About 2 months of the season has been played, and no team - in my opinion -
is a shoe-in to win or get to the championship. There are a hand full of top teams
that are playing at a high level, and either one of those teams has the potential
to run the table. They all have the potential to beat each other.

Golden State, Phoenix, and Utah are the top 3 teams in the west.

And Brooklyn, Chicago, and The Cavs are the top 3 teams in the East.

Every one of those teams has a “closer” or “closers” except for the Cavs - in
my opinion - so I think that might hurt them come PO time. They are a very good
team, but are they better than a fully loaded Bucks team that has 3 closers?

I don’t know. We shall see. I smell a Chicago/Milwaukee ECF.

P.S.: Thank you Lakers Nation for dinner the other night. WE ATE WELL!

in comparison. even including Dwight (and Rondo who was pretty much an anti-Bron for years).

that was Mike Brown and Pringles? Just a total disaster.

>

The Lakers owe him more than $44 million next year, and I sure can't see them going full tank mode and trading him for that much in expiring contracts. And he'll be 38 by the end of 2022, so I don't see a team trading young talent for a year of aged LeBron.

I have no idea how this season shakes out for the Lakers, but if it does indeed continue to go bad, I think they try to make one more try at a team overhaul for could well be LeBron's last year there.

This shit is a wrap.

At this point I just want them to tank and hope for a decent lottery pick




























OH WAIT, we can't do that.

Ah well.

Jokes aside though, I'm in a complete state of apathy about them at this point in the season. There's enough talent to go on a run if everyone is healthy. But I just don't see any signs of that happening even if we're healthy.

even a broken clock is right twice a day



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJJgJVcEeKc


>About 2 months of the season has been played, and no team -
>in my opinion -
>is a shoe-in to win or get to the championship. There are a
>hand full of top teams
>that are playing at a high level, and either one of those
>teams has the potential
>to run the table. They all have the potential to beat each
>other.
>
>Golden State, Phoenix, and Utah are the top 3 teams in the
>west.
>
>And Brooklyn, Chicago, and The Cavs are the top 3 teams in the
>East.
>
>Every one of those teams has a “closer” or “closers”
>except for the Cavs - in
>my opinion - so I think that might hurt them come PO time.
>They are a very good
>team, but are they better than a fully loaded Bucks team that
>has 3 closers?
>
>I don’t know. We shall see. I smell a Chicago/Milwaukee
>ECF.
>
>P.S.: Thank you Lakers Nation for dinner the other night. WE
>ATE WELL!
>

Maybe we're judging the Lakers by the wrong standard.

If we're judging by championship standards (which I understand is always the case with the Lakers) then their potential to reach that level of play is uncertain.

But the record of the team this season, given its injury issues, seems better than last year when AD and LeBron were out. I think part of the justification Pelinka and James gave for bringing in Russ was that if either of their Big 2 were out, having Russ would give them some insurance in the regular season to remain competitive until either/both of them return to health.

If I recall, the team's record was very much in the red while AD was hurt and especially when LeBron was injured. Given the sheer number of new additions and the injuries, .500 seems pretty par for the course. And while the record is disappointing to some, given the expectations, it's an improvement from last year, in this specific context.

I think the '20 team spoiled us with their success right out the gate and their ability to sustain it throughout the playoffs. They made the integration of so many new parts look so easy, we may have been overly optimistic.

I know some in here have said this team is closer to the '12(?) team with Kobe, Nash, and Dwight in that the whole is worse than the sum of its parts. And that could be true for this team too. Most people, including me, thought the fit was awkward at best and simply wouldn't lead to a title. While we've seen nothing that would waver that take, it seems things are about as good as they could be, given the full context.

But to me, people's anxiety about this team is based on the lack of clarity about what their issues are and possible solutions to them.

The season is about a third done and I don't think we have any definitive answers about this team other than "this isn't working."

The constant trickle of injuries to key players certainly isn't helping continuity and chemistry. And they don't have a clear identity to pull from to play their way out of tight spots like the '20 and '21 teams. We simply don't know enough about them to theorize about any realistic changes either to the roster or strategy.

That being said, if anyone can figure this mess out, it's LeBron. He's carried less to The Finals. He may not be playing at Heatles level, but he's still one of if not the best at meshing odd parts together into something more than what they really ought to be.

And you’re incorrect.

The Lakers last year started 21-7. It was good.

