Non-Hockey Sports Thread XIV - Vikings Offseason Edition

[Wild11MN]

That Kevin Love-Andrew Wiggins trade was a huge win-win for the Wolves and Cavs. Love was instrumental in shutting down Curry and the whole championship run and Wiggins is going to be a huge part of something special in Minnesota.

It was one play. He did indeed have a good game. But he had an awful series.

 

[TwiztedHeat]

It was one play. He did indeed have a good game. But he had an awful series.

And that one play proved to be the difference maker. Say what you will but what if someone like Vanek, who universally gets crap on these boards for being bad, made a great play in the final seconds of game 7 of the cup finals to win it for us? Everyone would be quick to forget everything else but it's the end that defines the mean. If you ask any Cavs fan right now, you can be damned sure they'd make that trade again every single time.

 

[Wild11MN]

And that one play proved to be the difference maker. Say what you will but what if someone like Vanek, who universally gets crap on these boards for being bad, made a great play in the final seconds of game 7 of the cup finals to win it for us? Everyone would be quick to forget everything else but it's the end that defines the mean. If you ask any Cavs fan right now, you can be damned sure they'd make that trade again every single time.

Kyrie's 3 was the difference maker. Or Lebron's block. You could argue they lost some games because of Love and his no defense strategy (besides one play).

If you said they were guaranteed a championship by trading for Love, of course they take it every time. But if Kyrie misses that 3, then Love is seen as a massive bust for Cleveland and it's considered a horrible trade. There's already articles about trading him even though they won.

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/fresh-off-a-title-cavs-must-now-turn-focus-on-kevin-loves-future/

And who knows, maybe they've won two championships with Wiggins by now. It's all hypothetical vs. what we now know is a championship, but literally if Kyrie doesn't make that shot, Love is seen as a horrible trade.

 

[Wabit]

Kyrie's 3 was the difference maker. Or Lebron's block. You could argue they lost some games because of Love and his no defense strategy (besides one play).

If you said they were guaranteed a championship by trading for Love, of course they take it every time. But if Kyrie misses that 3, then Love is seen as a massive bust for Cleveland and it's considered a horrible trade. There's already articles about trading him even though they won.

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/fresh-off-a-title-cavs-must-now-turn-focus-on-kevin-loves-future/

And who knows, maybe they've won two championships with Wiggins by now. It's all hypothetical vs. what we now know is a championship, but literally if Kyrie doesn't make that shot, Love is seen as a horrible trade.

Just for arguments sake, how many people can guard Curry?

It took how long for articles of trading Malkin to show up after the Pens won?

If Pit doesn't win a Cup how does Kessel trade looks like a bust ~$7mx6 left?

 

[Wild11MN]

Just for arguments sake, how many people can guard Curry?

It took how long for articles of trading Malkin to show up after the Pens won?

If Pit doesn't win a Cup how does Kessel trade looks like a bust ~$7mx6 left?

Fair point with the bold, but that's for a different reason - the salary cap. They also didn't trade a number 1 overall pick to get him. (Two I guess, Anthony Bennett lol)

Again, different reasoning with Kessel. He was a huge part of their playoff run. Kevin Love was not.

 

[Avder]

I don't give two ***** about basketball and I like it that way.

Man, Brazil is gonna be a wreck. The Olympics themselves need to get the **** over themselves and stop forcing countries to jump through such huge hoops that do nothing but shaft the citizens of nations that have to sacrifice so much just host big events like that and the World Cup. Hell, the World Cup forced them to repeal their stadium drinking prohibition, which Brazil enacted because of the effects of alcohol on roudy soccer fans, in order to host the ****ing thing.

And the world cup coming up in Qatar in 6 years? How many people have died from building stadiums there already? And how much of a joke is it that they actually moved the dates to winter instead of summer to accommodate the heat? Should have let some nation with a more temperate or even reasonably tropical climate host it. Qatar is a deadly desert!

Both of those events have gotten too big for their own goods. I'm glad so many world cup officials got arrested.

