Nothing about opinions on weed. Be warn that your childish behavior can actually get you banned from this board, so you can go back to concentrate on your 80 hr a week job.
My bad, it isn't Batman. I just found out who it was by watching the active members list. Sorry Batman.
I don't know how to love you, man. I knew you were ridiculously stubborn but I didn't know you were downright ridiculous. If I wanted to do what you're suggesting -- and, by the way, I've been here since 99 and have never done anything that brushes up against that -- I certainly wouldn't need to do it in this case and I certainly wouldn't do it to convince you, since you've shown an incredible capacity to ignore the facts. We have already heard from the insiders. We have heard from the union, from two Chronicle writers who hear a hell of a lot more than anyone on the board, and from several Rockets on this. They are the insiders. You ignored everything any of them said because you have some kind of weird obsession with insisting Mo's a pothead even when no evidence points to him smoking since 01 and plenty of evidence points to this being a league screw up. I don't doubt ready2go came by his info from a real source, but he could almost as easily got it from the media. They've been suggesting this stuff for days. You've just been too stubborn to listen.
I never said it was something new, merely a "confirmation" of earlier theories. I found it very interesting and worth reporting. My source is a friend, and I will is no way jeopardize the relationship this person has with the organization. I don't expect you to believe it, but I don't really desire to "prove" anything - it's just not worth the hassle. I will say that this person interacts with the players on a regular basis. 'Nuff said. As has been mentioned MANY times on this BBS, people coming forward with insider information are almost universally attacked and ridiculed. I am not sure what would keep this from happening in the future, but an "attack" from LeGrouper was last on my list of expectations. Thoughts?
Ready2Go, man you're taking a beating. But hey, a lot of the old inside sources go through this initially too. Just as long as you're legit and continue posting, the board will eventually start respecting you (I hope, atleast that's how it use to be, but the members now seems different). However, if you're lying or a fraud, it will be proven and you'll be bashed like a certain Troy Barros during the summer.
p.s. Assuming someone coming in here to share what they've heard is a troll is beyond weak. Don't apologize to me (I actually thought you were kidding - amazing to find out you weren't), apologize to ready2go. And start working on your apology to Mo while you're at it. You've been incredibly out of line with him.
Easy, jdlee's first post was totally benign and then Grouper called him a r****d. lee mighta been childish, but he was just responding to unwarranted childish attacks from Grouper. I don't blame him a bit. And he's taking way too much heat here for defending himself.
You don't have to believe everything anyone posts here, but I'll never understand why people are so obsessed with tearing new, potential sources down. I say, thank him for the information and hope he comes back with more. (Thanks, by the way, Ready2Go.) These potential insiders aren't auditioning for us. They're sharing info out of the goodness of their hearts. When they get treated the way ready did by Grouper or Sir Jackie in this thread, I'm surprised they ever come back. If the guy was a troll, we'd find out in due time. If he isn't, we'll be lucky if he ever posts info here again considering the way he was treated.
About Mo Batman.... if this doesn't turn out to be about weed, then I think the league owes us a hell of a compensation package. One of the only reasons I am so positive that Mo did get in trouble for the dope again is the fact that the suspension was immediate AND that it was for ten games. I don't think the league would take the chance to make themselves look so stupid by suspending someone for ten games when it might turn out that he is exonerated. But part of the whole theme of this thread is that it is a downright shame when athletes being paid millions of dollars a year, jeopardize all that to get high. If he hadn't been caught TWICE before then the burden of proof wouldn't be so easily attained. I am not saying people can't make up for past mistakes, but I just don't see it happening so far. And on top of all of this, if it is true that Mo is in trouble for something medical related - then why doesn't he come out and say so, thus putting pressure on the league to exonerate him. Instead he is the one appearing guilty and the whole time his silence and serving out a suspension he claims isn't his fault is making him look very foolish. Can you imagine if the league all of a sudden accused Tmac of violating the league's substance abuse policy, then suspended him before he could appeal, and the whole time he was really innocent. Do you think he would be just sitting there silent?
Grouper: Mo's already said he's not allowed to talk about it. It probably has something to do with the pending appeal. But it was in one of the first articles that he wasn't allowed to talk about it. I think it was one of the articles in the Chronicle that you responded to by saying the Chron was full of crap and you didn't believe anything they wrote. And you don't see any evidence of Mo NOT smoking? How is he supposed to prove that? This is exactly why I posted to you a while back that you were probably still smoking too. I was being sarcastic to make the point that you were being hypocritical as an ex-smoker to make the case of once a smoker, always a smoker. As far as we know, Mo has not smoked since he was busted about two years ago. If he's actually kept clean for that amount of time and then you assume the worst, ignoring any accounts to the contrary, that's just pretty damn ****ty on your part. I was fully expecting people on this board to be royally pissed off at the league when the Chronicle articles came out, suggesting this was a mistake on their part, but no. People on this board were way too eager to bust on Mo for something he might not have even done. And nobody did it as rabidly or as stubbornly than you. I pointed out several things back then that pointed to this being a league screw up instead of Mo on weed: 1. 10 days is not a normal suspension for weed (not on the fourth offense or the fifth or the tenth). The CBA calls for 5 day suspensions. That pointed to it not being weed. 2. The expedited appeal from the union, when they only get two a year. Union reps were on record saying this was a bum rap. Several Rockets said the same. 3. The newspaper articles giving another viable explanation (which you chose to ignore, citing some kind of superiority over Chronicle writers - don't you feel like a booty?). 4. The fact that Mo insisted in the past on apologizing to the fans and telling them that the previous bust was for weed. He didn't have to talk about it, he wanted to, because he wanted to apologize. It's not consistent, in the face of that, that he would go around telling people this one was a bum rap if it was weed again. As I've said before, I totally understood when everyone here jumped to conclusions. I did it too. But stubbornly sticking to your guns, ignoring any evidence to the contrary, b****ing about Mo instead of considering the possibility that he (and the team we're all here rooting for) was being screwed by the league, was just incredible. Extending that venom to jdlee, Ready2Go and me was really bad manners. If it turns out you were wrong, I'm really looking forward to you admitting it. That ought to be a good one.
