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xplorer751 · 2 years ago

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So, on January 6th, 2021 after sending what he knew was an armed mob to the Capitol to stop the certification of the election that he knew was not stolen, Trump watched Fox News and understood that the armed mob had breached the Capitol with violent intent.

Instead of calling for support for the Capitol police, he called allies at the Capitol that were literally under attack from that same mob. This was to push his false narrative and stop the certification. Mike Pence’s life had been threatened by the mob. This mob came very close to succeeding. Seems suspicious to me that the secret service text messages from that day have conveniently been erased. That is a separate investigation.

It was Mike Pence that placed the calls that brought reinforcements to get the mob under control. During this time Trump made a violent and dangerous situation worse, by tweeting to his followers to get Mike Pence.The violent and armed mob failed to kill Mike Pence. They failed to stop the confirmation of the state certified election results.

IT WAS ONLY AFTER TRUMP REALIZED THAT HIS COUP HAD FAILED, HE ADDRESSED THE MOB, REITERATED HIS BIG LIE, EXPRESSED HIS LOVE FOR THE ARMED MOB, AND ASKED THEM TO LEAVE. Please read the last sentence again. Read it again.

I understand that the January 6th Committee is not a criminal trial. I understand that it is political theater. Video depositions are edited. Only one side of the story is being told. I am expecting that the DOJ will prosecute these crimes according to the law. Trump’s behavior cannot go unpunished, nor for his collaborators like Giuliani, Powell, Bannon, Meadows, etc.

As much as it pains me, I have already trimmed my Facebook friends list over this topic. These are people that I care deeply about that I will no longer engage with on Facebook. This country has many serious issues that it faces like inflation, the war in Ukraine, security at the border, and the list goes on.

One of classic responses that I see from some of my conservative friends is whataboutism. Now that the price of gas is starting to go down, what are they going to complain about to distract us from this most serious of issues, namely our democracy and the future of our country? Please DO NOT post that nonsense in response to this post. My list of Facebook friends will get smaller.

After all of this, Trump is wanting to run for President again. If he does there is a segment of our population that would vote for him. It astounds me that he still has support. Like the NRA, the Republican party has become a party filled with dangerous extremists.

It is no longer the party of Abe Lincoln, Dwight Eisenhower, or Ronald Reagan. It is now a party filled with cowards. Once elected, far too many of them ignore the oath to the constitution that they swore to defend.

Let me be clear that being a Republican is not a bad thing in and of itself. There is a legitimate place for a conservative world view in politics. There are legitimate reasons to have firearms for sport and self defense. You are free to choose your brand of Christianity as long others can live their lives free from your beliefs.

Keep in mind that the testimony from the January 6th committee has exclusively been from Republicans that have supported the party and Trump. Republicans that put their duty to country above short-term partisan gains.

When Hitler staged the burning of the Reichstag he declared martial law. He required an oath of loyalty to the death not to Germany, but to himself. Like a mob boss, loyalty is the most important quality for anyone that is not the leader. In my view, sadly that is what the Republican party has become. It has become the party of Trump. It is a cult. This needs to change.

If Republicans were truly interested in Making American Great again, they would look for candidates with integrity and purge those that worship at the alter of Trump. The hearings have shown that there are Republicans with integrity. They are the ones testifying, not the ones ignoring the subpoenas from the committee or pleading the 5th amendment.

I believe that as the legal process comes to a just conclusion, Trump's desire to inhabit the White House again will become a moot point. He has committed treason. What this translates into in terms of prosecutable crimes is yet to be seen. If he gets away with this, we are doomed as a democracy, and as a country.

#justice Trump insurrection Jan 6th

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viraljournalist · 5 years ago

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Ten NBA things I like and don't like, including the Luka Doncic-Dwight Powell dance

New Post has been published on https://viraljournalist.com/ten-nba-things-i-like-and-dont-like-including-the-luka-doncic-dwight-powell-dance/

Ten NBA things I like and don't like, including the Luka Doncic-Dwight Powell dance

How about a fresh serving of 10 NBA things:

1. The tricks of Ja Morant

Morant’s athleticism and fearlessness strike you first. He is so fast. He wants to dunk on everyone — to humiliate victims, the bigger the better.

All that is cool. But what is most impressive about Morant — the runaway Rookie of the Year — is his veteran craft. He already knows how to start and stop with a live dribble, and keep defenses guessing until the best option reveals itself. He sees every pass. He imagines passes no one else sees, and conjures them with dribble moves designed to shift the defense in some specific way.

You just don’t see rookies doing stuff like this:

That fake spin — the Smitty — dusts damn near the entire LA Clippers team. The one-handed lefty gather into a reverse layup is borderline pornographic. That insta-gather is already a Morant trademark — useful in tight spaces.

He has a mean pass fake:

He busts it out on the perimeter to freeze help defenders:

A lot of ball handlers turn statuesque when someone else takes the controls. Not Morant. He weaponizes his speed as an off-ball cutter.

Morant isn’t the only reason the Memphis Grizzlies — 13-6 since early December — have improbably surged into the Western Conference’s No. 8 spot. Their three core big men — Jonas Valanciunas, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Brandon Clarke — are balling, and their bizarro bench is obliterating opponents.

But Morant is driving it. He is real. He is a superstar in the making playing winning basketball. He belongs at the edges of the All-Star conversation right now.

2. Drivin’ De’Aaron Fox

After two months of injuries and uneven play, Fox is back on his ascent toward becoming the Sacramento Kings’ franchise point guard. In seven January games, Fox is averaging 24 points and 8.5 assists on 50% shooting. He is driving more often, with more guile and ferocity.

Fox is earning seven free throws per 36 minutes — easily a career high. He is piling up almost 29 drives per 100 possessions, second among rotation players — and up from 15 and 18 in his prior two seasons, per Second Spectrum data. He has drawn fouls on 13% of those drives, 16th highest among 173 guys who have recorded at least 100 drives.

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Fox is still searching for the right pass-or-score balance, and the Kings under Luke Walton haven’t landed on a coherent identity. (Injuries to Fox and Marvin Bagley III have stalled progress there.) They are playing at one of the league’s slowest paces, though they amp it up some with Fox on the floor.

The next step for Fox is dialing in on defense, where he has disappointed this season. The Kings won’t go anywhere too serious until the Fox/Buddy Hield backcourt proves it can survive on that end.

3. Forfeiting mismatches

A pet peeve:

This isn’t about the Orlando Magic. Every team does this now and then: Spot a juicy mismatch, and default into a pick-and-roll that allows the defense to switch that mismatch away.

The Utah Jazz are stuck with Emmanuel Mudiay on Aaron Gordon. If you want to post Gordon up, do it when he can mash a smaller dude. Instead, D.J. Augustin and Gordon gift the Jazz a switch.

Come on. Disengage autopilot and read the game. The right kind of post-up can still be an effective scoring option. They also are fun to watch. The league needs stylistic diversity.

You know who rarely bungles this? The Indiana Pacers with Domantas Sabonis. Their old-school mentality serves them well when they earn a switch, or when the opposing power forward is stuck defending Sabonis. The Pacers in those scenarios are ruthless. They are surgical. They abort whatever plan they had and hunt that mismatch.

4. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, off the glass

The notorious S.G.A. is already one of the league’s shiftiest ball handlers — a long-limbed, change-of-pace phantom who seems to move at two or three different speeds at once. Guarding him is like trying to catch a fish with your bare hands.

He also is a premier bank shot artist, smooching from unconventional angles:

That is a little close to the baseline for most players to go glass. Gilgeous-Alexander has the touch to pull it off. That one hits pretty low on the backboard, but Gilgeous-Alexander will kiss the ball off the tippy-top if need be.

The straight-on banker is underused — a tricky work of depth perception that can increase your margin for error on harried floaters. Gilgeous-Alexander has it in his bag:

Only 10 players have attempted more glassers than Gilgeous-Alexander, per Second Spectrum. (Russell Westbrook has tried by far the most — almost double the No. 2 guy.) Coming off a ridiculous 20-20-10 game, Gilgeous-Alexander has a fringe All-Star case: 20 points, six rebounds and three assists per game, decent shooting, solid defense.

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It is a hard case to parse. Each member of Oklahoma City’s three-headed point guard monster has sacrificed something. Gilgeous-Alexander has stepped back into a secondary ballhandling role behind Chris Paul (probably a better All-Star candidate) and Dennis Schroder (in the running for Sixth Man of the Year). Gilgeous-Alexander has logged only 40 minutes as solo floor general — without either Schroder or Paul.

I recently debated with a few non-Thunder executives whether Gilgeous-Alexander would grow into an All-NBA player. That they framed the question in those terms — and not around whether Gilgeous-Alexander will make All-Star teams — is indicative of how good he has been.

5. Still waiting on Aaron Gordon

Boy, did Gordon need this recent mini-hot streak: 60 points on 23-of-39 shooting over Orlando’s last three outings, and a last-second game-winner Monday in Sacramento. It has otherwise been a stilted, disappointing season for Gordon.

I thought this was the year it might finally happen for him. I predicted Gordon would make the All-Star Game.

Instead, Gordon’s production on offense has dipped across the board, though he remains engaged on the other end. There are three theoretical Gordons: the player Gordon wants to be; the player Orlando wants him to be; and the player Orlando needs him to be because of their roster construction. The actual Gordon is paralyzed in some sort of existential tension between all three.

The first player — Gordon’s dream for himself — is a ball-dominant scorer. Orlando indulges that Gordon by calling occasional post-ups for him and giving him some freedom to go rogue. Gordon can make hay against smaller players. He has done well on scripted duck-ins. But too many of his forays into would-be stardom end with bricked fadeaways:

A player this powerful should not spend so much time spinning away from the hoop. He rarely draws fouls. The Magic have scored 0.826 points per possession anytime Gordon shoots out of a post-up or passes to a teammate who fires right away — 74th among 96 players who have recorded at least 25 post-ups, per Second Spectrum data. He is not much of an inside-out playmaker. A full 77% of those post-ups have ended with Gordon shooting — the second highest such rate in that sample.

The best version of Gordon on a good team is something like his take on Draymond Green: screening and rolling as a power forward, spraying passes (Gordon is an underrated playmaker), defending like all hell across every position. The Magic have never put Gordon in optimal position to find that role. They shoehorned him onto the wing next to Serge Ibaka and now Jonathan Isaac.

