2022 Off-Season Around the League

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

John Wall getting bought out and sounds like he is going to the Clippers

I'm kinda cheering for John Wall to have some level of success again for a couple years before his career is over. I can't feel too bad for a guy that made a bunch of money but it's like people just think he is a joke because he is so over paid. If he doesn't get hurt again I think he can still play. Additionally that eliminates a team looking for a PG as people on this board said the Clippers were looking for one.

This hurts the market for DLO. Wall, Kyrie, Brogdon and Brunson all seem in line ahead of DLO in the market for PGs.

Interestingly enough, Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Lakers were the only team exploring sign-and-trade possibilities for Kyrie Irving. I think the unreliable and unpredictable persona that he's proven to be has absolutely tanked his value -- talent be damned. Interest around the league could be different now that he's picked up his option for next year, but I doubt it. I think he's either playing for Brooklyn or he's traded to Los Angeles (Lakers). I think every other team is staying away from him.

[Monster]

John Wall getting bought out and sounds like he is going to the Clippers

I'm kinda cheering for John Wall to have some level of success again for a couple years before his career is over. I can't feel too bad for a guy that made a bunch of money but it's like people just think he is a joke because he is so over paid. If he doesn't get hurt again I think he can still play. Additionally that eliminates a team looking for a PG as people on this board said the Clippers were looking for one.

This hurts the market for DLO. Wall, Kyrie, Brogdon and Brunson all seem in line ahead of DLO in the market for PGs.

Yeah well that's not exactly super surprising. Those guys are either better than Russell, younger, or signed for more seasons.

I think Wall going to the Clippers is probably fine. I'm not sure they were going to make a move for Russell unless it was a multi team deal. Wall was gonna go somewhere but now we know he won't be trade fodder in a Westbrook or Kyrie trade or something.

Keep in mind Bledsoe unless he is involved in a trade will likely be let go by Portland as he doesn't have much money guaranteed for this season. He can help a team in some capacity. He might be a cheap solid pickup for a team like Washington.

[Lipoli390]

Here's a report from the New York Daily News earlier today.

"The belief among both league and player circles is that Irving is gone and the Seven-Eleven Era is over before it ever began. Irving only appeared in 103 regular-season games in Brooklyn, a three-year run ravaged in Year 1 by a nagging shoulder injury; in Year 2 due to absences for personal reasons; and in Year 3 due to Irving's unwillingness to get vaccinated against COVID-19 in a city that didn't create a professional athlete exemption in its vaccine mandate until weeks before the NBA playoffs began." - via Kristian Winfield @ New York Daily News

Here's a report not long after the prior report:

"Kyrie Irving: Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving is opting into his $37 million player option for the 2022-23 season, @TheAthletic @Stadium has learned. Irving is bypassing on multiple opt-in and trade scenarios to fulfill his four-year commitment to the Nets and Kevin Durant." - via Twitter ShamsCharania

This is such a great example of how unreliable NBA reporting is these days. The New York Daily News report above was typical of all the reporting from reporters and news agencies. Just about everyone was reporting that Kyrie Irving would be leaving the Nets. And they there was the growing swell of reports that Durant would force a trade too. But what actually happened? Kyrie opted in to the final year of his contract with the Nets. And of course, Kevin Durant will stay with the Nets as well.

Bottom line is that you really can't believe much of anything you read in the media about what's happening or going to happen in the NBA. It's a bunch of uninformed speculation in an echo chamber. The vast majority of NBA reporters no nothing more than we do. There are a few like Woj who are really well plugged and reliable sources of information. But there are very few.

[Monster]

Here's a report from the New York Daily News earlier today.

"The belief among both league and player circles is that Irving is gone and the Seven-Eleven Era is over before it ever began. Irving only appeared in 103 regular-season games in Brooklyn, a three-year run ravaged in Year 1 by a nagging shoulder injury; in Year 2 due to absences for personal reasons; and in Year 3 due to Irving's unwillingness to get vaccinated against COVID-19 in a city that didn't create a professional athlete exemption in its vaccine mandate until weeks before the NBA playoffs began." - via Kristian Winfield @ New York Daily News

Here's a report not long after the prior report:

"Kyrie Irving: Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving is opting into his $37 million player option for the 2022-23 season, @TheAthletic @Stadium has learned. Irving is bypassing on multiple opt-in and trade scenarios to fulfill his four-year commitment to the Nets and Kevin Durant." - via Twitter ShamsCharania

This is such a great example of how unreliable NBA reporting is these days. The New York Daily News report above was typical of all the reporting from reporters and news agencies. Just about everyone was reporting that Kyrie Irving would be leaving the Nets. And they there was the growing swell of reports that Durant would force a trade too. But what actually happened? Kyrie opted in to the final year of his contract with the Nets. And of course, Kevin Durant will stay with the Nets as well.

