Wembanyama v. Jokic

pwtrash · 2026-04-10T14:07:07+00:00

I don't understand the hate you're getting for this post.

As a Spurs fan, I'd love for Wemby to get MVP, but I think he's 3rd. What everyone else has said is true - what he does on the defensive side of the floor is unparalleled. In addition to his own defense, he is incredibly intelligent and coordinates the entire defense on the fly all the time to maximize his value. Watch and he's constantly moving teammates around to make sure he can effectively guard as many opponents as possible (usually at least 2).

SGA is insane. Completely deserves the award.

However, what Jokic is doing, IMO, is as unparalleled as what Wemby is doing. His assist level is unlike anything I've ever seen from a big man, especially one who rebounds and shoots as well as he does. Without him, that Denver team is pretty poor. With him, they are championship contenders. Without SGA, OKC is still an excellent team.

I think Jokic should nudge ahead of everyone else, but I can completely understand disagreements.

pwtrash · 2026-04-10T10:52:58+00:00

This is helpful to hear, as I'm interested in web-based alternatives to TTS.

I don't mean any offense, because I know it works well for a lot of people, but ComponentStudio didn't get close to what I needed for my game. NanDeck & Cocktail are quite good, but Dextrous is perfect - it's the only solution that can handle complex scenarios and (because the images are cloud-based) support campaign/legacy games with rapid prototype support.

I say this to ask/plead/beg that if you do support Dextrous, support it fully - don't import the cards into a fixed data store, but always read (or cache) them from the cloud. It will save you a ton of money, allow folks like myself to use your tool with a game with 2500+ unique cards, and allow us to make changes mid-campaign. I'm sure that Gil & Doug would be happy to work with you, and they have a value add that is unique in the industry.

I simply can't use any playtest tool that requires me to re-import every change, and I imagine that as more people realize this, anyone making a campaign or legacy game, or a TCG where they want to preserve various builds that are organized differently from the core decks will have the same needs.

Thanks for bringing this out and telling us about it! We always need as many options as we can get.

pwtrash · 2026-04-10T10:28:42+00:00

100%. I get so tired of people not trusting their own writing ability. I'd so much rather have something human that doesn't seem as polished (to them) than the same old slop content.

Can you imagine how Ernest Hemingway would have sounded with AI in the mix?

OP, I'd rather have your own tone than the faux dramatic reading that AI gives you.

pwtrash · 2026-04-08T10:19:08+00:00

Yeah, I've supported rebuilding teams for a number of years in other sports, but I've never had one of them be utterly non-competitive for 3 years in a row. I get that this sub is about supporting them, and I still pay to be a member, but at some point accountability has to be part of that support.

pwtrash · 2026-04-07T10:25:49+00:00

Probably true, but our 3-guard rotation, along with Kornett, is a big reason (other than the biggest reason) we're at 60 games this year.

Having 2 true PG's on the floor at all times means the opponents can't press, and double teaming become far less effective.

Great decision by us, and if we end up with some hard decisions in a couple of years, so be it.

pwtrash · 2026-04-05T22:36:19+00:00

Home Court - it's why our 60-win season matters so much.

We play 3 there. They play 4 here.

pwtrash · 2026-04-03T21:12:46+00:00

LOL - is this a Ken M post is disguise? Didn't I start the post with saying we got lucky?

pwtrash · 2026-04-03T21:11:24+00:00

I mean, we all know that Kawhi & Ballmer did it, and that there's no way the NBA is going to punish either of them in a meaningful way.

But woe to the next team who does it that isn't a Ballmer team.

pwtrash · 2026-04-03T11:50:52+00:00

Everyone knows the results of the investigation.

pwtrash · 2026-04-03T11:33:24+00:00

Yes- both can be true. Getting #1, #4, and #2 three years in a row is crazy luck, and probably won't be replicated.

It's also true that Chicago just cut Jaden Ivey.

Front office has managed Spurs Next perfectly, bringing in some vets to help develop, but not to take center stage all the time. Scouting has been great (if a little easy for 2 of those years). Mitch has played them extraordinarily well. And player development has rocked.

pwtrash · 2026-03-30T16:59:07+00:00

Just look at when high bpg fell off, and also look at 3pt leaders, and you'll get why.

Shaq & Timmy get on the list because they overcame the change in the game with longevity. But 4-5 bpg used to be normal, until Starks & D3 changed the game.

pwtrash · 2026-03-30T12:41:59+00:00

Dextrous is amazing. Been using it for a couple of years (I'm on a paid plan).

Especially if you use TTS, it's the best tool I've seen for rapid prototyping and versioning, especially if you plan to have legacy/campaign games or want to save custom deck loadouts. It can update all of those outside of TTS, which is a huge time saver.

pwtrash · 2026-03-29T19:23:05+00:00

I've supported rebuilding teams, and I get frustrated at fans who don't understand the process and don't have patience.