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That is not on its face unworkable. Some of those ultra-big Magic lineups have performed well — including last season. Talented frontcourt partners render positional designations irrelevant. What position would Gordon play next to, say, Kevin Durant and a traditional center in Brooklyn? Isaac has some blossoming all-around skill on offense.

But Isaac also is very young. Before Isaac’s injury, it felt — from the outside — Orlando was reaching the point at which it would have to make a final call on Gordon. There are teams who would give a lot for Gordon. Isaac’s knee injury may have put off those decisions. The Magic don’t have to rush. Gordon is still just 24.

But stasis often becomes untenable.

6. The Bucks, going under

Almost every team scurries under picks against bad shooters, but Milwaukee does it more dramatically and against many more players. The Bucks treat every so-so shooter like Ben Simmons. Present Milwaukee with Kris Dunn or RJ Barrett (two recent examples) and its on-ball defenders hang almost in the paint — a step or two further back than most teams prefer. They form a shell that is really hard to puncture.

They don’t deviate if some Dunn type hits a couple of long 2s. The Bucks understand math. They know their scheme plays mind games with opposing shooters — even non-terrible ones. They’re going so far under. This is embarrassing. Am I really supposed to keep shooting? Boom — the shot clock is down to 8, and you’ve accomplished nothing.

This is such low-hanging fruit. Every team should imitate Mike Budenholzer’s exaggerated “go under” ethos.

Of course, later playoff rounds offer very few awful shooters — and almost none beyond Simmons who handle the ball. It would be interesting to see Milwaukee’s approach in a series against the Miami Heat and Jimmy Butler — shooting just 27% from deep this season and 36% for his career on long 2s.

7. When young guys forget who is guarding them, Part I

Oh, Jordan Poole.

That’s Kawhi Leonard. At his apex, the mere act of possessing the ball within a 15-foot radius of Leonard was dangerous for anyone outside the league’s most deft point guards. Forget dribbling. Poor saps held the ball close to their chest — terror sweat pouring from their brow, eyes darting in search of some passing target — until Leonard would simply reach out and take it. It was cruel. It was bullying.

Leonard isn’t the same impenetrable wall today, and he saves his best stuff for high-leverage playoff moments. But you can’t be Jordan freaking Poole and dangle the ball in front of him. This is like living next door to Thomas Crown, buying a masterwork, and leaving your front door wide open all night. What do you think is going to happen?

There has been much fretting of late about the Clippers’ underwhelming performances against the dregs of the league. Meh. One of Leonard and Paul George has missed most of those games. Wake me up when the real Clippers struggle.

The Clippers also seem like a mortal lock to make a win-now trade. They have use-it-or-kinda-lose-it assets ticking toward evaporation. They can trade their 2020 first-round pick, but that is the last one they can move (as things stand now) before their 2028 selection. They have Maurice Harkless’ $11 million expiring contract, and a few semi-expendable midsized salaries.

The Clippers would rather add talent (via in-season free agency) without trading anything. Harkless is solid — a starter most of the season. That 2020 pick represents one of LA’s only means of acquiring a young player who might help Leonard and George as they age.

But the Clippers are all-in. George and Leonard can hit free agency in 18 months. They should prioritize this year over everything.

Part II of young guys failing to respect their elders is coming next week.

8. Respect the Mavs’ other big men

I never got the mostly quashed rumblings Dallas might be interested in Andre Drummond. Kristaps Porzingis should eventually play more as the Mavs’ lone big man, and in the meantime, Maxi Kleber and Dwight Powell are doing just fine alongside him.

Skeptics in the preseason perceived the Mavs roster as top heavy: two stars and a motley crew of bench guys. It’s true (it’s damn true!) Dallas does not have anyone like a third member of past championship Big 3s. But they do have (by my count) seven guys you might describe as quality fifth starters — seven fifth-best players, all but one (Tim Hardaway Jr.) on value contracts. There is power in giving zero minutes to below-average players.

Powell has always been a dangerous rim-runner, but he has exploded as Luka Doncic’s go-to pick-and-roll dance partner. Only three player pairs have teamed up on that play more often. (For trivia purposes, the top three in volume: Spencer Dinwiddie/Jarrett Allen, Damian Lillard/Hassan Whiteside, and the Lou Williams/Montrezl Harrell symphony.)

The Mavs average a ginormous 1.18 points per possession anytime Doncic or Powell shoots out of the pick-and-roll, or passes to a teammate who launches — ninth-best among 226 duos who have run at least 100 such plays, per Second Spectrum.

Powell has improved as a passer on the move — crucial when teams trap Doncic:

Kleber does a little of everything. He’s a serviceable screen-and-dive guy. He is hitting 41% from deep on a career-high attempt rate, and he makes canny plays off the bounce when defenses rush at him:

Kleber is a sturdy, smart defender across multiple positions. Rick Carlisle has trusted him to guard extra-large ball-handlers, including LeBron, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Simmons. He’s a solid rim protector with some hops.

Dallas is starting Kleber and Powell in the absence of Porzingis, and the Mavs have outscored opponents by 13 points per 100 possessions with both on the floor.

Kleber and Powell earn $18 million combined this season — $9 million less than Drummond. Drummond holds a much-discussed player option for 2020-21. Kleber and Powell are under contract through 2023. Leaving aside money and whatever assets Detroit might demand, it’s unclear whether giving Kleber/Powell minutes to Drummond would even make Dallas any better.

9. Miami is one player away, but who?

This is a minor quibble considering the Heat are 28-12 and a robust 10-6 against teams at .500 or better. Maybe the “one player” is Justise Winslow, who is still out with a back injury after returning for a single game last week.

Winslow is (in theory) the well-rounded small-ball power forward to unlock lineups featuring Bam Adebayo at center. Meyers Leonard is shooting 45% from deep as Miami’s nominal starting center, but there are lots of games in which he never sees the floor after his first stint in each half. Kelly Olynyk is barely playing.

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Right now, Derrick Jones Jr. and James Johnson are holding down that Winslow slot. Johnson looks feisty after a long stint in Heat purgatory. He’s 10-of-20 on 3s. But his jumper is unreliable, and he is regaining the team’s trust.

Jones has taken the lion’s share of these minutes over the last month. His arms are everywhere. He is the keystone of Miami’s zone defense. Lineups with Jones and Adebayo at power forward and center have done well.

But are you trusting Jones to close playoff games? He’s shooting 23% from deep. Defenses ignore him on the perimeter to muck up Miami’s spacing.

Miami has tried to solve the equation at times by going super-small, with Jimmy Butler at power forward. That is a little too small. Adebayo is so strong and athletic, you forget he’s only 6-9. Miami has been a middle-of-the-pack defensive team after a stingy start. They have to be careful.

They are one player away from being really dangerous. They know. They are looking, sources say. A lot of speculation about the Heat — and other teams — has centered around Jrue Holiday. He’s good. The Pelicans may opt to keep him and push for the No. 8 seed. (This is what suitors expect as of now — which could of course change.)

But I wonder if Miami has a more pressing need for a stretch power forward with some defensive chops to fill that Winslow/Jones/Johnson slot. (Winslow returning to form could render this moot.) Danilo Gallinari would be a worthy rental, but the Thunder might be too good to trade him. It’s also unclear whether Miami has any appetite for surrendering any players who are or could be (i.e., Winslow) key parts of their current rotation.

Regardless, keep an eye on Miami.

10. Marcus Smart is coming at you

What in the hell is this?

I’ve seen defenders close out low to distract shooters, but they usually resemble football tacklers. They aim for the stomach. I’m not sure I’ve seen anyone crouch toward the shooter’s foot. Smart looks like he’s trying to pick something up off the floor.

I honestly don’t know how anyone shoots 3s against Boston without worrying what kind of goofy closeout awaits. Jaylen Brown jumps straight up and down with all his might, and reaches both arms as high as he can — a technique Al Horford mastered, and something the Celtics teach. Brace for that, and Smart comes nipping at your ankles.

What’s next? Jayson Tatum running at shooters, screaming gibberish and waving his arms? Kemba Walker experimenting with some kind of drop-and-roll technique?

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junker-town · 5 years ago

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These 8 NBA teams will hit the over on their projected win total

The Raptors and Mavericks are two teams who could beat their projected win total this year.

Bet the over on these eight NBA teams.

Name a more iconic duo than reckless sports predictions and gambling. With the NBA season around the corner, the SB Nation staff thought we would combine the two and hand out some free advice on the most intriguing over/under win totals at the sportsbook.

The lines are from Draft Kings and all come with their own odds. These the teams we like to hit the over this season.

Brooklyn Nets: 44.5

The Nets won 42 games last year and to achieve the over in this scenario, we only need three more wins for the same team. That same team has swapped Kyrie Irving for D’Angelo Russell and by my calculations, this is a safe bet to add a small amount of wins to your season. Let’s also take into account that Caris Levert will be back and healthy, Joe Harris is on a contract year, and let’s not forget Spencer Dinwiddie.

Will there be chemistry issues to start the season? Possibly. Will Kyrie go full galaxy brain? Probably. Will the team be surrounded by weird Kevin Durant rumors? Definitely.

But, I’m not making the case that the Nets will be the greatest team ever, I just need them to win more than 44.5 games, and this feels like an easy win to me.

— Whitney Medworth

Golden State Warriors: 47.5

Things don’t look entirely promising for the Warriors. Kevin Durant was a big loss, but they’ve existed as a dominant team without him before, but also losing Klay Thompson to injury at the end of last season dramatically changed the outlook of their future. Thompson is the perfect complimentary superstar, capable of playing like the main superstar when necessary, but also comfortable playing the sidekick or even the third in line, as long as it benefits the team. And he does this with his offensive game as well as his defensive capabilities.

But I believe. I believe in Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Steve Kerr. I believe in Kerr being able to be creative with lineups to get the best of his remaining stars. I believe in Green being able to play both sides of the ball in his best form, which he usually saves for the playoffs, but which will be necessary in the regular season now. And I believe, as everyone should, in the upcoming year of Curry in which he will burn the league down and showcase the full extents of his powers, as both a requirement for the team to do well, and to prove a point to the doubters.

