COVID-19: Scrimmage games | July 23 (NBATV), 26 (NBATV), 28 (FSSW) for DAL

[ClutchDirk]

https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1272503556248162304

[Benskix2]

I am on the verge of giving up all sports.  It was always an escape from stresses of life.  But now they are all disrespecting a flag I gave 20 years of service for and too many gave their lives for.  

Thank You ThunderMav, for your service to our country. 

Maybe the NBA could explore not playing the National Anthem at the start of games in Orlando?  What's the need?  There will not be any fans in the stands.  And multiple games will be played on the same courts back to back to back.  I wonder what will be worse for the NBA, loosing fans for not playing the Anthem or loosing fans because the players take a knee?

Again, Thank You for your service...

Thank you for the kind words.  And I 100% agree with you, if sports would play it while players are in locker room its win/win.  Players can kneel or do whatever they want and fans can honor and respect flag without all the distractions.  Then players could go out in own time and do all they want.  That would be the perfect resolution.  I’d rather have no NA played than played and disrespected.

You do understand that the players kneeling was a public protest and not just because they like kneeling during the national anthem right?  They aren't kneeling because they don't like the flag, they are kneeling because they want you and everyone else to know why they are kneeling.  If you know why, and think that the symbol of the flag means more to you than police killing black people means to them then I think that's pretty selfish.

[ClutchDirk]

I am on the verge of giving up all sports.  It was always an escape from stresses of life.  But now they are all disrespecting a flag I gave 20 years of service for and too many gave their lives for.  

Thank You ThunderMav, for your service to our country. 

Maybe the NBA could explore not playing the National Anthem at the start of games in Orlando?  What's the need?  There will not be any fans in the stands.  And multiple games will be played on the same courts back to back to back.  I wonder what will be worse for the NBA, loosing fans for not playing the Anthem or loosing fans because the players take a knee?

Again, Thank You for your service...

Thank you for the kind words.  And I 100% agree with you, if sports would play it while players are in locker room its win/win.  Players can kneel or do whatever they want and fans can honor and respect flag without all the distractions.  Then players could go out in own time and do all they want.  That would be the perfect resolution.  I’d rather have no NA played than played and disrespected.

You do understand that the players kneeling was a public protest and not just because they like kneeling during the national anthem right?  They aren't kneeling because they don't like the flag, they are kneeling because they want you and everyone else to know why they are kneeling.  If you know why, and think that the symbol of the flag means more to you than police killing black people means to them then I think that's pretty selfish.

Chinese Lives Didn't Matter though...

[ThunderMav]

I am on the verge of giving up all sports.  It was always an escape from stresses of life.  But now they are all disrespecting a flag I gave 20 years of service for and too many gave their lives for.  

Thank You ThunderMav, for your service to our country. 

Maybe the NBA could explore not playing the National Anthem at the start of games in Orlando?  What's the need?  There will not be any fans in the stands.  And multiple games will be played on the same courts back to back to back.  I wonder what will be worse for the NBA, loosing fans for not playing the Anthem or loosing fans because the players take a knee?

Again, Thank You for your service...

Thank you for the kind words.  And I 100% agree with you, if sports would play it while players are in locker room its win/win.  Players can kneel or do whatever they want and fans can honor and respect flag without all the distractions.  Then players could go out in own time and do all they want.  That would be the perfect resolution.  I’d rather have no NA played than played and disrespected.

You do understand that the players kneeling was a public protest and not just because they like kneeling during the national anthem right?  They aren't kneeling because they don't like the flag, they are kneeling because they want you and everyone else to know why they are kneeling.  If you know why, and think that the symbol of the flag means more to you than police killing black people means to them then I think that's pretty selfish.

I will never give in to cancel culture.  

Go kneel in the other 23 hours and 57 minutes that day.  Its a bunch of BS cop hating antics.  And they are going to lose my money and lots of other peoples money too.  

I wish they would spend time with disabled vets or go to another country and tell us how bad it is here.  China should be first stop and not on a tour prop as they do now.  

The more they kneel the madder I get about disrespecting our flag.  These are the whiney kids who’s Moms always gave in at the grocery store when they asked for candy

[Kammrath]

 Its a bunch of BS cop hating antics.

