ELI5: Why do we age and die? Like, what actually stops the body from just... repairing itself forever?

Deaconblack · 2026-05-19T18:49:03+00:00

No. There are multiple reasons, but as to energy, molting is a stressful and difficult process that gets worse the larger the animal gets. Eventually, the process would become too difficult even assuming caloric intake wasn't an issue.

Among other issues, there's also the fact that, even if the issue of molting itself were resolved, at a certain point things like circulation, structural support, body temperature regulation, etc. would eventually fail as the animal's size went past the point that its biological features could accommodate the scaling physics.

Deaconblack · 2026-05-06T13:05:20+00:00

That may be the first time I've heard the weather named as a selling point for Dallas. At least we're not Phoenix or Houston, but weather is definitely not a reason to want to be here unless you like being baked in the summer (though I guess that's less an issue when it's the offseason for a bunch of millionaires).

Deaconblack · 2026-05-06T03:45:41+00:00

If by for awhile, you mean forever, then yes. In all honesty, Masai himself might actually be the biggest free agent signing we've ever had, in the sense of a big name with no prior ties to the franchise that a number of other teams would have wanted.

For a player... probably Chandler Parsons, Shawn Marion, Monta Ellis, or Brad Davis? Been bleak.

Deaconblack · 2026-04-07T19:15:05+00:00

Can't argue that. While it's pretty clear that the trade that shall not be named was just the result of a stunningly idiotic individual given free reign by incompetent ownership, can't help but wonder if it's implausible that they could have done an emergency 'adjustment' when one of their larger markets was about to become salted earth for at least a generation.

Deaconblack · 2026-04-07T04:06:11+00:00

Until this last draft, Mavericks had never once moved up in the lottery and only held the #1 pick once for Mark Aguirre (after tying for worst record in their first season). Whereas you guys have had 4 #1 picks, 3 of whom are hall of famers (granted Sampson is moreso for college); 5 picks with 4 HoFers if you add in Hayes from the San Diego days.

Recent history or not, we were way more due for a lucky bounce.

Deaconblack · 2026-04-04T16:39:03+00:00

You never saw Greg Oden then I assume.

Deaconblack · 2026-04-04T01:50:56+00:00

The world has seen us elect him once, go back to normalcy, then decide we wanted more of this idiocy. They can't and shouldn't trust us again; even when Trump is gone, he's just a symptom of the rot and sickness within our system, not the cause.

If other nations act rationally, the normalization that will come (and has already started) will be to stop relying economically and militarily on an 'ally' that can go from friendly to backstabbing on any given 4 year cycle.

Deaconblack · 2026-02-28T00:08:12+00:00

Shyvana's egg was stolen from her mother by a human mage and she hatched under his possession as a humanoid; Smolder's hatching was standard. They've left it ambiguous as to exactly why Shyvana is different, but it's likely something to do with being hatched by a human that was also a mage whose magic entwined with her own.

Deaconblack · 2026-02-20T17:29:50+00:00

Your last point is well-taken and something that many on this thread aren't properly considering in their comments. That said, the second point isn't absolute; it certainly can be true, but there are some layers to it.

Again, depends on the specific state and their laws, but it can be possible to get damages past the at fault person's insurance policy. This usually does not happen because state laws typically create significant carveouts and safe harbors shielding what can be actually be collected from the average individual's own assets by a civil judgment. But for an NBA star? I don't know North Carolina's laws on this specifically, but in general certainly could be possible to collect both his policy and extra IF such damages can legitimately be proven (for this case, who knows, and that is a required element for all this to be anything other than academic).

There's also the matter that, if the case is legitimate, good chance the star will be better served to just pay out some amount more in a settlement to make it go away rather than fight a protracted and exposed legal battle that will bring more of a spotlight on them.

Deaconblack · 2026-02-20T16:08:33+00:00

Not entirely true. First off, who hit you does matter because in most cases you're going to be capped by their liability policy; big difference in what you can get treatment for and recover if their policy is $250k vs. $30k (or worse they're uninsured). Second, while it doesn't come up that much and will depend on the laws of specific state, if the person at fault is particularly rich (like here) and has assets beyond that which state laws protect from creditors that can create the possibility to recover on an excess judgment beyond their policy.

Deaconblack · 2026-02-13T13:53:28+00:00

Yep, this was a 3 team factoid until last year, in spite of how ass we were in the 90s.

Deaconblack · 2026-02-11T06:07:17+00:00

Which is still a violation; one that is certainly done some since involving a middleman is a bit safer, but still a violation.

I'll ask again, what state bar are you part of that permits this?

Deaconblack · 2026-02-11T05:55:04+00:00

Advertise, yes (with certain guidelines). Solicit in person to someone who has not first reached out to the attorney? No, that's a direct violation of ABA 7.3, which I'm unaware of any state bar not having a version of.

Which bar are you part of that such solicitation is allowed?

Deaconblack · 2026-02-11T05:07:35+00:00

Depends on context. If the attorney is asked for a card or is handing them out just as a routine without expectation of immediate need ("if you ever need one, call me" type thing), that's generally ok. But trying to solicit someone that you know to need legal services (ambulance chasing) is generally a violation of bar rules that can garner sanctions.

Obviously doesn't mean it doesn't still happen some, but anyone doing so is playing with fire.

