NBA 2014 Off-Season Thread

Alex

Alex

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I could be into that. I don't know enough about the non-Pacific teams or the media giants so this would help.
 
Sterling

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Haven't done fantasy hoops in years. Or followed pro ball nearly as much as I had in the past but I'd give it a whirl
 
Whidon

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Araysar

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Dont think there is anything racist about the email at all.

Just a dude trying to appeal to everyone instead of just blacks.
 
Szlia

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It seems pretty tough to accuse him of being a racist considering it's only when he investigated as to why they sold fewer season ticket than other franchise that he realized the audience was overwhelmingly black. Also he qualifies the unsubstantiated claims that the arena and its surroundings are unsafe as 'racist garbage'. That said, it does take a turn for the weird when he starts using the broadest brush he could find to characterize the black audience (black people cheer less? wat).
 
Whidon

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Maybe Black people do cheer less at sports games? Not very many around where I live to have any idea.

What is mind boggling to me is the owner suddenly decided this letter sent to like 2 people a couple years ago was so damning to warrant having to sell his business.

Basically if your business has a black clientele and you want to expand it that's racist I guess. Playing less hip-hop and more country at your basketball games? Seriously racist, what else will you do to oppress black people?
 
fanaskin

fanaskin

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I heard a snippet the guy self reported himself about the email, maybe he wanted out of atlanta and the free publicity would up the sale price?

Complete statement from Adam Silver on Bruce Levenson - Peachtree Hoops

Silver acknowledged twice that Levenson brought the email to the NBA's attention.

The opening paragraph from Silver's statement:

"Following Bruce Levenson notifying the league office this July of his August 2012 email, the NBA commenced an independent investigation regarding the circumstances of Mr. Levenson's comments."
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Finally a more direct passage from Silver:

"I commend Mr. Levenson for self-reporting to the league office, for being fully cooperative with the league and its independent investigator, and for putting the best interests of the Hawks, the Atlanta community, and the NBA first."
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Drakurii

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I'd come out and admit I said racist shit to if I was an NBA owner and just saw the Clippers sell for 2 Billion.
 
Whidon

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Apparently this whole thing started because Ferry read a background report on a playerWritten by another person, in another organizationSomeone felt he should have not said an "offensive" word aloud while reading it.

Atlanta Hawks' upheaval 3 months in making - ESPN


I still think this is mostly the owner wanting to sell. But its annoying how no media outlets will write anything about how absurd this situation is.
 
fanaskin

fanaskin

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Don Lemon: Atlanta Hawks Owner

"The email was not racist," Lemon said, after quoting the most problematic section at length. "There is no Donald Sterling-esque smoking gun here. He didn't say he wanted fewer black people. He said he wanted more people of the desired demographic of his business, white men between the ages of 35 to 55-years old."

"In my estimation, his message to his colleagues was a smart one; by constantly playing their strong hand or preaching to the choir, they were in essence fishing in an empty pond," Lemon continued. His words may have been inartful, but the man was simply trying to run a business and not lose money. He was strategizing in an email on how to reach out to a coveted demographic to put more butts in the seats. It is just that simple."
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Bruce Levenson racist email: Should he sell Atlanta Hawks? - NBA - SI.com
 
Royal

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Whidon1_sl said:
Apparently this whole thing started because Ferry read a background report on a playerWritten by another person, in another organizationSomeone felt he should have not said an "offensive" word aloud while reading it.

Atlanta Hawks' upheaval 3 months in making - ESPN

I still think this is mostly the owner wanting to sell. But its annoying how no media outlets will write anything about how absurd this situation is.
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If you listen to a recording of Danny Ferry when he's supposedly reading that email, it doesn't sound like he's reading anything at all. Maybe he's just really good at using tone and inflection to make written words sound like they're born in the moment, but it sounded like he was expressing his own ideas.
 
Djay

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I don't know if I'm just paying attention more this year or what, but the off-season seemed really short this year. I guess the James free-agency and Team USA filled a lot of the gaps.

Still a month away from the season, but all of the press conferences and team previews are starting. I'm ready.
 
Alex

Alex

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Really looking forward to the season here too. Hope Kerr is the man to take the W's to the level.
 
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