I think it's someone's time of the month again!! Opie, the last time this happened I wrote it off as a bad day, but c'mon man. You really need to lighten up and not let a STUPID disagreement get you so pissed off. I, as much as anyone on this board, really enjoy reading your posts and if you decide to go through with this and email your posts, I hope to be included, but this whole not being appreciated thing is getting way out of hand. People are always going to disagree with you and sometimes will discredit your info as being false. Deal with it. You know just as well as anyone on this board that all the info you post are simply rumors until something official is signed/released. It's part of the game. So bring your ball back to the damn court and take a shot!
This is all Cato's fault. If that overweight, overpaid, no good cry baby would get off his ass and show some grit and desire and PRODUCE we wouldn't be worried about MJ and Pops would be a happy camper and we all would not be showing how frustrated we are at his b*tch $ss...
Pops, My request of you is very simple. Do not let the mistakes of a few cause you to deprive the majority of your interesting and insightful posts. You are one of three posters whose threads and responses I always read (the other two being Jeff and Clutch). I always look forward to opening threads that you start, for I know that they will be filled with gems of information that I will be able to get no where else. So I appeal to you Pops on behalf of myself and my other innocent BBS bretheren; continue posting, ignore the ignorance of the few who apparently don't appreciate your insight or recognize your BBS sovereignty, for in the end the proof is in the pudding and the majority of us appreciate your pudding Pops (?... sorry, couldn't think of a better way to wrap it up).
Phuckin Cato... That you get respect at all is remarkable, OP, b/c message boards are jackass magnets... your obedient servant, tmo
OP, breathe in and out very deeply and very slowly. It helps. Obviously, you have the respect of the board. There were so many rumors and counter rumors after you posted that the situation became confusing ... and confused. Heck, if you checked some of the other threads (like ESPN Power Rankings), you found that the board got thoroughly crazy over some simple percentages (my fault). But it was fun, which is a fundamental goal of this board, is it not? So, welcome back. We appreciate every flavor of scoop you provide. Now, how about them Rockets!?
Hope no one minds if I try to revisit the main point of the thread, just to show how CBA analysis can help piece together popeye trade info: <b>The Rockets held up the Offer Sheet</b> The only salary purging scenario that works for me is on last Friday CD calls GS and faxes them MJ's signed Uniform Player Contract to tell them they will convert this into an Offer Sheet unless GS will offer them another deal. Then CD would say...."you know, why don't you guys take MJ and we'll help you purge salary by giving you Walt for Dampier so you'll drop $5.5m in salary when Walt's contract expires. In fact, see if you can get us a quality PG while you are at it, and we'll use our exception on him to help you drop even further salary. See if you can figure something out dudes...thx talk to you later." ie, give us an unbalanced trade for one of your centers in exchange for upwards of $9m in salary purging by next Summer, or we will just take MJ. Then GS starts scrambling to find some deals for us....and this is what popeye discovers....confusing, scattered trade ideas scrambling to come up with something by Tuesday. Of course, I am adding needless arm-twisting for effect. <b>The Rockets had to be the #1 Team for Salary Purge Trades</b> I don't see why talks about Dampier couldn't have really been with us. WRT salary purging, the exception makes us (more than any other team) an instant attraction to salary purging ideas throughout the league, so we're in the driver's seat with Walt's expiring contract to offer, plus our exception's ability to eat $3.25 in salary directly. We could actually help someone drop nearly $9m in salary by trading walt and using the exception. The other point of CD holding up the Offer Sheet is to try to convince GS to renounce Marc Jackson so we can sign him as an Unrestricted Free Agent to get him into camp immediately. In this scenario, they are in the driver's seat, but we are treading on CBA rules interpretation. <b>Popeye first analysis was one of worry....makes sense to me</b> My feeling about the quick analysis of popeye...is who cares right or wrong on the details...there was deals being discussed the second we got the exception; it all makes sense now that we know the Offer Sheet didn't happen on Friday. Everything fits. I do the very same thing with analysis of the CBA. I rush to judgement, get the details mixed, and square it up later. It is done in my excitement to know, and to be right...with some definite ego involved as well. popeye clearly gets excited...that's why many love him. In this case, I think popeye's first reaction was of fear that the Rocket's were going to get screwed, when more likely, we were working out an even MORE favorable deal using the exception and Walt. I'd love popeye to square this up and give his valued hindsight opinion. I get CBA details wrong plenty (especially Restricted Free Agency...lol), in a rush to figure things out in a narrow Rockets focus, but I learn each time. remember one thing...popeye is as objective and passionate as they come when recapping games. He has excellent game analysis....tempered with humility to know the coaches know more than us all....and it is fun just scouting what they are doing.
