2022/3 season thread

Not when you've been very close.

The Nuggets didn't get rid of any of Jokic, Murray, Gordon or Porter and they won a championship.

The Warriors didn't get rid of any of Curry, Wiggins, Thompson, Green or Poole and they won a championship.

You are the insane one thinking you have to change it up to win championships.

The Celtics had a great team and I believe they would have won a championship with them.

I'd have rather we lost Jaylen Brown to the three big names we did lose. And I'm not saying I wanted him gone either but the combination of Smart, Brogdon and Williams would be far more valuable than him alone in my opinion.

We are weakened now with Porzingis and Holiday.

It's now become a stand off, in large part because Morey held behind rules nobody follows on communicating their intended offer to the player, hoping to squeeze his leverage so they would get the best deal. This will continue to be a standoff unless Philly accepts that they need to take something for him this year, and look to move on.

Harden is a dick, but Philly have clearly misplayed their hand.

I see Joel Embiid is going to play for the USA in the next Olympics.

Really weak from him in my opinion, a player like that should be doing all he can to elevate the sport in his home nation not jumping on a bandwagon for an easy gold medal.If the American's had any pride they just would refuse to pick him.

No it isn't regressive , it's reality.He could live in America for the next 50 years and it still wouldn't make him America irrespective of having citizenship or not.He was born and raised in Cameroon.Samuel Etoo moved to Spain when he was 16 lived in Spain for the next 15 years or so and yet represented Cameroon in International football, maybe if he'd taken the easy option like Embiid is he'd have a world cup winners medal now.Martina Navratiliova has lived in America for almost all her adult life and yet she's not american in reality and never will be she's Czech.

He's taking the easy option and I'd also argue this type of scenario is against the spirit of rules like this in International sport, weaker nations are supposed to benefit from non natives propping them up (like the Irish soccer team in the past) not stronger nations taking talent from weaker one's which is what this situation is.

Yes, I know Cameroon have no chance of winning anything but International sport has no meaning if you can pick and choose whatever country you want to play for. Citizenship is just a legal matter, nationality is about more than a legal agreement and he's not American and I think pretty much everyone knows this.

He's taken the easy option, it's really weak from him , so many players across numerous sports decided to stick it out with weaker national teams when they clearly could have taken the easy option and declared for a stronger nation, that is what makes international team sport compelling , the fact that you can't pick and choose who you play for and are stuck with your country.If you don;t have that aspect to it you might as well just not have international sport.

I genuinely think you are seeing this through a very one sided view, I don’t really have an opinion on it to be honest, personally even though I’ve lived half my life in Ireland and half in USA, Iam Irish and would never considered myself anything else but each to their own. It’s really easy to be a keyboard warrior and judge people but you don’t know their situation and reasons

Just out of curiosity, do you support the Irish rugby team ? What are your thoughts on some of their players that were not born here ?

I think the make up of the Rugby team is embarrassing and I don't consider the guys like Aki, and Jamison Gibson-Park to be Irish , they came to Ireland to advance their careers that is all. CJ Stander fecked off with himself back to South Africa as soon as his Rugby career was over, which is fine but I remember him and his girlfriend getting all huffy when people pointed out he wasn't really Irish and of course he proved himself to just be a mercenary (which is fine if he wants to do that but it makes a mockery of International sport) .

I'd argue considering his profile and ability Embiid had a huge opportunity to promote the sport in his homeland and really help elevate basketball in Cameroon.

So many others have been in similar situations to Embiid but have done the right thing. Embiid is only declaring for USA in order to get an easy gold medal , that is all.It's a really weak move by him.

The likely mistake in these discussions is tarring everyone with the same brush. Stander was a mercenary, is Aki? Maybe so, maybe not. Their feelings of ‘Irishness’ probably exist on a spectrum, as it may go for the different basketball players cited above. No doubt in some of those cases the lads are togging out for countries so they can experience International Basketball, in others they feel a deep rooted connection and sense of nationhood.

Rigidity in these conversations only serves to divide us all, in the end.

If you step back from the nationality / politics side of it; Embiid being available for the US is somewhat exciting from a basketball / spectacle standpoint. How good could a US five be with Embiid on the floor? It opens up the possibility of approaching the best basketball team ever assembled, and I’ll be hugely interested to see it!

I notice you never gave an opinion on all the American players playing with different countries?

And then comes out with this after

More interested in his reputation than anything else.

Done

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058317738/nba-23-24-season#latest