Saying that they will beat 47 games is a hopeful prediction. The West is even tougher now, and the league has grown in parity. But I still think that with Curry and Green at their best, the Warriors are still capable of 50 wins.

— Zito Madu

Chicago Bulls: 30.5

The Bulls have the most dispiriting goal in the NBA laid before them this season: to scratch-and-claw their way to the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference. While the franchise won’t get another Grant Park parade for such an accomplishment, it would signal meaningful improvement after two truly horrendous seasons following the Jimmy Butler trade. Whether the Bulls can outlast the Detroit Pistons and Orlando Magic for that final spot in the East remains to be seen, but they should at least be close enough to clear 30 wins.

The Bulls have already broken a pair of dubious trends with nearly two decades of history behind them in this calendar year. First, actually traded for a player who improved the team in Otto Porter Jr. Then they made two three smart free agent signings with Tomas Santoransky, Thaddeus Young, and Luke Kornet. None of them are superstars, but all of them should help Zach LaVine, Lauri Markkanen, and Wendell Carter Jr. grow into the best versions of themselves. The Bulls still have a long, long way to go, but they have no excuse to continue being one of the very worst teams in the league.

— Ricky O’Donnell

Detroit Pistons: 37.5

The Pistons are not very good, but they have two things going for them: they are in the Eastern Conference, and they have a real centerpiece star in Blake Griffin. The Pistons went 41-41 and landed the No. 8 seed last season, their first under Dwane Casey and first full season with Griffin. In fact, the Pistons have beat this 37.5 wins line in three of the past four seasons. In the other, they won 37 games. So 37.5 really doesn’t seem like much of a stretch: the Pistons don’t even need to improve to hit it, they just need to not be substantially worse.

Griffin, who has struggled with injuries throughout his illustrious career, played 75 games last season. That’s a good sign. Andre Drummond had his strongest effort ever at age 25 and is now in a contract year. Reggie Jackson, who has also struggled with injuries, played all 82, something that seems unlikely to repeat. But while the Pistons are shallow, the talent at the top is pretty good — Griffin is a top-five player in the East, and Drummond might be the second or third best center — and Casey is not a coach that presides over much failure. Pencil them in for a low seed and an average record.

— Tom Ziller

Dallas Mavericks: 40.5

Much depends on Kristaps Porzingis, who we’ve not seen for 21 months and had a spotty history of injuries even before then. But if he’s healthy and in a good frame of mind, a one-two punch of Porzingis and Luka Doncic rivals any in the league. A Doncic-Porzingis pick-and-roll offers tantalizing possibilities, even when opponents switch.

The surrounding cast is underrated as well. Seth Curry had his best season under Rick Carlisle three years ago and will now be empowered in an ideal role as a secondary playmaker alongside Doncic. The combination of Dwight Powell’s rim-rolling, Maxi Kleber’s floor spacing, and Boban Marjanovic’s size will do the job nicely at center over the course of 82 games. Tim Hardaway Jr. provides instant offense, while Delon Wright is a quality defender and underrated playmaker. Keep an eye on Jalen Brunson and Justin Jackson, two young players who slot into obvious roles at backup point guard and combo forward.

The West is difficult, but it’s hard for me to picture a Rick Carlisle-coached team going three straight years without a winning record, particularly with this much star potential.

—Mike Prada

Dallas Mavericks 40.5

Mike gave you all the real reasons to pick the over with Dallas, but I’ll go with the simplest reason of all: There is serious “best shape of his life” potential for Kristaps Porzingis, based on this one picture, which is surely enough on which to base a seasonal prediction.

The one thing you can control in life is your effort @mcuban pic.twitter.com/mFNOK8hbBv

— Kristaps Porzingis (@kporzee) September 24, 2019

—Eric Stephen

Toronto Raptors: 46.5

Kawhi Leonard’s singular brilliance in last year’s playoffs obscured one key stat from the Raptors’ title run: their 17-5 record in the 22 games Leonard rested for load management. Twelve of those 17 wins came before the midseason trade for Marc Gasol, and several of those 12 came amid the backdrop of Kyle Lowry also shuffling in and out of the lineup with nagging ailments. Leonard may have turned them into champions, but the leftover core is quite good in its own right.

Are you ready to see a fully unleashed Pascal Siakam for 82 games? I sure am, and I expect big things. Gasol is coming off a dominant summer for Spain, and Lowry is still Lowry. Danny Green is gone, but O.G. Anunoby should be much better this season after struggling with injury and personal tragedy last year.

The biggest risk here is Masai Ujiri deciding to accelerate a rebuild and trading Lowry and/or Gasol, both in the final year of their contract. But while Ujiri has built a reputation for not caring about sentiment to improve the team — see DeRozan, DeMar — his actions over the course of his tenure with the Raptors have been more conservative than that reputation suggests. I don’t expect him to be as quick to break up a pretty good thing as many others do.

— Mike Prada

New York Knicks: 27.5

The Knicks won 17 games last season. They were the worst team in the league. By April, Damyean Dotson, Mario Hezonja, and Luke Kornet were their guiding lights in games that were watched by nobody. I am not here to pronounce 2020 as a turning point for this franchise. The playoffs stay out of reach and zero All-Stars are on the roster. The Knicks are clearly rebuilding, but they also have so much more talent than they did a year ago. Some of it’s tantalizing. Some of it’s flawed yet proven. Some is years away from actualizing it in an NBA environment.

There are also real players, with real skills. Marcus Morris is frustrating, but not bad. Julius Randle averaged 25.2 points per 36 minutes with a 60.0 True Shooting percentage. Taj Gibson is a professional adult whose arms remain long. Sure, they all play the same position but this team also has a nice blend of athleticism, youth, and, most importantly, shooting in the backcourt. Reggie Bullock and Wayne Ellington make life easy for everybody else, and Kevin Knox is...no longer a rookie.

None of this is meant to resemble a ringing endorsement. All they need to do is win 30 games. In the Eastern Conference, with this talent base, that seems plausible enough.

— Michael Pina

New Orleans Pelicans: 38.5

I believe in Zion Williamson. I believe in future All-Stars Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball. I believe in veterans Jrue Holiday, J.J. Redick, Derrick Favors and E’Twaun Moore rising the 24-and-unders to the occasion. And I believe the Pels finish over .500.

All success revolves around Zion’s play and I’ve yet to be given a reason why he won’t dominate at the next level. Even if he struggles finding his way as a scorer, he’ll facilitate an offense that stretches Redick, Holiday and Moore around the arc, and plants Favors and Jaxson Hayes down low. New Orleans doesn’t have a clear identity to start the season, and that’s ok. But it has so much raw talent, a resolution will come.

— Matt Ellentuck

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element-effect-blog · 6 years ago

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100 Inspirational Leadership Quotes To Make You a Better Manager This Year

Happy New Year, everyone!

Like many of our team, if you're taking on the responsibility of managing a team this year, understand one thing:

The best managers aren't focused on improving their ability to supervise, they're focused on improving their ability to lead.

Almost anyone can be trained to manage, but very few actually succeed in becoming truly great leaders.

So, while the new year confetti is still settling and before you're neck-deep in the year's objectives, here's a little inspiration.

I've scoured the Internet to find 100 leadership quotes to help you help your team unlock their full potential and drive results for your business in the new year.

Take these quotes, tweet them out to your followers, scribble them down in your moleskin, or heck, carve them into the side of your desk -- Ok, maybe don't do that.

Whatever you do with them, remember, a good leader doesn't simply tell people what to do, they give people the skills, tools, and guidance to do it better on their own.

100 Leadership Quotes to Make You a Better Manager in 2018

“Followers think and talk about their problems....Leaders think and talk about the solutions.” - Brian Tracy [Tweet This]

2. “Those who let things happen usually lose to those who make things happen.” - Dave Weinbaum [Tweet This]

3. “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” - John Q. Adams [Tweet This]

4. “A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd.” - Max Lucado [Tweet This]

5. “A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.” - Henry Adams [Tweet This]

6. “People buy into the leader before they buy into the vision.”- John C. Maxwell [Tweet This]

“A company is stronger if it is bound by love rather than by fear.” - Herb Kelleher [Tweet This]

8. "The key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority." - Kenneth Blanchard [Tweet This]

9. “To lead people, walk behind them.” - Lao Tzu [Tweet This]

10. "As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others." - Bill Gates [Tweet This]

He who has great power should use it lightly." - Seneca [Tweet This]

12. "Leadership cannot just go along to get along. Leadership must meet the moral challenge of the day." - Jesse Jackson [Tweet This]

13. "Management is about arranging and telling. Leadership is about nurturing and enhancing." - Tom Peters [Tweet This]

14. “The art of leadership is saying no, not yes. It is very easy to say yes.” - Tony Blair [Tweet This]

Leadership is the key to 99 percent of all successful efforts." - Erskine Bowles [Tweet This]

16. “Don’t follow the crowd, let the crowd follow you.” - Margaret Thatcher [Tweet This]

17. “Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.” - John F. Kennedy [Tweet This]

18. “Leadership is the art of giving people a platform for spreading ideas that work.” - Seth Godin [Tweet This]

“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.” - Steve Jobs [Tweet This]

20. "Leadership is unlocking people’s potential to become better." - Bill Bradley [Tweet This]

21. “A cowardly leader is the most dangerous of men.” - Stephen King [Tweet This]

No man is good enough to govern another man without that other’s consent." - Abraham Lincoln [Tweet This]

23. "There are three essentials to leadership: humility, clarity and courage." - Fuchan Yuan [Tweet This]

24. "Not the cry, but the flight of a wild duck, leads the flock to fly and follow." - Chinese Proverb [Tweet This]

“To add value to others, one must first value others.” - John C. Maxwell [Tweet This]

26. "If one is lucky, a solitary fantasy can totally transform one million realities." - Maya Angelou [Tweet This]

27. "Leadership does not always wear the harness of compromise." - Woodrow Wilson [Tweet This]

28. "The greatest leaders mobilize others by coalescing people around a shared vision." - Ken Blanchard [Tweet This]

29. "To do great things is difficult; but to command great things is more difficult." - Friedrich Nietzsche [Tweet This]

30. “The first key to leadership is self-control.” - Jack Weatherford [Tweet This]

Earn your leadership every day." - Michael Jordan [Tweet This]

32. "There are three essentials to leadership: humility, clarity and courage." - Fuchan Yuan [Tweet This]

