Why I liked this forum...

[ItsJustSoSab]

Finally. Let's get back to basketball.

And I'm definitely going with Rubio

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

I think politics first crept in because there was no basketball being played and literally nothing happening on the Wolves front (I'm talking about spring/early summer). Then George Floyd happened and its one of those touchstone events that is difficult to compartmentalize.

Two observations:

1. I have seen things get far more petty and venomous on some of the player/coaching arguments than what I have seen in the political back and forth.

2. After the initial George Floyd back-and-forth, things settled down on that front and folks went back to mostly sports without any hard feelings from what I could tell. And it appears the same thing is happening with this latest incident as well.

I do agree with Abe though. If we don't get back on track, things likely will go downhill as positions harden and folks begin to just talk past each other.

[Monster]

Personally I've appreciated the chance to have conversations in this forum about some of these topics outside fo basketball. I get people want to have sports to enjoy. We all do. Personally I think we NEED to have dialog about these subjects to get away from the divisiveness I think all of us see. Dialog includes truly listening to what others have to say and having an openness to new ideas. Ive learned from others here. I've realized I was wrong about things. I'm not suggesting we need to turn this into a political forum but I think the fact that people have spent some time on these subjects the past few weeks shows there is something there worth considering. I personally don't see this group heading down the same path as other forums that Abe is speaking about. Maybe we will but I doubt it. I've knows many here for a long time. I have a lot of respect for everyone here. I have some history with most posters thats far from insignificant. This place has been a place for me to come for a long time mostly about basketbal...probably 99%. lol

Back to basketball...I've said for along time that I can tell a lot about a person by playing basketball with them a couple times. Its not exactly a perfect system of assessing someone but I feel like I can do it more playing basketball than any other sport. I've played a lot of ball over the years. Its a great sport and its brought us all together to some extent.

Personally I can't just segment myself off from "politics" anymore. I also firmly believe that I can't spend all my time thinking about these subjects because it takes a lot of energy and I have other important things to do as well especially with a new job. As one of my friends said in a recent podcast "Everything is political". There is some truth there. It also doesn't mean that we have to go down the road where if we talk "politics" it has to be a negative thing. Thats a stigma I think can be broken. Again I'm not suggesting this becomes a political forum but I don't know if I want to just section things off from here on out. Is it ok to be uncomfortable every once in a while? I'm not gonna start posting random posts about political things outside of basketball but I think having some discussions about what NBA players are protesting when they don't play a game seems like a reasonable thing to do on a sports message board. I'm tired of being mostly apathetic. I prefer to work towards some sort of understanding and a solution. Thats where I am at.

[bleedspeed]

Well, I am taking the rest of the weekend off to protest politics in sports. My Busch Latte and the river awaits me.

Before I go:

RUBIO is my pick.

My interest in this team has seriously declined since he was traded. He was a fun player to watch and seemed like a near-perfect centerpiece for a franchise. Not as a superstar player, but being the glue, culture builder, and leader. I would be curious about what his teammates say about him.

[Coolbreeze44]

Hey guys, we got the #1 pick!

[TAFKASP]

Hey guys, we got the #1 pick!

Fast forward a couple years: Hey guys, we drafted the wrong guy with the number one pick!

[Leado01]

Thank you Abe. I really enjoyed finding the original ESPN site and the input from all of the characters within it. I migrated to this site because the majority of those characters came here . . . .

The reason I love sports, and basketball more than any other, is because I could walk into any bar in the U.S., sit down next to someone I've never met in my life, and have the company of sports. We could agree or disagree on the value of James Worthy, or Justin Verlander, or whether Randy Whitman should have ever been allowed to coach. Sports are a safe community . . . Someone may hate Duke basketball. . . but I wouldn't hesitate to strike up a conversation with someone wearing a Duke hoodie.

Online forums emulated that experience early on. I imagined us all sipping something (or smoking it in a few cases) watching the games and bitching about our PNR defense afterwards.

I appreciate you Abe and I appreciate your message. I don't come here as much because I'd much rather discuss why Isiah Rider was the most infuriating talent the Wolves ever drafted than politics. . . and I'm happy to hear someone say "put the pipe down if you think Hollywood Robinson should have started" but I'm a little too old school to appreciate crass politically based insults. Thanks Abe

[Coolbreeze44]

Hey guys, we got the #1 pick!

Fast forward a couple years: Hey guys, we drafted the wrong guy with the number one pick!

Well that's a given, but let's enjoy the interim. We won something and that can never be taken away.

[kekgeek]

Hey guys, we got the #1 pick!

Fast forward a couple years: Hey guys, we drafted the wrong guy with the number one pick!

Well that's a given, but let's enjoy the interim. We won something and that can never be taken away.

Hey think of the bright side the wolves have never made a bad pick picking #1

[Lipoli390]

Hey guys, we got the #1 pick!

Fast forward a couple years: Hey guys, we drafted the wrong guy with the number one pick!

Well that's a given, but let's enjoy the interim. We won something and that can never be taken away.

Hey think of the bright side the wolves have never made a bad pick picking #1

That means we had better not trade down. :)