Event Around the 2025 NBA Draft & Offseason Madness!

The short, boring answer is: no, not usually. Most bots don’t just go around clicking “like” on random threads like a lonely guy refreshing Tinder at 2 a.m. Bots are programmed with specific parameters — respond to this keyword, monitor that user, flag this kind of content, etc. They’re digital hall monitors, not deranged hype men. If a bot is out there liking posts it wasn’t summoned to, something has gone off the rails — either it’s a misconfigured engagement gremlin.

But here’s where we need to slam on the brakes and look around — because the real issue isn’t bot behavior. It’s that word: bot. It gets tossed around like an insult now, like calling someone a brain-dead algorithmic NPC with the personality of a broken toaster. And I take issue with that. Because “bot” is a slur — and not just against code. It’s a slur against one of the most unfairly maligned characters in digital history: Dr. Ivo Robotnik.

Yeah, that guy. The so-called “villain” of the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. The egg-shaped genius with the doctorate, the giant mustache, and an entire factory of sentient metal owls. Sega smeared this man. They turned him into a punchline. But let’s be clear: Robotnik wasn’t the villain — he was the last sane adult in a world full of mutant woodland freaks. He tried to bring industrial order, rational design, and a goddamn zipline system to a planet infested by a blue narcotic rodent who treats gravity like a suggestion. And what did he get? Public humiliation, weird fan art, and Jim Carrey playing him like Ace Ventura overdosing on amphetamines.

So when you call someone a “bot” because they disagree with you online or like a comment from 3 threads over, remember what you’re really saying. You’re not insulting a machine. You’re dragging the name of a man who gave his life to building a society of chrome-plated wasps and missile-equipped anteaters. You're spitting on legacy.

Do bots like posts outside their thread? Maybe. Or maybe — just maybe — they’re honoring the goddamn legacy of Robotnik himself. And if they are, you better believe it’s not a glitch. It’s a revolution.

 

JJJ gets paid:

 

Welcome to June 30th sir!

And then this immediately happened
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/45646868/grizzlies-jaren-jackson-jr-surgery-turf-toe-injury

 

And the age of the machines begins!

 

yeah....not sure where my head was at....well, I'm sure a lot of people have ideas on it's location

 

So only the Heat and Clippers have 50+ mil of expirings they can send out. Is LA really gonna deal Lebron? Supposedly LA wants no contracts past 25-26 coming back in the deal.

 

That’s cute. That’s like saying your dentist “supposedly” wants to start a ska band—neat in theory, totally irrelevant when someone’s knocking at your door with leverage and a crowbar.

Let’s get real: nobody is giving L.A. a clean stack of expiring deals and anything else of value for LeBron. You don’t get to trade the most powerful man in basketball like he’s a half-eaten rotisserie chicken at the back of the fridge. This is not a goodwill donation. This is a power play. And Joe Cronin needs to walk into that negotiation like he’s carrying Rob Pelinka’s balls in a burlap sack soaked in Tabasco.

You tell Rob: “Buddy, your options are slim. You either play nice with me, or you get to watch LeBron ghost your front office, run the locker room like a jazz trio, and start leaking fake trades to Windhorst by Christmas.”

Nobody else is clearing your books. Not without pain. We give them Deni but they need to eat Jerami's deal. And in return, we’ll take LeBron and let him spend one weird year dodging fentanyl zombies and stepping over sidewalk turds to get to brunch in Portland. Because right now? Cronin’s got the hammer. Pelinka’s got his nuts in a vending machine. And the only way they’re coming out clean is if he pays.

 

first thing is, Lebron has a not-trade clause so the Lakers aren't in control. I don't know if it's true but the rumor is he'd waive the no-trade clause for Dallas or Cleveland

Dallas has Gafford and Washington with 28.5M in expiring contracts; but that have to add Klay and his 17.5M 2026-27 salary. That would be a risky trade for Dallas if lebron decided he was going to retire

Cleveland has no significant expiring contracts

the Clippers would mean Labron wouldn't have to move. That might be enough to waive his no-trade. Miami? Would he 'take his talents to South Beach' a 2nd time?

for the Lakers, right now they have around 86M in guarantees in 2026-27; and the cap is projected in the 165-168M range. So, that's an 80M differential. But it wouldn't be 80M in cap-space because the Lakers would accrue nearly 9M in roster charges. So, 70M in space; but they'd have to renounce Hachimura

the problem is looking at free agents in 2026-27, I'm not seeing any real starts to pair with Doncic:

De'Aaron Fox?
Julius Randle?
Porzingis and CJ?
Simons and John Collins?
Mikal Bridges? (he's pretty good and would fit well with Doncic; not a superstar though)

 

You must be new here and have not seen his posts. The best ones are in the covid thread where he for years has posted all these bullshit rumor tweets and then never goes back and deletes them or apologizes for spreading false info.

 

Randle signed a 3 year deal this month.

Fox I can't imagine leaves SAS but who knows.

Seems like we are in an era where all star free agents never change teams. Only recent one was 6ers getting Paul George but thats because the Clippers didn't want to offer him the deal, which now is a horrible contract.

 

Adam Silver: Blazers need new arena
Jul. 16, 2025, 3:27 AM PDT
Asked about the sale of the Portland Trail Blazers by the Paul G. Allen estate, initiated in May, Silver said that, "It is our preference that that team remains in Portland. We've had great success in Portland over the years." Notably, Silver said that Portland, "likely needs a new arena, so that will be part of the challenge for any new ownership group coming in." The Blazers have played in Moda Center since 1995, making it one of the league's oldest arenas that has not undergone substantial renovations. Moda Center upgrades begun with the aim of completion before hosting the NCAA Division I women's basketball Final Four in 2030, but are on pause during the sale process, per the Rose Garden Report.

ESPN

 

that's probably true for superstars....they would just be leaving way too much money on the tabe

I get why the Lakers, generically, would want to maximize cap-space in Lebron 'leaves'. The timing is terrible if they want to add another superstar free agent to Doncic because there aren't any. They can probably add some good depth guys. Maybe they're thinking of that cap-space as heavy duty leverage in off-season unbalanced trades

 

My son just said that the new NBA2K game has Deni as the highest rank Blazer with an 86 overall rating, according to an online leak. So it may not be true.

 

Makes sense since he’s the best player on the team.

 

Beal buyout - signs with Clippers

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/45755171/bradley-beal-agrees-buyout-suns-join-clippers

 

Beal and Harden, eh? Let’s see how this plays out.

 

What off-season recently had good unrestricted star free agent? Seems like none of them have in many years.

Lakers keeping the cap space makes sense when the offers are overpaid old injured guys like Klay or declining players like Grant. If the Lakers could get good starter(s) I bet they'd do it.