make said thread then you and I and anyone else who is not into it can simply ignore said thread.
Personally I find womens soccer and bball bland but find things like women's tennis way more fun to watch then the guys. (love the long volleys not so much the one and done servs) but to each their own. Now if they made an AEW PPV thread I'd be all over it.
Yeah, I should just ignore (too much time on my hands).
Not into AEW PPV but could watch MW (mud wrestling} PPV, depending on the participants of course.
Note that by his inserting his negativity, he has diverted the discussion from the WNBA playoff game today to himself.
Well said.
“Tripped over your dick”was an especially poetic turn of phrase in context. 😊
Part of the beauty is that I’m not sure whether it’s an insult or a compliment.
I don’t think it was meant as a compliment. 🤷♂️
Well, I don’t think the WNBA is terrible. Also, the finals are going to be shown on ABC because there is an ever increasing audience for WNBA games. As the WNBA has become more popular, they are planning to expand and, in fact, may be expanding to San Francisco. So I really don’t agree with your pronouncement.
Those might* be reasonable points to make if you're looking to profit from these games or if it cost you much and you're relying on it to grow your audience. Unfortunately, we're doomed to being a self-selecting NBA (of which we just had a discussion about whether it represents the world) basketball forum. It's reasonable to ask about a potential thread to discuss games from a league heavily intertwined with this blog's primary focus.
*this comment strikes me as factually wrong. The WNBA is drawing better than it ever has and is approaching hockey on viewer numbers. Comparing it to a sister league that was capitalized earlier and had about 80 years worth of growth and development worldwide doesn't strike me as particularly insightful.
Beyond this, why does a leagues worldwide popularity have any bearing on its quality or excitement? There are many things I find personally exciting/ worthwhile that others find dull; should I base my opinions and actions off the crowd?
Finally, your comment strikes me somewhat patronizing. It appears dismissive of a game that (as I said and can back if you want) is growing and already has a fan base, and does so without much substance. I don't know what kind of tone you meant to strike, but the sorry and imprecise statements rub me the wrong way.
It's all factual, what I said. And yes my comment was dismissive. They're trying but basically no one is watching. Taylor Swift has a fan base. WNBA has a bunch of followers. I really do hope they make it - on their own - but having spent 50 years in the business world, sometimes, no matter the favorable circumstances, there's just not enough interest. The WNBA is up against an American culture that still sees women as ... women.
"The WNBA is up against an American culture that still sees women as ... women."
Yoooo... what do you mean by this? As written, this reads like some projected "a woman's place is in the kitchen" sort of stuff... you probably didn't mean that, right?
The culture of course says that still exists but there's also quality of play. Women's tennis used to be just getting the ball back over the net. Then the William sisters got the attention of the male audience with power tennis - and everyone started watching. The WNBA has none of that.
Well… that was a disappointing clarification.
Implicit in the statement "American culture still sees women as ... women" is the disgusting insinuation that women athletes are somehow less than real women. If that isn't what you meant, you were given an opening by DFiB to retract. Instead, you just kept digging.
OT, but Steffi and Martina, among many others, were about much more than "getting it over the net." And women's tennis was hugely popular in the '70s and '80s. As far as the Williams sisters: IIRC, Venus in particular was more about length, grace, and skill than power per se (I'd argue much less of a punishing hitter than Steffi was) which makes me wonder if you're now starting to mix in some racist tropes with your sexist ones. :-(
Maybe he means… Shut up and cook.
So you know, I do all the cooking here (plus the baking).
What you're writing is some ignorant bullshit, not facts. Arash already outlined why these statements are factually, objectively wrong, so I won't repeat what they wrote. I'll also note that the wnba got similar ratings to the NHL this year, so if no one is watching then idk what that means for professional hockey.
I'll also note that this comment suggests a very static view of what people choose to pay for, especially in a world where Apple got to its current size as much from their advertising as their actual product.
I'm sorry you don't like my "facts" but they are facts. And you're all wrong on Apple. Apple got to its current size b/c of need. Not everyone needs the WNBA.
It may be facts. It’s true that viewership and attendance figures are low compared to the NBA. But it’s all in the eye of the beholder to determine what facts are most relevant.
Unfortunately it's not in the "eye of the beholder." It's in the eyes of the TV gods. They determine the Pass/Fail test.
