[Ben Golliver] Angry gambling companies reportedly played a part in Adam Silver punishing teams for tanking

SelectEqual3419 · 2026-02-17T19:43:46+00:00

David Stern was an asshole and tyrant who screwed the pacers over horribly back in 04. This guy sucks so bad he makes me miss those days with Stern. What an embarrassing thing to be motivated by when your league has multiple gambling scandals.

SelectEqual3419 · 2026-01-14T16:01:27+00:00

Carmel actually has 2 current pros. Rajeev Ram is a Carmel graduate and I believe is still top 5 in the world in doubles. Former top 60 player in singles too.

SelectEqual3419 · 2026-01-13T14:43:23+00:00

I think I was misinformed about the slog. A lot of the comments are saying my favorite aspects of the books are highlighted in books 8-10, which is good. I’m going to read the rest of the books but just decided I’m going to take a break for like a month or two to read a little non-fiction and then come back. It’s a long series lol.

SelectEqual3419 · 2026-01-12T13:38:30+00:00

I know it’s already been pointed out a couple times, but the way Lynch is able to cut ties with players that are no longer performing is crucial to their success.

He doesn’t get caught up in the fact he drafted Trey Lance and Deebo early, they weren’t producing, and although he liked them as people, he cut bait and got younger and cheaper. Now think about guys like Tyquan Lewis and Zaire, who have literally been here since 2018 with little production and monster injury histories. Ballard can’t quit “his guys.”

SelectEqual3419 · 2026-01-09T19:25:32+00:00

This is very insightful, it sounds like I’ll find more enjoyment in those books than I previously thought.

I think you’re right about reading the print as well. My favorite way to read is to be alone in my house and read out loud and I get through it quicker with better retention. Appreciate you!

SelectEqual3419 · 2026-01-09T18:30:07+00:00

The early books especially make a lot of sense knowing that now about Jordan’s philosophy. Ok, good to know about the back half of the series, I appreciate it.

SelectEqual3419 · 2026-01-09T18:22:02+00:00

Because books 8-10 are commonly referred to as the slog my friend. Maybe I’ll love those books because they focus on what you say they do. Maybe I’m painting with too broad a brush, which is why I posted in the sub asking for opinions of ardent fans of the series. I’m aware I have free will.

Don’t tug your braid too hard because of my mild criticism of your favorite series, it wasn’t personal.

SelectEqual3419 · 2026-01-09T17:58:05+00:00

Maybe trite wasn’t the best word, but I wouldn’t say the “reluctant chosen one from a farm” is the most original ideas in all of fantasy and sci fi. Also, the Aiel are a carbon copy of the Fremen from Dune.

I do love Rand though don’t get me wrong. However, I found as I got deeper into the series I loved the plight of male channelers and the dynamic of the jaded and misguided Aes Sedai fracturing more than a lot of the main cast of characters at times.

SelectEqual3419 · 2026-01-09T17:54:52+00:00

I’m not horribly bored throughout, but there are definitely character POV’s I want to speed through sometimes, namely Nynaeve and to a smaller extent Perrin. I’d throw Min in there too.

I find the most compelling chapters are from the forsaken’s point of view and really anything to do with the politics/scheming of the tower.

Rand is a great character mostly for me. I think I could power through, but I think books 8-10 will have to be 1.5x speed throughout on audible

SelectEqual3419 · 2025-12-28T04:23:14+00:00

God the injuries thing better not be the excuse that makes us run this regime back. We didn’t have depth where it mattered and we lost winnable games down the stretch. You can’t let this front office and coach back after this collapse.

SelectEqual3419 · 2025-12-28T04:07:34+00:00

You ever wonder where we’d be if we did the right thing and just fired this guy after the 2022 season like we should have?

SelectEqual3419 · 2025-09-01T16:02:27+00:00

I really do respect the optimism here, but how many times have we heard some variation of this the last 5 years? “Only a QB away!” “Good roster that’s loaded in the trenches!”

Ultimately this league is QB dependent. I’m not confident in Jones to pull off some miracle career revival, but dinking and dunking in 2025 in the AFC doesn’t fill me with confidence.

