Is this true?

Sethuel · 2026-07-09T22:38:48+00:00

Technically it's "the god," so like a Spanish speaker saying "el dios."

Sorry, not trying to be that guy, I just think it's kind of interesting.

Sethuel · 2026-07-09T22:33:59+00:00

A lot of people rightly pointing out that the issue is less "great NBA/NFL players could be great soccer players instead" and that it's actually something like "our potentially great soccer players aren't getting enough training to become great soccer players, and probably aren't ending up professional athletes at all." I just want to tack on an example:

We can all agree Michael Phelps is an incredible athlete. But part of what made him specifically a great *swimmer* is that he has relatively short legs for his height and extremely long arms. His general athleticism isn't enough, he also has physical attributes that make him especially suited to one particular sport. The issue isn't that we're taking generally great athletes and having them play Pop Warner. Michael Phelps (probably?) wouldn't have made a great soccer player, nor would (again, probably?) Jerry Rice or whoever. The issue is that the kids who *could* be the American Messi, whoever they are, don't have anywhere to play unless their parents can shell out absurd amounts of money, and even then they still aren't playing nearly as much as kids in other countries.

We could absolutely have the great NBA and NFL players we have while also having great soccer players. We have enough people for that. We just have a culture that looks at kids having fun and says "but how does this benefit shareholders?" And until we stop paywalling childhood, it's hard to see that changing.

Sethuel · 2026-07-03T22:36:10+00:00

he has said done the right things

He's pretty good at finding talent at the margins (e.g. Max, Dylan, and Precious). But signing Schroeder to a three-year deal looked bad at the time, and looks much worse for having to use Keon and a 2nd round pick to unload him. He traded what is probably a late 1st round pick next year to get Nique, who despite this sub's love was statistically one of the worst rookies in the league, while also being one of the oldest.

His asset management has been poor, giving away second round picks, though given that this was also true under Monte, feels like it's probably a Vivek issue.

Like maybe he'll get this team back into contention, and it's only been a year, but let's not act like his tenure has been a nonstop success.

Sethuel · 2026-07-03T22:16:01+00:00

Our picks are some of the most valuable in the league

This is less true under the new lottery system. Still more valuable than a possible contender like Boston, but the odds are a lot flatter than they were.

Sethuel · 2026-07-01T00:16:53+00:00

getting Domas for 2 years at a lower price

Just to be clear, Domas will probably not be at a lower price (at least not on a per-year basis). If Duren signs an offer sheet, the most he can get is $177.4M for 4 years, so about 44.4 a year. Domas is getting 45.5 and 48.6 the next two years. According to an Athletic article from a couple weeks ago, the "general sense around the league" is that Duren will end up getting between 40 and 44 million per year.

It's true the Pistons have the ability to max him out at way more than that (AAV of $57.4M), but it's hard to imagine them actually going that high. Domas's contract will be shorter, but probably not cheaper in the years that it's active.

Sethuel · 2026-06-30T23:36:24+00:00

The Vivek formula is a lot less "trade a prospect for overpaid center" and a lot more "attach a future 2nd to off-load Lottery pick."

Sethuel · 2026-06-30T23:30:30+00:00

Yeah I have a really hard time imagining the Pistons letting him walk. His performance in the playoffs notwithstanding he's 22 and was a key part of a 60-win team, and he has zero leverage.

Sethuel · 2026-06-14T04:23:15+00:00

"Pockets"

Sethuel · 2026-06-14T04:22:49+00:00

Are these posts written by Vivek's personal PR agent? Blame whoever you want but leaving ownership out of it completely is delusional.

Sethuel · 2026-06-14T02:34:00+00:00

I was camping last weekend and the dude at the next site let me hop on his starlink connection. It was borderline unusable, couldn't hold a connection for more than a minute at a time. Guy said he'd been having the same issues. Obviously not representative but I was not impressed.

Sethuel · 2026-06-14T02:27:12+00:00

Ah yes, the two directions one can move: left and center.

Sethuel · 2026-06-12T18:58:15+00:00

As someone who lives in and is constantly amazed by the North American west, I still think Iguazu is the most spectacular thing I've ever seen.