33. "The growth and development of people is the highest calling of leadership." - Harvey Firestone [Tweet This]

34. "A leader takes people where they would never go on their own.” - Hans Finzel [Tweet This]

A boss says, Go! A leader says, Let’s go!" - E.M. Kelly [Tweet This]

36. "The supreme quality of leadership is integrity." – Dwight D. Eisenhower [Tweet This]

37. "I suppose leadership at one time meant muscles; but today it means getting along with people." - Mahatma Gandhi [Tweet This]

38. "Leadership - leadership is about taking responsibility, not making excuses." - Mitt Romney [Tweet This]

39. "The quality of a leader is reflected in the standards they set for themselves." - Ray Kroc [Tweet This]

40. "A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week." - George Patton [Tweet This]

41. "Good leadership consists of showing average people how to do the work of superior people." - John D. Rockefeller [Tweet This]

42. "The speed of the leader is the speed of the gang." - Mary Kay Ash [Tweet This]

43. "Great companies in the way they work, start with great leaders." - Steve Ballmer [Tweet This]

44. "Great leaders are willing to sacrifice the numbers to save the people." - Simon Sinek [Tweet This]

45. "Anyone can hold the helm when the sea is calm." - Publilius Syrus [Tweet This]

46. "A great person attracts great people and knows how to hold them together." - Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe [Tweet This]

47. "I am reminded how hollow the label of leadership sometimes is and how heroic followership can be." -Warren Bennis [Tweet This]

48. "Become the kind of leader that people would follow voluntarily; even if you had no title or position." - Brian Tracy [Tweet This]

49. "When eagles are silent, parrots begin to chatter." - Winston Churchill [Tweet This]

50. "Don’t necessarily avoid sharp edges. Occasionally they are necessary to leadership." - Donald Rumsfeld [Tweet This]

51. “Real leaders are ordinary people with extraordinary determinations.” - John Seaman Garns [Tweet This]

52. "If you really want the key to success, start by doing the opposite of what everyone else is doing." - Brad Szollose [Tweet This]

53. "You get the best efforts from others not by lighting a fire beneath them, but by building a fire within." - Bob Nelson [Tweet This]

“A leader's job is to look into the future and see the organization, not as it is, but as it should be.” - Jack Welch [Tweet This]

55. "You get in life what you have the courage to ask for." - Nancy D. Solomon [Tweet This]

56. “A leader is someone who creates infectious enthusiasm.” - Ted Turner [Tweet This]

57. “Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality." - Warren Bennis [Tweet This]

58. "You do not lead by hitting people over the head - that’s assault, not leadership." Dwight D. Eisenhower [Tweet This]

59. "I cannot trust a man to control others who cannot control himself." Robert E. Lee [Tweet This]

60. “Great leaders state out loud what they intend to do and in doing so, they get things done.” - Simon Sinek [Tweet This]

61. "Great leaders inspire people to have confidence in themselves." - Eleanor Roosevelt [Tweet This]

62. “Business leaders cannot be bystanders.” - Howard Schultz [Tweet This]

63. "Leadership is not about titles, positions, or flowcharts. It is about one life influencing another." - John C. Maxwell [Tweet This]

64. "If you spend your life trying to be good at everything, you will never be great at anything." - Tom Rath [Tweet This]

65. “The art of leadership is saying no, not yes. It is very easy to say yes.” - Tony Blair [Tweet This]

66. “What you do has far greater impact than what you say." - Stephen Covey [Tweet This]

67. "The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don't have any." - Alice Walker [Tweet This]

68. "If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else." - Booker T. Washington [Tweet This]

69. “To command is to serve, nothing more and nothing less.” - Andre Malraux [Tweet This]

70. "Leadership is intentional influence." - Michael McKinney [Tweet This]

71. “A great leader’s courage to fulfill his vision comes from passion, not position.” - John C. Maxwell [Tweet This]

72. "You cannot be a leader, and ask other people to follow you, unless you know how to follow, too." - Sam Rayburn [Tweet This]

73. "Trust is the essence of Leadership." - Colin Powell [Tweet This]

74. “A real leader faces the music even when he doesn't like the tune.” - Arnold H. Glasgow [Tweet This]

75. “When people are placed in positions slightly above what they expect, they are apt to excel.” - Richard Branson [Tweet This]

76. "The real leader has no need to lead — he is content to point the way." - Henry Miller [Tweet This]

77. “A leader is a dealer in hope.” - Napoleon Bonaparte [Tweet This]

78. “The task of the leader is to get his people from where they are to where they have not been.” - Henry Kissinger [Tweet This]

79. "Leadership is the art of accomplishing more than the science of management says is possible." - Colin Powell [Tweet This]

“I suppose leadership at one time meant muscles; but today it means getting along with people.” -Mohandas K. Gandhi [Tweet This]

81. “Education is the mother of leadership” - Wendell Willkie [Tweet This]

82. “Leadership is the key to 99 percent of all successful efforts.” - Erskine Bowles [Tweet This]

83. “Ninety percent of leadership is the ability to communicate something people want.” - Dianne Feinstein [Tweet This]

84. "A good leader can't get too far ahead of his followers." - Franklin D. Roosevelt [Tweet This]

85. “You take people as far as they will go, not as far as you would like them to go.” - Jeanette Rankin [Tweet This]

86. "Leadership has a harder job to do than just choose sides. It must bring sides together." - Jesse Jackson [Tweet This]

87. “Leaders should strive for authenticity over perfection.” - Sheryl Sandberg [Tweet This]

88. "The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality." - Max De Pree [Tweet This]

89. "Leaders don't force people to follow—they invite them on a journey." - Charles S. Lauer [Tweet This]

90. "Leadership is getting someone to do what they don't want to do, to achieve what they want to achieve." - Tom Landry [Tweet This]

"A good leader leads the people from above them. A great leader leads the people from within them." - M.D. Arnold [Tweet This]

92. "Whenever you see a successful business, someone once made a courageous decision." - Peter F. Drucker [Tweet This]

93. "Management works in the system; leadership works on the system." - Stephen Covey [Tweet This]

94. "Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing." - Albert Schweitzer [Tweet This]

95. "Keep your fears to yourself, but share your courage with others." - Robert L. Stevenson [Tweet This]

96. "Our chief want is someone who will inspire us to be what we know we could be." - Ralph Waldo Emerson [Tweet This]

97. "To handle yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart." - Eleanor Roosevelt [Tweet This]

98. "A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way and shows the way." - John C. Maxwell [Tweet This]

99. "Leadership is an action, not a position." - Donald McGannon [Tweet This]

100. "Surround yourself with great people; delegate authority; get out of the way." - Ronald Reagan [Tweet This]

This content was originally published here.

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marcusssanderson · 6 years ago

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50 Optimistic Quotes To Crush Negativity

Our latest collection of optimistic quotes to help you see the bright side. These quotes about optimism will help you live a positive life.

Do you consider yourself optimistic? Is it easy for you to stay positive?

We decided to search the web and find some of our favorite optimistic quotes that can lift your spirits and elevate your perspective.

We believe that being optimistic is imperative for happiness and essential for a high quality of life. No matter how tough the day is, no matter how frustrated or stressed out we are, keeping an optimistic state of mind is a non-negotiable.

Below you’ll find our collection of inspirational, wise, and optimistic quotes, optimistic sayings, and optimistic proverbs, collected from a variety of sources over the years. Enjoy!

Optimistic Quotes To Push Your Thinking

1.) “And imagine acquiring a new language and only learning the words to describe a wonderful world, refusing to know the words for a bleak one and in doing so linguistically shaping the world that you inhabit.” ― Rosamund Lupton

2.) “A pessimist is a man who thinks everybody is as nasty as himself, and hates them for it.”― George Bernard Shaw

3.) “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”― Winston S. Churchill

4.) “Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.”― Arundhati Roy

5.) “Be fanatically positive and militantly optimistic. If something is not to your liking, change your liking.”― Rick Steves

6.) “TO BE HOPEFUL in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness. What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places—and there are so many—where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction. And if we do act, in however small a way, we don’t have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory.” ― Howard Zinn

Optimistic Quotes About Mindset

7.) “Choose to be optimistic, it feels better.”― Dalai Lama XIV

8.) “Expect the best, prepare for the worst.”― Muhammad Ali Jinnah

9.) “For myself I am an optimist – it does not seem to be much use to be anything else.” ― Winston S. Churchill

10.) “I am so far from being a pessimist…on the contrary, in spite of my scars, I am tickled to death at life.”― Eugene O’Neill

11.) “Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year. He is rich who owns the day, and no one owns the day who allows it to be invaded with fret and anxiety.

Finish every day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities, no doubt crept in. Forget them as soon as you can, tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely, with too high a spirit to be cumbered with your old nonsense.

