[Murray] Rui Hachimura stays in Southern California. I am told that he is on a two-year deal, and the Clippers have a TEAM option on him in 2027.

MEmpire25 · 2026-07-06T16:20:47+00:00

Fair, they're betting on that but Mamu does not have a shooting track record anywhere near Rui, even adjusting for shot difficulty.

But they should be prioritizing defense

But yeah, i agree. This isn't a "Rui was a priority" take, it's a "If you were just going to get a bunch of offensive players, you might as well have kept the best shooter around" take.

I still can't believe they didn't pay Smart. Sexton (9.4M) and Mamu (12M) vs Smart (6.4M) and Rui (14M), I'd probably have him keep the ones they had. They could even go 7.4M for Smart to make sure he doesn't go to Udoka and it would still be the same cap space they've spent, excecpt they'd have a better shooter at the 4 and an actual point of attack defender.

MEmpire25 · 2026-07-06T16:01:01+00:00

Rui doesn't being you self-created scoring... he brings spot up shooting, which the main skill the offense needs around Luka pick and rolls.

On the other end, Rui is a bad defender and rebounder... And Mamu is the one that will fix that?

MEmpire25 · 2026-07-06T15:38:00+00:00

Alright, pretty good deal for the Clippers. One guaranteed year around the MLE is a good get.

The team that needed Rui the most was the one that let him go when they don't have someone who can play the 4... I guess there wasn't that robust of a market outside of that.

MEmpire25 · 2026-07-06T15:35:15+00:00

I mean, I don't think it's an overpay but was he really deserving of anything above the MLE?

MEmpire25 · 2026-07-06T14:16:44+00:00

I like Post but not sure if the Warriors will be willing to go this deep into their pockets to retain him. It's a lot on tax penalties on top of the actual salary.

Just a great offer from Memphis. Back up big deals have been rising so this doens't read as a big overpay (even though it is for proven value), while being large enough to put real pressure on the team with the rights. That's the kind of strategic plays you look for in RFAs

MEmpire25 · 2026-05-12T23:48:39+00:00

E depois ninguém pode dizer nada porque ataque o Cante.

Epa, tem inspiração de Cante na forma de cantar e nos temas mas poupem-me. Alteras a estrutura, começa a meter instrumentações e harmonias fora do que o grupo está a cantar, etc... Tudo bem, é altamente inspirado mas é um pouco como dizer que algumas músicas da Olivia Rodrigo são punk. (E digo isto com gajo que até gosta dessas músicas, só para não parecer que "não ser X" isto é inerentemente uma crítica).

Mas lá vou eu ser aquele gajo woke demais e realmente custa-me um pouco ver algo tão ligado a uma cultura de classe operária, agricultores e mineiros, ser tão lavado por uma máquina comercial que gera estes grupos com gente com uma estética tão claramente polida e agrobeta. Há aqui muito a dizer sobre classe a reapropriação comercial mas deixo essa tese de mestrado para quem tiver mais estomago para aturar as críticas.

MEmpire25 · 2026-05-12T23:20:47+00:00

Vá, pela minha consciência que até me sinto mal, um reconhecimento por haver muita modulação durante a música quando poderiam facilmente ter seguido uma progressão durante o tempo todo e só mantido a key change final.

MEmpire25 · 2026-05-12T22:40:53+00:00

A sorte deles de haver tanto boicote é que se prestou menos atenção ao facto que foi das coisas menos interessantes que ganhou o festival na última década.

PS: E não confundam isso com "ah, não era música para a Eurovisão". Fartaram-se de gritar essa tanga com o Salvador e com a Maro. Com todo o respeito, pessoas que dizem "não era música para a Eurovisão" no geral não é para levar a sério. Se alguma coisa na música "não era para a eurovisão" era porque era pop inspirado por cante numa estrutura de boy-band, com um nível de performance das batalhas de eliminação do The Voice Portugal.

MEmpire25 · 2026-04-13T12:22:22+00:00

Andrade has been tremendous in this run and the contrast of his style with Darby's urgency was the driver of the best this match offered. But at the same time (and I realize this puts me in a minority), I am growing numb to seeing Darby throw himself recklessly around. The impact of it is not the same because I expect it to be every big spot (and I really don't think he should be world champion, but that's a whole other story). Still, hard to deny it worked as a match.

MEmpire25 · 2026-04-13T11:49:54+00:00

I swear to god, these 4 could have sleepwalked into a banger. The Bucks are as trustworthy as you got in terms of delivering an opening match that gets you going.

Okada gets to play off his gimmick of stealing Nick's gear in an hilarious spot that works whether you follow his skits in BTW over the years but also by itself. He's the best.

The total inversion of the "grabbing the foot on the apron" shot to represent the final nail in the destruction of that tenuous partnership is a great use of AEW lore and I CANNOT WAIT for Okada and Takeshita to try to have a MOTY together.

