And Riley complains that his team quits?

[CaptainInsano]

HopToad, what do you want Riley to do?

What is the goal? Win 20 games instead 11? What does it matter? That would HURT our draft position

This is exactly it, your team is blowing it huge.

Stern is sitting there watching riley talk about going on hiatus and D-wade missing tonights game and how many more after that?

Stern is probably sitting RIGHT THERE WATCHING what your team is doing while moving your draft marker down a spot from #1 to #2 right now.

Don't believe me? Just watch when if your team keeps this up you end up with the #4-5 draft pick. Laugh all you want I am serious, how exactly did portland get that #1 again last year?

Your team is blowing it, they are terrible enough that they could have still competed somewhat and retained the worst pick but now they are starting to make it look obvious, and that is when you get in trouble.

 

[Ode to Ocho]

This is exactly it, your team is blowing it huge.

Stern is sitting there watching riley talk about going on hiatus and D-wade missing tonights game and how many more after that?

Stern is probably sitting RIGHT THERE WATCHING what your team is doing while moving your draft marker down a spot from #1 to #2 right now.

Don't believe me? Just watch when if your team keeps this up you end up with the #4-5 draft pick. Laugh all you want I am serious, how exactly did portland get that #1 again last year?

Your team is blowing it, they are terrible enough that they could have still competed somewhat and retained the worst pick but now they are starting to make it look obvious, and that is when you get in trouble.

And if you don't believe this guy, watch David Stern completely RIG the 1985 draft for the New York Knicks. Hmm, Ewing to New York -- how convenient. Hint: Watch his hand when he goes for the envelope. He fumbles around when choosing and he picks the envelope that has crease on the corner.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=0TgJE7C5wiU

 

[MiamiHeat]

stern didn't do anything. he couldn't have had time to look for any bending. and the bending was in such an angle that he DIDNT HAVE TIME. he already picked an envelope.

 

[Gee!]

stern didn't do anything. he couldn't have had time to look for any bending. and the bending was in such an angle that he DIDNT HAVE TIME. he already picked an envelope.

Your one weird dude.. Your a Heat fan that has come here after the Shaq trade to berate Shaq.. Why? Miss the big guy or something? Why are you now focusing on the Suns board to post all your profound and mighty wisdom?

 

[Ode to Ocho]

stern didn't do anything. he couldn't have had time to look for any bending. and the bending was in such an angle that he DIDNT HAVE TIME. he already picked an envelope.

Haha. Are you blind? HE FLIPPED THE FIRST ENVELOPE HE GRABBED OVER SO HE COULD PICK THE ONE WITH THE CREASE.

 

[MiamiHeat]

Haha. Are you blind? HE FLIPPED THE FIRST ENVELOPE HE GRABBED OVER SO HE COULD PICK THE ONE WITH THE CREASE.

yeah I saw that. so? are you telling me in 0.5 of a second, he instantly saw the envelope at the BOTTOM OF A PILE and took it? the crease was not on the envelope when the old guy put them in. so it was creased WHILE SPINNING IN A SPHERE. duh?

do you think david stern is a secretly trained CIA agent or something?

do you even realize how hard it is to find a little 'creased' envelope amidst 7 other huge white envelopes, with 50 people and cameras in the room? why pick the #1 pick first? why not just pick #7 first to make sure you can see the crease as the number of envelopes are smaller.

i mean, literally, the 'crease' was at the bottom of the pile. imagine if the crease was in a hard to reach place, he would have to fumble around to find it? all he did was reach down, grab 1 pile of envelopes, and picked the one on the bottom. that's it.

take off your tin foil hat, there are no aliens reading your brains.

seriously, watch the video you linked. stern isn't even watching the envelopes as he opens the lid, and when he reaches down his eyes are not even looking down. he grabs a pile and flips it to select the one on the bottom. the end. geeez

 

[mojorizen7]

My history might be a little foggy but wasn't the conspiracy theory involving a frozen envelope?

 

[Ode to Ocho]

yeah I saw that. so? are you telling me in 0.5 of a second, he instantly saw the envelope at the BOTTOM OF A PILE and took it? the crease was not on the envelope when the old guy put them in. so it was creased WHILE SPINNING IN A SPHERE. duh?

do you think david stern is a secretly trained CIA agent or something?

do you even realize how hard it is to find a little 'creased' envelope amidst 7 other huge white envelopes, with 50 people and cameras in the room? why pick the #1 pick first? why not just pick #7 first to make sure you can see the crease as the number of envelopes are smaller.

i mean, literally, the 'crease' was at the bottom of the pile. imagine if the crease was in a hard to reach place, he would have to fumble around to find it? all he did was reach down, grab 1 pile of envelopes, and picked the one on the bottom. that's it.

take off your tin foil hat, there are no aliens reading your brains.

seriously, watch the video you linked. stern isn't even watching the envelopes as he opens the lid, and when he reaches down his eyes are not even looking down. he grabs a pile and flips it to select the one on the bottom. the end. geeez

Haha, you're pretty dumb dude.