This new day is too dear, with its hopes and invitations, to waste a moment on the yesterdays.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

Optimistic Quotes About Being Positive

12.) “Another way to be prepared is to think negatively. Yes, I’m a great optimist. but, when trying to make a decision, I often think of the worst case scenario. I call it ‘the eaten by wolves factor.’ If I do something, what’s the most terrible thing that could happen? Would I be eaten by wolves? One thing that makes it possible to be an optimist, is if you have a contingency plan for when all hell breaks loose. There are a lot of things I don’t worry about, because I have a plan in place if they do.” ― Randy Pausch

13.) “I meant to write about death, only life came breaking in as usual”― Virginia Woolf

14.) “Perpetual Optimism is a Force Multiplier.” ― Colin Powell

15.) “If you think this Universe is bad, you should see some of the others.”― Philip K. Dick

16.) “I’m a pessimist because of intelligence, but an optimist because of will.”― Antonio Gramsci

17.) “The optimist lives on the peninsula of infinite possibilities; the pessimist is stranded on the island of perpetual indecision.” ― William Arthur Ward

18.) “In this hour, I do not believe that any darkness will endure.” ― J.R.R. Tolkien

19.) “Pessimism never won any battle.” ― Dwight D. Eisenhower

20.) “Life has no remote….get up and change it yourself!”― Mark A. Cooper

21.) “My optimism wears heavy boots and is loud.”― Henry Rollins

22.) “One of the things I learned the hard way was that it doesn’t pay to get discouraged. Keeping busy and making optimism a way of life can restore your faith in yourself.”― Lucille Ball

23.) “Optimism is a strategy for making a better future. Because unless you believe that the future can be better, you are unlikely to step up and take responsibility for making it so.”― Noam Chomsky

24.) “Optimism,” said Cacambo, “What is that?” “Alas!” replied Candide, “It is the obstinacy of maintaining that everything is best when it is worst.”― Voltaire

25.) “Pessimists are usually right and optimists are usually wrong but all the great changes have been accomplished by optimists.”― Thomas L. Friedman

26.) “Some people grumble that roses have thorns; I am grateful that thorns have roses.”― Alphonse Karr

27.) “The longest way must have its close – the gloomiest night will wear on to a morning.”― Harriet Beecher Stowe

28.) “The man who is a pessimist before 48 knows too much; if he is an optimist after it he knows too little.” ― Mark Twain

29.) “There is some good in this world, and it’s worth fighting for.”― J.R.R. Tolkien

30.) “there’s no harm in hoping for the best as long as you’re prepared for the worst.”― Stephen King

31.) “Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson

32.) “You have this ability to find beauty in weird places.”― Kamila Shamsie

Optimistic quotes to elevate your state of mind

33.) “For myself I am an optimist – it does not seem to be much use to be anything else.”– Winston Churchill

33.) “What is hope but a feeling of optimism, a thought that says things will improve, it won’t always be bleak [and] there’s a way to rise above the present circumstances.” ―Wayne W. Dyer

34.) “Optimism doesn’t wait on facts. It deals with prospects.” ―Norman Cousins

35.) “We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.” ― Oscar Wilde

36.) “Optimism is the madness of insisting that all is well when we are miserable.”– Voltaire

37.) “It is the hopeful, buoyant, cheerful attitude of mind that wins. Optimism is a success builder; pessimism an achievement killer.” – Orison Swett Marden

38.) “I am an optimist. Anyone interested in the future has to be otherwise he would simply shoot himself.”– Arthur C. Clarke

39.) “When you have vision it affects your attitude. Your attitude is optimistic rather than pessimistic.”– Charles R. Swindoll

40.) “Optimism means better than reality; pessimism means worse than reality. I’m a realist.” – Margaret Atwood

Other uplifting optimistic quotes

41.) “”When you are asked if you can do a job, tell ’em, ‘Certainly I can!’ Then get busy and find out how to do it.” – Theodore Roosevelt

42.) “Success is not how high you have climbed, but how you make a positive difference to the world.” ― Roy T. Bennett

43.) “Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.” ―Martin Luther

44.) “Optimism is the foundation of courage.” – Nicholas M. Butler

45.) “I try to think about optimism. I try to look at the beautiful things in life.” – Dolores O’Riordan

46.) “Sometimes when you’re in a dark place you think you’ve been buried, but you’ve actually been planted.” – Christine Caine

47.) “The optimist looks at the horizon and sees an opportunity; the pessimist peers into the distance and fears a problem.” – William Arthur Ward

48.) “I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.” – Jimmy Dean

49.) “Be more optimistic. Pessimism is a kind of behavior that you learn . Hoping for the best and believing that everything is going to be fine in the end helps to reduce stress.” – David Brown

50.) “To the question whether I am a pessimist or an optimist, I answer that my knowledge is pessimistic, but my willing and hoping are optimistic.” – Albert Schweitzer

Tali Sharot: The optimism bias

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How did you find these optimistic quotes?

Becoming more optimistic can help you change your life and achieve your goals. Optimism can empower you to overcome your challenges and strive for success and happiness.

Due to the ups and downs of life, it can be tough to remain positive at certain times. During such times, a reminder that things will get better might be all you need. So hopefully, these quotes about optimism have elevated your state of mind and encouraged you to always hope for the best in life; regardless of circumstance.

Did you enjoy these optimistic quotes? Which of the quotes was your favorite? Tell us in the comment section below. Also, take a second to Like and Share!

The post 50 Optimistic Quotes To Crush Negativity appeared first on Everyday Power.

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brandjamaica · 6 years ago

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INTERVIEW: 18-YEAR OLD JAMAICAN SINGER/SONGWRITER KOFFEE TALKS RIDDIM, “BURNING,” AND JAMAICAN MUSICAL CULTURE

Brand Jamaica Readers are probably familiar with a term called ‘riddim.’ It’s that scratchy, hard-as-nails neo-dubstep sound that kids who wear neckbraces from the incessant head banging and pray to the gods of “siiicckkkk riddim chops” love. But that term means something entirely different in the Caribbean. Officially, ‘riddim’ is the Jamaican Patois pronunciation of the English word ‘rhythm,’ but in reggae, dancehall, calypso, soca, and reggaeton parlance it refers to the instrumental accompaniment to a song. These genres consist of the riddim plus the ‘voicing’ (vocal part) sung by the deejay (singer/vocalist). Dubstep Riddim and Jamaican Riddim share little but a homonym. Today, we dive into the latter, the culture behind it, and one incredible voice paving her own path in the culture’s rich history.

The Jamaican approach to a typical musical ‘compilation’ is called a ‘riddim.’ First an instrumental is created in the same fashion as any other type of music. Think reggae/dancehall. The riddim is then given a name (i.e. Sleng Teng Riddim, which is considered the first all digital riddim created in 1984). The name of the riddim comes either from the producer who made it or after artists have “voiced” on it and the lyrics or narrative influence the name. What sets this approach apart from most other types of music is that as many as 20+ artists will perform a separate song (or ‘chune’) on the same instrumental. Sleng Teng is among the most “versioned” (rerecorded) of Jamaican riddims, listing around 380 versions to date. When the songs are completed and released, a ‘selector’ (otherwise known as a DJ in most other cultures) will mix the songs together and go between each artists song on the riddim, typically relatively quickly, which is known as ‘juggling’ all the while ‘chatting’ on the microphone to energize the crowd. With that being said, a particular riddim could be played for several minutes depending on how much the crowd and selector are feeling the music and the selector will typically follow this up with other riddims throughout their set.

Mikayla “Koffee” Simpson is a 18-year-old deejay and singer/songwriter, known as a ‘singjay’, from Spanish Town, Jamaica. Her mission is to preserve Jamaica’s roots and culture in music and to empower the youth of her generation through her own creativity and artistry. “I want to make a better world for the generation that’s coming up,” Koffee writes, “to promote love and peace, and even though I’m young, I feel that God has blessed me with talent and wisdom to get the job done.” Her debut release, “Burning” via Upsetta Records, is a prime example of her work and her mission. “‘Burning’ is about finding and embracing the fire within yourself and using it to accomplish great things. Fire in this sense would represent talent or passion.”

The release, “Burning,” arrives as one song on Upsetta Records new Ouji Riddim (pronounced ‘O-G Riddim’). “Burning” is one amongst ten songs using the same “Ouji” instrumental. You may recognize other names on the riddim, like Busy Signal, Jah Vinci, Chuck Fenda, and Capital D. Her version croons with the talent of a force waiting to break out of the newcomer cage that most new artists find themselves in. Though she’s young, the head she rocks on her shoulders is filled with the wisdom of a seasoned artist and the voice of a generation. Her vocal talents sure match that. We had the great fortune of chatting with Koffee about “Burning,” growing up in Jamaica, and what her journey in music has been like thus far. If you’re looking for invaluable advice and insight from a soon-to-be-leading figure in the community, here’s your chance.

Give the “Burning” video a watch, the whole Ouji Riddim compilation a listen, and our interview with Koffee a read below.

Hi, Koffee! Thanks for talking with us today. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Well usually I don’t have much to say about myself, but for starters, i’m 18 years old, I just graduated from Ardenne High School, and I have a huge passion for music.

For somebody who isn’t immersed in the reggae scene, “Riddim” might be a foreign concept. Particularly considering the fact that there’s a new sound in electronic dance music with the same name. Can you shed some light on what a real Riddim is and the history behind it?

A Riddim is simply an instrumental on which lyrics are laid in order to produce a complete song. There is usually a feeling behind a riddim or some sense of vibe to it that would assist or inspire an artiste to come up with various melodic ideas and messages for a song, so I’m thinking a REAL riddim would be one with a nice vibe and the capacity to accommodate an appropriate lyrical message.

While New York is widely believed to be the birthplace of rap and hip-hop, there is overwhelming evidence that it all started in Jamaica. What are your views on rap and hip-hop culture today?

It is often said that U-Roy, a Jamaican deejay, was the first individual to ever present to the public the idea of talking or deejay-ing on a track in order to compose a song. Without the knowledge of this history, I would believe that the entire hip-hop and/or rap culture was completely established by American natives on their own, given that Americans are managing well and even dominating this genre currently. I think that artistes on the hip-hop/rap scene are great entertainers as I am almost never bored while listening to this type of music, however, the messages behind the music could be significantly more positive and uplifting going into the future.

What is it like being a young woman in the Jamaican music community? What sort of dynamics and challenges have you found as a newcomer to the scene?

Often times, my talent and abilities are underestimated because I am a female, but this is the only challenge I have really encountered thus far. It is a bit different for females than males in the industry as it relates to creating and establishing an image but that is as far as the challenge goes so far.

I feel like a lot of people have a misconstrued view of Jamaica and what life is like in the country. Can you offer some insight on life outside of the resorts that most tourists and foreigners wouldn’t experience?

Honestly, while reading this question the only thing I could think about was the song “Ghetto Paradise” by Chronixx. There is such a great and true story behind that song and I think that answering this question without referencing this song would just be a waste of a reply. The answer to this question lies within those song lyrics.

It is my understanding that a “Selektor” is the one who actually plays the records, while a “DJ” is the person on the mic. Can you explain this and elaborate a bit more on the roles of musicians in Jamaican culture?

The term “DJ” is often used ambiguously in Jamaica as it often represents an artiste who delivers lyrics in a “chanting” or “talking” rather than a “singing” style, as well as it is used to represent disk-jockeys or “Selectors” in the dancehall. A chanting or talking DJ would be recognised as a musical or recording artiste while a Selector DJ has the role of playing the actual records.

Your song with Upsetta Records will be your debut single. Can you talk about the journey leading up to this release and what it’s been like working with the label thus far?

It has been an honestly smooth journey leading up to the release. Blessings and opportunities have been flowing from my connection with Upsetta Records, especially Dubee, ever since the first link up and I do look forward to doing more works with this label in the future.

