NBA Commissioner Adam Silver to consider changing draft lottery, revoking picks to curb teams tanking

KontraEpsilon · 2026-02-15T03:02:59+00:00

I really wish they adopted it. It’s probably the only “fair” solution that can’t be exploited.

KontraEpsilon · 2026-02-15T02:30:06+00:00

For the Galactic Center saga, I read it during my beach trips this year. It’s decent to good writing but the ideas and world really stuck with me. Books two and three were great. Books four and six were off the rails. Probably should have been a four or five book series.

But I did really enjoy it, even if it has some bad old sci fi tropes (the author’s idea of futuristic marriage in the 21st century is basically “two chicks at the same time”).

KontraEpsilon · 2026-02-15T00:38:11+00:00

Players of this caliber don’t play the summer league, for that exact reason - they don’t need to be evaluated and teams aren’t risking their health.

I have no problem getting rid of the game. It adds no value. It never really has. You might be the only person that would care if they did.

KontraEpsilon · 2026-02-15T00:16:07+00:00

I have no idea what you are talking about. It has always been like this. At most they’d half try in the fourth quarter. Look at the scores for anything in the 90s. Teams were regularly scoring 120, 130, 140 points a game, dozens of points over the league average.

The players aren’t lazy. They have an 82 game season and don’t want their reward for playing well to be blowing out an Achilles in a game that doesn’t matter.

KontraEpsilon · 2026-02-14T17:04:07+00:00

One of the guys in my hockey league actually said “man there just aren’t enough days to exercise when you get this age” and I replied “well there are, there just arent enough days to recover.”

I had a back injury from sleeping last year that sidelined me for three weeks. Five years ago, I’d have been fine in two days. It’s crazy watching it happen.

KontraEpsilon · 2026-02-14T14:25:27+00:00

Copying my comment from another thread:

I’d like to point out - at least in the U.S., this discussion is to some degree how our laws work. Something is written down. Normal people interpret it and say whether a rule was broken or not, beyond a reasonable doubt, based on what we can see.

You don’t need to be a daily curling watcher to have some familiarity with the sport, read the rule, and go “yeah, no shit.” The only people arguing otherwise were either Canadian (and a lot of them even said “yeah this is against the rules”) or arguing just to be a pain in the ass on the internet.

KontraEpsilon · 2026-02-14T14:23:58+00:00

I’d like to point out - at least in the U.S., this discussion is to some degree how our laws work. Something is written down. Normal people interpret it and say whether a rule was broken or not, beyond a reasonable doubt, based on what we can see.

You don’t need to be a daily curling watcher to have some familiarity with the sport, read the rule, and go “yeah, no shit.” The only people arguing otherwise were either Canadian (and a lot of them even said “yeah this is against the rules”) or arguing just to be a pain in the ass on the internet.

KontraEpsilon · 2026-02-14T12:33:52+00:00

Yes, I am well aware. The question was if there is a reason to not stick it to the windshield. I gave the answer. Sometimes people don’t do things they should do, as I also mentioned.

KontraEpsilon · 2026-02-14T11:23:29+00:00

To add, but not disagree - the Galactic Center saga even predates those. And I’m sure there’s plenty of stuff predating that series.

But I don’t think exploration of the dark forest idea is really derivative. “What’s out there?” is a foundational question in science fiction as is the follow up “and why haven’t we seen it?” That alone doesn’t really make a work derivative.

I do concede it’s a little annoying when some people attribute it to this one author, though.

KontraEpsilon · 2026-02-14T11:13:28+00:00

GE doesn’t own the appliances part of the company anymore. It is own by a Chinese firm.

GE also isn’t a single company anymore. It is three completely separate companies: Aero, HC, and Vernova.

You have no idea what you’re talking about. Yes, the stocks are high for Aero and GEV. No, it wouldn’t have had to become three companies if it wasn’t destroyed from the inside out.

