2019 nba OFFSEASON news, rumors, drama, and recriminations

i feel like the "can't fly on airplanes" thing was going to be a hurdle no matter the year...

https://sports.yahoo.com/report-stephen-a-smith-to-join-esp-ns-studio-coverage-for-nba-games-020853369.html

https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/Izp6rDMTd0UZH5uQGPGB8g--~A/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjtzbT0xO3c9ODAw/https://media-mbst-pub-ue1.s3.amazonaws.com/creatr-images/2019-08/f342e5f0-c3b7-11e9-8f5a-339cdd7b9093

yeah that's gonna lead to some garbage fires

yeah not sure if that’s wise. he’s at his best in the sprawling aimlessness of talk radio and hot take shows.

hes done plenty of nba work i dont think it will be a big deal. he worked the finals this year iirc.

i imagine he's been encouraged and empowered to out-barkley barkley so there should be a lot more manufactured beef with him and players in 2020

love that shot of steph with the stinkeye

I really hope this means SAS will stop doing boxing coverage

it wasn't that long ago but feels like royce white would have stood a better chance as a 2019 draftee than a 2012 one.

i remember none of the specifics but it just seemed like it was adversarial between him and the rockets right off the bat

You have to fly on planes in the NBA

i'm aware. did you know sometimes people with anxiety actually get treatment and are eventually able to do things like fly?

flying isn't real

My recollection is that Royce white refused to take medication for anxiety

In general he made the situation totally impossible.

you might be right. like i said i don't remember the details. my point was just that since there seems to be a deeper sensitivity around mental health issues with players in 2019 (for example the commissioner is out there talking about it), he would have stood a better chance today than he did 7 years ago.

I honestly think his rookie contract was enough for him

shdve just put on the klonopin goggles i wldnt turn it down

what year is it haha

Lakers completed workouts and meetings with Dwight Howard and Joakim Noah on Thursday and have Mo Speights at the team’s facility today, league sources tell ESPN. Both Howard and Noah left impressions that they could be helpful to the team.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 23, 2019

somewhere in LA, a tear rolls down doc rivers cheek

maybe lebron will literally kill dwight

There’s no way Dwight is unsigned without the “sex scandal” right

Dwight is such an afterthought to me i didnt even know there was a scandal of that nature

dwight howard to the lakers truly the hoop gods are shining upon us today

Like what does this mean exactly

Dwight Howard's deal with the Lakers will be non-guaranteed, league source tells ESPN. Howard had several meetings with Lakers officials, and they'll give him a chance to show he's made changes in how he conducts himself. Lakers players were involved in process.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 23, 2019

It means the Laker front office can drop Dwight like a hot potato if they feel like it. And the 'Lakers players' (aka Lebron) view Dwight with deep suspicion.

no farting in the locker room

Javale McGee is on the roster!

If you want to join the center rotation with javale McGee you need to conduct yourself with dignity

2 This is gonna 2 be fun

javale is a good teammate!

They seem like similarly dumb goofballs to me!

goofballs for sure. but javale knows what he is and is willing to buy into whatever role they need him to be ... dwight clearly has not (yet).

dwight wld like to be a goofball but like the hawks cheered when he got traded, theres something else going on there

What did Dwight do exactly that has given him this rep? I mean this is written like they’re signing JR Rider

Howard came to meet Lakers after dropping 25 pounds; showed his back was healthy. Lakers want him to protect rim/rebound in limited role. There was sense Howard realized he hit "rock bottom" and had been humbled. Still they'll judge him on actions, not words. He's been warned.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 23, 2019

feel like hes prob just insanely annoying and lame, tough to be around

It’s just hard for me to believe the sexuality stuff isn’t in play here

u mean the rumor that hes bi

Yes

Dwight is considered bi on twitter which means every player thinks he’s bi

tbf twitter is my main source of information too

dwight was a target of mockery and abuse well before the sexuality stuff came out

obv it could've intensified it. nba fans are pretty enlightened as far as sports fandoms go, but that's "tallest midget" stuff.

He missed almost the whole season with a butt injury which added to it

...lmao

^ touché

it's almost impossible to remember a time when Dwight was this purportedly beloved perennial MVP candidate, i can't think of an NBA superstar who fell so far in public perception other than D-Rose and D-Rose had some concrete, legit reasons moreso than Dwight (at least to the public).

dwight did get injured too tho

true and it was the butt, *but* Rose had this catastrophic series of injuries and it sometimes feels Howard's decline in terms of being a star was strictly driven by other players and organizations putting out whisper campaigns about dad jokes.

dwight was never the same after back surgery his final season in orlando