 

[gphr513]

And the world cup coming up in Qatar in 6 years? How many people have died from building stadiums there already? And how much of a joke is it that they actually moved the dates to winter instead of summer to accommodate the heat? Should have let some nation with a more temperate or even reasonably tropical climate host it. Qatar is a deadly desert!

Aah, but a deadly desert with inhabitants that will line your pockets with sweet, sweet bribe money

 

[Fremitus Borealis]

I don't give two ***** about basketball and I like it that way.

Man, Brazil is gonna be a wreck. The Olympics themselves need to get the **** over themselves and stop forcing countries to jump through such huge hoops that do nothing but shaft the citizens of nations that have to sacrifice so much just host big events like that and the World Cup. Hell, the World Cup forced them to repeal their stadium drinking prohibition, which Brazil enacted because of the effects of alcohol on roudy soccer fans, in order to host the ****ing thing.

And the world cup coming up in Qatar in 6 years? How many people have died from building stadiums there already? And how much of a joke is it that they actually moved the dates to winter instead of summer to accommodate the heat? Should have let some nation with a more temperate or even reasonably tropical climate host it. Qatar is a deadly desert!

Both of those events have gotten too big for their own goods. I'm glad so many world cup officials got arrested.

I agree with 100% of this post, especially the WC in Qatar part. Give that the deal went down before all the FIFA suits got busted, I'm astounded they didn't look at pulling out and staging it somewhere else. Perhaps somewhere with some mother****ing infrastructure. There's a reason Germany was able to host in 2006 and not crumble into ruin: great economy plus huge soccer culture plus (and this is a biggie) they already had more stadiums than they knew what to do with. You really need all of these 3 as a country or you're screwed.

As for the Olympics... I can't for the life of me figure out why anyone would ever want to inflict that on their country. The "prestige" is not worth the abominable cost.

 

[Jesus comma Brodin]

Qatar will not crumble into ruin economically. Yes, they are looking at their first budget deficit in over 15 years for 2016 but that will happen when you have planned on a $200 Billion infrastructure movement spread out over the next decade and are hosting a very expensive event. They are attempting to build a new city, North of Doha, railing projects and a new port outside of Doha within that decade and if they have the allotted funds to finish. Economically, they're fine to host. Much better than most.

As for the soccer fanship, the Middle East is nuts over it... I spend a lot of time here and it is everywhere. That won't be an issue and it will be well attended by travelers as Doha is becoming a very good tourism spot and Doha is very nice. Won't be a problem...

BUT

As for all other pieces, the workers death rate was astonishing at one point in 2013 into 2014. Almost 1 every day for gods sake. If they can't keep their expat laborer's safe, then they should not be allowed to hire migrant workers... (most laborers are Nepalese, Sri Lankan, Indian and Bangladeshi). Accidents happen but not 1 per day... In that heat? Please. I have been to Qatar (I was there like 3 days ago and it is deathly hot), no way should they have let this happen. It has been better since 2015-2016 and there hasn't been any death's in 2016 which is nice but that's a little late, IMO.

The late November start? Awful. I love the WC in the summer... It won't be the same accommodating the weather for that year. And the bribes? Damn, they don't even deserve the damned thing.

 

[tomgilbertfan]

 

[melinko]

Lighting on the solid roof side of US Bank Stadium:

 

[Fremitus Borealis]

Qatar will not crumble into ruin economically. Yes, they are looking at their first budget deficit in over 15 years for 2016 but that will happen when you have planned on a $200 Billion infrastructure movement spread out over the next decade and are hosting a very expensive event. They are attempting to build a new city, North of Doha, railing projects and a new port outside of Doha within that decade and if they have the allotted funds to finish. Economically, they're fine to host. Much better than most.

As for the soccer fanship, the Middle East is nuts over it... I spend a lot of time here and it is everywhere. That won't be an issue and it will be well attended by travelers as Doha is becoming a very good tourism spot and Doha is very nice. Won't be a problem...