I think OP has Hakeem-like exemptions for gross displays of ego and touchiness since he has contributed so much to the BBS over the years. I value his posts, so I hope there is some kind of BBS salve for whatever wounds he has acquired from this thread. Still, I don't see how people cannot civilly disagree about the outcome of a rumour.
I don't know if I have ever posted in a pops rumor thread, despite reading them all... Anyway, I don't understand this thing. Clutch has been wrong about trade rumors Doc Rocket has been wrong. Pops has been wrong. rimbaud has been wrong. Jeff is always wrong. Who cares? They still all have sources (uh, mine are astrological) that give insider info. That is why people read it, it makes them feel special for knowing a little more and gives them grounds to dream of a better world (mostly). Rumors are not fact, they are possibilities of fulfillment, that is easy to understand. It, therefore, falls in line that one can think some rumors are more valuable than others. What occurred in this thread was not what happened with Pinesol and the Doc Rocket business. No one called you names or a fraud, or that your sources were really coming from a box of stale animal crackers that you bought in 1975. So, if there is to be a more limited email list, I must be a conscientious objector and abstain from any such nonsense. The point of giving insider info is not to promote exclusivity.
Count me in as true believer... when we are talking about GSW roster moves, and considering the info came from pops, I never doubted this for a second as a possibility... Then again, putting people on the ignore list seems a bit extreme, and I have to agree that an exclusive mail list may be overreaction on your part, pops. I don't know if I am on anyone's ignore list, though i certainly must be, but I'd never put anyone on mine, maybe because I sometimes really laugh out loud at some of the less articulate posts over here. I think that crispee has made a valid point in saying that sometimes people take the homer factor so much into consideration that they desperately want to believe so much that certain kind of news are not true. That doesn't mean they don't respect you pops, only that they are somewhat overzealous on their love for the rockets and ended up sounding on a manner which surely wasn't their original intention. I'm sure i can vouch for everyone that you are respected and appreciated by everyone on the BBS. And no crying now folks, please.
oeilpere, Just tell me who you don't like, and I will pull my patented fromobile-posting-just-to-drive-one-person-insane technique on them all. You are elite, my liege, fromobile
I obviously am not as good a communicator as I thought because the majority of the responses missed the whole point of my tirade. And, yes I recognize it as a tirade. 1. I did not write the above due to a bruised ego. This is not a pity-party because someone was audacious enough to argue with me. I don't post to have my ego boosted. I start threads to share info. I personally don't give a rat's ass if you believe it or not. My point is, and always has been, if you do not agree with it have the good graces to at least present a logical f***ng argument to represent your opinion. Not CBA babble or outright grandiose statements: "That never happened... XYZ would not do that!" then back off to let everyone absorb your comment. 2. While I appreciate the kind words and accolades at times, it does not bother me if they are less than gratifying. I have a tough skin and frankly, I am not so wanton for affection that I rely on an "internet buddy" to satisfy it. 3. Was I pissed off? Ya, sure was, and I still am. I am pissed-off because this board prides itself on offering it's readers tangible, reliable information from time to time. Not just gossip or "who's your favorite guard of all time" type of threads. That doesn't mean information can't be argued or even refuted. But, the expectation is that if members wish to refute or disregard it, then they shsould present plausable and alternative views. ( I am obviously not talking to the trolls and lurking teenagers who wet their pants in delight over ANY response from ANYONE to ANYTHING . ) I am talking to respected members who this board fully expects to present a quality argument to support their assertion that the posted information is error.