Bottom line is that you really can't believe much of anything you read in the media about what's happening or going to happen in the NBA. It's a bunch of uninformed speculation in an echo chamber. The vast majority of NBA reporters no nothing more than we do. There are a few like Woj who are really well plugged and reliable sources of information. But there are very few.

Sources of reports certainly matter. I wouldn't trust the New York Daily news about anything related to sports. They seem about as reliable and a guy like Ben Platte a guy that watch's all the games, has a video podcast and writes his own articles...also he doesn't exist I made him up but I still might trust his info over the NY Daily News.

Also it's possible like Cam said there weren't exactly a lot of options so Kyrie opted in. Also just because he opted in doesn't mean he will stick around. Stay tuned...actually don't. lol

[Lipoli390]

Here's a report from the New York Daily News earlier today.

"The belief among both league and player circles is that Irving is gone and the Seven-Eleven Era is over before it ever began. Irving only appeared in 103 regular-season games in Brooklyn, a three-year run ravaged in Year 1 by a nagging shoulder injury; in Year 2 due to absences for personal reasons; and in Year 3 due to Irving's unwillingness to get vaccinated against COVID-19 in a city that didn't create a professional athlete exemption in its vaccine mandate until weeks before the NBA playoffs began." - via Kristian Winfield @ New York Daily News

Here's a report not long after the prior report:

"Kyrie Irving: Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving is opting into his $37 million player option for the 2022-23 season, @TheAthletic @Stadium has learned. Irving is bypassing on multiple opt-in and trade scenarios to fulfill his four-year commitment to the Nets and Kevin Durant." - via Twitter ShamsCharania

This is such a great example of how unreliable NBA reporting is these days. The New York Daily News report above was typical of all the reporting from reporters and news agencies. Just about everyone was reporting that Kyrie Irving would be leaving the Nets. And they there was the growing swell of reports that Durant would force a trade too. But what actually happened? Kyrie opted in to the final year of his contract with the Nets. And of course, Kevin Durant will stay with the Nets as well.

Bottom line is that you really can't believe much of anything you read in the media about what's happening or going to happen in the NBA. It's a bunch of uninformed speculation in an echo chamber. The vast majority of NBA reporters no nothing more than we do. There are a few like Woj who are really well plugged and reliable sources of information. But there are very few.

Sources of reports certainly matter. I wouldn't trust the New York Daily news about anything related to sports. They seem about as reliable and a guy like Ben Platte a guy that watch's all the games, has a video podcast and writes his own articles...also he doesn't exist I made him up but I still might trust his info over the NY Daily News.

Also it's possible like Cam said there weren't exactly a lot of options so Kyrie opted in. Also just because he opted in doesn't mean he will stick around. Stay tuned...actually don't. lol

Yes, the source definitely matters. But in this case it wasn't just the NY Daily News reporting that Kyrie was on his way out of Brooklyn; it was just about everyone. The problem in today's media goes beyond just a few unreliable sources like Doogie and the NY Daily News. There's a tendency towards mass group-think in the media, and a single-minded undisciplined drive to get viewership combined with laziness and indifference to truth.

[AbeVigodaLive]

I guess I'm not seeing the media angle in those two examples. I think the biggest issue with NBA media at the moment is that it's driven by teams and agents.

And maybe this is an example. "Irving is bypassing on multiple opt-in and trade scenarios to fulfill his four-year commitment to the Nets and Kevin Durant." That sounds like a quote directly from Irving's agent.

But my point is that yes... Kyrie Irving is opting in. Of course he's opting in... it's $37M!!! But does that refute that "The belief among both league and player circles is that Irving is gone and the Seven-Eleven Era is over before it ever began." or does it just stem the tide of public opinion (via his agency) for the briefest of moments.

Do we really believe the Nets with Irving is a tenable situation? If Kyrie Irving is anything like many other "star" players, he wants it both ways... he wants the max money and the clout to choose where he plays. So it's possible that he signs on to play for the Nets with no real intention of doing so. And maybe they're even able to make it seem like it was jettisoned by the Nets and not the other way around.

