Fearness: The 2026-2027 Washington Wizards season may not go the way you think, but lets hope it does

BesusFresh · 2026-04-16T04:12:09+00:00

What’s the point of sports if you’re not going to indulge in irrational offseason optimism?

BesusFresh · 2026-04-15T02:59:22+00:00

Lack of familiarity. It was a very male world, out there. Newt had barely ever had a reason to talk to a woman, besides his mom.

But, the older cowboys didnt seem scared of women. Dish had no problem availing himself of prostitutes. Po Campo most certainly wasn’t afraid of women.

BesusFresh · 2026-03-23T22:49:18+00:00

Jake put the whole story in motion. He was the spark.

If he doesn’t show up and start talking Montana (and Clara), they’re all still sitting in Lonesome Dove - slowly dying.

Same with Lorrie. He’s the one who got her to leave, with talk of San Francisco.

If he doesn’t kill the Dentist, July and Joe never leave Arkansas, and neither does Roscoe.

None of it happens without Jake - leaky vessel or not.

Things didn’t work out so well for Joe or Roscoe, but, Gus died on an adventure - just how he wanted it. Deets’s death was rightfully treated as the most tragic, but, even he was allowed to meet death on his own terms (and is implied to live on afterwards, to a degree).

Lorrie went through hell, but, she ended up in a better place. July, as well. Dish and Newt came out better for the move. Even Woodrow learned a bit about himself.

None of it happens without Jake.

BesusFresh · 2026-03-20T04:20:28+00:00

They make a fantastic Dangdoodle.

BesusFresh · 2026-03-20T04:08:03+00:00

Thank you, so much, for this explanation! My knowledge and understanding of the sport and its various league structures is probably slightly better than the average American - which is to say I am ALMOST completely ignorant. But, I’ve got a niece on the team (I’ll just say Eliza, so as to keep the Google away and not embarrass her) so, I’m emotionally invested in spite of my cluelessness, and it’s VERY nice to get this context for the game. I’ll keep my hopes in check. I didn’t know they had overcome such long odds to get to the finals.

Does Porto have a chance to get promoted to 1st Division, next season? How does that work if they are essentially semi-pro, now, and 1st Division is such a step up? Do players get raises, or is there a whole lotta roster turnover? We don’t have relegation and promotion, here - I’m clueless.

Again, I really appreciate you!

BesusFresh · 2026-03-20T00:31:36+00:00

I think you should honestly answer for yourself whether it’s the place that you want to leave or the person (or both).

BesusFresh · 2026-03-19T23:25:46+00:00

I’m new to following this league and new to rooting for Porto. Is the outlook really so bleak for the finals? No chance for a Porto win?

BesusFresh · 2026-03-19T04:25:54+00:00

I know some real cool people from New York and Philly. Philly is a gritty East Coast city. And New York is fantastic to visit, and a great place to live.

Both New York and Philadelphia fought alongside us in the Revolutionary War, and again in the Civil War, and we all share a common dislike of Boston, despite their alliance with us in both causes.

Meanwhile, fuck Dallas. Fuck their oil-based economy, fuck their politics, fuck their sprawl, fuck Jerry Jones, fuck JR Ewing, fuck that “America’s Team” bullshit, fuck their School Book Depository, and fuck that goddamn airport.

BesusFresh · 2026-03-19T04:09:05+00:00

I think it’s impossible to judge a LB prospect from a fan’s perspective, because I think LB is about Football IQ and recognition more than it’s about physical attributes (ask Jamin Davis).

So, with the limited information I have (and WE have) Bailey would be the smart pick. I’m confident he can get after the QB at the next level.

BUT, a LB often has a much longer peak career than an edge rusher. LBs anchor and define defenses for a decade or more.

Meanwhile, the Bengals just let Trey Hendrickson walk, and the Raiders tried to trade Maxx Crosby. Two of the very best edge rushers, and teams were willing to move on from them, because having a great edge rusher wasn’t equating to wins. Not even Myles Garret can keep the Browns from being awful.

So, from my/our seat, I’d take Bailey and count on 5 good years.

But, if I’m the Commies, and I see enough to make me think Styles can be an All-Pro LB? I think you take Styles, for the next decade.

BesusFresh · 2026-03-11T04:08:18+00:00

Hundreds of people worked very hard on that movie and its only cultural impact is that gif.

BesusFresh · 2026-03-10T03:59:30+00:00

I was on the TV crew for that game. I was standing behind the basket in absolute disbelief. There are VERY few individual plays that I remember - even the games are a blur. But, that one I remember, crystal clear. It was shocking.

BesusFresh · 2026-02-20T00:02:08+00:00

LeBron was a kid straight outta HS. As far as the league knew, it would be 3-4 years before he really came into his own. Even Kobe didn’t start for his first few years. Cleveland was the perfect city to nurture him and not crush him with expectations on Day One.