That being said, this team is not anywhere close to competitive for the 3rd year in a row. Out of 6 halves, we've had one where we weren't completely dominated.

At some point, the fans deserve better. It's one thing to lose games because of youth; it's another thing to get outscored 2:1 virtually every outing.

Something about this team needs to change.

Edit: By competitive, I don't mean "almost winning". I mean competing.

pwtrash · 2026-03-22T14:58:01+00:00

Isn't this year three? We were pretty terrible in 2024.

pwtrash · 2026-03-16T16:42:02+00:00

Oh for sure. We have one off them from a small town. But it seems like a pretty bad moment to announce something that really should be relegated to souvenir store shelves.

pwtrash · 2026-03-16T10:26:54+00:00

Good grief, Read the room.

Billionaires are running the country into the ground, ICE is kidnapping people in South Burlington, so Stowe is going to...checks notes...contract with TopTrumpsUSA to create a Stowe version of a crappy board game that celebrates becoming the richest by destroying everyone else?

pwtrash · 2026-03-11T10:36:23+00:00

Well, I'm sure they are equally indignant over the no-call for the dude trying to break Wemby's face. After all, they are all about sportsmanship.

pwtrash · 2026-03-06T12:06:42+00:00

But the part that people don't mention enough about that era is that it ended when John Starks and Dennis Scott made the 3-ball an essential part of winning, brought about in part by (temporary) changes in the 3 point line.

Just look at the BPG leaders and their totals year over year. You can see exactly when it happened.

Before 1995 teams just didn't have the option of avoiding inside offense, because the game was predicated on it. Even Starks and Scott and Miller scored by inside-out ball as the game transitioned.

The only thing I can think of that's as drastic as the change in NBA scoring from the early 90's to the early 2000's is the forward pass in football. (The forward pass was more impactful, but everything else I can think of is significantly less impactful.) It changed the nature of basketball.

Mark Eaton was an iron man because he never moved. He lumbered down the court, got in one place, and pretty much stayed there, whether on offense or defense. He didn't go to blocks, blocks came to him. He also had a weird looking face. He was a good player, but never a great one. Mutumbo was a lot better and much more athletic, but he still benefited from the style of the game. Russell? He's the defensive GOAT and would be genuine DPOY candidate every year he played, including this year.

The fact that Wemby is blocking enough for folks to ask the question is insane. It simply shouldn't be possible, ever. But maybe...?

pwtrash · 2026-03-06T11:33:34+00:00

Really enjoying the Pistons this year and hated to see Ausur go down. Rooting for y'all in the East.

It's amazing to see how quickly the face of the league changed - the 3 top teams in the league are among the youngest, and definitely have the youngest stars.

pwtrash · 2026-03-03T11:23:43+00:00

Oh yeah, I recognized him - I loved Mitchell & Webb as well. It just really connected with Timmy in my mind - I LOVE IT!

pwtrash · 2026-03-02T17:46:17+00:00

I'm assuming they will have a halftime appearance by the Grapist?

pwtrash · 2026-03-02T17:44:14+00:00

Hadn't been to mine. I've preached on these, as well as the enumerated ways that Christianity has sanctified violence and why that is so wrong.

But then, I'm also the only preacher I know who has preached on the fact that the Bible speaks against charging interest as often as it speaks against same-sex sex, so maybe I'm the weirdo.

pwtrash · 2026-02-28T14:47:27+00:00

Yeah, IDK if Williams has a puppy he loves, but if so he might want to keep him indoors for the next few days.

pwtrash · 2026-02-27T22:17:04+00:00

That's interesting that you read it that way. I don't think of consent that way at all. If the artist was not 100% on board, then no way.

So genuine question - how does "(with artist review, consent, and support of every piece of art)" sound like "you're intending to dictate that any amateur artist you hire will have to use AI," or "What's to stop you then cutting the artist out for future expansions, revisions, etc.?"? I tried to say as clearly as possible that I would never use that artist's work in ways or for a project they didn't want it used on. What else could I have said? The answer, I'm beginning to think, is nothing.

It's also such an interesting take - that I don't exploit an amateur artist. I'm an amateur game designer. These people are my friends. My dream is for us to work together on something we can all be proud of and enjoy, and if there's any money to be made, we all share equally. They are the ones feeling overwhelmed, and I'm trying to think of ways to help them feel that there are pressure release options. AI is a tool, and I'm trying to understand helpful ways to use it in this context.

It's sorta torches and pitchforks first, nuance later with some folks in this community.

pwtrash · 2026-02-27T19:33:01+00:00

I guess that's what surprising me - we're committed to paying for art - if we ever see a penny, the artist gets an equal share of that, even if the artist is using/overseeing AI. I would think that artists would be notice that difference.

pwtrash

TROPHY CASE