It is possible ... That Mo simply failed a urine test after taking medication for his shoulder, the league immediately suspended him regardless of reason, and Mo is filing a protest because he did not abuse drugs (this time). It is also possible... That Mo smoked pot again, failed a drug test accordingly, and is filing a protest because a 2nd offense should be only 5 games, not 10. Since Mo is not allowed to comment on the matter (as per NBA rules), we can only build our own conclusions of what is probable. IMO, Even if Mo used drugs legally, he should have been extremely careful about it knowing his previous suspension. He was foolish not to keep open communication with NBA/Rockets about which drugs he was taking for what conditions. On the flip side, if he was smoking pot again, he's just plain stupid. Either way, he screwed up royally. -- droxford
Thanks for the support Batman, et al. This board needs an enema! LOL I'll post more as I hear it - for those who are interested. Appeals are an nteresting processes, and I am sure everyone (Mo included) is going out of their way to not jeopardize it in any way. That would include talking about it in the press, or proclaiming innocence. --Ready2Go
You know the funny part about your valiant defense of jdlee is the fact that I was doing for Steve and Tmac exactly what you are doing for Mo. I didn't understand why someone would jump to the conclusion that these three players smoke weed during the season. It isn't like they have been in trouble for it before. Why just assume they smoke weed? Because they are black? Because they are hip? Why make a claim like that. I think making a statement like that about somone who has never been in trouble for something before is being r****ded. I still do. But with Mo I could see where someone might suspect it. When you get caught for something twice it tends to make others a little suspicious.... I am a Rockets fan to the end, and I hope something positive comes out of this. Lord knows we aren't going to trade Mo. But I can still be disappointed.
droxford: If players are not allowed to take pain medication or anti-inflammatories for painful injuries, the NBA drug rules are even worse and dumber than I thought. And if they punish prescribed medications for real injuries more harshly than recreational use of illegal drugs, then wow. They are even dumber. I agree that Mo should have been extra sensitive, considering his past. And I said, when the anti-inflammatory thing came up, that he may have made a careless and costly mistake. But, if that's what it turns out to be, it was an honest mistake. And if that's the case, neither the punishment by the league nor the incredibly vicious beating he's taken in this "fan" forum was justified.
IMO, Even if Mo used drugs legally, he should have been extremely careful about it knowing his previous suspension. He was foolish not to keep open communication with NBA/Rockets about which drugs he was taking for what conditions. On the flip side, if he was smoking pot again, he's just plain stupid. Either way, he screwed up royally. -- droxford [/B][/QUOTE] Sorry, I don't see it that way. Until proved otherwise I will accept the legal drugs causing a false positive. I cannot go with foolish, here, with no more info than I have. If it proves otherwise I will come down hard on Mo, and wish him long gone (for non-basketball reasons).
Grouper: My defense of jdlee is due to the fact that several posters jumped on his ass and I thought it was undeserved. When you call someone a r****d, you can expect to be called something back. You did it, you deserved the retaliation and you joined the fight with him. And everyone jumped on him and no one jumped on you -- the guy who started it. I wasn't defending him based on the strength of his arguments (though I did think they were at least as strong as yours). I was defending him because he was being unjustly bashed. How bout answering my other post?
Yeah, in the meantime he is SERVING the appeal. What are they going to do? Give him another suspension for saying he is innocent? Will his appeal work after he has only served eight games? I would say that Droxford's second suggestion is the most likely occurance. That way they would not want to talk about it to the media, but the Union might actually think they can win the appeal down to five games. They wouldn't want to talk about it because it is am embarressment to the organization.
What the one where you talk about why you don't understand why this board is suspicious of anonymous insiders? Because some ten year old could be posting Batman, you know that. Or the one where you want me to apologize to Mo for getting suspended.... And you keep wanting to talk about how I called somone a r****d. jdlee made what I felt was a racist statement - that basically most famous basketball players smoke weed. Why would he say that? I found it r****ded then, I find it r****ded now, and apparently you find it r****ded that I jumped to the conclusion that Mo smoked weed. That does not give anyone the right to start using profanity or saying words like enema. I am not going to respond to anymore of these posts.
Agreed. Legitimate drug use should not result in punishment. However, I would think (speculating here) that when they tested Mo, they would have asked him if he's currently taking any other kinds of medication that might influence his test results. And I would think that Mo would have replied with whatever drugs he was using legitimately (if he was indeed using drugs legitimately). Though it may have been an honest mistake, it was an extremely costly mistake in many ways, and knowing that further violations would result in more suspensions, hindrance on team focus, financial cost to Mo, public and fan disappointment, etc..... knowing that, Mo's honest mistake could have and should have been avoided, and he screwed up royally for not doing so. (isn't it nice to discuss things rationally, and without going at each other's throats?) -- droxford
I think LeGrouper has a rather large LeChip on his shoulder. LOL And besides, enema is not a bad word. Look it up. Seriously, dude, go back and re-read your posts - you sound naive. mar1juana is pervasive throughout professional sports. Regardless if everyone does it, it happens and that is a fact. As a little tidbit, at least one other Rocket was "busted" recently for failing the drug test, but we won't hear about it because it was a first offense. Get a grip! This is turning into a soap opera. --Ready2Go
