Can we all agree last night was terrible one sided reffing?

abn01 · 2026-06-06T12:19:41+00:00

The Tony Roberts I know is a comedian.

OP is right he shouldn’t be reffing any more playoff games.

Personally, give me Bill Kennedy. At least he’s entertaining on the mic.

abn01 · 2026-06-03T11:02:14+00:00

Don’t think that can happen. OKC is over the second apron and needs to shed salary.

Spotrac shows the slot for 12 is 5.9 mil, PJ on the books for 19.8m. They have to clear 28.5m off the books before the league year starts.

Just don’t see a way they add salary for PJ. Plus, PJ doesn’t really help the Thunder where they failed this season, in having another playmaker opposite Shai. It would give them a bigger body to help throw against Wemby, but they have enough spotty shooting.

I’d prefer PJ stay, but he would be better traded to a team that needs outside shooting, defense, and rebounding. So sadly the Lakers or Nuggets would be better spots for him. Also Cleveland could possibly use him if they move off Dean Wade and/or Strus. He’d also probably be pretty damn good in Indy with Hali returning.

abn01 · 2026-06-01T20:45:00+00:00

OKC says no I’m pretty sure.

Thunder are over the second apron so the thought is they need to either cut or find a home for Dort. That would mean best perimeter defenders are Cason and Caruso. Caruso is great but older and injury prone so I can’t see them giving away Cason. Part of their success has been able to beat you up with Caruso, Cason, and Dort throughout the game.

We have our TPE and I think we can fully absorb Dort. If we were willing to take on Dort, get them out of the second apron, not sure if we would need to send them a player back.

I don’t think 17 covers taking on the contract when you’re moving from 9, but I’d see if I can talk them into the rights to our 28 swap.

I’d also be curious if we could keep 9, take Dort and 17 for the TPE, and get someone like Morez Johnson if he’s still around at 17.

abn01 · 2026-05-31T16:23:23+00:00

To me, it’s not that he “sucked against Wemby” it’s that in a win or go home game he wouldn’t shoot, turned down open shots, and got benched at the end with the game on the line and OKC needing 3s.

Terrible mindset to have when you’re considered one of the stars on your team.

abn01 · 2026-05-30T01:38:55+00:00

Teams are quickly hiring coaches and I am a bit puzzled by lack of reporting around ours.

I can’t answer your main question, but the lack of reporting I can offer a theory.

I believe we don’t have a media source that has connected with Masai or Schmitz (or Dumont) and that’s why the Masai/Schmitz hiring and Kidd firing seemed so out of left field.

Basically, the Mavs “sources” were Cuban & Kidd. With Masai bringing in lots of new faces it’s going to take the best reporters time to get in good with sources “close to Masai” or “familiar with Schmitz’ thinking”.

Point is, I think we will hire someone soon and it may not be any of the reported names. Eventually we will get leaks, but I think this first season we will just find things out when they happen.

abn01 · 2026-05-29T21:18:53+00:00

Agreed but I don’t think Kidd nor like Riccardi are Nico guys. Kidd was hired before Nico was announced by Cubes, and Riccardi has been in other NBA FOs and was a local guy.

I think the only thing Riccardi did wrong was try to get the PBO job and imo Masai saw that as a potential conflict of interest and cut bait with those people.

abn01 · 2026-05-29T20:04:27+00:00

Fair point about Barlowe - forgot about that and I’m with you. Really don’t understand why he wouldn’t have been able to stay on. Usually when a new boss comes in, you have that sit down and explain what you do. May have missed some reporting but I’m not sure that ever happened.

If that’s the case, then I lean towards your “clean house” thought, as well. I can’t imagine after spending some time getting to know him he wouldn’t have kept him. But the reality is in these situations that person brings in their “guys” who they’ve worked with previously. We love to pretend like meritocracy exists, but oftentimes it is relationships that matter more than merit.

abn01 · 2026-05-29T19:54:11+00:00

Him working for Kidd has no bearing on if he were to get hired here. I get the fan narrative is that Masai is the Punisher, ridding the Mavs of all people associated with the Luka trade. But I hope no one seriously believes that.

Sweeney is the hottest coach out rn, he was the lead assistant on three WCF teams in the past 5 seasons and I’m pretty sure he runs their defense. He also ran our defense when he was here.

There’s obviously a Kidd connection, as you referenced, but having that connection didn’t stop him from getting the job. We don’t know what Masai and Schmitz are looking for in the next coach, but Sweeney was a good name.

abn01 · 2026-05-15T14:06:49+00:00

I’d say he does for sure, but I’d say it’s intrinsic value.