[Mavs2019]

I am on the verge of giving up all sports.  It was always an escape from stresses of life.  But now they are all disrespecting a flag I gave 20 years of service for and too many gave their lives for.  

Thank You ThunderMav, for your service to our country. 

Maybe the NBA could explore not playing the National Anthem at the start of games in Orlando?  What's the need?  There will not be any fans in the stands.  And multiple games will be played on the same courts back to back to back.  I wonder what will be worse for the NBA, loosing fans for not playing the Anthem or loosing fans because the players take a knee?

Again, Thank You for your service...

Thank you for the kind words.  And I 100% agree with you, if sports would play it while players are in locker room its win/win.  Players can kneel or do whatever they want and fans can honor and respect flag without all the distractions.  Then players could go out in own time and do all they want.  That would be the perfect resolution.  I’d rather have no NA played than played and disrespected.

You do understand that the players kneeling was a public protest and not just because they like kneeling during the national anthem right?  They aren't kneeling because they don't like the flag, they are kneeling because they want you and everyone else to know why they are kneeling.  If you know why, and think that the symbol of the flag means more to you than police killing black people means to them then I think that's pretty selfish.

I will never give in to cancel culture.  

Go kneel in the other 23 hours and 57 minutes that day.  Its a bunch of BS cop hating antics.  And they are going to lose my money and lots of other peoples money too.  

I wish they would spend time with disabled vets or go to another country and tell us how bad it is here.  China should be first stop and not on a tour prop as they do now.  

The more they kneel the madder I get about disrespecting our flag.  These are the whiney kids who’s Moms always gave in at the grocery store when they asked for candy

So you want them to kneel, when it´s convenient for you, doesn´t bother you and doesn´t challege your world view.  In other words they can yell at their basement wall as long as the webcam is off.

Are you proud, when you see this:

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CBfxBsqlPwA/

Cause these people chant USA, while they punch a single BLM protester in front of two cops. The cops do nothing. Oh that´s not 100% correct. One of them joins in the yelling at the BLM protester, they were supposed to protect. So to them apparently the concept of the USA is a counter-symbol to racial equality and proper policing.

Shouldn´t a military man, who is about honour, be more disgusted by such behaviour than somebody taking a knee during a song? 

It seems kneeling during the national anthem is exactly the right gesture. It was ingenious in its simplicity.

---

Kammrath

 Its a bunch of BS cop hating antics.

Don´t care.

USA. USA.

It´s all part of a larger political system though. The US political system basically functions like a two-headed Putin, but since there are two of them (Democrats/Republicans) they call it a democracy, but in reality they just do what they want to fill their own pockets, only the lobby groups vary a little.

One of the largest, the NRA, is obviously designed to fill up the pockets of the gun industry. You want all people to be armed. Then you want cops to be heavily counter-armed and protect-geared. You want citizens to have max penalties and become long-term customers of  the "for profit" prisons. Basically the whole system is build and designed to reap the benefits of promoting fear and divisiveness.

Ironically the NRA is doing this right now.....



...because NEED MORE GUNS to protect myself.

I bet they are having record sales right now, cause when it comes to guns there seems to be no market saturation in the USA. You can never have enough AR-15s.

[Reunion Mav Old]

ThunderMav. First of all I truly respect your service to our country. I also enjoy your excellent (most of the time) contributions to this board. I chose not to serve in Vietnam in 1974 as we were the first class to not get drafted. We all knew numerous friends one year older than us who died in Vietnam. None of us signed up for obvious reasons. But, my brother later served for 23 years and my Father also served in Korea. I think I understand the betrayal you feel because the Flag is part of the definition of the Honor you served with. 

I respect the pain you feel at others striking at you and those who have served in the worst possible way. 

Here is how I have tried, with some success but not total success by any means at handling the betrayal feelings I have felt since the kneeling began. Here goes: The people who are kneeling are coming from a place of incredible emotion as well. They too have an incredibly important concern. They feel betrayed because they are losing people important to them. That dynamic may be very close to the feeling of losing friends in battle...at least I try to relate to that way. Both groups of people have understandably strong emotions. 