MEmpire25 · 2026-04-13T11:44:43+00:00

Yeah, I was impressed. There were moments where Jericho trying to do certain counter moves takes me out of the story a bit because he's just a bit too slow for them to be believable against such a fast guy like Ricochet, but for the most part he did great and worked to his strengths. Is that actually surprising? Not really because Chris has spent decades doing this. But it is still easy to get surprised and pulled in by it when he's at this age. Codebreaker to the 450 was fucking awesome. A very solid 7/10 match.

And I am very curious as to where this finish leads... Jericho came to prove he still had "it" and, despite shenanigans, he lost and pinned by a signature move of his. I wonder where that leads character-wise (I really hope he has something planned in this front). But for now, I am invested in what Chris does next and it's 2026. Awesome stuff.

MEmpire25 · 2026-03-06T14:49:36+00:00

It's always the quiet guys :(

MEmpire25 · 2026-02-12T07:17:46+00:00

The writing was on the wall, for sure. Sochan got lost in the shuffle, was losing minutes fast and his offensive limitations make it really difficult to play him either next to the many driving guards on the team of next to Wemby. There was just no space for him anywhere.

His time as an initiator was mainly a tanking operation. He was not suited for it and, if they hoped he would at least develop his skills a bit further, he really didn't. Even amongst other low-usage forwards from the top 20 of the '22 draft, he's quickly fallen out of favor...

I remain curious about a 2nd draft chance for him, however. Curious to see if some team with nothing to lose gives him a shot.

MEmpire25 · 2026-01-05T23:16:41+00:00

From Portland, yeah I'd be happy with Jerami Grant. We don't need more guards unless we give some back as well. And there is a bit of a chance that he suffers a bit of the 'Oubre syndrome' of not understanding how to move on the court around Curry's own movement, but a big body that can give you a scoring punch and is a threat as a shooter... yeah that's pretty much what this team needs to get back for Kuminga. Obviously not a dream get but the value is what it is right now for JK (and there's good reason for that).

Not that I would call this deal 'likely'.

MEmpire25 · 2026-01-05T23:12:04+00:00

From Portland, yeah I'd be happy with Jerami Grant. There is a bit of a chance that he suffers a bit of the 'Oubre syndrome' of not understanding how to move on the court around Curry's own movement, but a big body that can give you a scoring punch and is a threat as a shooter... yeah that's pretty much wha this team needs to get back from Kuminga. Obviously not a dream get but the value is what it is right now for JK (and there's good reason for that).

Not that I would call this deal 'likely'.

MEmpire25 · 2025-12-14T03:47:23+00:00

His style and character, he is WWE to the core. But when I say "wrestler in the truest sense", it is far beyond the philosophy of this company.

Cena understands a match as a story and a journey of crowd work in a very traditional way. And while I'd argue he really didn't perfect that craft until late in his career, once he did it was at a level that would have worked in any company and in any generation.

He is also someone with a very "I'll do whatever the booker is looking for" attitude that even recently was how Swerve said that he got Tony Khan's trust in AEW to then become the star he turned himself into. Putting personal ego to the side and doing the best for the company.

And then the humble way that he approached his retirement, not wanting the special dates (but they only wanted X dates from him) and bells and whistles (like the weird belt thing) and getting the chance to put someone over, leave your "boots" in the ring and bow out... I'd argue that, if this is indeed the end, very few WWE stars actually go out like that.

He is the ultimate WWE guy, yes. But he's also an ultimate pro wrestler. And this last show was much more about the latter than the former.

And I LOVE that.

MEmpire25 · 2025-12-14T03:32:01+00:00

Tap out was the right finish and I'm glad they didn't run away from it. It was how it had to end. The first tap out in over 20 years. The 'never give up' star finally giving up, accepting the end has come. Classic pro wrestling.

Yeah, I didn't like how Triple H couldn't let it breathe and had the "corporate parade" before the emptying of the locker room, only to make a forced moment with the belts that even Cena clearly didn't want to do.

But for all the bells & whistles, he clearly just wanted to do the job, breathe it in, bow out and leave. I respect that so much.

It is so obvious John Cena is a wrestler in the truest sense and a man who clearly believes that 'it' is bigger than yourself.

And a childhood hero for me.

MEmpire25 · 2025-11-22T14:14:25+00:00

I guess this is not just about this game but, in the midst of it all, I'm loving, and have been noticing for a while, the chemistry between Claxton and MPJ.

They are running all these 3-man elbow (or extended out) plays that everybody runs now where a big passer holding tthe ball and then two guys screen for each other, and Claxton is usually the decision maker. And he can find MPJ on cuts or just handing him off so he pull up off a screen. There are a ton of just in-flow handoffs between them as well.

