NBA 2021

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

8 hours ago, Proudfeet said:

I don't know how media availability is conducted these days, but I can respect that he doesn't want to go to a room full of reporters or for reporters to be in a room together at all. If its conducted through video conferencing, then he doesn't have an excuse. If its not, it's an easy and obvious compromise which at minimum four parties (Nets, Kyrie, Reporters, NBA) could have brought up. 

They're mostly video conferences, but I can't say that's true 100% of the time. The NBA has handled the social distancing aspect really well though, so that's not the issue. He's simply being an asshole, and if you're tired of the bad press, maybe don't call the writers pawns. The smart way to get out of this is to just give crappy answers and the media will stop asking you things. Saying the Earth is flat and there aren't any real pictures of the planet is going to draw the media in, especially when you try to present yourself as some kind of intellectual. At that point it's fair game to just embarresss the fuck out of you. He's done this to himself.

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I don't see where the fine has to come in unless Kyrie just refuses to talk to the media at all, which may be the case since he is now calling them pawns. I've made my dislike of Kyrie known, but at this point, I'm more worried about his mental health over his self destructive tendencies.

Its also possible that the Nets and/or media are just inflexible but I'd give them the benefit of the doubt over Kyrie. 

It's in players contracts that they have to spend a little time speaking with the media. That's why the Nets also got fined. Like Maith said, this is a job, and there are professional relationships that need to be maintained. It's also worth noting that he doesn't have to answer a single question asked. He just has to be made available for a few minutes every now and then. A reporter can ask him about a specific play and he can give a ten minute response about why he prefers Jay-Z over Nas and then the media relations person can say he needs to get taped up and the presser is over. Or he can just do this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1kvwXsZtU8

[Relic]

1 minute ago, Tywin et al. said:

a ten minute response about why he prefers Jay-Z over Nas

Kyrie is th ekind of guy that probably DOEs prefer Jay-Z to NaS. Fuck Kyrie. 

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

1 minute ago, Relic said:

Kyrie is th ekind of guy that probably DOEs prefer Jay-Z to NaS. Fuck Kyrie. 

Don't most people? 

[Relic]

1 minute ago, Tywin et al. said:

Don't most people? 

People who don't know shit about shit, maybe. 

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

7 minutes ago, Relic said:

People who don't know shit about shit, maybe. 

I'm no music expert, but I've seen a lot of people who are rank Jay-Z as the best rapper ever, although it often comes with the caveat that his ceiling isn't as high as some others, but his consistency and longevity win out. 

[Relic]

2 minutes ago, Tywin et al. said:

I'm no music expert, but I've seen a lot of people who are rank Jay-Z as the best rapper ever, although it often comes with the caveat that his ceiling isn't as high as some others, but his consistency and longevity win out. 

Jay Z peaked as a rapper with Reasonable Doubt.  Most of what came after is pop music. Illmatic is the second best hip hop album ever released. Fight me. 

[Proudfeet]

4 minutes ago, Tywin et al. said:

They're mostly video conferences, but I can't say that's true 100% of the time. The NBA has handled the social distancing aspect really well though, so that's not the issue. He's simply being an asshole, and if you're tired of the bad press, maybe don't call the writers pawns. The smart way to get out of this is to just give crappy answers and the media will stop asking you things. Saying the Earth is flat and there aren't any real pictures of the planet is going to draw the media in, especially when you try to present yourself as some kind of intellectual. At that point it's fair game to just embarresss the fuck out of you. He's done this to himself.

It's in players contracts that they have to spend a little time speaking with the media. That's why the Nets also got fined. Like Maith said, this is a job, and there are professional relationships that need to be maintained. It's also worth noting that he doesn't have to answer a single question asked. He just has to be made available for a few minutes every now and then. A reporter can ask him about a specific play and he can give a ten minute response about why he prefers Jay-Z over Nas and then the media relations person can say he needs to get taped up and the presser is over. Or he can just do this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1kvwXsZtU8

If it is video conferencing, he has absolutely no excuse. I can't be bothered to go back and find it now, but when the issue first came up, I thought he was just being extra careful with social distancing which I can respect. It doesn't seem like it now though.