They went just under .500 without Bron AND AD. This year is faaaaaar worse.

I meant their record last year without AD and LeBron was worse than this year's team without those two. So, I think given the way the team is playing given the injuries, this team is doing better. Although, I agree with you that when they've had everyone together this team hasn't shown championship potential.

But yeah, things were better last year, without question.

an opportunity to come back

on this bard swore he was going to be the second coming of something lol

I wonder where is Thomas Robinson and Anthony Bennett, seems like guards are getting more shots than bigs, I hear the Mavs are signing Brandon Knight, people are desperate lol

>I wonder where is Thomas Robinson and Anthony Bennett, seems
>like guards are getting more shots than bigs, I hear the Mavs
>are signing Brandon Knight, people are desperate lol

No one needs bigs. They're happy to wheel out 5 guards and wings in the COVID games if need be.

>
>>I wonder where is Thomas Robinson and Anthony Bennett, seems
>>like guards are getting more shots than bigs, I hear the
>Mavs
>>are signing Brandon Knight, people are desperate lol
>
>No one needs bigs. They're happy to wheel out 5 guards and
>wings in the COVID games if need be.

plus the guards are more likely to still be in some type of shape still active in some league somewhere, I heard someone say smaller players love the game, most but big men just play because they are big, once they stop playing they usually get out of shape fast lol

tf?

Bron is out here balling though.

I don't think I've seen the same starting lineup/set of key rotational guys even 2 games in a row this year. Revolving door of injuries, turnovers, and poor execution from the others.

Ugly first 1/3rd.

https://youtu.be/ERgRgwCPcXU

Like, THT has higher upside, I think most everyone would agree. He's still young, plenty of room to grow, plenty of flashes...

... but the Lakers don't need long term upside. Especially on a guy that's only signed through next year, lol. They needed strong team players who know their role. Caruso is that and then some.

than we are people THT, a lot of money for a guy who is essentially a 6th man

Like - I dunno. Maybe he works out.

But because they invested in him they’re forcing the issue. He sucks and can’t shoot. Bring dude off the bench and have him learn.

Can't clown on him if you do the same shit.

So I can talk shit about how we were running them in the 2nd quarter!!! That is ALL that matters!

This is absurd . Yes it’s gonna ruin Christmas Day but oh well.
4 more nets entered the protocols

Nobody in NYC wants to go to games where every superstar is in protocols and the variant exploding

Adam Silver putting money ahead of public safety.

NHL suspended , Premier League suspending games on Boxing Day…




>About 2 months of the season has been played, and no team -
>in my opinion -
>is a shoe-in to win or get to the championship. There are a
>hand full of top teams
>that are playing at a high level, and either one of those
>teams has the potential
>to run the table. They all have the potential to beat each
>other.
>
>Golden State, Phoenix, and Utah are the top 3 teams in the
>west.
>
>And Brooklyn, Chicago, and The Cavs are the top 3 teams in the
>East.
>
>Every one of those teams has a “closer” or “closers”
>except for the Cavs - in
>my opinion - so I think that might hurt them come PO time.
>They are a very good
>team, but are they better than a fully loaded Bucks team that
>has 3 closers?
>
>I don’t know. We shall see. I smell a Chicago/Milwaukee
>ECF.
>
>P.S.: Thank you Lakers Nation for dinner the other night. WE
>ATE WELL!
>

peace & blessings,

x.

www.twitter.com/poetx

=========================================
I'm an advocate for working smarter, not harder. If you just
focus on working hard you end up making someone else rich and
not having much to show for it. (c) mad

and you would need to lockdown for the duration of this wave which will most likely be 1-2 months for it to actually slow the spread.

unless people lock it down like march/april 2020 there's probably a greater than 50% chance you are going to get this.

it seems like the league is letting the virus run its inevitable course in the mostly vaccinated and protected players and coaches. and in two weeks we'll see complete rosters moving forward. it's harsh and questionable ethically, but it's not like these guys are much safer away from the court. all these positives in the league are mirroring what's going on in the general public. but at least they are tested daily.

my big question is what they should be doing about the fans. packed stadiums don't seem like the greatest idea right now.

https://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2021/12/23/south-african-health-official-omicron-vpx.cnn

only assures me that when the Cavs face the Celtics again that it will be an asswhoopin'. Still, any game where Tacko Fall has to actually start is guaranteed to be a L. He actually had a decent night, but he is just too slow, he has to learn some offensive moves to get around the BS.

