Proudiddy

I brought it up elsewhere, but even the year we took SGA, which was the player I wanted that year (fwiw, I hated the Bridges pick), we took SGA then traded him for Bridges, who was taken a pick after ours. Like why tf should anyone do that? If we wanted Bridges, we could’ve just taken him without pick. And all we netted was a 2nd round pick and a solid role player who beats women in his spare time. But outside of player for player, all we gained was a 2nd rounder. And don’t feel like going back to look, but look how many picks we traded over the years for nothing or cash considerations. Remember when we drafted Duren and then traded him for literally fuging nothing? These trades are too many to count.

But tbh, even if we took Ace, he would force his way out or be injured all the time or immediately leave when his contract was up after half-assing here then go on to be an all-star elsewhere. I see all these people now saying we need to trade LaMelo, but we’ve seen this movie before. He can’t stay healthy - then we trade him and he lives up to all of his potential while we poo the bed with whatever assets we got back for him and end up with nothing. It’s the Hornets and Panthers way.

Hornets FO: All your whites are now belong to us.

You don’t have to be convinced of a fact. I think maybe it’s just a form of passive income for the owners and they get some tax write offs, then the money just makes itself… i think they are in complete agreement and are complicit in facilitating talent to other teams as the league office or franchise hierarchy dictates. It’s clear we haven’t been trying to win for a long time.

fugin gross, but expected. I genuinely hate everything about this pick. We can throw around all these intangible adjectives that don’t mean poo, but if you can’t fuging move with athletes in the pros, you aren’t gonna cut it. Shooter or not.

The least exciting pick possible. Color me surprised. Really stoked for the second coming of Bryce Drew.

I had started typing my post hours ago and didn’t finish it and just came back to finish it, posted it, then saw yours and saw we were pretty much saying the same thing - even the games that stick out to us most. I don’t think a lot of people remember that SF playoff game, but I felt like I had just got mugged in broad daylight. I remember them calling Mitchell for unnecessary roughness, and then I remember watching Boldin take a super late cheap shot, dead in front of the ref and then showing him watching the whole thing in replay… the refs let them have a fuging field day and didn’t do jack poo, but if we so much as breathed the wrong way it was fuging 15 yards. Each team playing under two completely different sets of rules. poo hurt. I was enraged. I’ve never went back to watch either that game or SB50 and never will. fuging robbery.

I’ve said it a million times since, but it’s impossible to keep them from affecting the game. In SB50, they literally took the game from us, and they did it early. Cotchery’s no-catch? The miraculous amount of times we converted for a first down only to have it suddenly called back make it a 3rd down and 15+ against the best defense in the league that specialized in rushing the passer and man coverage on the back end? And you do that enough times, you kill the morale and confidence of the team you’re doing it against. It’s telling the one team “you can do whatever with impunity” and the other “you can’t do whatever they’re allowed to do.” It changes the aggression level. It essentially neuters one team and allows the other to do whatever the fug they want. Imagine you call the police for help and they get there and tell you to sit still while the other party beats the poo out of you and you can’t defend yourself. That’s what the officials do. There is no way to avoid them affecting the game. And more often than not, it’s the most subjective calls they use to do so. Even in SB50… you saw the Broncos commit more egregious penalties than anything we did, and barely any of it was called. Their OL was holding all fuging game and the refs did nothing. We already had our work cut out for us against two future HOF edge rushers and the refs played to their advantage with that. From what I remember, both Oher and Remmers were called for holding at various times and their hands were in the INSIDE of the defender. It was garbage, but all by design. Also, if there is any video of it anywhere, go look at what the refs did against us back in 2013 against SF. The fix was in there too. They stepped in early and often and ensured we knew we were not allowed to play with the same aggression or intensity SF was. It was disgusting as well. at this point, I hope Vince McMahon, errr, I mean Goodell just finally scripts us to win it, because this poo is not won via competition or off merit.