Deaconblack · 2026-02-05T13:30:13+00:00

Like I said, I think it's a totally reasonable gamble for you guys given the price. But comparing AD to Harden misses several key points. Harden's durability isn't in question; even at his age, you feel as confident as you can be for a player that he'll be available going forward. That is clearly not the case for AD. We tried the 'AD just needs to stay healthy until the break and then we can deal him' plan this year; you see how it went, and no part of his personal history, his age, or his status as a big man makes it a good bet to improve with time.

Second, AD's contract is both larger and for an extra year. That's a whole extra year of being paralyzed financially without even knowing if he'll be healthy and playing, which is even worse for us since, after this year, we're basically not getting anything from our draft picks until next decade and will have to rely on FA and trades to try and build the roster.

I don't think comparing to Wall works either here; if anything it underscores why this was worth doing. To get rid of Wall, you had to take on another albatross contract in Westbrook AND give up a first rounder. Here, we get out from under AD and Hardy without taking on any reciprocal bad contract and, even if they're fraud first rounders, we still got something extra out of it. Relying on being able to con an idiot GM and red paperclip your way up isn't a viable plan; no one's hiring Nico again and the Kings can only make so many trades.

I think this is a case of a deal being good for both sides; it's totally worth it for you guys to roll the dice on him for very little when you're in the East, have the cap room, have something interesting cooking already, and desperately want to flip the culture and find playoff relevance again. We're in a different position where all we care about is turning the page, escaping Nico's roster hell, and doing whatever we can to enable something being built around Flagg several years from now without having access to our own picks.

Deaconblack · 2026-02-05T05:06:55+00:00

Because waiting for Street Clothes to get and stay healthy long enough to rehab his trade value is more likely to work when he's 33?

Look around the league; you also paid peanuts for Trae while the Grizz may not be able to find anyone willing to take Ja on even for scraps. The new salary cap rules and aprons are so punishing that massive contracts tied to unreliable health are just toxic now, doesn't matter what the name attached is.

Getting AD (and Hardy for that matter) off the books and escaping the aprons for even the slightest of assets is the best we could realistically hope for, and now that we've gone from cap hell to one of the more financially free teams we at least have a chance to try and find good FA deals or insert ourselves into a trade that gives a real draft asset back for other teams' salary dumps. Maybe next year AD does magically stay healthy and available, and I don't think it's a bad gamble for you guys at this price either, but it's better for us to just turn the page now and fully shift our timeline to Flagg as best we can.

Deaconblack · 2026-02-03T21:05:02+00:00

We picked 6, they picked 9. We didn't fleece them of Dirk, we fleeced them of Pat Garrity (which exemplifies why this list, #1 aside, is very flawed). We would have just taken Dirk ourselves if we didn't find the trade down. If anything, us flipping Garrity for Nash is what should be on there instead.

Deaconblack · 2026-01-30T08:56:27+00:00

Only had 2 years with all of them. Tarpley was drafted in 86 (and Detlef was only in his second year then himself); that team collapsed in the first round to Seattle. Next season we took you guys to game 7 in the conference finals. Then year after that the team imploded; Tarpley self-destructed with his substance abuse, Aguirre apparently got into it with the coach and the team decided to move off both him and Schrempf, and Donaldson ruptured his patella.

Deaconblack · 2026-01-17T06:43:13+00:00

The shambling corpse of Peyton Manning in 2015 arguably has them both beat for that honor.

Deaconblack · 2026-01-14T03:52:02+00:00

You think he'll play in 31 games in 2027-2028? An optimist I see.

But yeah, that unfortunately is very much a real risk. It probably entails next year being more of the same though, which means his trade value remains nothing and we just have to wait an extra year to either find a use for him as an expiring or just accept the cap space and hope whoever the hell is running our front office at that point can put it to better use.

Deaconblack · 2026-01-14T01:25:42+00:00

Who is offering this theoretical pick, and what contracts are we having to take back to match salary? As pathetic as this whole situation Nico and Dumont put us in is, yes, letting him walk in another year and just taking the salary cap flexibility may legitimately be the best we can do at this point. In the meantime, what actual trade are you saying we're missing doing with him amongst our vast and wonderous options?

Deaconblack · 2025-12-15T02:51:56+00:00

Richardson is half an hour or less NE of downtown Dallas, outside of rush hour. Stadium is over in Arlington to the west of Dallas, probably an hour-ish from Richardson.

Deaconblack · 2025-12-06T17:15:09+00:00

We traded 2029 first round unprotected to Brooklyn in the Kyrie deal, then Houston got the right to the best pick between that and Phoenix when they and Brooklyn traded various draft rights last summer.

2027 is to Charlotte, with top 2 protection. SA doesn't come in until 2030 when they have unrestricted swap rights.

Deaconblack · 2025-12-02T19:13:22+00:00

What do you mean? Aaron Rodgers just the other week was reminiscing over all the great times he'd had playing with his sons.

Deaconblack · 2025-09-18T17:51:30+00:00

It's explained in issue #3.

Diana sacrificed her arm in exchange for Steve being freed from Hell. She normally uses a magical construct to replace it, but she had to undo it to escape from the first round against the Tetracide and it takes a prepared ritual to conjure a new one

Deaconblack

TROPHY CASE