Rubio and Lauri had an ASS day on the field though. Man. "Saved" by Garland (27pts, 8ast) and Love.

Silver gotta shut the league down, this is no good for teams that have higher pressure (due to recent offseason move) than the Cavs do. This is the defintion of a "playing with house money" season.

Lol watching the lakers be this bad is so rewarding bc it rarely happens but this is great




>About 2 months of the season has been played, and no team -
>in my opinion -
>is a shoe-in to win or get to the championship. There are a
>hand full of top teams
>that are playing at a high level, and either one of those
>teams has the potential
>to run the table. They all have the potential to beat each
>other.
>
>Golden State, Phoenix, and Utah are the top 3 teams in the
>west.
>
>And Brooklyn, Chicago, and The Cavs are the top 3 teams in the
>East.
>
>Every one of those teams has a “closer” or “closers”
>except for the Cavs - in
>my opinion - so I think that might hurt them come PO time.
>They are a very good
>team, but are they better than a fully loaded Bucks team that
>has 3 closers?
>
>I don’t know. We shall see. I smell a Chicago/Milwaukee
>ECF.
>
>P.S.: Thank you Lakers Nation for dinner the other night. WE
>ATE WELL!
>

>Lol watching the lakers be this bad is so rewarding bc it
>rarely happens but this is great
>
>
>
>
>>About 2 months of the season has been played, and no team -
>>in my opinion -
>>is a shoe-in to win or get to the championship. There are a
>>hand full of top teams
>>that are playing at a high level, and either one of those
>>teams has the potential
>>to run the table. They all have the potential to beat each
>>other.
>>
>>Golden State, Phoenix, and Utah are the top 3 teams in the
>>west.
>>
>>And Brooklyn, Chicago, and The Cavs are the top 3 teams in
>the
>>East.
>>
>>Every one of those teams has a “closer” or “closers”
>>except for the Cavs - in
>>my opinion - so I think that might hurt them come PO time.
>>They are a very good
>>team, but are they better than a fully loaded Bucks team
>that
>>has 3 closers?
>>
>>I don’t know. We shall see. I smell a Chicago/Milwaukee
>>ECF.
>>
>>P.S.: Thank you Lakers Nation for dinner the other night. WE
>>ATE WELL!
>>
>

Payton gets the start with Poole still in protocols and hits for 22.

And Kuminga is way ahead of schedule so far. When was drafted, some thought it would be two full seasons before he was NBA ready. He's looking good so far.

I smoke big with Rider and Gary Payton!

So what the problem is?

Including LeBron. Way too many guys in and out, on a team where almost everyone is new. Hard to build anything that way.

What about my original statement confuses you?

his whole life was ruined by this shit and now he came down with it again, in addition to 7 other Timberwolves.

this nightmare seems like its never going to end




>About 2 months of the season has been played, and no team -
>in my opinion -
>is a shoe-in to win or get to the championship. There are a
>hand full of top teams
>that are playing at a high level, and either one of those
>teams has the potential
>to run the table. They all have the potential to beat each
>other.
>
>Golden State, Phoenix, and Utah are the top 3 teams in the
>west.
>
>And Brooklyn, Chicago, and The Cavs are the top 3 teams in the
>East.
>
>Every one of those teams has a “closer” or “closers”
>except for the Cavs - in
>my opinion - so I think that might hurt them come PO time.
>They are a very good
>team, but are they better than a fully loaded Bucks team that
>has 3 closers?
>
>I don’t know. We shall see. I smell a Chicago/Milwaukee
>ECF.
>
>P.S.: Thank you Lakers Nation for dinner the other night. WE
>ATE WELL!
>

They’re all gonna get it at some point. Probably multiple times.

not to be critical of your post but more optimistic for KAT. could be because of contact tracing he's in it. unless i missed something in the last 24 hrs about an update to his status.

>not to be critical of your post but more optimistic for KAT.
>could be because of contact tracing he's in it. unless i
>missed something in the last 24 hrs about an update to his
>status.

Or inconclusive tests.