Pops, I just have to say that I always enjoy your posts and you bring a unique informed insight to every thread you post in. I rarely ask questions because most of your info is right on and imo, needs no explanation. And most of the mundane questions will get asked 10 times by other posters anyway. As a fan of the rocks, I have learned to temper my optimism/pessimism with a dose of reality, as well as taking every piece of info with a grain of salt. How many times have I heard that Mooch has been close to signing? I'll believe it when he IS signed. Will Mo be able to come back this year or even be close to a 100% next year? I'll hope for it, but wont count on it. Was I certain the rocks would get the exception when the Knicks got one for Longley? No(even though it would have been unjust had it not turned out that way) I was happy when it was confirmed that the rockets got the medical exception, but I wasn't jumping for joy when it was reported that Jackson was "signed". Not because I thought it was a bad move(in fact very to the contrary), but I knew about the 15 day period, and that **** happens. I wont expect Jackson on the Rocks till the 15 days is up. If someone else had told me that Ward for Dampier trade, even with all the implications involved, I would have dismissed almost without giving it a second thought. You posting that there is interest in the deal does offer some validity to it(at least for me), but I still think it would make little sense for GS. Still it reasserts my belief that it is still a waiting game, as far as Jackson is concerned. Apply for the exception, wait wait wait, sign Jackson, yay? no... wait wait wait. Do I think a trade will happen between gs and another team? No not really, but I wont dismiss it entirely, esp when us getting Jackson hangs in the balance, and I thank you for every tidbit of info you pass along, whether an actual trade ends up happening or not. In conclusion Pops, don't be a stranger, cuz crisco says so. And if that isn't enough to stop you from isolating yourself from the bbs, then there really is no hope for saving you ... (smiley face goes here)
Saying "XYZ would not do that" because "that" doesn't make sense for XYZ is a logical argument. I don't care if Vladimir Putin--the best possible source--tells you he's going to bomb the United States. I can still argue that it doesn't make sense for him to do so, or that it's unlikely because it doesn't square with his recent behavior, and that therefore he won't do it. I'm not saying your "information is in error." Your information is that he says he's going to do it, or that he seems to be preparing to do it--not that he's done it. Nobody's attacking your credibility. We respect and value your information. I certainly do. Please show our arguments the same respect.
Although the people in general have a respect for you, I do not. Other posters commenting on your valued presense based on just your info isn't much of praise. Your reaction and continued reactions are still in contempt and the characteristics of a sensitive ego. OP, it's not like you don't know how the board is or how the posters are. You obviously are intelligent enough to have long known its mechanics. It however remains a public forum with agreements and disagreements both logical and not. It is not exclusive to those matching your wit or style - truth be told, there are many including myself who enjoy occasional the "Who is your favorite guard?" posts. NBA is entertainment and there is no restriction for the BBS to be a bit whimsical and disinterested in the truth at times. People do not insinuate you are a liar by publically evaluating the validity of your comments. Although methodically without tact, no poster had the true intent of ridiculing you. The need to quote, outright ignore, and create an exclusive informational group is unbecoming of your character. Why get so angry at those you obviously don't care the respect of? Bottomline, the thread thrives because of contributions... especially of yours. And although it may seem a thankless job, with unbalanced traffic of information, people will not question your character, if you remain in the reverie that is the silent gratification of seeing a small community thrive because of your efforts.
Take a deep breath 'pere, and relax my man, you're going to have a stroke! I know you said you calmed down, but by your last post it's obvious that you're still upset. I understand that you take this seriously, this isn't just a game or throwing around ideas for fun that you're giving us, you're giving us vital information. But don't read to much into what people have posted after you dropped the info. There were people that kind of doubted it because of conflicting info, you told us one thing while people were convinced of another. From the sound of things even the teams themselves are having trouble interpreting the CBA so it shouldn't be a surprise that when we hear one thing, and then you drop something that goes against the grain of what we heard, the majority of us are scattering around like rats wondering what the hell is actually going on! Basically it's a miscommunication. If a QB throws a pass and misses a receiver by 2 yards is it a bad throw by the QB or did the receiver run the wrong route? If you're a fan you can speculate, but you just don't know. That's basically what this situation is.
First a quick ego stroke: If I know it's one of your threads, or a thread you've posted on, I'm more likely to visit & revisit that thread. Now for my 2 cents: People disagreeing with your insight (if done so with a reasonable amount of thought or logic) keep the thread interesting, and bring more people to see your post. Don't think of it as a slap in the face, think of it as a challenge, or a dissenting opinion. I don't think anyone came out and said, "Now that guy's full of ****, don't listen to him." They were merely stating a differing opinion. Freedom of speech; what's wrong with that? I am still on the side of "don't count your Marc Jacksons before they hatch," and am awaiting the outcome ... and any juicy tidbits you have to offer in the meantime
To add to this thought, if the people on this BBS didn't have a great deal of respect & belief in you, then there wouldn't have been this kind of scrambling about to clarify your comments.
Maybe I'm wrong, but this is a f.....g message board!! Why get upset if someone doubts all the info given? No one has to give a scientific explanation why they don't agree with someone. This is a board based on some facts and some personal opinions. Thats why its called AMERICA!! So if someone wants to get mad and stop posting, oh well. I'm most sure the board will live on and the world will keep turning. Sometimes people take minor things to seriously.