He LOOKED inside for like 4 seconds when he was unlocking the door. The crease was CLEARLY visible from the camera. Logic tells us he could easily see the crease from 2 feet away. There was no reason to flip that first envelope over. He knew what he was doing the entire time. He made New York (the biggest NBA market) relevant again for the next 15 years.

 

[cobbler]

riley has 7 rings.... enough said

 

[MiamiHeat]

Haha, you're pretty dumb dude.

everything you just said..... i already proved to be false in my previous post. so i don't have anything new to say but to reiterate what i said before. it still stands.

 

[Darth Llama]

And if you don't believe this guy, watch David Stern completely RIG the 1985 draft for the New York Knicks. Hmm, Ewing to New York -- how convenient. Hint: Watch his hand when he goes for the envelope. He fumbles around when choosing and he picks the envelope that has crease on the corner.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=0TgJE7C5wiU

God, you conspiracy theorists need to give it a rest. You try so hard to find any reason you can why the whole world is against you, even though you have to realize how ridiculous you sound. Stern rigged the 85 draft now did he? Just like the way he conspired to keep the Suns from winning the title last year? please!

I'm surprised he's had time to do anything in between covering up area 51, planning the bay of pigs, staging the moon landing, faking the holocaust, and pulling off the 911 bombings. Seriously dude, what color is the sky in your world?

 

[green machine]

God, you conspiracy theorists need to give it a rest. You try so hard to find any reason you can why the whole world is against you, even though you have to realize how ridiculous you sound. Stern rigged the 85 draft now did he? Just like the way he conspired to keep the Suns from winning the title last year? please!

I'm surprised he's had time to do anything in between covering up area 51, planning the bay of pigs, staging the moon landing, faking the holocaust, and pulling off the 911 bombings. Seriously dude, what color is the sky in your world?

Stern is a businessman, first and foremost, so it wouldn't shock me if he did things to help make the league more profitable, like getting big name players to big markets, and maybe bending rules and what not so certain teams can benefit.

That said, I don't think he would ever prefer the Spurs to win (so no conspiracy against the Suns. Hell, if anything, he probably helped the Suns in the mid 90's by letting the team do all those backdoor deals with guys like Manning, Tisdale, Champman).

But if I had to guess I'd say he made sure the Knicks got Ewing, and that he probably helped nudge the Gasol---> Lakers deal along.

 

[Darth Llama]

Stern is a businessman, first and foremost, so it wouldn't shock me if he did things to help make the league more profitable, like getting big name players to big markets, and maybe bending rules and what not so certain teams can benefit.

That said, I don't think he would ever prefer the Spurs to win (so no conspiracy against the Suns. Hell, if anything, he probably helped the Suns in the mid 90's by letting the team do all those backdoor deals with guys like Manning, Tisdale, Champman).

But if I had to guess I'd say he made sure the Knicks got Ewing, and that he probably helped nudge the Gasol---> Lakers deal along.

I guess I don't understand this point and maybe you can help me with it. The theory is that Stern wants a team like LA or New York to win why? Because they are large market cities? The theory is that if a team from this market wins, there is more money because there are more fans to buy merchandise? Am I in the ball park?

The reason I'm curious is because as you know, I follow the Lakers who are a large market team, yet being totally honest, I see the same bad calls against them in games that I see against the Suns, the Kings, the Grizzlies, etc. I can honestly say I have never seen the NBA do a thing to help the Lakers, including the Gasol trade (I don't buy that the league pressured the Grizz.)I really don't think that if a team like Phoenix won the title that they would make less money then if it was won by a team like say, New York. If anything an NBA title could help turn Phoenix into a much larger market, because they are from a very large city with a population that grows every year. Plus, they put forward very likable players like Steve Nash, Shaq, and Amare which is a pull to fans from other markets. To me the Suns seem like a team Stern should favor if he's really rigging things. Where am I going wrong in my logic?

 

[green machine]

I guess I don't understand this point and maybe you can help me with it. The theory is that Stern wants a team like LA or New York to win why? Because they are large market cities? The theory is that if a team from this market wins, there is more money because there are more fans to buy merchandise? Am I in the ball park?

The reason I'm curious is because as you know, I follow the Lakers who are a large market team, yet being totally honest, I see the same bad calls against them in games that I see against the Suns, the Kings, the Grizzlies, etc. I can honestly say I have never seen the NBA do a thing to help the Lakers, including the Gasol trade (I don't buy that the league pressured the Grizz.)I really don't think that if a team like Phoenix won the title that they would make less money then if it was won by a team like say, New York. If anything an NBA title could help turn Phoenix into a much larger market, because they are from a very large city with a population that grows every year. Plus, they put forward very likable players like Steve Nash, Shaq, and Amare which is a pull to fans from other markets. To me the Suns seem like a team Stern should favor if he's really rigging things. Where am I going wrong in my logic?