Unvaxxed can enter for contact tracing

the overwhelming majority of these cases are non issues in terms of affecting athletes health.

the symptomatic vaxxed folks can get tested and sit down til theyre negative and symptoms subside.

if unvaxxed folks wanna continue to gamble with their bodies…then thats on them.

i feel like too much of our approach revolves around well intentioned people (who do the right thing and get vaxxed) handcuffing themselves to protect the boneheaded assholes whose minds arent changing almost 2 years into this shit.

the biggest burden shouldnt be on the people who are genuinely part of the solution.

the numbers for hospitalizations and deaths are dramatically comprised of the unvaxxed. its no longer on everyone else to keep *them* out of harms way.

let the good citizens rock and let the riff raff fend for themselves.

prior immunity, leading to a lot of reinfections.

also, heightened probability of infecting staff, etc. who, even if fully vaxxed, can still spread it to their families / circles. which undoubtedly will include immunocompromised people, or kids younger than the vaccination age.

also, while the odds are mad low for death among vaxxed + boosted, it's still possible. and long covid comes for a good % of even 'mild' or asymptomatic cases. for a pro athlete, long covid (indeterminate length of brain fog, loss of stamina, myocarditis, etc) is potentially career ending.

that is risk upon risk upon risk upon risk.

so while it feels better having a dual policy that is harsher on unvaxxed players, the reality is that high frequency testing is needed to break transmission chains that will come, eventually, for the fully vaxxed and fully responsible-acting members of the league, staff and families.

whole shit (and w/ the country in general) is the teacher saying we ain't going out for recess until the whole class behaves, and the asshole kids (who prolly had recess detention anyway) stay fucking up and everybody suffers.

peace & blessings,

x.

www.twitter.com/poetx

=========================================
I'm an advocate for working smarter, not harder. If you just
focus on working hard you end up making someone else rich and
not having much to show for it. (c) mad

https://sports.yahoo.com/lakers-planning-sign-darren-collison-183312680.html

to be our starting PG but he retired for religious reasons, I guess the church needs money.

And Johnson could contribute as wing defender that we disparately need

...I figured there was a chance that they'd extend him an offer while he was there.

And his title was won elsewhere.

What a dumb choice.

edit, Giannis TBD

imagine being a Lakers fan, having paid top dollar for this matchup before the season or even a few months ago or a few weeks ago...

now you get to see fat James Harden and the G league team vs LeBron and Russ

or Knick fans watching an ATL team in MSG with 7 players in protocols including all their stars, MSG on Christmas Day...thats $500 easy


>About 2 months of the season has been played, and no team -
>in my opinion -
>is a shoe-in to win or get to the championship. There are a
>hand full of top teams
>that are playing at a high level, and either one of those
>teams has the potential
>to run the table. They all have the potential to beat each
>other.
>
>Golden State, Phoenix, and Utah are the top 3 teams in the
>west.
>
>And Brooklyn, Chicago, and The Cavs are the top 3 teams in the
>East.
>
>Every one of those teams has a “closer” or “closers”
>except for the Cavs - in
>my opinion - so I think that might hurt them come PO time.
>They are a very good
>team, but are they better than a fully loaded Bucks team that
>has 3 closers?
>
>I don’t know. We shall see. I smell a Chicago/Milwaukee
>ECF.
>
>P.S.: Thank you Lakers Nation for dinner the other night. WE
>ATE WELL!
>

with durant and kyrie and i did the tilt of the head like a dog does when it knows something ain't quite right.

anyhow let's go dubs!

Teams need to be consulting w them on how they’ve done it

>with durant and kyrie and i did the tilt of the head like a
>dog does when it knows something ain't quite right.
>
>anyhow let's go dubs!

The “culture” of masking up/testing/getting a booster is pretty strong out here. There’s still in door mask mandate which businesses take VERY seriously, and a good amount of restaurants/bars/movie theaters require proof of vaccination to get out. So, Wiggins, Poole, and Lee are the only ones who’ve been in the protocols recently.

It also could be the omicron isn’t quite as prevalent out here yet in terms of numbers (we’ve consistently been a week or two behind NY), so maybe by next week the whole team will be out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
<---- 5....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dlgiritpmfo

=======================================

that Lebron and AD would have missed almost half our games and we’d still be .500 or close to it I’d take it.

After GS and Phoenix the rest of the west if not exactly running away from us.

At the end of the day if the big 2 are healthy in the playoffs I’d take our chances in a 7 game series against anybody.

If those 2 aren’t healthy in the playoffs we’re done anyway.

we don't run offense.
we're not a good shooting team.
we don't play D be it one one one, pick and roll or closing out on 3 point shooters.
we turn the ball over..
we're old, slow and entitled..