Anyway, I think the constant criticism is getting to him where he has developed a persecution complex and is deliberately putting himself into these situations so that he can justify it to himself and to others and using it is a defense mechanism to shield himself from criticism except that he's just reinforcing the loop. I've never ever ventured into psychiatry even casually though so take it with a mountain of salt. I might even be misunderstanding the term. 

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

6 minutes ago, Relic said:

Jay Z peaked as a rapper with Reasonable Doubt.  Most of what came after is pop music. Illmatic is the second best hip hop album ever released. Fight me. 

A lot of rap is pseudo-pop these days. But I won't fight you on Illmatic. It's consistently viewed as an all-time great. Not sure where I'd rank it in part because I rarely listen to rap albums beginning to end. There's typically so much filler. That's why I appreciate 50 Cent's first two entries, because they are strong beginning to end.

What do you have as number 1? 

[Relic]

4 minutes ago, Tywin et al. said:

A lot of rap is pseudo-pop these days. But I won't fight you on Illmatic. It's consistently viewed as an all-time great. Not sure where I'd rank it in part because I rarely listen to rap albums beginning to end. There's typically so much filler. That's why I appreciate 50 Cent's first two entries, because they are strong beginning to end.

What do you have as number 1? 

Two way tie between Ready to Die and 36 Chambers. But honestly it depends on what day you ask me. Sometimes I might say Illmatic is #1. 

[Relic]

3 minutes ago, Tywin et al. said:

A lot of rap is pseudo-pop these days. But I won't fight you on Illmatic. It's consistently viewed as an all-time great. Not sure where I'd rank it in part because I rarely listen to rap albums beginning to end. There's typically so much filler. That's why I appreciate 50 Cent's first two entries, because they are strong beginning to end.

What do you have as number 1? 

There is zero filler on Illmatic. It's one of those hip hop albums you can listen from start to end. 

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

6 minutes ago, Relic said:

Two way tie between Ready to Die and 36 Chambers of Death. But honestly it depends on what day you ask me. Sometimes I might say Illmatic is #1. 

 

5 minutes ago, Relic said:

There is zero filler on Illmatic. It's one of those hip hop albums you can listen from start to end. 

A NYC guy through and through. I haven't listen to Illmatic since I was in HS, and Idk if I've ever listen to an entire Biggy album. Never really got into Wu. I was much for of a Eminem, 50, Snoop and Dre guy growing up.

[Relic]

1 minute ago, Tywin et al. said:

 

A NYC guy through and through.

It's true. However i rank Tupac as the best rapper of all time, and The Chronic is in my top 6 albums. So there's that. 

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

11 minutes ago, Proudfeet said:

If it is video conferencing, he has absolutely no excuse. I can't be bothered to go back and find it now, but when the issue first came up, I thought he was just being extra careful with social distancing which I can respect. It doesn't seem like it now though.

I can't say for sure, but my understanding is all pre-availability is via video. And even when they were in the bubble and everyone was safe, they still wore masks and were interviewing players one on one from a ways away. This seems to be a lot more about him not wanting to talk than safety concerns. If it was really the latter, I wouldn't fault him as much.

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Anyway, I think the constant criticism is getting to him where he has developed a persecution complex and is deliberately putting himself into these situations so that he can justify it to himself and to others and using it is a defense mechanism to shield himself from criticism except that he's just reinforcing the loop. I've never ever ventured into psychiatry even casually though so take it with a mountain of salt. I might even be misunderstanding the term. 

Well I have a degree in psychology, so I'm happy to wade into these waters. There's absolutely some kind of persecution complex in play here. And it's entirely self-inflicted. Kyrie wants to be seen as a really smart guy, but he says some of the dumbest things imaginable. Given that those two things cannot mesh, he projects it as the media's fault rather than his own. It appears from the outside that there's no accountability on his part.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

7 minutes ago, Relic said:

It's true. However i rank Tupac as the best rapper of all time, and The Chronic is in my top 6 albums. So there's that. 