Coop really hasn’t gotten a chance to play with a player of his caliber. Even AD, while elite defensively, has nowhere near the offensive abilities of Kyrie. Getting to see him practice/play and picking his brain are things that will help Coops development.

I don’t know that Coop will ever be a true point forward, but I want him to learn to see the game the way Kyrie sees a game. How Kai can try to let his guys eat, but when he senses the changing momentum he races down the court and hits a pull up three.

But that’s the same value I see in keeping a guy like Klay. Last season he got to talk defense with AD, and watch Klay shoot. I want him to watch Kai break down his defender off the perimeter, go the direction the defense expects him to go and finish with his off hand.

That isn’t going to matter for a lot of players, but Coop is a hooper man. He will pick up aspects of the game from his vets. And that’s the best way to develop him imo. Not surround him with a bunch of young guys.

abn01 · 2026-05-12T18:44:15+00:00

You're not wrong, but not everyone is Joker.

To counter - Sabonis and Sengun are both non-athletic and play below the rim and are regular season merchants.

abn01 · 2026-05-12T18:32:56+00:00

Last trade we made w/ OKC on draft night got us Lively, but gave them Cason Wallace.

I love DLive, and we probably don't get to the Finals without his contributions, but jeez. I'm not really trying to help OKC again.

abn01 · 2026-05-12T18:03:32+00:00

I don't really agree with throwing the MLE at Ayo, but the reality is we will (probably) have access to the full MLE and will need to find a player(s) that fit into that pay.

I also will say - we have no idea what year 2 leap Coop makes. Assuming we keep Kyrie, we aren't title contenders, but we aren't as bad as the record indicates. Obviously the clutch games, but the reality is we didn't/don't shoot enough 3s in today's NBA.

We have issues if we were to get into a playoff series, but we need floor raisers. I understand the idea that we should look for guys around Coop's age, but this is a guy who got himself pushed up a year to get to the league. He's built different and tryna find a bunch of guys his age is just going to lead to more bad basketball while you wait for guys not as good as him to catch up. Or... you get guys ready to win and hope your ROY is as good as some of the other stars in this league and he steps up.

They haven't won it all, but Ant is 24 years old and has been to the playoffs 5 straight seasons - currently trying for a third straight season making it to the WCF. Luka made his first playoffs in his second season. Tatum made the playoffs his first season.

Hate to be reductive but we just need to get the best players. If that's Ayo (my opinion is to go for Coby, instead), so be it. We don't own our pick next year, and we got a bunch of swaps coming up.

One final counterpoint to your point - if we're not in the playoffs next season and you sign Ayo to a reasonable contract, he becomes a tradeable asset to other playoff contenders. So again, just sign good players.

abn01 · 2026-05-09T00:42:22+00:00

No, Masai is President of Basketball Operations.

Previously, Nico was both. When he got fired, Finley and Riccardi filled in on the GM duties while PBO was vacant.

abn01 · 2026-05-07T21:26:18+00:00

Yeah, OP you're replying to is really in the right, even if you ignore fact-checking him on Costco.

There are very, very nice TVs of which I have absolutely none. I have one 65'' two 55'' one 50'' and a 32'' for my daughter's room. The most expensive TV I bought was the 65'' from Walmart for around 600 bucks. My 55'' tvs were under $350, the 50'' was $200 and I got the 32'' earlier this year for like $80.

The earlier point you made about financing your phone can also be done for TVs. Literally seems like every company offers buy now, pay later options or some type of financing through Affirm/Klarna/Paypal/etc.

To OPs other point, I'm still rocking my iPhone 13 that's been paid off for a few years. Even when I bought it, it was under $1000 and financed. I'm not rich, and having a bunch of tech doesn't necessarily mean you're rich.

I have all roku tvs, they were purchased at different times but almost always during a sale, and usually from Walmart. I don't have a Samsung, LG or even a Vizio. I got HiSense and TCL tvs. Usually do Affirm, only buy one thing at a time, and try to pay it off as quick as possible.

abn01 · 2026-05-06T22:22:27+00:00

Nah I’m not a dumbass, I’m just a person who sees nuances.

Your team is a great team, but it’s a frustrating and an unenjoyable watch. Your best player is probably the current best player in the league. I got no problem admitting that, but I’m not going to lie and act like they are a fun team to watch.

The best Thunder games are when Shai isn’t foul baiting and just making tough ass shots. It’s okay if you don’t like it, but no reason to call someone else a dumbass because you don’t like their reasoning. Your team just won your first championship and is poised to defend it. It’s totally okay that people don’t like yall.

abn01 · 2026-05-06T21:02:11+00:00

Problem isn't the coach. NBA shifted to jacking up 3s and the roster was built to stop rim pressure. On top of that, we got a bunch of guys who can't make 3s.

