Panel:
Woj: NBA, NBPA near agreement on plan to allow players to stay home without penalty
40 to 50 players have expressed concern about entering the Orlando bubble and how restrictive it’s gonna be
“This comes as a bit of a surprise because the Union thought they had the green light to go forward and negotiate. This caused everybody to kind of stop short. I don’t envy anybody in the NBA who has to solve all these problems. It’s probably going to get more complicated” – Windhorst
“You can’t knock a guy for not wanting to go and play and participate. The coronavirus has been overshadowed by the death of George Floyd and civil rights and the protests. But the coronavirus is still alive. But I love the way that the NBA and the Players Association are working hand-in-hand and trying to figure this thing out because it is a difficult situation in the difficult circumstance” – Perkins
“Once one or two guys on a team say they’re not going, it decreases that team’s chances of doing well even more. Then there’s less incentive for the other guys on the team not to go” – Nichols
“You’ve got coaches who are threatening lawsuits if they’re not allowed in. At the end of the day, what’s going to happen is this: the NBA is going to have to communicate and do the best that they possibly can to make sure that everybody feels safe and comfortable as possible and healthy and hope that that environment and what they set up is attractive enough to get the majority of players to come” – Windhorst
Joel Embiid: “I have something to prove” (Per NBA.com)
Has been working out six days a week during the pandemic
Full quote:
“I have something to prove, and I feel like whenever that opportunity comes, it’s going to be my time” – Joel Embiid
How seriously do you take Embiid and the Sixers?
“I take him very seriously. I don’t like the quiet Joel Embiid. When he speaks out, he usually backs it up. He’s big Philly. When he’s healthy, in shape and his mind is right, he’s arguably one of the best players in the NBA. It reminds me of a lot of Kevin Garnett” – Perkins
“Philadelphia is one of the biggest X-Factors in the entire restart. The Joel Embiid who played the 4th quarter of the All-Star Game is one of the most dominant players in the NBA. If he can recapture that, the sky is the limit for the Sixers” – Windhorst
1996 – Shawn Kemp dunking all over Dennis Rodman!
2006 – Dwyane Wade going all the way to the hole for the one-handed jam on the Mavs!
2009 – Kobe Bryant with the pretty no look pass to Pau Gasol who finishes it with the one-handed jam on the Magic!
LeBron forms voting rights group with other stars (Called: “More than a vote”)
“Once again, LeBron is coming to the front line. He pulled a lot of powerful, popular entertainers and athletes together to basically form his own White House. And he’s the leader with a congress. We can change the system by voting and getting the right people in an office in and the right leaders in America” – Perkins
“His political focus has been a little bit here and there over the years. This is him making a move and making a focus and using all of his ability and power to unite and focus things on a big issue coming up” – Windhorst
Expect NBA players to continue protests in Orlando?
Per NBA rules, you’re not allowed to kneel during the national anthem
While We Were Away
Narrated by: @yg_trece pic.twitter.com/2Tz8U0UI7F— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) June 8, 2020
The Color of Our Skin Impacts How We Experience the World & How the World Experiences Us.
This is A Call to White People.
Team Up for Change.
🤝 @Timberwolves X @MinnesotaLynx X SAYS ✊ pic.twitter.com/c2uR9CD0nw
— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) June 9, 2020
“I don’t know whether there’s going to be anthems in Orlando. Whatever the players want to do to make their voices heard, it’ll be supported” – Windhorst
“The protesters is gonna be at an all-time high as far as for all the players being together at once. They’ll come up with different ideas and different ways to protest. It’s gonna be even stronger. This is bigger than basketball” – Perkins
“The platform that these athletes are going to have in Orlando, there are going to be so many national TV eyeballs on them. I am really looking forward to seeing how they use that platform because the NBA as a whole has shown they are willing to do that” – Nichols
On this date in NBA History:
Buy MJ’s “Pizza food poisoning” story?
“Absolutely not. You cannot tell me that the sky’s green and the grass is blue and expect me to believe it” – Perkins
“The only thing I know is true is that he was sick, but I don’t know what made him sick” – Windhorst
Rockets GM Daryl Morey: “I’ve let James Harden down”
“No. Daryl Morey has been one of the best executives in basketball for the last ten or twelve years He has always backed up James Harden no matter what. and he’s just doing it again here” – Windhorst
“He has not let James Harden down. I love that he’s standing up for him. He’s done a great job with the Rockets” – Perkins
From yesterday’s show:
Legit!
— George Karl (@CoachKarl22) June 10, 2020
There are going to be surprises in Orlando! Teams like Denver and Miami will create waves and upsets since they are well coached and they play together.
— George Karl (@CoachKarl22) June 11, 2020