It seems like you have a super strong team working with you. I’d love to shine some light on them.

Definitely. My team consists of all equally talented members including my mother Jo-Anne Williams, my manager Caniggia Palmer, creative director Ifidel Williams, visual consultants Celine Thompson and Annika Norris, musical brother Roel “Roe Summerz” Powell and musicians including Kenley Thomposn, Almando Douglas, Stephen “Shaq” Forbes, Dwight Rochester, Vanderleer Palmer, Shanice Drysdale, and Katryna Chaplin.

What is “Burning” about?

Burning is about finding and embracing the fire within yourself and using it to accomplish great things. Fire in this sense would represent talent or passion. It is really a motivational song aimed at encouraging individuals that it is very much possible to accomplish the best things despite the odds and conquer the world in your own right, with your own resources and the blessings that the Most High has provided for you.

What do you hope to accomplish with your music?

I hope to touch the hearts of my Jamaican family first and by extension the universe. I want to impact my environment in such a positive way that it is clearly visible in the way we operate on a daily basis and especially how we relate to each other. It is really just my dream to be the musical vessel that will make a very good and notable change in society and hopefully my music will be of such good quality that it will garner awards internationally and nice things like that but awards are secondary to me honestly. Vibes and positivity is primary to me.

Who are your favorite artists? Who (or what) inspires you?

I actually developed a fascination some time ago for Chicago rapper Indica because of his especially melodic approach to music but one of my all time favourites is reggae artiste Protoje. I used to listen to Protoje even before I began pursuing music for myself and I think that his journey itself has inspired me separately from his music as well so now he is a role model for me. Chronixx is also beyond excellent as a musician and I admire him to the max.

What are your plans for the rest of 2017 and 2018?

To continue recording music, working on my craft as a musician and to possibly release a body of work in the form of an EP or a Mixtape.

I’m a huge fan of your work. Very few songs have blown me away like “Burning.” Do you have a follow-up in the works?

I have been recording new songs, but still have not decided on which song may possibly be a follow up. For sure, I want to continue on a similar vibe to “Burning” with colourful melodies and radical lyrics.

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yahoo-roto-arcade-blog · 7 years ago

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Tanking NBA teams could be key to your Fantasy Basketball title hopes

New York Knicks guard Trey Burke is among the intriguing fantasy adds if you’re looking for help in a particular category. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Alex Rikleen, RotoWire Special to Yahoo Sports

The Fantasy trade deadline has now passed in most leagues, meaning waiver wire additions are the only avenue remaining to improve your team.

It’s also the point in the season where this column becomes more important than a more generalized who do I add? column. We’re four-and-a-half months into a six-month fantasy season. We know what our team is and is not at this point. In most cases, adding the “best overall” player is not going to be the same as adding the player who is the best fit for your team.

This is especially true in roto leagues, but it applies to head-to-head, as well. In roto leagues, we need to focus on the categories in which we can catch the most opponents. In head-to-head leagues, we need to give up on our worst categories, and strengthen ourselves in those where we are competitive but lack a decisive advantage. For the next month, good strategy is more important than good players (that balance often swings backwards over the final two weeks of the season).

In general, we’ll focus on players available in at least 50% of Yahoo! leagues.

[Batter up: Join a Yahoo Fantasy Baseball league for free today]

Points

Trey Burke, Knicks (25% owned)

Burke scored at least 18 points in at least 25 minutes in each of the Knicks’ first three games after the All-Star break. I remain a Burke skeptic – I think Emmanuel Mudiay is a better overall fantasy add, and I fear Mudiay and Frank Ntilikina will limit Burke’s continued impact. Those three games have been his three highest-scoring all season. That’s extreme enough to warrant caution, but also strong enough to warrant adding. If he can keep even just 75 percent of this rate over the rest of the season, he’ll be a productive addition.

Other suggestions: Bojan Bogdanovic, Pacers; Josh Jackson, Suns; Taurean Prince, Hawks; Tyler Johnson, Heat; Andrew Harrison, Grizzlies; Allen Crabbe, Nets

Three-Pointers

D.J. Augustin, Magic (25% owned)

Augustin was one of the most popular adds following the trade deadline, and he’s certainly disappointed compared to some of those initial expectations. That said, he has settled in as the Magic’s starting point guard, averaging nearly 30 minutes per game since they traded away Elfrid Payton. And though the overall production has slightly underwhelmed, he’s been a great source of threes and assists. He has at least two threes in each of his last eight games, and he’s averaging 5.5 assists in his last 11 contests.

Other suggestions: Allen Crabbe, Nets; Taurean Prince, Hawks; J.J. Barea, Mavericks; Marcus Morris, Celtics; Bojan Bogdanovic, Pacers; Reggie Bullock, Pistons; Doug McDermott, Mavericks

Rebounds

JaMychal Green, Grizzlies (40% owned)

It took a while, but Green is finally delivering on some of his pre-season hype. During the preseason, some analysts had him inside their top-90, and his “Expert Consensus Rating” of Fantasy Pros was inside the top 100. Before the All-Star break, he was effectively un-ownable, with an overall ranking outside the top 170.

Whatever Green did over the All-Star break, it worked. He’s double-doubled in every game since, averaging 13.7 points and 12.0 rebounds. He’s seeing a few more minutes per game, but that difference alone does not account for his increased production. What Green’s doing right now is often the recipe for some of the most impactful late-season waiver wire additions:

– Enough talent to have generated early enthusiasm

– Young player on a bad team

– Production increase accompanied by more minutes

– Production increase exceeds what would be expected by the minutes increase alone, but not by so much as to appear unsustainable

Green has the potential to be one of the best waiver wire pickups over the final two months of the season.

Jarrett Allen, listed below, has similarly lofty potential, but he’s too widely owned to be featured in this space.

Other suggestions: Jarrett Allen, Nets; David Nwaba, Bulls; Nemanja Bjelica, Timberwolves; Dwight Powell, Mavericks

Assists

Andrew Harrison, Grizzlies (13% owned)

Harrison (wrist) missed the last two games, but the early indication is that it is a short-term injury. Harrison has been starting at point guard with Tyreke Evans (ribs) out, ahead of Mario Chalmers. With an increased role, he’s averaging 15.0 points and 5.5 assists since the All-Star break. Evans will return at some point, possibly soon, but it’s not like this Grizzlies squad is brimming over with talent. Even when Evans is fully healthy, Harrison is likely to maintain a significant role down the stretch.

Other suggestions: J.J. Barea, Mavericks; Tomas Satoransky, Wizards; D.J. Augustin, Magic

Steals

David Nwaba, Bulls (28% owned)

It’s unlikely that Nwaba will be able to maintain the 2.7 steals per game he’s averaged over the past three games. That said, the newly-minted starter is averaging 32.1 minutes per game since the All-Star break, and 1.3 steals per-36 minutes this season. Even assuming a slower pace, his promotion to the starting lineup is likely to enable Nwaba to provide a steady source of steals throughout the remainder of the season. The fact that he’s averaging 7.3 rebounds as a guard since the break is also highly enticing.

Other suggestions: Nemanja Bjelica, Timberwolves; Fred VanVleet, Raptors; Kyle Anderson, Spurs

Blocks

Alex Len, Suns (20% owned)

I am not an Alex Len fan. I’m not convinced he is good at basketball. With that said, Alex Len should be universally owned.

The blocks market is a disaster. It’s the worst it’s been in years. It’s so bad that it should change the way we draft next season, though we can deal with that in future articles. For now, that extreme scarcity means that grabbing Len can effectively eliminate the possibility of an opponent using the wire to bolster their blocks. Even if you don’t particularly need blocks, someone in your league does.

There just aren’t many players averaging at least one block per game since the All-Star break, available enough to qualify for this article, and who do enough elsewhere to justify owning. The other suggestions below all have several major flaws in their statistical profiles – they’ll get some blocks, but they carry more risks.

Note: This is written under the assumption that Jarrett Allen is already owned. He’s actually good at basketball, a better shot-blocker, and better at other stuff, too. If he’s still available, get him instead.

Other suggestions: Jonathan Isaac, Magic; Jakob Poeltl, Raptors; John Henson, Bucks

Fantasy Baseball draft advice from Yahoo Sports

yahoo

#_author:Yahoo Sports Staff #_category:yct:001000854 #_lmsid:a077000000CFoGyAAL #_uuid:f2219c8a-4003-316f-87f1-6710e0fb93f2 #_revsp:54edcaf7-cdbb-43d7-a41b-bffdcc37fb56

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dallasareaopinion · 5 years ago

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Succumbing to the NBA free agency madness--Mavericks

I guess we are close enough to June 30 that I can start my cater walling about how bad the Mavs are going to screw this up again.

Year after year they keep talking big fish and they keep sinking the boat.

So lets take a brief stroll down wonderful memory lane to start the talk about what the Mavs should do to build a championship team. And of course we start with their last one. And yes that sounds trite, but give me a moment here.

The Mavs had just spent the last couple of years picking up pieces, really good pieces leading up to 2011. They had two players in Shawn Marion and Jason Kidd who were all stars, but some considered on the back side of their careers. They picked up Tyson Chandler that summer.

Did we have two supermax players? No. Did we have a strong collection of All Stars and players on the edge of being All Stars, in fact we had a few in Dirk, Jett, Kidd, Marion, and Chandler. None of these players adding to Dirk were big fish free agency catches. We had a great bench.

We blew it the next year and thereafter chasing big fish. And yet Cuban and Nelson are fishing again. Folks it is time they put up the over priced fishing boat and concentrate on collecting prized fishes that feed the MFFL masses.

Will this happen overnight, probably not, but Luka and KP are young so we have a couple of years to build the right way.

So with all the Plan-K dreams and the Kemba Walker dreams being bantered about, let’s talk about the slow transition in the right direction.

Imagine this team and this is just a framework or roadmap to the next championship. We cannot get there without changing course from our recent past.

For the 4&5 position, how about KP, Julius Randle, Powell, Kleber, and ? Gives us solid rotation and a mix of talent to match up different teams. And lets play KP at the 4 mainly and not get him so beat up.

And some development of Kostas. Dream big and much development of Kostas.

