2022-23 NBA Regular Season Thread

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

I think this time would be better used to celebrate Lebron and his accomplishment.

Well played. Sporks.

I would agree that Kareem is one of the top three of all time. I wouldn't fist fight anyone who argued for him as #1.

[Steven43]

Well played. Sporks.

I would agree that Kareem is one of the top three of all time. I wouldn't fist fight anyone who argued for him as #1.

Haha “fist fight”. I almost never hear it referred to in that manner anymore, though it was quite common when I was a kid. And my goodness, did I get in a lot of fistfights growing up! I was young and dumb. For crissakes I even got in a fight with a mattress salesman in Austin when I was in college. And that was in the store.

Now I’m older and slightly less dumb.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Haha “fist fight”. I almost never hear it referred to in that manner anymore, though it was quite common when I was a kid. And my goodness, did I get in a lot of fistfights growing up! I was young and dumb. For crissakes I even got in a fight with a mattress salesman in Austin when I was in college. And that was in the store.

Now I’m older and slightly less dumb.

I only got in a few. I was more likely to either cower or try and make my assailant laugh and confuse them. I was by no means tough.

Nowadays the only altercations I get into are when someone I care about is being taken advantage of. Then it's gloves off.

Kareem/Lebron does not fall into that category. For me.

[DukieTiger]

Was the acquisition of Kevin Love a resounding success? From what I remember he didn’t fit in particularly well with the team. I even vaguely recall James showing significant displeasure with Love and basically ostracizing him. I admit my memory on this could be faulty, though. And since James left Cleveland Love has been average at best, hasn’t he?

As for Klutch, why would James bend over backwards to try and acquire players who are represented by them? He doesn’t own Klutch. How does he directly benefit from the Lakers having Klutch players on the roster? I’m not challenging your assertion, I’m honestly just curious. Thanks.

Regarding Love, I’ll admit it wasn’t a perfect process but they did win a championship together. Might have won 2 had Love (and Kyrie) not gotten hurt in 2015.

Klutch was founded by Rich Paul, who is Lebron’s childhood friend. Klutch represents Lebron, AD, Kendrick Nunn, Lonnie Walker IV, Scottie Pippen Jr, Juan Toscano-Anderson, Troy Brown Jr - over 40% of the Lakers roster. That’s not including former Lakers Lonzo Ball, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Jordan Clarkson, Talen Horton-Tucker. 11 of the 35 Klutch clients have played for the Lakers. And they were accused of pushing for a Russell Westbrook-John Wall swap last winter. And I remember rumblings of them helping AD force his way out of New Orleans.

There’s not necessarily hard proof that Lebron has meddled but there’s a definite narrative in the air.

[MartyClark]

Haha “fist fight”. I almost never hear it referred to in that manner anymore, though it was quite common when I was a kid. And my goodness, did I get in a lot of fistfights growing up! I was young and dumb. For crissakes I even got in a fight with a mattress salesman in Austin when I was in college. And that was in the store.

Now I’m older and slightly less dumb.

Inquiring minds want to know. How the heck did you get in a fight with a mattress salesman?

[bundabergdevil]

Inquiring minds want to know. How the heck did you get in a fight with a mattress salesman?

I assume it was a pillow fight.

[Green Wave Dukie]

I assume it was a pillow fight.

Or maybe Steven was in a boxing match.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Or maybe Steven was in a boxing match.

Speaking of Steven...

Steven Adams is a guy I want on my team. What a brute.

[UrinalCake]

Inquiring minds want to know. How the heck did you get in a fight with a mattress salesman?

They won’t take it lying down.

[jipops]

Speaking of Steven...

Steven Adams is a guy I want on my team. What a brute.

Agreed. Need an offensive board and extra possession? Coming right up.

[Steven43]

Inquiring minds want to know. How the heck did you get in a fight with a mattress salesman?

Oh boy, the mattress salesman story. Not a proud moment in my life. But I’ve told several bizarre stories about myself on here, so what’s one more?

I was a sophomore at the University of Texas, the school year was almost over, and I was planning to move out of the dorms and into an apartment for the summer. Thus, I needed a bed. I asked my roommate, Tim — a smart, kind of odd, sports-obsessed guy (like me) from Grand Rapids, Michigan, who would lift weights for hours, cook Spam outside on a grill, and who would sometimes eat an entire bag of Pecan Sandies in one day — if he had any suggestions for where I could buy a bed. Tim explained that you buy the bed and mattress separately. I was like “Oh great, so now I’ve got to go to two separate stores. Nice.”

Anyway, it was the middle of the afternoon and classes were done for the day. My GF had recently seen a mattress store in South Austin and so we decided to head over there straightaway. We walked into the store and saw a roughly 6’2” overweight guy working on a project of some sort. I told him we were here to buy a mattress and he told us to look around and if we had any questions just let him know. Remember, this was just before the World Wide Web had been initiated, so you kinda just had to guess on stuff back then. We didn’t have cell phones and there was no way to look up information about products.