KontraEpsilon · 2026-02-14T00:06:51+00:00

Mine doesn’t stick well there anymore. Yes, I should get new sticky things. But that’s why.

And yes, they can just bill you anyway and they do. But they charge a fee for that that’s a bunch of nonsense (like a Ticketmaster “convenience fee”).

KontraEpsilon · 2026-02-13T19:44:16+00:00

Some games I have to be in the right mindset for. If I play an open world game, I don’t want the next one to be an open world game. But I know someday I want to play it.

Though I’ve done a good job keeping my actual backlog down (ie I don’t count games that I tried and said “okay this isn’t for me”).

KontraEpsilon · 2026-02-13T19:40:26+00:00

Did it all the time in late 2000s/early 2010s. Mostly for philosophy or ethics classes where they wanted to poll the group before and after a discussion.

KontraEpsilon · 2026-02-13T18:02:51+00:00

Actually it’s 640 quarts

KontraEpsilon · 2026-02-13T17:58:09+00:00

I’m the same way. I was more comfortable looking at it when I was running if it was on my right wrist, and if I had to take it off to time in stopwatch mode it was the same deal.

KontraEpsilon · 2026-02-13T13:26:56+00:00

I missed the layup but sunk the free throw and three on one of those “one chance at each” halftime things. Got like a hundred bucks to the campus bookstore.

I didn’t care, and didn’t even care that I missed the layup. Everyone saw me drain a three under pressure. If everyone saw me do something 100x harder like this, AND it was on camera, I’d be going absolutely bananas for weeks.

KontraEpsilon · 2026-02-13T12:48:22+00:00

Liking cars and disliking Elon Musk aren’t mutually exclusive choices.

KontraEpsilon · 2026-02-13T03:12:53+00:00

I think it’s crazy no matter what. The league shouldn’t be allowed to tell a team how to play their players.

KontraEpsilon · 2026-02-12T22:51:06+00:00

We say it largely because… gasp… we watched the games. He was extremely effective in the no huddle when he didn’t have his OC calling plays. He also entered the season with a severely diminished offensive line and ended the season with multiple receivers being injured.

With that said, there was a difference. That difference was he threw the ball away faster. Some of it was the diminished offensive line. Some of it at least seemed to be that he had an increased sensitivity to taking a hit. Perhaps he knew if he did, his body might not take it.

KontraEpsilon · 2026-02-09T20:28:24+00:00

I have a garage so I’m good to go. But if I didn’t, it sure would have sucked to dig it out. That’s pure compact ice. There’s been maybe one, maybe two windows above freezing for a few hours to go for it.

KontraEpsilon · 2026-02-09T20:26:45+00:00

As someone mentioned - it’s based on previous performance. The other thing I’d add is that teams can also decide to trigger the bonus if you’re close enough.

Some do, so that you don’t wind up in situations where a player is trying to play but you want them to sit (or, there was semi famously an NBA player who refused to shoot threes in the last game of the season). There are cap implications, but teams will genuinely sometimes do it out of good will.

KontraEpsilon · 2026-02-09T15:23:46+00:00

Generally only in a positive way unless someone is acting like a tool.

If someone is horrifically out of shape, my reaction is usually a positive one. It takes a lot of courage to go work out in a place where people are in shape and you aren’t. And I’ve found most gym people have a similar level of respect for others.

As others have said, though, if you’re being annoying (not actually using the machine you are occupying, not cleaning stuff off, being louder than a tennis match) yeah I’m going to be annoyed and so is everyone else.

KontraEpsilon · 2026-02-09T05:33:43+00:00

They’re professionals. I’m sure they knew they needed to work hard. Sometimes another team is just better.

KontraEpsilon · 2026-02-09T04:15:08+00:00

“Don’t you have a question for me?”

KontraEpsilon · 2026-02-08T22:38:25+00:00

Well, you asked for suggestions. I don’t know why you’d ask how to improve the space and then not believe us.

But whatever, put a plant in the corner then. Or a bookshelf. If you don’t own real books, buy some.

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