That's not the main point of what was written, though? Your point and the amount of capital in the WNBA are grounds to call it a small cap industry compared to the NBA. I think that's a fair statement and the facts back it up. The post, however posits the WNBA is boring and unpopular; that isn't equivalent to your statement. In the abstract, I don't even know when comparing the WNBA and NBA viewership numbers would be useful because they don't compete with each other.
In the particular, NBA owners are variously invested into local WNBA teams, the NBAPA added similar investment options into their CBA, revenue has sky-rocketed over the past few years, viewership was seriously up this year. All this circumstantial evidence suggests the WNBA is viewed--at least--as a growth industry if it's not already profitable (and I bet it's straight up profitable now for most WNBA teams).
I think having owners is stupid for a game (baseball proves that with the A's getting shipped out because their owner wants to play house in the desert), but they're usually not going to dump good money after bad and they're not known for being woke, so no it's not a useful metric in this discussion imo. I think I understand you're point, but I think you misunderstand what in this post I think is bullshit.
In a separate comment where I was talking excitedly about a WNBA game that was going down to the wire, he sarcastically talked about how excited he was about the game. You read his tone right, it absolutely was patronizing and dismissive.
I've observed your commentary over the years and appreciate the insights you provide. However, I recall a time when you mentioned not having a personal connection to a certain region, only to later share about behind-the-scenes access thanks to a close friend. Has it always been easy for you to stay impartial and guided solely by the facts in your discussions? Maybe you’re closer to the author on certain things than you realize
Exactly. Probably the best response to this kind of pontification is just to ignore it. Say no. And go onto something that is more interesting and informed. Like how did the liberty win with Alyssa Thomas on a tear and Breanna Stewart shut down? The suns have such great guards, that play unusually effective defense.
In the real world, like at a gas station, “ignore and move along” is the right approach for dealing with trolls. Maybe same approach is good on Reddit . Here, however,it’s a bit of a public forum of a community and I think ignoring empowers actually trolls. As such, I do prefer engagement at the right level, so the community doesn’t take them at face value.
The other problem with engaging in a discussion after he posted his negative comments about the WNBA, is that it diverts the attention from what’s going on in the WNBA and in the game today to a discussion of him and his opinions. This is what makes it difficult for me to believe in engaging with this kind of negativity.
Yes, I agree to a degree. And see the value in a discussion. However, when someone posts a nasty and sarcastic comment, I don’t think there’s any value in engaging.
Yikes. I like to give the benefit of the doubt (esp since tone can be difficult to convey over text for some) but that's a really frustrating mindset. I don't get dudes who want to express contempt for stuff they don't understand or don't care about. I stopped doing that bc it felt gross in middle school
Great response!
wow, and what a finish we're getting to this game!
Joe Montana: not that highly regarded coming out of college, not fleet of foot, but could make five reads in under a second and find the open man, was always calm, and just kept winning.
Brock Purdy: ditto?
He was unbelievably efficient today. Football equivalent of a point guard moving the ball around -- a bunch of assists and very few turnovers. Niners look tough (and I'm a Seahawks fan).
The 9ers look terrifying this year tbh
Alyssa Thomas is back from injury and immediately scored a field goal and dished out two assists while grabbing 2 offensive rebounds.
She's got 17 points/14 rebounds/12 assists!!
Absolutely incredible performance from her. I'm bummed about the outcome, but it was a great series.
Her intensity is driving this team. But I am glad that the Liberty won. It was a difficult matchup for them.
I’m sad, but now I guess I’m rooting for Liberty lmao
I don't really like either of the remaining teams, so just hoping for some good basketball. Having the W's kick so much ass over the last decade really made me forget how sports usually involves seeing your team lose in gut-wrenching fashion, then adopting another compelling underdog, only to see them lose, and so on, so that by the end you're left to watch the crowning of a worthier team for which by that point you've inevitably developed a deep loathing. Lol. It's been so much better to the team that inflicts that experience on others.
Go Aces! Kelsey Plum fan here -- saw her play a ton in college.
Yes.
Jokic-esque.
Spoiler alert: the Arizonas are not beating the Niners. That's not gonna be a thing.
McCaffrey has been more likely to score a TD in a game during his career in the Bay Area than Steph has been to make a 3 in a Warriors game.