I soon started peppering the guy with questions about various aspects of two particular mattresses: “Why does this one cost $150 more? What makes this mattress feel more dense than the other? How well does the cushiony top on this mattress hold up over time?” Etc. etc. etc. After about 5 or 6 questions the guy started to show a bit of annoyance and said “Well, you need to make a decision. I’m going to be closing soon.” I said, “Closing soon? It’s only 4:30.” And he said “I’m closing early today.” I said, “Well, I’m still undecided. I need more time.” He said “That won’t be necessary because I’m not going to sell you a mattress today.” I said “What do you mean? I have money and I came here to purchase a mattress.” He said “Sorry, but we’re now closed. You’ll have to come back another day.” I just stood there staring at him for several seconds and then finally said “Man, what’s your problem?” My GF then started tugging on my sleeve and said “Steve, let’s just go.” And I said “No, we’re not going anywhere until I get a mattress.” Then the guy got right up in my face and said “Get the hell out of my store.” I said “You’d better back up right now.” We stared at each other just inches apart and he said “I’ve been in the mattress business for twenty years and I can sell or not sell to whoever I want.” And I said “Judging by how hard you’re breathing I don’t think you’re gonna be in the business much longer.” The guy then shoved me HARD while saying “I told you to get the hell out!” I stumbled backwards and almost fell and said “You just made a big mistake” as I regained my footing and swung a right hand at his jaw. The punch connected and he staggered and then went down on one knee. My GF shouted “Steve, STOP!” The salesman then said “I’m calling the cops!”, and he grabbed the phone. At that moment it dawned on me that this was not a good scenario AT ALL and I just said “Let’s go”, and we walked briskly out of the store without looking back and never returned.

The next day I found another mattress store and bought a mattress from them. And the rest is history. I felt bad about the mocking remark concerning his health (and still do) and also about the punch. I thought about going back to apologize the next day, but then came to my senses and realized that I might be arrested were I to venture back into that store.

I’m sorry about the long story, but I didn’t know how else to tell it without giving sufficient detail.

[ice-9]

My comment did not age well, Nets looked awful in drubbing by the Pelicans. First, Pelicans deserve the credit. They look really good. Zion back to his dominant self, Ingram being able to take over in bunches, CJ a calming leadership presence, Jonas was huge in the post, Herbert with his defensive length, and Murphy with those accurate 3-point bombs. The Pelicans are for real and definitely a team to watch.

But the Nets looked awful. The ball passing from the preseason was gone, as they reverted back to hero ball. Kyrie clanked a few. The worst was Simmons tho, who fouled out in 20 something minutes and did not do much to initiate the offense.

[flyingdutchdevil]

My comment did not age well, Nets looked awful in drubbing by the Pelicans. First, Pelicans deserve the credit. They look really good. Zion back to his dominant self, Ingram being able to take over in bunches, CJ a calming leadership presence, Jonas was huge in the post, Herbert with his defensive length, and Murphy with those accurate 3-point bombs. The Pelicans are for real and definitely a team to watch.

But the Nets looked awful. The ball passing from the preseason was gone, as they reverted back to hero ball. Kyrie clanked a few. The worst was Simmons tho, who fouled out in 20 something minutes and did not do much to initiate the offense.

It's tough to find a "Big 3" that complement each other so well.

You have McCollum, who is elite behind the arc (and can provide solid mid-range shooting and drives). You have Ingram, who is elite in the mid-range (and can provide solid 3pt shooting and drives). And then you have Zion, who is whatever is above elite in the post (and provides no mid-range nor 3pt shooting).

Sprinkle in 3-and-D players, a very solid center, and a bunch of role players, and you have a really good team.

[SouthernDukie]

Oh boy, the mattress salesman story. Not a proud moment in my life. But I’ve told several bizarre stories about myself on here, so what’s one more?

I was a sophomore at the University of Texas, the school year was almost over, and I was planning to move out of the dorms and into an apartment for the summer. Thus, I needed a bed. I asked my roommate, Tim — a smart, kind of odd, sports-obsessed guy (like me) from Grand Rapids, Michigan, who would lift weights for hours, cook Spam outside on a grill, and who would sometimes eat an entire bag of Pecan Sandies in one day — if he had any suggestions for where I could buy a bed. Tim explained that you buy the bed and mattress separately. I was like “Oh great, so now I’ve got to go to two separate stores. Nice.”

Anyway, it was the middle of the afternoon and classes were done for the day. My GF had recently seen a mattress store in South Austin and so we decided to head over there straightaway. We walked into the store and saw a roughly 6’2” overweight guy working on a project of some sort. I told him we were here to buy a mattress and he told us to look around and if we had any questions just let him know. Remember, this was just before the World Wide Web had been initiated, so you kinda just had to guess on stuff back then. We didn’t have cell phones and there was no way to look up information about products.