As we've seen many times, the players often get what they want. Damn the destruction left in their wakes.

[Lipoli390]

Latest report on the Clippers:

If the Clippers acquire Noel, it could mean Clippers backup center Isaiah Hartenstein may have priced himself out of Los Angeles with unrestricted free agency approaching. The Clippers can only re-sign Hartenstein for up to the $6.4 million taxpayer mid-level exception. That exception, however, could be used to sign John Wall.

Noel is owed $9.24 million next season and has a $9.68 million team option for the 2023-24 season.

So the Clippers are in the process of making to significant moves: (1) signing John Wall with their $6.4M taxpayer MLE after Houston releases him; and (2) trading for Noel using their $9.7M trade exception.

These acquisitions could significantly help a Clippers team that will already be much better with Kawhi's return. But the League-wide ripple effect of these two deals is even more significant. First, Wall's decision to sign with the Clippers, coupled with Kylie's decision to return to the Nets, means fewer PG options for the two teams, Knicks and Wizards, who desperately want and need to upgrade their respective PG positions. Second, as the article excerpt notes, it's unlikely the Clippers will keep Hartenstein. Apparently, they can's sign him for more than the $6.4M taxpayer MLE and if they use that MLE to sign Wall they can't even offer that much.

What does all this mean for the Wolves?

First, it means we're getting closer to knowing what DLO's market value will be. The next two PG dominoes are Brunson and Brogdon. If the Knicks or Wizards end up not getting one of two guys, I suspect they'd have a strong interest in trading for DLO. Not saying that means a deal would happen; just saying it increases the chances of a DLO deal happening.

Second, it means the Wolves's chances of signing Hartenstein have increased. He liked playing for the Clippers and they like him. But the Wolves can no easily outspend the Clippers to get him and they can do so without using our full MLE. I'm sure some other teams will have interest, but remember that teams weren't knocking down the door to sign Hartenstein a year ago, which is why he ended up signing for the League minimum.

[Lipoli390]

By the way, I can't stress enough how much I'm enjoying watching the Lakers balloon get popped over and over again. They thought they were going to get Kyrie for Westbrook or the sign him for taxpayer MLE, but now Kyrie is returning to Brooklyn. They thought they'd sign John Wall, but now he's apparently signing with the Clippers. They have no cap space and almost no future 1st-round picks. They have an aging but still very good LeBron and a repeatedly injured Anthony Davis who thought he was too good for the Pelicans. The Lakers once again thought they use their deep pockets and Hollywood appear to buy a string of championships. Alas, it hasn't worked out the way they planned.

I should probably feel guilty about taking such pleasure in the suffering of the Laker franchise - but I don't feel even a twinge of guilt. :)

[Monster]

Here's a report from the New York Daily News earlier today.

"The belief among both league and player circles is that Irving is gone and the Seven-Eleven Era is over before it ever began. Irving only appeared in 103 regular-season games in Brooklyn, a three-year run ravaged in Year 1 by a nagging shoulder injury; in Year 2 due to absences for personal reasons; and in Year 3 due to Irving's unwillingness to get vaccinated against COVID-19 in a city that didn't create a professional athlete exemption in its vaccine mandate until weeks before the NBA playoffs began." - via Kristian Winfield @ New York Daily News

Here's a report not long after the prior report:

"Kyrie Irving: Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving is opting into his $37 million player option for the 2022-23 season, @TheAthletic @Stadium has learned. Irving is bypassing on multiple opt-in and trade scenarios to fulfill his four-year commitment to the Nets and Kevin Durant." - via Twitter ShamsCharania

This is such a great example of how unreliable NBA reporting is these days. The New York Daily News report above was typical of all the reporting from reporters and news agencies. Just about everyone was reporting that Kyrie Irving would be leaving the Nets. And they there was the growing swell of reports that Durant would force a trade too. But what actually happened? Kyrie opted in to the final year of his contract with the Nets. And of course, Kevin Durant will stay with the Nets as well.

Bottom line is that you really can't believe much of anything you read in the media about what's happening or going to happen in the NBA. It's a bunch of uninformed speculation in an echo chamber. The vast majority of NBA reporters no nothing more than we do. There are a few like Woj who are really well plugged and reliable sources of information. But there are very few.

