What's up with the fear of Rio / Brazil?? I bet a lot of American cities are just or even more dangerous than the areas they are hosting the olympics. Rio is not that bad, I've been there and sure there are guys from dangerous areas, children on the streets, strays and all that, but nothing more than the average big city in the US.
[rQUOTEr]Pau Gasol is thinking about having his sperm frozen “We are constantly learning more but there is uncertainty about how long the virus remains in one’s blood,” Gasol said earlier this week in an appearance for the Pau Gasol Academy. “Many athletes are thinking about starting families and in Brazil there are a million and a half people affected [by Zika]. If I confirm that I will play for the national team, freezing my sperm is one measure more to take.” … “It is tough to say whether I am closer or farther away from playing in the Olympics because every day new information comes out. The worry about Zika continues,” Gasol said. “The reality continues to be worrisome and there have been several NBA players who have decided not to play in Rio. It could be that the risk is slight but it is still there. This is something that doesn’t just worry me, but also my teammates and the rest of the delegation. “We can’t take this health threat lightly. It doesn’t just affect pregnant women. A few days ago, the World Health Organization doubled the precautionary period for having sexual relations — from four to eight weeks. Who knows whether they will soon change it to 12? It is a serious subject.”[/rQUOTEr]
My wife and I spent 6 days in Rio. This was in 2010. Don't get me wrong. I loved it; stunning green craggy mountains rolling down to white sand beaches and the Atlantic Ocean and Guanabara Bay (neither of which one should swim in, especially the latter). We walked through lots of downtown areas, always trying to be cautious. I stick out like a cat on a Christmas card, the white guy whose appearance screams, "Foreigner!", even in a racially-diverse country like Brazil. My wife is Brazilian-born so she only sticks out in her native country when I'm there next to her. Still, we were always inside after dark (unless in a taxi to and from locations) and didn't tempt fate. In Rio.....Lots of muggings, shootouts, random acts of violence. Street kids hopped up on drugs. When you stay in areas with lots of people during the day you're better off. But the Zika virus does change the equation a bit. I don't think it's the rainy season there during the Olympics, so it could be worse, but I can't blame anyone for opting out of the Olympic games. Not in the least.
Depends where you are in Rio of course, but in general athletes have nothing to fear I think. I went out at night and when you are around people, there's little to fear but the alley ways. Things can always happen, but I agree that you should stay where lots of people are. During the Olympics, this should not be a problem. Sure those random acts of violence happen in Rio, but just like South Africa (top crime cities of the world along with Rio) for the World Cup was supposedly a big risk, very few bad things happened. I only heard of a mugging of a Canadian journalist in an area in Durban where drug dealers and street children are abound and you are advised as a white person not to go. I could walk there with those children as a volunteer, but once by myself I almost got mugged by a drug dealer. It's all about being cautious, awareness and not tempt fate indeed. The Zika virus I can understand of course.
Am I crazy to want Beasley to be our starting 4? I like him there and think he can improve on his play from last season. When you talk about "positionless" basketball, I think of him. Maybe it's because he can't defend ANY position? I didn't watch nearly as many games down the stretch this year, so I can't really testify to how bad his defense is. Even though we have serviceable options at PG and SF, that is where I would like to allocate our resources this offseason, thought the free agent options I have seen don't really get me excited (Conley wouldn't "fit" IMO and Durant is a pipe dream... other than that? No thanks...).
I wasn't thrilled with the coaching choice myself but MDA does have a decent resume. A lot of the haters on here will convert (typically) , if or when HOU wins
from a scoring perspective yes. from a passing/defense perspective...we aren't beating OKC/SAS/GSW with him play 35 mpg in the playoffs.
Good to hear at least Morey and Les spend a lot time in deciding - at least it wasn't a snap decision...
At least I'm curious to see if he Will be able to introduce innovations to the modern NBA offense or even get the Rockets to run a more flowing offense than what they ran the last two years. I hope we get the right playmakers and role players.