So why did they have to choose the Flag to make their extremely legitimate point. I imagine their point of view to be: getting societies attention is best done by using the very thing that is most important to Americans, the police, white people...whoever they seek to target. Their idea was that their target audience would finally listen if they used the flag. They were hopefully not thinking about what this does to you and those who have served. Their own legitimate pain has caused any concern they may have had for those who served to fall by the wayside in favor of voicing their own painful concerns. 

I would be very interested to hear the viewpoints of African Americans who have served. They, as long as they have achieved the sense of honor that goes with serving their country, would be able to relate to both extremely important concerns.

[ThunderMav]

Kneeling started with a guy wearing pig socks to disgrace all cops.  I do not lump all people into a category but kneeling has become a cop hating act.  

The guy in Minny was murdered by a bad cop, and I hope that cop hangs for it.  But the guy they are using as their pedastal was a bad dude too.  He did not deserve to die but he is not a role model.  Yet he is the movement.  Yet the related rioters killed a black retired police officer who was doing security for a friend and not one of these players has even mentioned him.  Why not?  

My 3 minutes to pay respects to the flag are personal and I won’t have it ruined by cancel culture.  There are a million ways players can do good and highlight their cause, this is not one of them.  They turn off millions just like me who draw a line in sand about our flag.  Once you give away a standing positive tradition like respecting the flag its all downhill.  Then kneeling wont be enough now you need to turn your back while kneeling.  Then after that you will need to raise your fist while kneeling backwards.  Then heck, we can just get rid of the US flag and we need a BLM or Antifa flag.  It will never be enough.  And it starts with kneeling to disparage all police.

There are several ways to get message across without disrespecting flag.  I am already to give up any sport that allows it.  I am sure I will not be watching NFL as they are saying they will do it.  If NBA does then I am done too.  I have weaned myself of sports these past months so its not gonna be hard to do.  

I am not alone either.  Any message they are trying to portray is lost immediately due to starting off disrespecting the flag.  Find a respectful way to protest.  Or stay in locker room and kneel.  Otherwise I’m done with sports who do it.

[ClutchDirk]

https://twitter.com/SBondyNYDN/status/12...0406798337

[Hypermav]

https://twitter.com/SBondyNYDN/status/12...0406798337

Kyrie wants to start his own league.  He has a great idea, maybe they could play their games at Disney World.  Wait, nevermind...

[ThunderMav]

https://twitter.com/SBondyNYDN/status/12...0406798337

Kyrie wants to start his own league.  He has a great idea, maybe they could play their games at Disney World.  Wait, nevermind...

China

[StepBackJay]

Kyrie is such a self important dumbass. The worst part ab Kyrie is that he thinks he's some kind of next level genius.

[michaeltex]

Kyrie is such a self important dumbass. The worst part ab Kyrie is that he thinks he's some kind of next level genius.

I agree with your point. He's hurt and not active for the re-start so he's not even allowed to go to Orlando and get inside the bubble with his active teammates. I guess he's go nothing better to do than rabble rouse. Has he been shown out in the streets anywhere?

Glad he's not a DAL headache.

[Tyler]

He's hurt and not active for the re-start so he's not even allowed to go to Orlando and get inside the bubble with his active teammates. I guess he's go nothing better to do than rabble rouse.

To your point, even other players aren't necessarily buying Kyrie's stated motivations.

https://thespun.com/nba/brooklyn-nets/ma...rie-irving

[Hypermav]

He's hurt and not active for the re-start so he's not even allowed to go to Orlando and get inside the bubble with his active teammates. I guess he's go nothing better to do than rabble rouse.

To your point, even other players aren't necessarily buying Kyrie's stated motivations.

https://thespun.com/nba/brooklyn-nets/ma...rie-irving

Wow, I am siding with Kendrick Perkins on a topic.

[Mavs2019]

He's hurt and not active for the re-start so he's not even allowed to go to Orlando and get inside the bubble with his active teammates. I guess he's go nothing better to do than rabble rouse.

To your point, even other players aren't necessarily buying Kyrie's stated motivations.

https://thespun.com/nba/brooklyn-nets/ma...rie-irving

Seems he´s as popular with his teammates in Brooklyn as he was in Boston. He can be a great basketball player, but he seems an awful teammate, that even LeBron could only contain for so long. The Nets will be a fun watch between him and Durant trying to be team leaders.