Witnessing and FEELING the NFL bend us over and make us grab our ankles in Super Bowl 50 in real-time… that was the turning point for me. I have not viewed the NFL, or pro sports for that matter, the same, ever since. Look at the NBA. You’re talking about astronomical odds for the #1 pick on the teams in the back-end of the lottery. The Mavericks mysteriously and inexplicably out of nowhere trade their franchise player - one of the biggest stars in the league, and an international superstar… and of all places, to the LA Lakers, with LeBron. They get back an oft-injured Anthony Davis. Their team, including Davis, end up getting injured to the point they barely have enough healthy players to play games as the year goes on. Their GM takes a ton of heat and never really offers a reasonable, nor plausible explanation as to why they did the trade in the first place. He also states that they never took any calls from any other teams, they never fielded any other offers for Luka, and they didn’t even take the offer elsewhere to see what other teams would offer. Absolutely no due diligence. Now ask yourself, why would a team do that? Not just in sports, why would any business do such a thing? Not maximizing your return? Not doing due diligence? Fast forward a couple months… the GM has been lambasted, ridiculed, and belittled the entire time since. The lottery comes around, and the Mavs, who were just in the NBA Finals the year before, barely miss the playoffs due to all of their injuries. Davis, Kyrie Irving, etc., all their best players were injured. They had the smallest mathematical chance at getting the #1 pick. Guess who got the #1 pick? The Mavericks. So this plays out like the NBA asked the Mavs to do them a solid. One of their blue-blood, prestigious, big market franchises needed a bump with LeBron getting older. LA throws together a garbage package, sending them an aging, injured star and some garbage picks for one of the biggest stars and historically one of the most incredible offensive players in NBA history, and the NBA ensures the Mavs will beat powerball odds and get the #1 pick, when it just so happens that Cooper Flagg, projected to be a generational talent, is coming out in the draft. You scratch our back, we’ll scratch yours. Also, who got the #2 pick? The Spurs. A year after obtaining the #1 pick in the lottery to acquire another touted generational talent in Wembanyama, after a 20+ year run as one of the most successful NBA dynasties in history. They suddenly have their first bad year, get the #1 pick ahead of us, the Hornets (after wallowing in mediocrity for decades), and get Wemby, and now get the #2 pick the following year. There was talk here earlier in the offseason about things lining up for us to go to the Super Bowl this year, and at the time, I half jokingly said I could see it, as the patsy for Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson’s redemption arc. Again, after all of the poo that happened in Super Bowl 50, then watching the refs stand by idly over the next two years while week after week our opponents took cheap shot after illegal cheap shot on our once-in-a-lifetime talent in Cam Newton… that poo took a lot of the heart out of it for me. I’ve said for years, if big money is involved, corruption is inherent. There’s no way around it. I’ve accepted that every professional sport is influenced by the money. And storylines bring big money. It has become purely entertainment with a small pinch of competition. At least the WWE tells you exactly what they are, and thus, you can enjoy it for what it is. The NFL and NBA specifically, specialize in crushing the hearts of fans who believe it’s still real and untainted. fug Goodell and Silver.

Yeah, the injuries are disappointing. And it’s crazy we’re already in year 6, but I feel like when he’s healthy, he’s a top-tier player. He is a star. That being said, if we could get a haul for him, I would consider it. I actually would be very interested if to see if we could get Jalen Green, as it’s rumored the Suns are looking to move him somewhere else. I also think that would solve PHX’s PG problem. But unless it’s something like that, I believe in Melo, he just has to stay healthy.

I’m not understanding this poo about them not wanting to play with Melo. He loves passing. To me, it says more about the lack of maturity, character, and winning mindset of the draft prospects refusing to play with him than it says anything about Melo. Melo is a damn good player. Unless I’m missing something, I suspect it’s because these guys want to be the alpha dog coming in and don’t want anyone else that they perceive would overshadow them. poo is weak.

Yeah, seeing a ton of talk that we’re listening to offers for him. Going back to LJ, Mourning, Kobe, Eddie Jones, Baron, and now Lamelo. It always follows the same playbook. Media hypes and pumps “potential blockbuster” deals with our star player to the big markets/media darling teams. the smoke machine keeps churning. Then it’s rumored we are entertaining said offers (even if there was never talks or substance to the rumors). Then finally, we make a shitty deal that realistically only benefits the big market/media darling, get poo on, then languish in continued mediocrity with the added insult of having no star player whatsoever. Wash, rinse, repeat.

Not a stretch because the league actually does use us to facilitate players to bigger markets. We’re the “just happy to be here” franchise.

I love Chubba. Been a fan since I heard about his story when he was at Ok St. and no doubt his production and progression is impressive, but this is my one nitpick - he was always touted for his speed, having come from a track background, so I am honestly surprised he doesn’t have more breakaway runs for TDs than what he has achieved thus far. But to be fair, it often feels like he is constantly having to break tackles, so when he breaks the last one where it would just be nothing between him and the end zone, that usually took long enough that a defender from the opposite side of the field got an angle to catch up. I really hope with the receiver additions, Bryce moving forward with confidence and proving that ending stretch last season wasn’t an aberration, and another year of synergy for the OL, Chubba is gonna have some wide open running this season. He is definitely special. Proud of him and happy he is getting rewarded for all his hard work…

Better than the time he gave me the same look he gave Anthony Bright before ending his career when I met him at the Fan Caravan in 2005.