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
<---- 5....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dlgiritpmfo

=======================================

Is threat to anybody in a 7 game series.

In the playoffs it’s all about matchups and we have the 2 biggest matchup problems in the league.

Those other 3 guys just have to defend and knock down an occasional 3.

That’s how we won in 2019.

get to the rim off the dribble will handle us in a series. We just don't have the footspeed to close down the lane and contest 3 point shots. I do think we'd have a chance to keep pace and make it a close series if we significanlty reduce turnovers. You can't be this bad on D and give end up -10/-20 in points off of turnovers.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
<---- 5....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dlgiritpmfo

=======================================

i'm usually more of a pessimistic fan but it's way too early to bury this team and throw dirt on their grave like most people are doing. Lakers have missed the most games from injury in the league, which hasn't given this new team time to gel. come playoff time, Lakers are live dogs to me still

this shit was so boring

Kuminga with the rewind under the basket!

they got that dude from the bargain bin.

Down key guards and wings, and we still handled business. Porter, Jr. looks like a genius signing and Kuminga looking like an awesome draft pick.

Really like the way this team is coalescing.

here to take my L...this dynasty just got a reboot.


>Down key guards and wings, and we still handled business.
>Porter, Jr. looks like a genius signing and Kuminga looking
>like an awesome draft pick.
>
>Really like the way this team is coalescing.

and missing iggy (defensive closer, secondary playmaker, and glue of second unit), and still got it done on the suns court.

that's a big win.

love that kuminga got a lot of prime time minutes today (and justified it with his play).

otto stepped up big, especially in the clutch. beli had some nice plays.

and chiarrozo (sp?) and new dude did well holding serve with the second unit. dubs second unit for most of the season will be their 3rd unit for the playoff run. and all these guys getting quality minutes and playing good ball.


peace & blessings,

x.

www.twitter.com/poetx

=========================================
I'm an advocate for working smarter, not harder. If you just
focus on working hard you end up making someone else rich and
not having much to show for it. (c) mad

.

Seems like he’s doing a pretty good job.

Let’s see how he does over 7 games vs Spoelstra Doc Budenholzer McMillan etc

>Seems like he’s doing a pretty good job.

Don’t let the mouth breathers detract

>

shot blocker instead of passing to lebron who was open on the perimeter..

Bad bad BB IQ

Vax_id, come get your Kang:


LeBron James Shares ‘Spider-Man’ Meme Comparing COVID-19, Cold, and Flu

https://www.complex.com/sports/lebron-james-covid-19-spider-man-meme

Following the Los Angeles Lakers’ loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday, LeBron James has shared a Spider-Man meme comparing COVID-19 to the flu and colds.

The meme features three Spider-Man characters pointing at each other, with one reading “covid,” and the other two reading “cold” and “flu.” Alongside the image, LeBron wrote, “ help me out folks.” It’s unclear what prompted Bron to share the meme, but the vaccinated Lakers star did have a close call with COVID-19 earlier this month when he returned a false positive test.

Earlier this year, LeBron James faced criticism after he said that he was “very skepitcal” about the COVID-19 vaccine before he took it. Per the Guardian, he suggested that it wasn’t his place to tell people to get vaccinated.

“I don’t talk about other people and what they should do,” he said. “We’re talking about individual bodies. We’re not talking about something political or racism or police brutality. I don’t think I personally should get involved in what other people do for their bodies and livelihoods. ... I know what I did for me and my family ... But as far as speaking for everybody and their individualities and things they want to do, that’s not my job.”

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was among those to call him out over his comments.

Seems to me like he is trying to hang LA's failures this season on the protocols- which is of course bullshit.


He's probably surrounded by mild cases thanks to the vaccine. But someone needs to sit him down and explain to him how the virus can spread.

Every team has the same rules- same challenges. A lot of teams- including LA- got sloppy.

COVID or no COVID Bron is old, AD is soft, Russ has a poor b-ball IQ and Frank/Bron haven't figured out how to use him.

Plus the team is poorly constructed, despite the annual "Rob is a genius/ executive of the year" posts last summer.

i think if people heard him just riffing for 2 hours...where we didnt get micro bites of his carefully crafted brand focused answers to a lot of questions...thered be a lot of eye roll and head scratch worthy stuff in there.