For the 3&4 position how about Dorian, Jackson, some Maxi, and Luka at times. Again some rotational ability with the above group, but if DFS or Jackson take a step further this year, then we are developing our own border line all star players or at least players that productively compliment all star players.

For the 2&3.. Currently you have Hardaway Jr, Luka, Ryan Broekhoff and ?, Jackson? Not sure here, this rotation will need some work. Luka is assured of course since no matter what position or number you call him, he is the primary ball handler, it is the defensive assignment that matters most at what position you play him. And even though Hardaway’s contract is a bit heavy it can be tolerated if he ends up being consistent on both ends of the court and averages in the 16-5-5 range. I know 5 assists seems high, but if he is a starter and playing the two and the team is moving the ball like they should then averaging 5 assists should be expected.

Realistically with good ball movement we should have five players overall who put up 5+ assists a game. We will need strong ball movement and team defense to do well with this group which leads to the last grouping.

For the 1&2 Patrick Beverly, Luka, Jalen Brunson, Trey Burke and JJ? or ?

15 players on the team:

Luka

Dwight Powell

Dorian Finney Smith

Maxi Kleber

Justin Jackson

Jalen Brunson

Ryan Broekhoff

Tim Hardaway Jr.

Trey Burke

Add

Julius Randle

Patrick Beverly

Make a hard decision on JJ Barrera Can he come back?

And make a decision on Salah Mejri or finding a younger athletic wing

And decide what is your next most important need and maybe get a third free agent.

Or make a couple of trades to either get draft picks back for the next couple of years or keep some money open for those all star to almost all star players to consistently play with Luka until you find the right combination and sign a few for a few years.

Will we win a championship with this group? Of course we will, but at least we are headed in the right direction.

We all doubt the Mavs will get Durant, Leonard, Kyrie, Walker(maybe?), Klay, Butler (not a fit) Khris Middleton (?) so why waste time.

Do we lose Mejri and try for a Lopez brother in addition to Randle to give us a solid 5 player rotation for the 4 and 5?

Do we just get Randle and try for Patrick and another up and coming 3 and D player to bolster Jackson and DFS’s rotation?

In my humble opinion these are the questions the Mavs front office should be thinking about.

There are a couple of other options that could develop and all of them much more realistic than Plan K. And in the long run I think we win. All your Plan K guys are 30 + or close or a head case. There are many border line great players who do not get the attention and occasionally one or two at the end of their prime who will be worth much more as players and at less $ cost going forward over the next few years to worry about the “big fish” now.

Time to cast the net out wide, not throw the pole in the water.

Thoughts? Ideas?

Some thoughts for other teams. I am not sure why Boston doesn’t cut bait with Kyrie and go for Kemba Walker. Same for Philly, lose Butler and go for Walker. Thoughts?

The Bucks should find a way to stay intact.

The Raptors are the favorites or scrambling depending on Leonard’s decision. They are still happy for the moment though.

The Warriors will be middling till Klay comes back. If they wait long enough for him to be 100%, they might do some damage in the playoffs. Durant isn’t playing next year at all if he is smart so even if he stays with the Warriors you can count him out.

The Wild card is the Lakers with AD now. Can they get a Plan-K player or will injuries decimate this two superstar team potential? I am not sold yet. Someone may come, but what depth will they have? It will matter against Denver and Portland in 6 & 7 game series.

Clippers?

Nets?

OKC?

And Houston??????, yes many questions. Before the AD trade I joked that if LA didn’t get a Plan-K player (and is that phrase only a Mavs phrase, I read too much local news), they might look at CP3 on July 2nd. Maybe the Lakers don’t have to now and wow, where does a Rocket go from here? Paul’s contract is an albatross on him and the Rockets. I did say if he really wants a championship he is going to have to give up a bunch of money and become a player on a team with other superstars. He will never be the top dog on a championship team at this point in his career.

Spurs? The West is changing, what are they going to do?

Cheers

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lab41 · 8 years ago

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{We've been highlighting some interesting facts - get the most recent in our series: https://lab41.co/159-inspirational-quotes/?utm_source=TR&utm_medium=Lab41+Tumblr&utm_campaign=SNAP%2Bfrom%2BLab41 #Inspiration|There is a brand new article

New Post has been published on https://lab41.co/159-inspirational-quotes/?utm_source=TR&utm_medium=Lab41+Tumblr&utm_campaign=SNAP%2Bfrom%2BLab41

159 Inspirational Quotes To Inspire Success In Your Life & Business

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159 Inspirational Quotes To Inspire Success In Your Life & Business

These are the top 159 Inspirational quotes from great men & woman to motivate you to succeed in your life and your business. Be inspired!

Running a business is hard work, and it can be easy to get down or lose your motivation. You are going to have successes, failures, late nights, stress, frustration, despair, hope, and uncertainty.

With that in mind, remember that you’re not the first person to experience these varied emotions. There are some great men and woman who have gone before you, experienced the full spectrum of these emotions and still achieved greatness.

Big Tip: If you feel someone else can benefit from a particular quote then just click on the “Click To Tweet” button, or, if you want in the top left corner you can share to various social media, as well as email it to a friend. Use this and inspire someone else today!

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“What is success? There are many definitions, but there’s one thing all the greats agree on: Success only comes by persevering despite failure.”

“There are two types of people who will tell you that you cannot make a difference in this world: those who are afraid to try and those who are afraid you will succeed. – Ray Goforth”

“Would you like me to give you a formula for success? It’s quite simple, really: Double your rate of failure. You are thinking of failure as the enemy of success. But it isn’t at all. You can be discouraged by failure or you can learn from it, so go ahead and make mistakes. Make all you can. Because remember that’s where you will find success. – Thomas J. Watson”

“People who succeed have momentum. The more they succeed, the more they want to succeed, and the more they find a way to succeed. Similarly, when someone is failing, the tendency is to get on a downward spiral that can even become a self-fulfilling prophecy. – Tony Robbins”

“Successful people do what unsuccessful people are not willing to do. Don’t wish it were easier; wish you were better. – Jim Rohn”

“I owe my success to having listened respectfully to the very best advice, and then going away and doing the exact opposite. – G. K. Chesterton”

“The real test is not whether you avoid this failure, because you won’t. It’s whether you let it harden or shame you into inaction, or whether you learn from it; whether you choose to persevere. – Barack Obama”

“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved. – Helen Keller”

“There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure. – Colin Powell”

“Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don’t quit. – Conrad Hilton”

“I cannot give you the formula for success, but I can give you the formula for failure–It is: Try to please everybody. – Herbert Bayard Swope”

“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. – Albert Schweitzer”

“Success isn’t just about what you accomplish in your life; it’s about what you inspire others to do. – Unknown”

“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up. – Thomas Edison”

“Don’t be distracted by criticism. Remember–the only taste of success some people get is to take a bite out of you. – Zig Ziglar”

“There is a powerful driving force inside every human being that, once unleashed, can make any vision, dream, or desire a reality. – Anthony Robbins”

“Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without the strategy. – Norman Schwarzkopf”

“You only have to do a very few things right in your life so long as you don’t do too many things wrong. – W.Buffett”

“The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves strong. The amount of work is the same. – Carlos Castaneda”

“The great accomplishments of man have resulted from the transmission of ideas of enthusiasm. – Thomas J. Watson”

“Look well to this day. Yesterday is but a dream and tomorrow is only a vision. But today well lived makes every yesterday a dream of happiness and every tomorrow a vision of hope. Look well therefore to this day. – Francis Gray”

“Sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes. It is best to admit them quickly and get on with improving your other innovations. – Steve Jobs”

“The successful man is the one who finds out what is the matter with his business before his competitors do. – Roy L. Smith”

“To be successful, you have to have your heart in your business, and your business in your heart. – Sr. Thomas Watson”

“Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it. – Dwight Eisenhower”

“A business has to be involving, it has to be fun, and it has to exercise your creative instincts. – Richard Branson”

“We generate fears while we sit. We over come them by action. Fear is natures way of warning us to get busy. – Dr. Henry Link”

“Live daringly, boldly, fearlessly. Taste the relish to be found in competition – in having put forth the best within you. – Henry J. Kaiser”

“The winners in life think constantly in terms of I can, I will, and I am. Losers, on the other hand, concentrate their waking thoughts on what they should have or would have done, or what they can’t do. – Dennis Waitley”

“The man who will use his skill and constructive imagination to see how much he can give for a dollar, instead of how little he can give for a dollar, is bound to succeed. – Henry Ford”

“For all of its faults, it gives most hardworking people a chance to improve themselves economically, even as the deck is stacked in favor of the privileged few. Here are the choices most of us face in such a system: Get bitter or get busy. – Bill O’ Reilly”

“The critical ingredient is getting off your butt and doing something. It’s as simple as that. A lot of people have ideas, but there are few who decide to do something about them now. Not tomorrow. Not next week. But today. The true entrepreneur is a doer, not a dreamer. – N.Bushnell”

“Surviving a failure gives you more self–confidence. Failures are great learning tools�� but they must be kept to a minimum. – Jeffrey Immelt”

“To the degree we’re not living our dreams; our comfort zone has more control of us than we have over ourselves. – Peter McWilliams”

“Winning is not a sometime thing; it’s an all time thing. You don’t win once in a while, you don’t do things right once in a while, you do them right all the time. Winning is habit. Unfortunately, so is losing. – Vince Lombardi”

“Don’t worry about people stealing your ideas. If your ideas are any good, you’ll have to ram them down people’s throats. – Howard Aiken”

“It takes more than capital to swing business. You’ve got to have the A. I. D. degree to get by — Advertising, Initiative, and Dynamics. – Ren Mulford Jr.”