Is he still unsigned? Big fan of him since college and I feel his dad was one of the most underrated players in NFL history. He’s a baller.

Then the cynical part of me just felt they’ll use us as a patsy for Lamar or Josh Allen to have their redemption arc. I fuging hate Goodell and the NFL. But I love the Panthers. *sad face

Whoever is running this simulation has a great sense of humor. and damn, J.Lo was still with Marc Anthony in 2014? That poo seemed like 10 years before. Oh well, who tf cares. I just want to win a Chip!

Idk man, maybe I’m in the minority, but Purdy is a damn good QB. He’s part of the solution for them. Not the problem. They would’ve already won a Super Bowl if they could’ve kept their team healthy. There are games where Purdy just gets in a zone and makes incredible play after play. I think he is elite, people just don’t want to give him credit for it because he doesn’t have the look or the pedigree.

This. And ultimately, what we can learn from perrineal contenders is that draft position doesn’t matter - it’s who you acquire and how you develop them. If Bryce is indeed for real, and if Morgan and the front office prove to be elite at talent acquisition and development like we hope, then it’s just plugging holes from here. It focus should be winning. Period. and funny enough, reading that excerpt, this is the first time in our entire history that I’ve ever seen us mentioned with one of the lowest strength of schedules. For as long as I can remember, we were always in the top 5 toughest and it felt like we never could catch a break when it came to that. Maybe things are finally going our way.

Yeah, I pull for Trav. He is an excellent human being. I remember reading somewhere last season that he was divvying up his NIL money to pay some of Colorado’s staff during the season as a token of appreciation. He is just a good dude and an incredible player. I’ll be pulling for him.

Damn I just made the same WWE/NBA comp then scrolled up and saw you beat me to it. but yeah, fug Silver and fug the NBA.

Was gonna post as well, they say it’s to ensure competitive integrity so a team doesn’t intentionally bomb for 82 games to ensure the #1 pick, but in actuality, that has nothing to do with why they use a lottery… they use the lottery so they can intentionally rig the top picks to who they want to have them and then throw their hands up like, “what??? Well, that’s just the way the ping pong balls landed.” This poo is literally like me going and winning a fuging scratch off for a million not once, not twice, but eight fuging times. They just keep throwing it in our faces over and over and over again. WWE is more real than the NBA is at this point.

I told everyone since the season was over, prepare for disappointment. Our franchise is cursed. How the Cavs get the #1 pick 3 years in a row after LeBron left? How did we have a historically bad season, clearly the worst team in the league, but New Orleans, just recently purchased by Benson after being owned by the league at the time and desperately searching for a star, ends up with the #1 pick, gets AD and we get effin MKG? How do the Spurs carry on one of the most successful franchises in the league for almost two decades straight, then when they suddenly age out of their dynasty window and struggle for the first time in decades, they just coincidentally back their way into the #1 pick and generational talent in Wemby? All that fuss about the Mavs trading away Luka, and did so admittedly without fielding any other offers from other teams - just one from the Lakers and they accept it? So the Lakers get to team one of the biggest stars in the league with LeBron for the final years of his career and the league does the Mavs a solid and gives them the #1 pick for scratching their back. The Mavs had one mediocre year and the league gives them this pick? We have sucked for so long, so consistently and haven’t gotten it one fuging time in the entire history of the franchise outside of Larry Johnson? And especially since getting a franchise back in Charlotte, we have to be the worst team in the league during that stretch… and the league continues to treat us like their whipping boy. I watched the least amount of sports ever in my life this past year, and poo like this is a huge reason why. You can’t tell me this isn’t rigged. They manufacture the drama. All the poo I listed above shows these statistical impossibilities miraculously happen regularly, and they happen coincidentally with the most beneficial outcome for the NBA’s preferred storylines. fuging bullshit. Idk how anyone can watch this poo and not laugh at how fuging brazen the league is with rigging this poo. It is unreal… and again, going back to the Donaghy scandal. I was somewhere around 18 when I bet a friend $25 on that SAC/LA series on Sac. Those were my guys. Even with Kobe and Shaq, I knew they couldn’t fug with Vlade, CWebb, Bobby, Peja, etc. and I was right. So the NBA stepped in and handed LA the series in a platter with fuging free throws. I’m so fuging sick of this poo. As much as I love watching LaMelo, fug the NBA.

Carr was a really, really good QB, imo. Saints Carr? Not so much. And I didn’t get to watch a ton of him once Care got injured, but from what I saw, Rattler looked damn good.