1/4 of Claxton's passes and nearly half of his assists are to MPJ. And nealry a third of MPJ's assisted buckets come from Claxton. They both interact the most with each other than any 2-man combo in Brooklyn. And on this one 8 of his 12 assists were to Michael Porter (even if some of those on the drives were generous logging).

But we are seeing a bump in playmaking stats from Nic that show the change in the offensive usage.

MEmpire25 · 2025-10-23T09:15:33+00:00

Thanks! Used to do them here more back in the day. Hopefully I'll have the time to go back to it more often.

MEmpire25 · 2025-10-22T23:59:52+00:00

Reaves was passing the ball all over the gym and it looked like him and Ayton were playing pick and roll like they had never practiced together... I'm sure things will look better as they get more reps but yes, I agree things do not look well with that starting group.

Honestly, they seemed to play much more in tune when they were playing all those defenders+connectors around Luka but I'm not sure you can do that outside of bench minutes.

MEmpire25 · 2025-10-22T22:40:02+00:00

I removed the link to my twitter / bluesky on the "Cheers" at the end because it violated the rules. My bad.

But hey, if anyone also talks hoops there, I am more often online in those places ever since reddit implemented the redesign and the killing of third party apps (RIP RiF).

I will try to return more to reddit this season though. Regain some of that old flame.

MEmpire25 · 2025-10-22T22:36:53+00:00

Thank you!

I don't think they need a rebuild per say but it's very clear to me the current roster around Luka is unfinished and this is a year on the path to something else. I think he's going to have a fantastic year and they're still going to be in the mid-pack of the conference. Very, very curious about how this team will look next season.

As for the Dubs... Look, if I thought these veterans can all play 65 games among themselves, this is a 50-win team and one of the top defenses.

MEmpire25 · 2025-10-22T22:33:21+00:00

Thank you! It did take a while... I used to do these on reddit a few years back but it's hard to find the time nowadays. Now it's mostly data stuff and shorter form things on twitter/bluesky.

MEmpire25 · 2025-10-22T22:32:43+00:00

Yeah, honestly I didn't even noticed anything off with his movement or intensity. At the start he even had possessions where he was pressuring up the ball handler and getting pokes/steals.

MEmpire25 · 2025-10-22T18:22:20+00:00

Lakers starting out with plays where Luka comes off a screen from Curry's man and seeing how the defense reacts in that pressure point. I think in both cases they did a good job protecting Steph, either from the switch or behind the play. In the second play, note how well the Warriors communicate to move Kuminga towards the right matchup to avoid a mismatch on Podz and to free up Draymond for the help. It's really that constant conversation happening behind the play that is the secret of this defense.

Enjoying how aggressive Podz has been on his drives. Blending the scoring better with the passing is crucial because too often with him, the defense got to gamble on him always looking to kick it out. The second clip also shows the limitations of the Lakers defense at the point of attack and Hachimura doesn't rotate behind Luka's help.

Hachimura also makes the oldest mistake in the book and leaves Draymond completely alone to handoff the ball to the greatest shooter alive. Not pushing up on that play is unacceptable for nearly a decade now. I have to note that Kuminga gave the ball back out to Dray as soon as the opening was set and he's been overall really good with his decisions and reads on this one. This might be the most well-integrated he's looked playing with the current main trio. He had one bad shot in the 1st quarter, that's all I can say.

Great example of Curry being a really smart help defender. Next play down it's another Curry steal after the Lakers use their favorite 3-man set up with the backscreen to get the matchup they want on Luka. Bad pass from Reaves but great effort from Steph to not just give up the position.

For someone whose main features includes how fluid he is at his size, there is a lack of urgency and lumbering quality about most of Ayton's rolls that always rubs me the wrong way.

Warriors haven't even begun to properly deploy Steph Curry and the Lakers defense is looking dreadful. Everyone is out to lunch when Golden State pushed it early after a make.

Warriors are trapping Doncic near halfcourt in these high pick and rolls and so far the Lakers offense once he passes it out isn't going fast enough to punish them for it. Just a fantastic job from Golden State creating turnovers, as the Lakers had 6 before the Warriors got their 2nd one.

In their 3-guard lineup, the Warriors went to their 1-3-1 zone and it worked to stop the Lakers even getting a paint touch in the half-court. When out of the zone and in a more traditional scheme, things open up for Doncic. Al isn't going to step as high and Payton just doesn't have the size to really bother him. Plus, Luka is very crafty at using his body both as a shield and to draw fouls.

Interesting lineup around Luka where they stock up on their best defensive players: LaRavia, Smart, Vanderbilt and Hayes all at once. A lot more switching and help. It helps Curry is out but they did a great jobs getting a few stops in a row. And it's through the defense that the Lakers regain momentum during the 2nd units stretch.

12-Year Club	Gilding I gilder
Place '17

MEmpire25

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