You're not wrong in your logic, just coming from a different point of view.

Like, if the Lakers had tampered with Shaq before they signed him, maybe Stern let that go because he knew it would be good for the league if Shaq was in LA. (I'm not trying to pick on LA or anything, just an example)

As for the Gasol trade, my only thought is that you better believe Stern is salivating over the thought of a Lakers/Celtics finals. What better way to remember the glory years and move away from the bad image that the league has gained over the last few seasons?

But no, you're not wrong, and I may very well be. But as all good conspiracies go, I guess we'll never know.


EDIT: I also don't think Stern is anti-Suns, as many do. As with the suspensions of last year, I don't think Stern was trying to screw the Suns over. I just think he made a bad decision.

 

[MiamiHeat]

really, take a good look at the video and you will see ewing going to NEW YORK was exactly what it was - winning the lottery pure luck

 

[MiamiHeat]

Like, if the Lakers had tampered with Shaq before they signed him, maybe Stern let that go because he knew it would be good for the league if Shaq was in LA.

turning a blind eye type of favoritism, true or not, is NOTHING LIKE RIGGING AN NBA DRAFT. just ridiculous

 

[green machine]

turning a blind eye type of favoritism, true or not, is NOTHING LIKE RIGGING AN NBA DRAFT. just ridiculous

How so? If anything it would be a more proven way to make sure someone got the help they needed.

And the favoritism, if there, is a way of rigging the league itself.

Why did the T'Wolves get docked a ton of draft picks and what not for Joe Smith and the Suns not for what they did with Danny Manning, Rex Chapman, etc.?

It's just an example of the league not being pure and wholesome as far as competitive balance.

 

[green machine]

Oh, and another note that is more related to this thread, plenty of Miami fans and fans of all the teams think Riley is a joke for being willing to leave the team.

 

[Darth Llama]

You're not wrong in your logic, just coming from a different point of view.

Like, if the Lakers had tampered with Shaq before they signed him, maybe Stern let that go because he knew it would be good for the league if Shaq was in LA. (I'm not trying to pick on LA or anything, just an example)

As for the Gasol trade, my only thought is that you better believe Stern is salivating over the thought of a Lakers/Celtics finals. What better way to remember the glory years and move away from the bad image that the league has gained over the last few seasons?

But no, you're not wrong, and I may very well be. But as all good conspiracies go, I guess we'll never know.


EDIT: I also don't think Stern is anti-Suns, as many do. As with the suspensions of last year, I don't think Stern was trying to screw the Suns over. I just think he made a bad decision.

I'm not going to deny that I think a renewed Lakers/Celtics rivalry would be a huge ratings boost for the NBA. If I remember right, wasn't last years finals the lowest rated finals in NBA History? There is some possibility that there is a panic mode going on in the NBA office, but I have always been one to think that nothing brings in viewers like the underdog. Look at the Super Bowl for example, everyone thought the Pats would roll the Giants. They supposedly didn't have a chance, yet it shattered records for viewers, everyone and their mother watched that game. I can see it from both angles, I do think that maybe at least in the back of his head, that Sten wants LA vs Boston, but the things he's accused of doing would really put him in serious risk if he got caught. What if he leaned on Memphis and someone talked? That could be his downfall, it seems like an awfully big chance to take to me.

I'm not one that usually buys the conspiracy theory, but there is some sound reasoning. Personally, I opt not to believe it, but I understand some of your points. It's possible that I'm also biased because I like the Lakers, I just would need some real proof to start buying into that. And for the record, I totally agree with you on the Suns thing. Horrible call by Stern last year, but I don't think he did it just to help the Spurs. He's just an idiot.

 

[Darth Llama]

How so? If anything it would be a more proven way to make sure someone got the help they needed.

And the favoritism, if there, is a way of rigging the league itself.

Why did the T'Wolves get docked a ton of draft picks and what not for Joe Smith and the Suns not for what they did with Danny Manning, Rex Chapman, etc.?

It's just an example of the league not being pure and wholesome as far as competitive balance.

That's a good point. Nothing will bring out favoritism cries faster then not treating everyone the same, and I think that IS an area where Stern drops the ball. If a rule applies for one team, it has to apply to all teams regardless of the city they play in. Last year in the playoffs for example, I wasn't upset at all that he suspended Amare, Amare deserved it, but so did Tim Duncan for doing the same thing yet he was allowed to play. Things like that I don't agree with. As I said before, I still don't believe the theory that Sten was trying to help the Spurs, but I think he got so caught up in making an example out of someone that he didn't rule fairly in that situation. He made his point, but he could have made it more clearly by being fair and giving the same punishment to Tim Duncan.

 

[green machine]

http://www.miamiherald.com/594/story/456045.html

Bump.

 

[CardNots]

What do they say about rats, that they always jump ship when things go bad?

That's Riley for ya.

Hey don't insult rats! What are they to do, go down with the ship? Sheezzz, they don't get paid so why go down with the ship?