BUT

As for all other pieces, the workers death rate was astonishing at one point in 2013 into 2014. Almost 1 every day for gods sake. If they can't keep their expat laborer's safe, then they should not be allowed to hire migrant workers... (most laborers are Nepalese, Sri Lankan, Indian and Bangladeshi). Accidents happen but not 1 per day... In that heat? Please. I have been to Qatar (I was there like 3 days ago and it is deathly hot), no way should they have let this happen. It has been better since 2015-2016 and there hasn't been any death's in 2016 which is nice but that's a little late, IMO.

The late November start? Awful. I love the WC in the summer... It won't be the same accommodating the weather for that year. And the bribes? Damn, they don't even deserve the damned thing.

Yeah, fair enough. Not sure why it didn't raise more eyebrows right from the start that one of the bids for the WC was from a country where it's more or less lethal to be outside during the time of year when the WC is played.

As for Qatar's economy, I guess we needn't discuss that aspect too much since it's a bit beyond the scope of the thread, but I will just say that spending money to build cities out of nothing is one thing, but doing the same for football stadiums is quite another. (Ask Brazil, as they've done both.) They're obviously filthy rich from oil money (well, their rulers are, anyway) but that won't last forever, and there's always the possibility of destabilization via extremism. It would just astound me if they actually end up in better shape after the WC than they were before it. To be honest the whole thing really seems like a ploy to prove to the world that Qatar is an actual place where you can go and do things, not just some desert wasteland with some skyscrapers in it, and lined FIFA's pockets accordingly so that it would happen.

 

[Jesus comma Brodin]

Yeah, fair enough. Not sure why it didn't raise more eyebrows right from the start that one of the bids for the WC was from a country where it's more or less lethal to be outside during the time of year when the WC is played.

As for Qatar's economy, I guess we needn't discuss that aspect too much since it's a bit beyond the scope of the thread, but I will just say that spending money to build cities out of nothing is one thing, but doing the same for football stadiums is quite another. (Ask Brazil, as they've done both.) They're obviously filthy rich from oil money (well, their rulers are, anyway) but that won't last forever, and there's always the possibility of destabilization via extremism. It would just astound me if they actually end up in better shape after the WC than they were before it. To be honest the whole thing really seems like a ploy to prove to the world that Qatar is an actual place where you can go and do things, not just some desert wasteland with some skyscrapers in it, and lined FIFA's pockets accordingly so that it would happen.

You nailed it

 

[TaLoN]

Lighting on the solid roof side of US Bank Stadium:

The lights look a bit better tonight...filled in some gaps.

 

[Digitalbooya]

Dunn to the T-Wolves.

 

[Wild11MN]

Eh, I wanted Buddy.

 

[Digitalbooya]

Eh, I wanted Buddy.

I thought they'd go for him. Hope Buddy falls to the Bucks (ha, no chance)!

 

[tomgilbertfan]

I don't even know what to believe at this point. I would really hate to lose Rubio, he's stuck it out with us through some bad years and I feel like he would be great in Thibs' system. But also Dunn seems to be a great fit as well, but then we're rumored to be trying to trade both at the same time?

 

[tomgilbertfan]

 

[tomgilbertfan]

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

Butler a PF?

 

[tomgilbertfan]

Butler a PF?

Nope, SG.

 

[tomgilbertfan]

NBA draft kills me, so many players are traded just after they're picked, I get excited about having a new prospect on the team and then bam, gone.

 

[Victorious Secret]

NBA draft kills me, so many players are traded just after they're picked, I get excited about having a new prospect on the team and then bam, gone.

The ghosts of Ty Lawson, Brandon Roy, and Ray Allen agree.

 

[Fremitus Borealis]

Re: The horrifying Olympics situation in Brazil:

Five Reasons the 2016 Summer Olympics Should Be Cancelled

Okay, it's Cracked.com, but there's some good info in here. And by good, I mean "terrifying."