[Dahlsim]

ThunderMav. First of all I truly respect your service to our country. I also enjoy your excellent (most of the time) contributions to this board. I chose not to serve in Vietnam in 1974 as we were the first class to not get drafted. We all knew numerous friends one year older than us who died in Vietnam. None of us signed up for obvious reasons. But, my brother later served for 23 years and my Father also served in Korea. I think I understand the betrayal you feel because the Flag is part of the definition of the Honor you served with. 

I respect the pain you feel at others striking at you and those who have served in the worst possible way. 

Here is how I have tried, with some success but not total success by any means at handling the betrayal feelings I have felt since the kneeling began. Here goes: The people who are kneeling are coming from a place of incredible emotion as well. They too have an incredibly important concern. They feel betrayed because they are losing people important to them. That dynamic may be very close to the feeling of losing friends in battle...at least I try to relate to that way. Both groups of people have understandably strong emotions. 

So why did they have to choose the Flag to make their extremely legitimate point. I imagine their point of view to be: getting societies attention is best done by using the very thing that is most important to Americans, the police, white people...whoever they seek to target. Their idea was that their target audience would finally listen if they used the flag. They were hopefully not thinking about what this does to you and those who have served. Their own legitimate pain has caused any concern they may have had for those who served to fall by the wayside in favor of voicing their own painful concerns. 

I would be very interested to hear the viewpoints of African Americans who have served. They, as long as they have achieved the sense of honor that goes with serving their country, would be able to relate to both extremely important concerns.

I'm an African American and an American Veteran as well. 

I do appreciate both points of view very much.  As an African American I've lived long enough to experience some very, very blatant racism as well as the more subtle but just as damaging effects of racial bias expressed against us in particular.  Sometimes our issues are lumped in and compared only as those of minorities, with the many shared issues of minorities, but the effect is different for African Americans. 

Yes, it does go back to slavery, but also to many more years of legalized race based discrimination after slavery.   Then there's all the cascading effects that live on from slavery and legalized discrimination. 
Even though the civil rights movement eliminated the discrimination on paper, African Americans carry a different mindset. 
Its a community scar.  Its very, very, very real.  When something happens, like George Floyd, like Sandra Bland, like Ahmad Arbery, to be honest, its not just a "rational" reaction.  Its emotional.  It drags up decades of stuff. that's particular to this country's history with this race. 

In my case I'm not typical in my own disposition, I'm a veteran, and I'm an ordained minister as well. 
So I fully share the high sense of loyalty to the USA and the flag that represents that loyalty.  I don't at all like seeing the flag disrespected.  But I also get it.  Its looking for a way to make a statement, rational or not rational, because what we see done to other African Americans and being done, is also not rational. 
Its not rational to keep your knee and weight on a man's neck, who can't breathe, and you know it, with people all around you watching, and crying out about it.  So the reactions at some point become equally, irrational. 

My values are spiritually, theologically based, so I'm really not in the mainstream of what has become black political thought, but at the same time I'm totally dialed into it, all the time. Its an integral part of what I do in fact.  
I say that to say, you have to get the emotions on both sides of the issue to appreciate the divide. The rational arguments alone won't cut it.  

A lot of Americans don't see loyalty to the flag and country the same way it was seen, not at all.  Remember military service became voluntary all way back in 1973.  An entire generation hasn't learned that sense of obligation and responsibility to the country the way it was taught through the older military generation.  The view again of loyalty is quite different across the population now.  I've talked to young people that take loyalty as almost a bad word to bring up in this context.   To who, and to what?  That's the idea I hear. 

Loyalty to country vs loyalty to racial equality.  Where is the line?  Isn't this essentially an argument about what is agreed to as being right vs wrong?  Isn't that what is meant by values?  At one time, Americans, of all races, had more common agreement on that.  Not so much now.  

Right now, its a deep and wide divide. 

 to relate to both extremely important concerns.

[ClutchDirk]

https://twitter.com/TheNBACentral/status...4450550784

https://twitter.com/TheNBACentral/status...9619589120

[Hypermav]

https://twitter.com/saquarantine/status/...79840?s=20

[ClutchDirk]

https://twitter.com/ByTimReynolds/status...2424678406