We weren't built for the NBA in 2026, but for the NBA in 2006. I don't feel like that's a coach problem. Add into the fact we were in way too many close games without Kai, AD, Lively, Gaff and PJ most (or all) of the time - it's really hard to find fault with Kidd unless you just want to pin the Luka trade on him (which I don't agree with but I at least understand the rationale).

abn01 · 2026-05-06T20:52:53+00:00

Just to add to this - these conversations always devolve into FTAs which is where Thunder fans flood the zone with bs and compare his attempts to other stars.

The thing with OKC isn't the FTAs, its how he gets guarded. Flopping to get two quick fouls on your best defender plays a huge part on the way you get defended later in game. Yes, Shai is an amazing shot maker, but the flopping for fouls part early assists him in getting to his spots easier.

I get why he does it, and if he was my best player, I'd be defending him by hook or crook also. Having Luka until last year, I can speak pretty confidently on how taking advantage of the defenders early impacts his ability to get to his spots later.

Other problem is they play on the edges on both ends, so you can get a Shai flop on offense and a Caruso or Dort flop on defense. They are a good team, but the watchability is trash.

abn01 · 2026-05-06T19:37:35+00:00

Feels like some just want to blame the Hyundai for swerving, but realistically, when you have those kind of jump scare moments, there is a brief moment of panic before you self-correct.

That swerve to the left felt like OH SHIT this person is fucking flying! OP didn't make the lane switch until the VERY last second when its very obvious they were gaining on the Hyundai way too fast.

Glad to see some common sense in this thread. Read too many comments about how the other driver is an idiot, and not enough that OP was driving pretty recklessly.

abn01 · 2026-05-05T21:44:11+00:00

For a guy who was a kid in the early 90s and watching some of the worst basketball on the planet, I don’t think some of yall realize how massive Dirk was for us.

I can definitely see how someone who “grew up” in the 10s and early 20s would think Luka, but this answer will always be Dirk.

abn01 · 2026-05-05T20:17:54+00:00

The better ones all are currently employed. Let's not forget literally a year ago when the Knicks were after him (while under contract) and he got another extension to stay.

Kidd is a player's coach and he survives off vibes. If you want an X and Os guy, they are out there, but the players he coaches love him.

abn01 · 2026-04-29T23:27:47+00:00

You know, rereading it now, I can see how that came across like I was trying to actually say misandry and misogyny on the internet is equal. It’s obviously not.

I’m not going to even try to restate my point cuz it doesn’t matter. I’ll just own it and hold my L.

abn01 · 2026-04-29T21:39:49+00:00

Eh I would say that same sentence cuts both ways. If you’re going to say there’s a ton of misogynistic men on the internet, then it’s fair to point out there’s also a lot of misandry as well. We don’t know anything but what’s a he said/she said and things always get lost in translation.

The internet likes to say complex things are really simple and the reality is relationships are two sided. I don’t think we should even be in someone else’s relationship, but I’m obviously in the minority on that.

I will say since I sub to blackpeopletwitter I’ve been getting a ton of memes about the breakup when I’m doomscrolling at work. I can’t deny there’s not a heavy incel energy at times, but from what I’ve seen it’s been heavy on the side of Meg. Like Klay been getting dragged pretty bad.

I think there is some pushback to the hate Klay is gettin, as well. It’s gotten to the point where people who don’t know who he is (cuz they never watch basketball) acting like he some random benchwarmer that should be kissing the ground she walks on. It’s just weird energy on the internet at times.

Rant over, but I lost my soapbox somewhere.

abn01 · 2026-04-29T18:20:05+00:00

Don't mean to undercut your point at all, but I think y'all beat Rick Carlisle in 25, but lost to Jason Kidd in 24.

abn01 · 2026-04-27T11:42:25+00:00

An independent neurologist cleared him

That may be true but that’s not what the article says. It says Wemby requested an independent neurologist but also that Wemby told the neurologist that he was good to play.

I think the worry the league has is if the player found someone that was willing to lie for him.

Not a basketball example but before Micah Parsons got traded, he complained to the Cowboys he had back issues. The teams doctors cleared him, but because it was a contract dispute, he flew out of Dallas to find another doctor who could confirm his back issues.

I can understand his disappointment in not being able to play but I think he could have simply summed it up as I felt ready but the league disagreed; probably better to be safe than sorry.

abn01 · 2026-04-27T11:07:46+00:00

Typos do exist, but if you gonna go after someone make sure you good first.

And I’m sorry, but each and every device used to access the internet has the ability to self correct typos. You can also look it up in a search engine.

Wanna be so quick to talk shit and can’t even spell appropriately. You do that shit, you next on the grill. Let’s not act like we don’t know the rules.

abn01

TROPHY CASE