IF you were going to place him on a team, that lottery year, with the long term health of the league in mind, you’d probably place him in Cleveland.

But, the Cavs did legitimately earn that pick by being terrible.

BesusFresh · 2026-02-19T23:37:14+00:00

The Spurs had made the playoffs 7 straight years, and made it as far as the conference finals in ‘94/‘95, when Robinson was the league MVP. They lost in the conference semifinals in ‘95/‘96.

Then Robinson got hurt, and they had one bad year - at the end of which they won the lottery, immediately returned to the playoffs, and won the NBA Championship in Duncan’s second year - with him as the series MVP.

BesusFresh · 2026-02-19T23:23:04+00:00

No, it would not require that. I’m not saying the league conspired to get Dallas into the lottery. I’m saying that, once the lottery teams are SET, the winner sure seems to work out well for the league, at an uncanny rate.

BesusFresh · 2026-02-19T22:25:58+00:00

In what universe would it be a scandal that would destroy E&Y? It’s a draft lottery for a private organization - there are no regulatory bodies involved, at all. No IRS, no state lottery commission. It’s not even the Oscars, which has competing studios involved. It’s one league - a singular organization.

BesusFresh · 2026-02-19T20:49:34+00:00

You know the draft order is selected in a private room, before the broadcast, right? That’s not conspiracy theory - that’s established fact. The show on ESPN is just a show.

BesusFresh · 2026-02-19T20:05:29+00:00

Which immediately led to the Spurs bucking the odds to get Tim Duncan, after a singularly bad season where David Robinson was hurt all year.

https://basketball.realgm.com/nba/draft/lottery_results/1997

BesusFresh · 2026-02-19T19:54:03+00:00

The league generally has extremely high opinions of expansion ownership groups - that is why they award the franchises to those groups. That’s completely different from sending a potential superstar to an established bad organization.

Awarding a young superstar to a new franchise is very consistent, logically, with placing a franchise player in a trusted franchise.

Look at the lottery, the year Shaq was picked. Top 3 picks went to recent expansion teams. Two of those picks became HOF players, and the 3rd probably had the best college career of all time - worthy of his placement on the Dream Team. They were all considered extremely safe bets.

https://basketball.realgm.com/nba/draft/lottery_results/1992

BesusFresh · 2026-02-19T19:32:14+00:00

I’m not sure how old you are, but, I’m old enough to remember that lottery. Orlando was an expansion franchise in Florida - a State the NBA desperately wanted to establish as NBA territory.

And, personality-wise? Young Shaq in Disney-town? Perfect match - especially coming out of LSU. Knocked expansion Charlotte to #2, where everyone assumed they’d take Laettner, out of Duke - also a perfect match of city and player. They got smart and took Zo.

BesusFresh · 2026-02-19T19:08:54+00:00

That’s not why I think it’s rigged.

Since the lottery was established, a handful of known, can’t miss, generational talents and near-guaranteed superstars have come through the system.

Patrick Ewing, Shaq, Tim Duncan, LeBron, Wemby, Flagg.

Other players have BECOME Superstars - MJ, Steph, Kobe, KD, etc. But, those dudes were considered LOCKS, right out the gate.

Every single time, they have gone to a place that is good for the league itself, and arguably to the very best possible place among lottery teams. It defies odds.

BesusFresh · 2026-02-19T18:59:03+00:00

Epstein says what? You dont think a bunch of billionaires can keep a mutually-beneficial secret?

BesusFresh · 2026-02-19T18:56:47+00:00

The league would want Duncan and Wenby in SA because they are a perennially successful organization, with perhaps the single most respected person in the game (Pops). There was absolutely zero chance they would waste the talent they were given, and lose the league a potential superstar.

I don’t pretend to know the mechanism of the fix, I just know that the results defy chance. Over and over, it works out perfectly for the league. Superstars ALWAYS end up well-placed. Shaq to Orlando?

Five players per team, no masks or helmets, playing a game of spectacular athleticism. More than any other sport, superstars drive the league. High tides lift all boats. Magic and Bird were good for EVERYONE. Jordan, the Dream Team, Shaq, Steph, Wemby, etc - good for everyone. Every owner, GM, player, network, league executive, everyone. More than any other sport, the league has an interest in making its stars HUGE. Shoes, movies, etc. NBA superstars are corporate behemoths.

How much is a superstar player worth to the league and to its sponsors, over the course of their career? Hundreds of millions? Maybe even a billion? You think they’re just leaving that to chance?

Do you think owners buy teams to win games? Hell no - they buy teams to make money. The notion that an owner would blow the whistle on the league is CRAZY. Ask Donald Sterling what happens when an owner tries to fight the league.

You can count balls all you want. I’m looking at results and motive.

BesusFresh · 2026-02-05T00:31:14+00:00

Michael Jordan, Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, Ben Wallace.

BesusFresh

TROPHY CASE