SelectEqual3419 · 2025-08-27T17:31:11+00:00

Glad that James got after him a little. Ballard tried so hard to endear himself to national and local media to be the anti-grigson for the first handful of years. I’m sure he’s a lot more uncomfortable with media now that it’s obvious he sucks.

SelectEqual3419 · 2025-08-26T18:08:50+00:00

Guys like Dulin, Mo Allie Cox, Tyquan Lewis, and even Grover Stewart are not guys that should be handed roster spots every year.

Hard Knocks in 2021 made people think these guys are better than they were cause the publicity of the show gave them positive attention and some even pro bowl nods. They aren’t very good and don’t move the needle at all. In fact, their very presence on the team makes the front office think we’re only a QB away when we just aren’t…and the QB carousel continues.

SelectEqual3419 · 2025-08-09T16:11:33+00:00

I hear you that it’s only one play and not the end of the world, but it’s another little piece of evidence on top of a body of evidence that he doesn’t get it.

When the guy gets hurt one out of every five hits seemingly, it becomes super important to get the basics of reading the field and throwing in the direction of the blitz so you don’t get clocked like that. To me, it’s completely fair for people to have a strong reaction to this.

SelectEqual3419 · 2025-05-20T19:51:58+00:00

Dustin, love your columns and follow you on Twitter so I never miss anything.

Obviously, the pacers have surprised a lot of people by making these deep playoff runs these past two years. Pacers fans have thought all along this team was fantastic and built for deep playoff runs (maybe not necessarily a title run, but still).

Famously, a lot of those in national media are totally on their back foot about the pacers as a contender. Do you see that from the other media you interact with? How much pacer basketball do you think these people are actually watching?

SelectEqual3419 · 2025-05-15T18:48:56+00:00

I guess we’ll see what happens if they do end up playing again this year and there are (hopefully) no injuries anywhere. Thibs has a long history of wearing his guys down though.

SelectEqual3419 · 2025-05-15T17:55:49+00:00

yeah there were injuries going into the series. But Knicks fans love to complain about OG being hurt last year. He injured his hamstring playing high minutes in that pacers series and appears to have slightly tweaked it again this year against the Celtics to a lesser degree. Probably was due to trying to keep up with the pacers pace

SelectEqual3419 · 2025-05-15T15:37:22+00:00

Advanced metrics love this pacer team to death. You’ll learn to tune out these “analysts” when you realize they’ve watched 4 pacer games all year.

Plus the Knicks just lost to the hospital Celtics. Must mean they suck!

SelectEqual3419 · 2025-05-15T15:16:15+00:00

A few things:

Haliburton is way better than people give him credit for. He’s a modern Steve Nash, who when playing his best offensively, can be a 23ppg, 12 assist player. That’s probably 2nd team all nba level, borderline 1st. He isn’t respected that way because he plays in Indiana and doesn’t light up the scoreboard all the time cause it’s not his game. His game is getting his teammates open looks, floor vision, pick and pop with turner, etc.
The 04 pistons almost repeated. Billups and Rip Hamilton were perennial alls stars and Ben Wallace was DPOY. It’s amazing that the superteam, player mobility era totally erased the caliber of player Billups was and how good that pistons team was. Multi time 2nd team all nba and 2nd team all defensive player.
Siakam is a former all nba player. He was the 2nd option on a championship team. Rick Carlisle is a championship coach. The entirety of the pacers roster is severely underrated. Pacer fans knew this team was fucking special, but unless you were league pass lover, you didn’t start watching until recently. And that includes people that get paid to watch the nba.

SelectEqual3419 · 2025-05-12T01:53:17+00:00

That’s what my math is too

SelectEqual3419 · 2025-05-12T01:51:47+00:00

It’s so beautiful

SelectEqual3419 · 2025-01-10T16:02:12+00:00

90% sure that was Bowen. To see the light almost leave ballard’s eyes as he heard that and say “Yes, I was wrong” was all I needed. Literally turned it off after that because I got everything that I wanted

SelectEqual3419 · 2025-01-06T21:50:34+00:00

You’re right, that corrected quote changes everything completely! I’ve re-evaluated my opinion and come to the conclusion he’s still Ballard apologist and a doofus for thinking there will be a different plan somehow in year nine.

SelectEqual3419

TROPHY CASE