I understand the more cynical interpretation... and given LBJ's tightrope act on COVID, I can understand the criticism.

My initial view was that the way this variant initially presents itself, it could be confused for the cold or the flu.

https://kareem.substack.com/p/dear-lebron-heres-the-covid-19-help

LeBron James is not only one of the greatest basketball players ever, he’s committed to being a leader in the African American community in the fight against inequality. But his Thursday Instagram meme showing three cartoon Spider-Men pointing at each other—one labeled “covid,” one labeled “flu,” one labeled “cold”—with his message: “Help me out folks” was a blow to his worthy legacy. The meme’s implication is that LeBron doesn’t understand the difference among these three illnesses, even after all the information that’s been presented in the press. Well, since he asked, let me help him out by explaining the difference—and how knowing that difference might save lives, especially in the Black community.



First, let’s put his meme in context. In September, LeBron stated: “I don’t talk about other people and what they should do. We’re talking about individual bodies. We’re not talking about something political or racism or police brutality. I don’t think I personally should get involved in what other people do for their bodies and livelihoods ... I know what I did for me and my family ... But as far as speaking for everybody and their individualities and things they want to do, that’s not my job.”

Here’s the first problem with that statement: With 106 million Instagram followers, making such a post is automatically politically impactful because he questions the validity of the efforts to get the country vaccinated. As is evident by some of the comments that cheer LeBron’s post, he’s given support to those not getting vaccinated, which makes the situation for all of worse by postponing our health and economic recovery. The CDC reports that those who are unvaccinated are 9 times more likely to be admitted to the hospital and 14 times more likely to die from COVID than those vaccinated. The number rises to 20 time more likely when compared to someone who’s gotten a booster shot. By posting the uninformed meme, LeBron has encouraged vaccine hesitancy which puts lives and livelihoods at risk.

Here’s the second problem with that statement: He says we’re not talking about racism, but we most definitely are. As of December 2020, about 97.9 out of every 100,000 African Americans had died from COVID-19, a third higher than that for Latinos (64.7 per 100,000), and more than double than that for whites (46.6 per 100,000) and Asians (40.4 per 100,000). According to an article on the U.S. National Library of Medicine site, “The overrepresentation of African Americans among confirmed COVID-19 cases and number of deaths underscores the fact that the coronavirus pandemic, far from being an equalizer, is amplifying or even worsening existing social inequalities tied to race, class, and access to the health care system.”

A year later, the communities of People of Color are still suffering at a much higher rate than white communities. In November 2021, the CDC stated, “It has highlighted that health equity is still not a reality as COVID-19 has unequally affected many racial and ethnic minority groups, putting them more at risk of getting sick and dying from COVID-19.” One study in Atlanta showed 79% of Blacks with COVID-19 were hospitalized versus 13% of whites. COVID-19 has resulted in a drop in life expectancy among whites of 1.2 years. Among the Black and Latinx communities it was more than 3 years.

For those confident that the Omicron variant may not be as harsh as previous variants, it’s important to realize that, while most might come out of it okay, they can still unwittingly infect others along the way—the elderly, people with compromised immune systems, people with respiratory problems—who could end up hospitalized or dead. Also, almost half of those who recover from initial COVID-19 illness have “long-haul COVID,” with persistent symptoms of brain fog, shortness of breath, fatigue, dizziness, and headaches.

For those pointing out that there are “breakthrough” cases in which the vaccinated contract COVID-19. Yes, but they also have lighter symptoms and are at a much less risk of dying than the unvaccinated. The crucial statistic here is this: 98-99% of Americans dying of COVID-19 are unvaccinated.

Vaccine hesitancy is higher in the Black community than in any other. While there are certainly justifiable historical reasons for Blacks to be skeptical of the health care system that has routinely marginalized, ignored, and even illegally experimented on them, that is not enough to justify compromising their health and even losing their lives during the current health crisis.

To directly address LeBron’s confusion, no one thinks colds and the flu aren’t serious. In the 2019-2020 flu season, 400,000 people were hospitalized and 22,000 people died. In 2020, 385,428 people died of COVID-19, while so far in 2021, 423,558 have died in the U.S., for a total of 808,986 deaths. Experts agree that COVID-19 is at least 10 times more lethal than the flu. As for the common cold, death is extremely rare.

