NBA OFF TOPIC THREAD

[bksballer89]

I agree he has to be suspended. But I bet he won’t be.

Right on queue. I hate this league lol

 

[Shanemansj13]

If he was not following unvaccinated protocols yes, and if the Packers allowed it a huge fine should happen.

Well he was at a press conference without a mask, that right there is against protocol

 

[WiggyRuss]

Lloyd on OBJ for those without TheAthletic:

We shouldn’t be surprised by now. This is how it starts with Odell and this is how it ends: a fireworks celebration that evolves into a house fire.

The party that ignited Cleveland the night the Browns traded for Odell Beckham Jr. has turned into arson. Beckham is burning his way out of here just like he did New York, taking down his quarterback and anyone else who dare stand in his way.

To be clear, I’ve been hard on Baker Mayfield this season. He hasn’t been very good and he’s been extremely ordinary now for most of his four years in the NFL. For whatever reason, he hasn’t done a very good job of finding Beckham within this offense. There is plenty of blame to go around.

That doesn’t excuse what happened this week or Beckham’s role in the dysfunction. Beckham was sent home before practice Wednesday after his father posted to social media an 11-minute clip of all the times Mayfield didn’t throw to him when he was open. Other sports stars such as LeBron James piled on in support of Beckham, and Browns executives, who tried for years to defend OBJ, finally had seen enough. Browns general manager Andrew Berry spent Wednesday talking to Beckham’s representatives, which typically can only mean one thing: How much money are you willing to give back to get out of here?

If Beckham’s father was acting on his own accord, Beckham could have distanced himself from the nonsense and perhaps salvaged the rest of the season here. He could’ve reached out to Mayfield to explain. That’s not what happened. Mayfield said Wednesday he hasn’t heard from Beckham since the video was posted.

Whispers of Beckham’s unhappiness in Cleveland can be traced back to his arrival and the “come get me” reports from his first year here when he was asking opposing players to get him out of Cleveland. No one would come get him before the trade deadline this week so Beckham passive-aggressively let his friends and family take the jackhammer and do the work for him.

If Beckham’s time in Cleveland is indeed over, he departs with 114 catches, 1,586 yards and seven touchdowns in 29 games. He leaves with numbers comparable to other Cleveland forgettables like Antonio Bryant and Travis Benjamin, hardly the class of player we expected when he arrived.

There is one thing Beckham and LeBron have in common: Both can be a headache for their teams. James’ moody temperament can make life miserable on his coaches and GMs, just as Beckham’s nonsense with watches and shoes and his behavior in the locker room following LSU’s national championship are unnecessary nuisances.

The difference, however, is LeBron always pays the check. Whatever tab he runs up from November to April, he pays it off in May and June.

When does Beckham ever pay the bill?

In three seasons with the Browns, Beckham had two standout performances: On the road against the Jets on a Monday night in Year 1 and last season at Dallas after Nick Chubb was injured. That’s it. He’s been rather anonymous in the other 27 games.

Drill as deep as you want, but you won’t find a magical metric that supports the idea Beckham is playing well this season. Nothing with his separation statistics or expected catch rates. The video by Beckham’s father is certainly incriminating on Mayfield, but Beckham has been a ghost for much of his time in Cleveland.

Beckham has been in the NFL for eight years now and has played a full season only twice. His name far exceeds his production — he has 16 touchdown catches in the last five years.

For now, it appears he’ll get what he wants. The Browns could be diabolical and make him inactive for the final two months, leaving him to rot until releasing him after the season. But Beckham would still take up room on the 53-man roster, so the Browns would only be hurting themselves. They could put him on injured reserve and leave him there with a shoulder or knee injury and the result would be the same.

I don’t like the idea of releasing him and giving him what he wants. I don’t like the message it sends to the rest of the locker room: “Hold your breath and stomp your feet long enough and you’ll get what you want.” However, they may be left with no other choice.

Kevin Stefanski, Paul DePodesta and Berry have tried hard to detox the Browns these last couple of years. This might be the necessary next step. If they indeed release him, he’ll clear waivers and be free to sign with the team of his choice. Meanwhile, he’s making Mayfield look like a sympathetic figure in Cleveland.

“I was probably just about as surprised as all of you were,” Mayfield said of the video. “I think a lot of this is frustration and tension that has built up because we are not playing how we should be, and we want to be better. We want to be better than .500, but that’s where we’re at right now, so it’s time to look in the mirror and handle those things internally because nothing on the outside is going to help us.

“It’s only going to create drama and that’s a fact.”

Drama is where Beckham resides. Always running up the bill, never paying the check.

 

[YourFriendGannon]

I have a feeling Aaron Rodgers or Kyrie, maybe both, will win a championship in 2022. Fortune is smiling on some of the heels in sports, i.e. Antonio Brown, a little much these days.

 

[DJ Fieri]

This is BS.

 

[DJ Fieri]

I may never eat again....unless I'm making it.

 

[DJ Fieri]

Turning the big 50 on Sunday.

Ugh.

 

[thunderc]

Turning the big 50 on Sunday.

Ugh.

That’s when I decided I was going to embrace every birthday I could get lol.

 

[DJ Fieri]

That’s when I decided I was going to embrace every birthday I could get lol.

How young are you?

 

[thunderc]

How young are you?

Almost 58

 

[DJ Fieri]

Almost 58

Wow. You're a senior citizen on the NBA boards.....up there with @ChiefsLakers67 and @trojanfan12.

 

[DJ Fieri]

It's why I drink and eat like I do.....never know how much more time you have.

 

[thunderc]

Wow. You're a senior citizen on the NBA boards.....up there with @ChiefsLakers67 and @trojanfan12.

I can still ball though

 

[DJ Fieri]

I can still ball though

Gonna be hoopin' it up with the wife's grandkids.....

Think we going to the Nashville zoo the week after we get back from Atlantic City.

 

[Heatles84]

Right on queue. I hate this league lol

The NFL is just like the NBA or any other league. When it comes to players that boost the ratings, they'll allow some players to skirt by certain rules, or have leaner punishments.

This is not surprising in the least. This is groundbreaking news, but Aaron Rodgers brings ratings.

 

[trojanfan12]

The NFL is just like the NBA or any other league. When it comes to players that boost the ratings, they'll allow some players to skirt by certain rules, or have leaner punishments.

This is not surprising in the least. This is groundbreaking news, but Aaron Rodgers brings ratings.

It's the NFL, they likely won't address it again. But no doubt if they were truly pressed on it, there's some kind of fine print, lawyer speak, double talk provision that sort of looks like an almost reasonable answer for why it's not a violation that they can roll out there. lol

 

[Wamu]

Turning the big 50 on Sunday.

Ugh.

Ya old mutha fucker! And there's no reason to bring up I'll be 50 next year.

 

[Wamu]

Wow. You're a senior citizen on the NBA boards.....up there with @ChiefsLakers67 and @trojanfan12.

@ChiefsLakers67 is A LOT older than 58. He remembers Babe Ruth pitching for the Red Sox.

 

[Black Adam]

@ChiefsLakers67 is A LOT older than 58. He remembers Babe Ruth pitching for the Red Sox.

 

[bksballer89]