I soon started peppering the guy with questions about various aspects of two particular mattresses: “Why does this one cost $150 more? What makes this mattress feel more dense than the other? How well does the cushiony top on this mattress hold up over time?” Etc. etc. etc. After about 5 or 6 questions the guy started to show a bit of annoyance and said “Well, you need to make a decision. I’m going to be closing soon.” I said, “Closing soon? It’s only 4:30.” And he said “I’m closing early today.” I said, “Well, I’m still undecided. I need more time.” He said “That won’t be necessary because I’m not going to sell you a mattress today.” I said “What do you mean? I have money and I came here to purchase a mattress.” He said “Sorry, but we’re now closed. You’ll have to come back another day.” I just stood there staring at him for several seconds and then finally said “Man, what’s your problem?” My GF then started tugging on my sleeve and said “Steve, let’s just go.” And I said “No, we’re not going anywhere until I get a mattress.” Then the guy got right up in my face and said “Get the hell out of my store.” I said “You’d better back up right now.” We stared at each other just inches apart and he said “I’ve been in the mattress business for twenty years and I can sell or not sell to whoever I want.” And I said “Judging by how hard you’re breathing I don’t think you’re gonna be in the business much longer.” The guy then shoved me HARD while saying “I told you to get the hell out!” I stumbled backwards and almost fell and said “You just made a big mistake” as I regained my footing and swung a right hand at his jaw. The punch connected and he staggered and then went down on one knee. My GF shouted “Steve, STOP!” The salesman then said “I’m calling the cops!”, and he grabbed the phone. At that moment it dawned on me that this was not a good scenario AT ALL and I just said “Let’s go”, and we walked briskly out of the store without looking back and never returned.

The next day I found another mattress store and bought a mattress from them. And the rest is history. I felt bad about the mocking remark concerning his health (and still do) and also about the punch. I thought about going back to apologize the next day, but then came to my senses and realized that I might be arrested were I to venture back into that store.

I’m sorry about the long story, but I didn’t know how else to tell it without giving sufficient detail.

Wow! This sounds just like a similar incident I had with a guy that wouldn’t sell me a Krispy Kreme doughnut right before closing time.

Just kidding. You’ve had some crazy ones, Steven. But I expect nothing less from a Celtics fan. 😁

[elvis14]

Good to see Zion highlights this morning. So glad he's back. Hopefully he and BI and do some real damage this year.

So many interesting stories going into this season (both Duke related and in general). Paolo's great start is one. Hope he can win ROY. Wiseman's return for GSW could be interesting. The Celtics going into the season with an interim coach. 25 of our guys suiting up! The Pelicans and Zion, of course. Etc. etc. This is a great precursor to Duke's basketball season.

Steven you will be happy to know the Lakers look awful tonight. Even with Lebron doing everything possible, the team just isn’t very good.

The Lakers do seem to have a bunch of parts that dont fit too well together. Lebron scored 31 on 25 shots and frankly looked every bit of his 38 years (despite the announcers attempt to hype every step he took). Note, I'm not a big fan of his but that doesn't mean I don't recognize his greatness...he's had a fantastic career.

How on earth did Green not get suspended for some games? Smdh.

Internal matter that happened to get caught on camera. No need for a suspension, whole thing blown out of proportion (especially here on DBR where he is public enemy #1). Or perhaps the glare from all his rings blinded someone in the GSW front office as they made a decision.

Oh boy, the mattress salesman story. Not a proud moment in my life. But I’ve told several bizarre stories about myself on here, so what’s one more?

Thanks for sharing, that's a good story. These days a guy like that would get Yelped right out of business (and rightly so).

[brlftz]

That mattress guy doesn't sound like he was actually all that interested in selling mattresses. Reminds me of the theory that many mattress stores are just money laundering operations.

[Steven43]

Wow! This sounds just like a similar incident I had with a guy that wouldn’t sell me a Krispy Kreme doughnut right before closing time.

Just kidding. You’ve had some crazy ones, Steven. But I expect nothing less from a Celtics fan. 😁

SD, I was really disappointed the Krispy Kreme story didn’t actually happen. When I first started reading your comment I was like “Yes! I’m not the only unhinged maniac on DBR!” But alas…..

[SouthernDukie]

SD, I was really disappointed the Krispy Kreme story didn’t actually happen. When I first started reading your comment I was like “Yes! I’m not the only unhinged maniac on DBR!” But alas…..

It almost happened. They had the "Hot Now" light on but didn't have any fresh ones. Was ready to cause mayhem but got pulled out of the store by my buddies. LOL

Untitled.jpg

[Steven43]

That mattress guy doesn't sound like he was actually all that interested in selling mattresses. Reminds me of the theory that many mattress stores are just money laundering operations.

Agree; it was mystifying. I was truly taken aback when he refused sell me a mattress. It felt like a Twilight Zone moment.

Little did I know it was about to get a lot worse in a hurry.

[Steven43]

It almost happened. They had the "Hot Now" light on but didn't have any fresh ones. Was ready to cause mayhem but got pulled out of the store by my buddies. LOL

Haha “Was ready to cause mayhem”. 😂