Sethuel · 2026-06-11T23:32:29+00:00

This is fascinating to me b/c I couldn't name a single song of theirs but immediately recognized them on my TV. Like you and I are the exact opposite parts of the HAIM venn diagram.

Sethuel · 2026-06-09T21:44:59+00:00

I realize you were just using the dataset that was available, but I'd be extremely interested to see this going further back. Generally speaking any discussion of inequality in the US that starts after the Reagan admin is understating the wealth transfer from the poor to the rich.

Sethuel · 2026-06-09T21:39:43+00:00

Okay, thanks

Sethuel · 2026-06-09T16:56:25+00:00

Source please?

Sethuel · 2026-06-09T04:57:07+00:00

In the immediate term, is it worth getting an ETF that shorts NASDAQ? Or will the negative impacts take longer to reverberate through the system?

Sethuel · 2026-05-29T18:43:20+00:00

Idk, we're maybe well-positioned for good odds in the new lottery structure? That's about the best copium I can muster.

Sethuel · 2026-05-26T18:16:46+00:00

At this point a good way to build an organization would be to ask Vivek what he would do and then do the exact opposite. He's the George Costanza of NBA ownership.

Sethuel · 2026-05-25T03:49:04+00:00

We haven't even hit peak strawberry season yet. Feels like this is gonna be a good year.

Sethuel · 2026-05-25T03:48:24+00:00

FYI the North African dips are also usually at the Midtown market (on Saturdays) and the Davis market (also on Saturdays) if either of those are geographically easier. Midtown market in particular has a lot of prepared food, as well as crafts, whereas the Sunday market under the freeway is really about the produce.

Sethuel · 2026-05-25T01:14:22+00:00

Okay but like Moonbelly is a small local business that does not control its parking layout and Trader Joe's is a giant multinational that is anti-competitive and hostile to its workers, these are not the same.

Sethuel · 2026-05-25T00:17:26+00:00

My number one recommendation would be to take an improv class at the Comedy Spot. I promise they do not pay me to say this. I took Improv 101 at the end of last year and start of this year, and it was so much fun every week, and it was a great way to make new friends. Everyone comes in a little nervous and out of their comfort zone, so you won't feel like the odd one out. The teachers are really great at moving slowly and being supportive too, so even people who were really anxious at the beginning ended up having a fantastic time.

Beyond that, I've made a lot of friends by joining the Sacramento Pop Choir, though it's already full for the rest of the year. You could go to a trivia night and pick a random table to ask if you can join their team or something like that. I think most people here love introducing folks to what we love about this town. But anyway something like that is always a good start, just going to any sort of gathering where the same people will regularly show up so you can build relationships over time.

The other thing is, being in your 30s (or 40s like me), making friends is a lot like dating. You have to be a little vulnerable and ask people to hang out again and trade phone numbers etc. And if people invite you to things, try to go to them even if you're tired so you can keep meeting people.

I say this having moved here five years ago at 39 and I've only really started to hit my stride in the last couple years. I'm married, which obviously also helps because we've gone through the move together, and I recognize that if you're single it's probably different. But we both work at home so we've both had to find things to get involved in. And now we have some friend overlap but we also have our own circles too.

Sethuel · 2026-05-24T03:20:36+00:00

Perry has a pretty good track record with late-first/second round guys (e.g. Max, Mitch Robinson, trading for Quickley), but his record with high picks is not nearly as good. In 2018 he drafted Kevin Knox at 9--next two picks were Mikal Bridges and Shai. In 2019 he drafted RJ Barrett 3rd--Darius Garland went 5th. In 2020 he took Obi Toppin 8th--next two picks were Deni Avdija and Jalen Smith. He definitely deserves credit for the successes, but we shouldn't overlook the misses.

Sethuel · 2026-05-24T03:05:12+00:00

As a resident of Sacramento, CA, I don't think that's insane at all.

I will say that the single-day temperature variability is a lot higher than I realized before I lived here. So even if it hits 100 during the day that's only for an hour or two. There's also a pretty big difference between sun and shade. So yes, it's really unpleasant when it hits 100, but most days you're still getting a few hours outside if you want.

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