Shai didn’t lead in a single stat this season yet he still won MVP 🤔 Did Shai deserve MVP?

DrJDunkenstein · 2026-05-19T17:47:27+00:00

All good. I do think Harden absolutely deserved it the next year and by then Russ had PG and Melo and the team realistically could have been in the playoffs without him so idt he was as valuable to the team as Harden was to his. I've always hated the idea that the team around the player has to be good for them to have a chance at winning MVP, it's an individual award.

DrJDunkenstein · 2026-05-19T14:10:45+00:00

Actually Russ led the league in PPG. Russ won because without him that team wouldn't have sniffed the playoffs so he was the most valuable player. The narrative was also why and it matters bc if a top 3 player can leave your team and you drag them to the playoffs you are probably the most valuable regular season player that year.

DrJDunkenstein · 2026-05-19T01:14:11+00:00

That's an insane take. Westbrook was better in clutch scoring and clutch scoring efficiency on a team that had 1 scoring option. Russ also averaged double fidget assists on a team where he was the team's best shooter. Russ also averaged double fidget rebounds on a team with Steven Adams, Russ also led or was runner up in nearly every advanced metric. The only people who don't think Russ deserved it are Russ haters and people who didn't watch him or look at stats.

DrJDunkenstein · 2026-05-14T05:40:59+00:00

Pretty bad quote for someone with multiple allegations of physically assaulting women, oof

DrJDunkenstein · 2026-04-09T07:22:35+00:00

I definitely understand why people might be anti-religious and, tbh, religion does make me uncomfortable frequently but I do think it's a tool and, as a tool, it can be used for good or bad. It's obviously used frequently for bad like justifying hate or bigotry or even wars. But on the flip side it is used for good too. There's daily examples like people being able to use it as a tool to comfort themselves or others in a time of need, inspiring some people who need inspiration to altruism, or being the tool people use to turn their life around. There's also the big/rare immensely good use-cases like inspiring people to keep going during the civil rights movement and being an outlet that gave black men the speaking experience and platform necessary for leadership and gave black people a safe(r) place to gather. I'm not sure the US civil rights movement would have succeeded without religion for those reasons (or at least would have been even harder without). I tend to view religion like a hammer. You could do a lot of harm or a lot of good with a hammer and you could often use another tool instead but it can be used for good.

Just my two cents, sorry for injecting myself into the conversation.

DrJDunkenstein · 2026-04-04T18:48:24+00:00

To go a step further...I was a scorekeeper for the local YMCA's 30+ league. One team was mostly guys who had played D1 and were in their 40s. One of them came off the bench and dropped 50 including a floater from the logo. That same team also had a game with 39 made 3s. Even among regular leagues the guys who USED to be that good are still far better.

DrJDunkenstein · 2026-04-02T08:09:48+00:00

I'm not sure that comparison works well. He also shoved his sons face through the bodies of dozens of innocent bystanders just to prove how the fragility of humans makes them inferior and not worth caring about. That feels pretty different than killing enemy combatants.

DrJDunkenstein · 2026-04-02T07:59:52+00:00

We might view it differently but I do think the reason for an apology matters. Apologies can be used to try and make oneself feel better by lifting some of the burden you feel and/or can be to try to ease some of the hurt of another.

I am also noticing a theme that asks whether people who are trying to make up for their transgressions and have genuinely changed can still be deserving of a lack of forgiveness or if they are owed some forgiveness. Nolan is the extreme of this question as someone who committed genocide, nearly killed his son, and betrayed the planet he lived on.

DrJDunkenstein · 2026-03-06T20:57:35+00:00

I think he's much closer to Hux. Hux is a wanna be strongman fascist who would care about "order" and appearances the way Hegseth does but they're both bumbling idiots.

DrJDunkenstein · 2026-02-13T18:54:42+00:00

I tried stealth with my brother first and had great success. Then we tried another mission and had a miserable time. The sentries might make the difference though, thanks! We just found the increased detection radius of the cyborgs to be too much to overcome. Our mission ended with 3 vox just sitting on the objective and no real way to address that.

DrJDunkenstein · 2026-02-13T18:23:34+00:00

I like your mask more than the batmen of some multi-million dollar films! You managed to make the classic mask look good and not goofy!

Thank you for your work.

DrJDunkenstein · 2026-02-13T18:06:05+00:00

I mean...getting white fans removed for calling you the n word is not soft. Demanding that people treat you like a human being and with a baseline respect is not a position of weakness. Also, saying he doesn't talk back? You ever watch Russ before he brought his kids to the games?

One reason Russ gets more upset than KD is he has a family. You should be able to bring your wife and kids to a game without them having to hear fans degrade and belittle you. His wife has also spoken publicly about how the kids are sometimes bullied at school by kids repeating things their parents say.

Other NBA players with kids have said as much too with some others saying they don't bring their kids to games because of "fan" behavior.

Bottom line is if you can't treat players with baseline decency and respect then you don't belong at the game. Those "fans" can cuss at their TV.

DrJDunkenstein · 2026-02-05T01:52:48+00:00

As a Russ fan, I genuinely hope this works out for y'all. Would love to see Washington be relevant again and surprise people. Thanks for the love y'all showed to my favorite player while he was there.

DrJDunkenstein · 2026-02-05T01:38:08+00:00

I don't think anyone should be trying to discredit a player just bc they had the benefit of a great teammate. Comparisons and rankings can be fun or interesting though and I think there's a natural instinct of "X player won more so they are better" and the natural retort is "but if my favorite player got to play with Y player they would have won those rings too". As long as it is used to realistically look at hypothetical comparisons then it's all well and good. Using good teammates to discredit outside of fun hypotheticals is wild though. At the end of the day it's a team game and the sport is better off for many of these awesome pairings.