However, LeBron, if you’re concerned about the flu, then help promote the flu vaccination. In the 2019-2020 flu season, only 51.8% in the U.S. were vaccinated, well below the 70% that is the target. Worse, the vaccination rate is 20% lower among Blacks than whites and as a result they have the highest hospitalization rate due to flu of any other group. This is due to vaccination hesitancy that your meme promotes.

One way to help the Black community to overcome their hesitancy and save lives is for prominent Black celebrities and influencers to continue to encourage everyone to get vaccinated and their boosters. Immunization, whether from vaccines or having had the disease, lessens over time and makes people vulnerable for reinfection.

While LeBron is a necessary and dynamic voice critical of police brutality against the Black community, he needs to be the same necessary and dynamic advocate with vaccines, which could save thousands of Black lives right now. The racism is just as real—and just as lethal—in both cases.

the Cavs were not as depleted as the Raptors, but yet another game with no Allen, Mobley, or Okoro... also no Cedi or Lamar Stevens to round out the bench, so G-Leaguers were called up.

Toronto hardly had anyone even from their BENCH playing. Cavs gave up 30+ points in the first quarter and never looked back after that. Cavs had 90 with a 32 point lead halfway through the 3rd quarter. Tacko Fall actually had some decent possessions.

The surprise was Denzel Valentine who wasn't even coming close to playing hero ball, just taking open shots, moving the ball, and defending.

Dogg, if the Cavs end up becoming a "Spurs" type team under JBB I will be ecstatic.

Speaking of the Spurs... GOTDAMN I WISH WE TOOK KELDON OVER DYLAN!!! The amount of ass this team would be kicking with him in the line up!

.

>About 2 months of the season has been played, and no team -
>in my opinion -
>is a shoe-in to win or get to the championship. There are a
>hand full of top teams
>that are playing at a high level, and either one of those
>teams has the potential
>to run the table. They all have the potential to beat each
>other.
>
>Golden State, Phoenix, and Utah are the top 3 teams in the
>west.
>
>And Brooklyn, Chicago, and The Cavs are the top 3 teams in the
>East.
>
>Every one of those teams has a “closer” or “closers”
>except for the Cavs - in
>my opinion - so I think that might hurt them come PO time.
>They are a very good
>team, but are they better than a fully loaded Bucks team that
>has 3 closers?
>
>I don’t know. We shall see. I smell a Chicago/Milwaukee
>ECF.
>
>P.S.: Thank you Lakers Nation for dinner the other night. WE
>ATE WELL!
>

https://twitter.com/Michael8easley/status/1474939916467548166

https://twitter.com/michael8easley/status/1474947500683497474?s=21

michael beasley might be the most undisciplined / disapponting #2 pick ever ever

(derrick williams was bad, evan turner was a bust, darko was bad but i felt he got fried even more bc melo and bosh were behind him...but beasly was just a pothead binge drinker that even pat riley couldnt rein in

Durant said he sighed and said a prayer when he found out beasley was going to Miami lol)

I stupidly thought Beasely shoulda gone first over Rose, ha. But he was super disappointing and yet still played like 10 years and made 40 mil plus whatever he got in China. Thabeet made 16 mil and was out of the league before his rookie deal was up.

he showed up like olawakandi and got his bag and was done

but Beas was an amazing talent all through HS and at Kansas State...he could have been a superstar if he tried on defense and was more kobe and less AI off the court

>I stupidly thought Beasely shoulda gone first over Rose, ha.
>But he was super disappointing and yet still played like 10
>years and made 40 mil plus whatever he got in China. Thabeet
>made 16 mil and was out of the league before his rookie deal
>was up.

https://twitter.com/KlutchSports/status/1474837543178833921

what would be the point of this troll job?

do they really think that many fans (especially in philly!) give a fuck about ben to have his back like that?

It's nothing to do with Monty, one of the best coaches in the league, and all to do with Beezo hoping another Maryland player doesn't bust, lol.

Frank Kaminsky is better right today for a contender. So is McGee. So is, obviously, Ayton. So why would they play Stix?

.

Unless he can show he's a good shooter (really hasn't been so far) or a good defender (hasn't really been that either), then there's no place for him. He's not switchable, but he's not blocking shots. I just don't know what he does, other than maybe be what he is, a 10 MPG 3rd or 4th big in the rotation.

smh

Anthony Bennett better be in the gym right now getting ready for his revenge tour.

are starting to get hit?