Tupac and Biggie are the two most iconic rappers. Not sure if they're actually the best though. And this is true of a lot of musicians. Dying young can make you infamous, especially if it's in a way that lives up to the persona you trying to create for yourself. 

[Proudfeet]

16 minutes ago, Tywin et al. said:

I can't say for sure, but my understanding is all pre-availability is via video. And even when they were in the bubble and everyone was safe, they still wore masks and were interviewing players one on one from a ways away. This seems to be a lot more about him not wanting to talk than safety concerns. If it was really the latter, I wouldn't fault him as much.

Well I have a degree in psychology, so I'm happy to wade into these waters. There's absolutely some kind of persecution complex in play here. And it's entirely self-inflicted. Kyrie wants to be seen as a really smart guy, but he says some of the dumbest things imaginable. Given that those two things cannot mesh, he projects it as the media's fault rather than his own. It appears from the outside that there's no accountability on his part.

I don't think I quite got my point across while trying to explain it.

I'm saying that from my perspective, he's at a point where he needs help. As in medical attention. Therapy or something. Yes, his actions are disgusting, but it has reached the point that it is concerning and I don't think it is appropriate to pile on.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

10 minutes ago, Proudfeet said:

I don't think I quite got my point across while trying to explain it.

I'm saying that from my perspective, he's at a point where he needs help. As in medical attention. Therapy or something. Yes, his actions are disgusting, but it has reached the point that it is concerning and I don't think it is appropriate to pile on.

"Disgusting" is probably going too far, and who knows if he actually needs help. He could just be trolling for all we know. none of his other actions indicate someone who might harm themselves or others. At this point he's just weird guy who is an egomaniac. And while I agree the pile on is unnecessary, he does kind of bring it upon himself. 

[DMC]

The only notable rapping I like of Jay Z is his two verses in I Love the Dough.  I also like that New York song but that's mostly due to Alicia Keys and isn't rap anyway.

[Proudfeet]

15 minutes ago, Tywin et al. said:

"Disgusting" is probably going too far, and who knows if he actually needs help. He could just be trolling for all we know. none of his other actions indicate someone who might harm themselves or others. At this point he's just weird guy who is an egomaniac. And while I agree the pile on is unnecessary, he does kind of bring it upon himself. 

Eh, I don't think disgust is necessarily used only for a strong emotion but you can swap it out for distasteful if you prefer.

I may be overthinking it, but I think he has crossed the line. He might not be at the imminent point of harming himself but it feels like he is trending towards it. In fact, he just got fined. A miniscule amount of his salary, but that is harm all the same. If you don't think its not severe enough to be a problem then fine. But if its because the problem is not severe enough, then I'd like to point out that it is generally easier to treat things before they get worse.

And "bring it upon himself" is not the issue here. Yes, of course he is. I'm saying that him doing so is precisely the problem. For me, after this incident, he just went past the asshole line into crazy territory.

[DanteGabriel]

I loathe Kyrie as much as anyone, believe me, but he's just being a galaxy-brain douchebag. He hasn't gone full Antonio Brown yet.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

16 minutes ago, Proudfeet said:

Eh, I don't think disgust is necessarily used only for a strong emotion but you can swap it out for distasteful if you prefer.

I may be overthinking it, but I think he has crossed the line. He might not be at the imminent point of harming himself but it feels like he is trending towards it. In fact, he just got fined. A miniscule amount of his salary, but that is harm all the same. If you don't think its not severe enough to be a problem then fine. But if its because the problem is not severe enough, then I'd like to point out that it is generally easier to treat things before they get worse.

And "bring it upon himself" is not the issue here. Yes, of course he is. I'm saying that him doing so is precisely the problem. For me, after this incident, he just went past the asshole line into crazy territory.

I guess we just have to agree to disagree then. Kyrie's behavior could hurt his professional career, but I'm not worried too much about the individual. And Dante makes a good point about comparing him to AB. That's a guy I sincerely has people around him who are willing to ask him if he's okay, because something seems seriously off there.