***Official 2022-2023 NBA Thread***

[dirk digler]

Can't believe the regular season starts tonight. Just seemed like the Finals ended a couple weeks ago.



Philly vs Celtics: 6:30PM CST TNT

GSW vs Lakers: 9:00PM CST TNT

[Gary Cooper]

Draymond is lucky he didn't play against guys like Malone, Oakley, Mason, Coleman, Barkley. He wouldn't act tough against those opponents. Nowadays, if anyone sneezes on him in retaliation, they'd get a hefty suspension.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by KC_Connection

Huh? Even if Sabonis meant to grab his ankle (which is inconclusive from every angle, it appears he may have been trying to protect his face), how are the two actions remotely comparable?

Players have grabbed the legs/ankles of other players before. Nobody has ever stomped on a guy with all his force like that. Nothing justifies that.

Yeah, there's just no excuse for it.

Guys grab ankles and sometimes they get Technical's for it; shit happens. Like you said, I'm not 100% convinced he did it intentionally but it's also not something that doesn't happen on occasion.

It's like when Haynesworth stomped on that dude several years back. It'd be like saying "Yeah, well the guy facemasked him so all's fair..."

People don't do what Draymont did. And even giving it it's worst possible reading, people HAVE done what Sabonis did. In fact, it happens in those scrums with some regularity. All Draymond had to do was step out of it. And it's clear by how easy he brought his foot UP to effectuate said stomp that he could've easily just moved his foot over.

But to not only forcefully stomp down but also use the guys chest as a trampoline....

I'm no Sabonis fan but **** me, how can these two 'infractions' be seen as even remotely similar.

As I attempted to say last night in the post that got nuked, Draymond should get 20 for this. I'm so ****ing tired of this guy. He doesn't play 'on the edge' - he's just dirty as ****.

[Al Bundy]

Originally Posted by Gary Cooper

Draymond is lucky he didn't play against guys like Malone, Oakley, Mason, Coleman, Barkley. He wouldn't act tough against those opponents. Nowadays, if anyone sneezes on him in retaliation, they'd get a hefty suspension.

He would definitely "act tough" against those guys.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by KC_Connection

I mean, maybe Draymond should stop doing outrageously stupid shit on a basketball court and maybe the organization should stop appeasing him and pretending like what he does is in any way normal behavior?

The Warriors very clearly accept that this stuff is a risk of having him on the team. It's as much a part of the Warriors as the long distance threes at this point. No other organization in the league would have allowed him to get away with punching Poole earlier this year with no repercussions and that was incredibly telling.

Kerr is too busy sermonizing to others about how they live their lives to actually hold his own guys accountable.

Tell me more about your moral compass, Steve.

[Al Bundy]

Originally Posted by KC_Connection

Huh? Even if Sabonis meant to grab his ankle (which is inconclusive from every angle, it appears he may have been trying to protect his face), how are the two actions remotely comparable?

Players have grabbed the legs/ankles of other players before. Nobody has ever stomped on a guy with all his force like that. Nothing justifies that.

Sabonis did it on purpose to hold Green up and he got what he got, however Green does deserve a suspension.

[DJ's left nut]

"He got what he got..."

So when a dude does the chickenwing thing during a rebound to keep someone from getting up to the glass, that guy can just get punched in the face and you'd waive it off as "well, he got what he got..."?

And I just don't know how one can authoritatively state he did it on purpose. The right arm was clearly straight up to the face, the only question is the left and I don't know that Sabonis has any way to know WHO'S leg is in front of him at the moment. Shit, it could be a teammate for all he knows. That left arm is swinging around to the right arm in a protective posture and it ain't like he's clamping down. Because again - Draymon's leg comes up just fine.

For some sort of death grip from Sabonis, Green sure didn't seem to have a hard time getting his foot free enough to stomp on the guy.

[KC_Connection]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Kerr is too busy sermonizing to others about how they live their lives to actually hold his own guys accountable.

Tell me more about your moral compass, Steve.

Kerr being incredibly full of shit is a constant. When asked about the stomping post-game yesterday, Kerr said he never saw the play or the replay so he couldn't comment. Of course he never saw it.

The funny thing was, after it happened Draymond was celebrating with his teammates and taunting the Kings' fans around the Warriors' bench area while Sabonis was writhing in pain on the ground (he very much knew what he did and was glad he did it) and you can see Kerr meekly standing with a clipboard just waiting/hoping for him to stop. He has no real control over the guy.

[KC_Connection]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

As I attempted to say last night in the post that got nuked, Draymond should get 20 for this. I'm so ****ing tired of this guy. He doesn't play 'on the edge' - he's just dirty as ****.

If the NBA doesn't suspend him for this, it's setting a pretty terrible precedent. They've given him passes before though and I wouldn't be surprised if they did it again.

[KC_Connection]

Originally Posted by Al Bundy

Sabonis did it on purpose to hold Green up and he got what he got, however Green does deserve a suspension.

Sabonis may or may not have grabbed the leg on purpose, but it really doesn't matter at all given what followed. Players have grabbed legs before. Nobody has ever gotten stomped because of it.

[Pasta Little Brioni]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

I tried to post the angle from the hoop last night and the board crashed. Not sure why so I just won't risk it.

In either event, the view from the hoop sure looks like Sabonis was protecting his face on the ground and the grab was inadvertent. And makes the Green stomp look god-awful.

The view you posted is the most charitable one possible, really. And green still looks like shit.

What do you expect from that turd Acho?

[Sassy Squatch]

At worst, Sabonis did it to impede. Draymond did it to inflict pain and potential injury.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Superturtle

At worst, Sabonis did it to impede. Draymond did it to inflict pain and potential injury.

Draymond Green is 240 lb man who used a dude as a springboard. You can separate ribs doing that shit. It's not likely but it's not impossible that you could even break ribs/puncture lungs doing it.

I mean that's straight up street-fight shit that has put people in hospitals.

The NBA needs to HAMMER Green. I don't mean some 3 game nonsense or indefinite post-season suspension. You hit him with something that carries into next season.

Sure, it's gonna look harsh but this is the situation the NBA (and the Warriors) have put themselves in by largely overlooking his various 'indiscretions' over the years.

They've raised an unruly terrier now and rather than just give him a tug on the leash, they're gonna have to crank up the shock collar and fire his ass into the sun with it.

That or they can just feign surprise after he does something similar again next season.

[dirk digler]

Originally Posted by KC_Connection

Huh? Even if Sabonis meant to grab his ankle (which is inconclusive from every angle, it appears he may have been trying to protect his face), how are the two actions remotely comparable?

Players have grabbed the legs/ankles of other players before. Nobody has ever stomped on a guy with all his force like that. Nothing justifies that.

Not justifying it he should have been kicked and suspended.

[Gary Cooper]

Originally Posted by Al Bundy

He would definitely "act tough" against those guys.

And get smacked around.

[Gary Cooper]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Kerr is too busy sermonizing to others about how they live their lives to actually hold his own guys accountable.

Tell me more about your moral compass, Steve.

I hate that weakling. No wonder Michael Jordan slapped him around in practice.