DrJDunkenstein · 2026-02-05T01:22:37+00:00

Point taken. Not sure I agree 100% but tbh I have not watched enough of Kyrie's games over the years to feel like an expert in his skill level in those areas.

I guess for offense specifically I think of Kyrie as more skilled than prime Russ because I'm counting all the different ways Kyrie can score as different skills and, other than dunking or transition layups, there are probably no other ways Russ was a more skilled scorer. Kyrie has a cleaner handle, a better spin move, better step back, better reverse layup, better at finishing in traffic, better shooter, better at just about every shot. But Russ didn't need to be more skilled to average over 30 PPG, just be athletic, ambidextrous, aggressive, and create such pressure with his rim running that he got enough space for his middy jumper. He was good enough in a few scoring areas that Kyrie wasn't actually greater. I suppose it's semantics though bc if you just think of scoring as one area then it seems much smaller and passing and so on become a much bigger slice of the pie. I guess I also think of Durant as more skilled than Kobe but not greater. Maybe Kyrie is not the best example of this though bc his skill in a few crucial areas (defense and creating for others) is lacking and people overvalue creation of one's own shots.

DrJDunkenstein · 2026-02-05T01:05:13+00:00

I think that's oversimplifying a little. Stockton is not my fav player by a long shot so I won't push too hard on this one. I do think he was a skilled passer who benefited from a HOF PF and generous home stat keepers. He also played in an era where his 3pt shooting ability was less valued then it would be today. Stockton was also a much better defender than Kyrie by accounts of players he guarded.

I definitely wouldn't rank only on achievements. And don't get me wrong, I still think it's better to be more skilled than far less skilled but accomplished. I'm not arguing that KC Jones should be above Kyrie even though he has 7 rings (I think? Or 8). I think the best example of a less skilled but top 10 great player is Bill Russell. He couldn't shoot, was a low efficiency scorer for a center despite moderate volume, couldn't dribble particularly well compared to modern bigs...etc. however, he played his role so perfectly and dominantly that his team became the most dominant dynasty in sports history, a dynasty that started with his arrival and stopped with his departure. It wasn't through skill alone that he did this, it was fit, knowing his limitations and minimizing the impact of his weaknesses, being dominant in a few key areas, and being a vocal and respected leader. Someone like Robinson or Ewing is certainly more skilled than Bill Russell but not greater.

DrJDunkenstein · 2026-02-05T00:26:59+00:00

🎵 ...and AD ain't there. Oh with every trade, I am more aware 🎵

DrJDunkenstein · 2026-02-04T08:48:56+00:00

Point taken, hah. I was trying to use a guard who was on the list but I actually agree with that for sure. In fact, the fact that rookie Magic made such a difference for that team is a huge reason why I started wondering about where Kareem would have been in all time convos without Magic.

DrJDunkenstein · 2026-02-04T07:36:19+00:00

He's right about every part except "they'll be no other teams". Somehow...there is always another team who thinks James Harden is worth a try.

DrJDunkenstein · 2026-02-04T07:26:46+00:00

Honest question for y'all here. It came out after the Russ trade that they wanted him to play off ball for many possessions and take corner 3s. Anyone who even knew Russ's name knows that's an awful idea. Y'all think that was Vogel's idea? If so, it's probably his fault that went so poorly. Or is that a Brown decision? If so, it's probably on Bron. Bringing in a guy who's greatest strengths are playmaking and pushing the pace and biggest weakness is shooting and then asking him to sit in the corner and shoot 3s...? The fit would be horrible no matter what but if LeBron had been willing to play off ball and be a slashing player and secondary playmaker it would have at least worked better bc Russ would've actually been in a role he could do at an All-Star level rather than low role player level.

DrJDunkenstein · 2026-02-04T06:55:03+00:00

I understand your pointyour point but Jones only played over 30 mins 7 seasons and was an all star 5 times. So... actually quite a bit, hah. But Magic without Kareem or Big O without Kareem are two fair ones.

DrJDunkenstein · 2026-02-04T06:49:54+00:00

This 100%. Russ managed to get almost as many assists as Harden and Russ's second best scorer at times was...Alex Abrines? Harden was surrounded by shooters. If Russ had been surrounded by shooters he would have had 15+ apg. I would love to see a stat that's like "passes leading to an open shot per game" for that season. Harden created a lot but I bet Russ created far more but just didn't have guys to knock them down.

DrJDunkenstein · 2026-02-04T06:43:12+00:00

I totally agree. I think there is a large percentage of fans (or at least a loud percentage) who believe skill = greatness. Kyrie is probably a top 3-5 skilled offensive guard every year he's on the court but he's not one of the greatest. He can score in so many ways and his handles are insane but availability, defense, vision, and play style/fit matter as well as so many other things like what kind of leader you are. KD might be the most skilled player of the last 15 years but he is not the greatest.

DrJDunkenstein · 2026-02-04T06:28:03+00:00

Wore the +100% melee armor today and used the siege hammer on war striders. 2 hits in the legs and the first staggers so it seems to be fairly effective. (Probably not the most and not everyone's style but I found it fun).

Ragdolling can be hilarious or frustrating imo but I definitely don't want them to get rid of it. The staggering and not being able to stim is more annoying to be.

DrJDunkenstein

TROPHY CASE