Sources of reports certainly matter. I wouldn't trust the New York Daily news about anything related to sports. They seem about as reliable and a guy like Ben Platte a guy that watch's all the games, has a video podcast and writes his own articles...also he doesn't exist I made him up but I still might trust his info over the NY Daily News.

Also it's possible like Cam said there weren't exactly a lot of options so Kyrie opted in. Also just because he opted in doesn't mean he will stick around. Stay tuned...actually don't. lol

Yes, the source definitely matters. But in this case it wasn't just the NY Daily News reporting that Kyrie was on his way out of Brooklyn; it was just about everyone. The problem in today's media goes beyond just a few unreliable sources like Doogie and the NY Daily News. There's a tendency towards mass group-think in the media, and a single-minded undisciplined drive to get viewership combined with laziness and indifference to truth.

It's pretty amazing how Rubio ended up playing all those years with the Knicks right? :)

Lip you got me going on media...

There are few reliable sources out there when it comes to sports. I think we can all share a little bit of the blame for where we are. I'm absolutely not giving the media a pass but there are a lot of people that are simply clamoring for any shred of info. You see it on Twitter @XXXXX tell me______ about player XYZ" Some people are to willing to give it out. There is a reason people can be referred to as consumers.

What's great about the times we live in is I can choose to enjoy the type of content I want to listen to. Obviously this can also be bad. I can enjoy Wolfson's chats with various people on his podcast and fun tidbits of information on local MN people and not pay attention to the other stuff that may or may not be legit. I can enjoy Dane Moore and Britt Robson's banter and thoughts on the Wolves and the league even if maybe neither guy has any awesome insider information. I don't agree with all of either of their basketball takes but they watch all the games are truly passionate about the Wolves and are both reasonably insightful. I think they each bring interesting perspectives especially combined together. I'm not gonna listen to all of anyone's podcasts it usually gets to be too much.

I can skip all the meaningless chatter from ESPN or other media outlets shows that talk about everything and nothing. Often unlike years ago I can watch video of people saying what they say and make a judgement myself instead of reading a quote out of context in an article which MAY have not been intended to sway a certain way but did. I'm not picking and choosing looking to insulate myself to confirm what I think it's right...ok sure we all do to some extent but more than ever I've tried to seek out stuff that's meaningful to me and also look at views that are different than mine to try and understand them.

I'll say this that as Wolves fans we are quite fortunate to have a pretty good local media here covering the Wolves. Chris Hine took over for Jerry Zgoda who I think was/is a good dude in the wrong job and Hine is a solid sports beat writer that also does some worthwhile stories on players etc. I can't think of anyone that covers the team regularly that isn't worthwhile. Ok if Wolfson is the worst guy that covers your team you are probably doing well. Wolfson should get some credit for being a guy that does find out some lower level stuff and put its out there and it's nice to know sooner like who teams have worked out or have signed to the summer league etc. Dane Moore has moved from being more of a blogger type to being a true independent media guy. There are also solid fan sites like Canis Hoopus that aren't total homers and essentially worthless wastes of time to click on almost every time you go there.

[JasonIsDaMan [enjin:7981157]]

By the way, I can't stress enough how much I'm enjoying watching the Lakers balloon get popped over and over again. They thought they were going to get Kyrie for Westbrook or the sign him for taxpayer MLE, but now Kyrie is returning to Brooklyn. They thought they'd sign John Wall, but now he's apparently signing with the Clippers. They have no cap space and almost no future 1st-round picks. They have an aging but still very good LeBron and a repeatedly injured Anthony Davis who thought he was too good for the Pelicans. The Lakers once again thought they use their deep pockets and Hollywood appear to buy a string of championships. Alas, it hasn't worked out the way they planned.

I should probably feel guilty about taking such pleasure in the suffering of the Laker franchise - but I don't feel even a twinge of guilt. :)

At first I was with you, but look at what has happened with a critical eye. Lebron demands that they go get Westbrook. It goes about as well as anyone who has watched Westbrook the past few season knew it would go. Because he can't do it himself, Lebron has his shit High School friends call every blogger and tell them about he pissed he is about the trade HE engineered. And then, Magic Johnson, who has had EVERY opportunity to distinguish himself as an NBA coach/POBO and failed, starts with the "This bad thing is bad" tweets. The NBA's second hottest owner (behind Jamie Gertz) has got to be pissed right now. I would say this is a teachable moment, but every time I say that, no one learns anything, so I'm going to stop doing that.