“The NBA is never just a business. It’s always business. It’s always personal. All good businesses are personal. The best businesses are very personal. – Mark Cuban”

“Fire the committee. No great website in history has been conceived of by more than three people. Not one. This is a deal breaker. – Seth Godin”

“Once you free yourself from the need for perfect acceptance, it’s a lot easier to launch work that matters. – Seth Godin”

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself, any direction you choose. – Dr. Seuss”

“It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change. – Charles Darwin”

“The golden rule for every business man is this: Put yourself in your customer’s place. – Orison Swett Marden”

“I like thinking big. If you’re going to be thinking anything, you might as well think big. – D.Trump”

“To think is easy. To act is difficult. To act as one thinks is the most difficult. – J.Von Goeth”

“People don’t believe what you tell them. They rarely believe what you show them. They often believe what their friends tell them. They always believe what they tell themselves. – Seth Godin”

“A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him. – David Brinkley”

“Instead of wondering when your next vacation is, you ought to set up a life you don’t need to escape from. – Seth Godin”

“I had to make my own living and my own opportunity! But I made it! Don’t sit down and wait for the opportunities to come. Get up and make them! – C.J. Walker”

“Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life believing it is stupid – Einstein”

“Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve. Thoughts are things! And powerful things at that, when mixed with definiteness of purpose, and burning desire, can be translated into riches. – Napoleon Hill”

“To succeed in business, to reach the top, an individual must know all it is possible to know about that business. – J. Paul Getty”

“If it really was a no–brainer to make it on your own in business there’d be millions of no–brained, harebrained, and otherwise dubiously brained individuals quitting their day jobs and hanging out their own shingles. Nobody would be left to round out the workforce and execute the business plan. – Bill Rancic”

“Winners take time to relish their work, knowing that scaling the mountain is what makes the view from the top so exhilarating. – Denis Waitley”

“Statistics suggest that when customers complain, business owners and managers ought to get excited about it. The complaining customer represents a huge opportunity for more business. – Zig Ziglar”

“The important thing is not being afraid to take a chance. Remember, the greatest failure is to not try. Once you find something you love to do, be the best at doing it. – Debbi Fields”

“Success in business requires training and discipline and hard work. But if you’re not frightened by these things, the opportunities are just as great today as they ever were. – David Rockefeller”

“If you work just for money, you’ll never make it, but if you love what you’re doing and you always put the customer first, success will be yours. – Ray Kroc”

“To succeed… You need to find something to hold on to, something to motivate you, something to inspire you. – Tony Dorsett”

“In the business world, everyone is paid in two coins: cash and experience. Take the experience first; the cash will come later. – Harold Geneen”

“I don’t pay good wages because I have a lot of money; I have a lot of money because I pay good wages. – Robert Bosch”

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#Encouraging Quotes #Famous Quotes #Inspiring Quotes #Life Quotes #Motivational Quotes #Quotes On Life

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junker-town · 7 years ago

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Nerlens Noel can't explain why the Mavericks aren't playing him more

Noel has been the most productive Maverick through four games. He was supposed to be a core piece of this team. Why isn’t he playing more?

When the Dallas Mavericks traded for Nerlens Noel last February, they did so intending to make him a franchise cornerstone. He was called a “Tyson Chandler starter kit,” the highest praise possible in the Mavericks’ lackluster history of centers.

“It was absolutely a move for the future,” Mavericks general manager Donnie Nelson said after making the trade.

It’s increasingly hard to see that future in Dallas for Noel, though. On Monday against the Golden State Warriors, Noel only played 12 minutes, his lowest total in four games this season and second straight outing with minutes in the teens.

“Just matchups,” Rick Carlisle said about Noel’s minutes after the game. “You can’t put him out there on [Draymond] Green. It’s just one of those nights. Houston played these guys opening night and they just told Nene before the game, it’s not a good night for you and he didn’t play at all. He could play tonight with [Zaza] Pachulia out there and [JaVale] McGee. [David] West is a bad matchup because of all the picking and popping. That’s the reason, pretty simple.”

But up until now, Noel has been viewed as a player who could defend those exact type of players. The 6’11 center is mobile and versatile, supposedly capable of switching onto smaller forwards and even guards in a pinch. Besides, the Warriors played non-shooting centers — Pachulia, McGee, and Jordan Bell — a combined 35 minutes last night.

“I feel like I can handle anybody,” Noel told SB Nation after the game.

The Warriors are matchup nightmares for every team in the league, but the Mavericks exacerbated the problem by playing Dirk Nowitzki 29 minutes and Dwight Powell 19 on Monday. In Noel’s 12 minutes, he recorded eight points, seven rebounds, and two steals.

Noel has a new public approach to his lack of minutes

Last December, two games into his return from injury for the Philadelphia 76ers, Noel used the media to complain about a lack of playing time.

“I think I’m too good to be playing eight minutes,” Noel said last December. “That’s crazy. Need to figure this shit out.”

In a new situation under a new head coach, Noel has a different approach that won’t grab headlines.

"From my point of view, me and Dirk could play well together. I think he's a high IQ basketball player just like I am. We could play off each other," Noel told SB Nation. "I think I'm a very capable player, but at the same time, I want to help my team win in the best fashion possible, just like it is tonight. Whatever it is, whatever it is, I just want to cheer my teammates on and give the best effort to win."

Noel has couched all of his public responses with team-first phrases like that since training camp, when Carlisle announced that Noel would be coming off the bench. Noel has been criticized for immaturity, including a bizarre story involving a Philadelphia rental house and one moment last spring where he showed up late to a Mavericks team plane. (He had gone to the wrong airport.) In this way, Noel holding his tongue shows growth.

Still, this summer and subsequent start to the season has put a dent in the idea of Noel as the Mavericks’ new franchise cornerstone. Dallas reportedly offered him a four-year deal around $17 million annually, while Noel was set on a max contract. Noel’s old agent suggested he take it, so Noel eventually fired him. The sides never returned to the first reported offer, and Noel signed a one-year, $4.1 million qualifying offer in late August. Though a restricted free agent this summer, the qualifying offer will allow Noel to become unrestricted next July.

If Noel thought of himself as a max player last summer, it’s not hard to inflect what he thinks about playing less than 20 minutes per game.

Why the Mavericks aren’t playing Noel more

There’s a reason that Noel isn’t starting, and it’s a matchup based one. Nowitzki can only guard centers defensively at this point of his 20-year career, and Harrison Barnes has played best as a power forward. Noel doesn’t fit into a starting five with Nowitzki, even if the two could play together in other lineups.

The obvious solution is to bench Nowitzki, and if Nowitzki’s shooting slump continues — 30 percent from the floor through four games — that move could be more likely. Nowitzki is a living Mavericks legend and a decision to bench him wouldn’t be taken lightly, but he has indicted in the past that he would be willing to cede his starting spot it if it was best for the team.

Even if Noel isn’t a starter, 12 minutes is too low for someone who has been among the team’s few productive players. Per 36 minutes, Noel is averaging 17.0 points, 14.1 rebounds, 2.9 steals, and 2.4 blocks, all on 72 percent shooting. He has earned more playing time than 19 minutes per game.

It’s possible Carlisle doesn’t trust Noel, who is still prone to occasional mental lapses. Perhaps playing Noel fewer minutes than Powell, a notoriously hard worker, is a message being sent about Noel’s work ethic.

Noel told SB Nation that he didn’t know he would only receive 12 minutes against Golden State, his second lowest minutes total since joining Dallas.

“[I came in thinking] things would play out to the best and I’d be a big factor in the game,” Noel said. “But I mean, I did my best to be the biggest factor while I was in there.”

In theory, Noel would fit well next to the young core that Dallas is building — being a deadly roll threat for Dennis Smith Jr. and a great frontcourt partner for Barnes. But more and more, it’s looking like just that: a theory.

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dallasareaopinion · 2 years ago

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The Mavericks trade for Christian Wood, the hope, the worry.

If you are a life long or long term Mavericks fan, you have probably already written this blog post in your head.

As Mavericks fans, we always want the Mavericks to make a big splash, catch the big fish, or make the big trade, yet in all these circumstances the Mavs always seem to fall short.

And then when they do make a move we have to hold our breath on how it is going to turn out. And there are too many examples that things just turned out bad to horrendous.

We all know about the about face in free agency of DeAndre Jordan, the dreadful year Lamar Odom was a Maverick, how the Rajon Rondo trade worked out, the Nerlens Noel experiment, and even the KP trade, even though I do not think it was a bad trade or even turned out bad, but we took a chance and it did not bear fruit for the team overall, except we did get two players who have contributed this past year and one could be a great fit long term with potential to be a sixth man award winner candidate so there is still some hope going forward. These are the big stories, but year over year Mavs fans were disappointed with any moves they made. This is the worry, another move that falls flat on its face. We have all read that Mr. Wood has had some attitude problems in Houston and this same immaturity is what derailed Mr. Noel’s tenure here or the possibility of a complete bail that Mr. Rondo gave the Mavs.

Yet there have been some success stories and I want to avoid talking about those, because I do not want to give the impression I am comparing Mr. Wood to certain players that have come here who succeeded. Yet there is the possibility he can succeed here.

We read about his offensive potential and how much of a fit he can be with Luka. His stats show he can score and rebound and we definitely need the rebounding. So how good of a trade can this be?

If he meets the offensive expectations of being a good lob threat, a face up post player and can shoot threes as has been the last few years, he is an upgrade at center over Dwight Powell. If he rebounds as well as he has been, this adds to the value. So this makes this a fair to good trade.

So what makes this a good to great trade. He has been averaging one block per game. If he can step up his overall defensive game and increase this blocks per game average and able to hold his ground in the paint this begins to move the needle in a very positive direction.

Let’s say his blocks per game averages over 1.5 and he is able to play a stronger switching game and isn’t bowled over by players driving into the paint, his offensive production doesn’t drop and he stays with us a few years then this trade could develop into one of the top twenty acquisitions the Mavs have ever made. This is the hope.

A starting five of Wood, Luka, DFS, Reggie and Jalen can be a daunting team and then having Spencer and Maxi as your first two options off the bench we are down to just needing another good 3 and D player to round out a pretty formidable 8 man rotation for next year’s playoffs. Keep Bertran, Theo possibly Dwight and add back in some bench depth for the regular season and we got ourselves a good chance.

If we make some changes then Dwight and THJ give us some minor trade potential. I know I have not mentioned Tim Hardaway until now, but I just don’t think he is part of the Mavericks future, not because he cannot play, but because he just cannot defend strong enough anymore to make the top 9 or so on this team going forward. He is a good player, but he would not get enough playing time with the above group getting the most minutes to utilize what he can do. Spencer is not a defensive powerhouse, but he has some on Tim and he is a better driver into the paint overall so I think he will be winning much more of the back up guard minutes than Tim and his contributions have more potential. Again Tim is good, but he has his limitations. A team needing a person to come into a game and score 15 points in twenty minutes could use him. The Mavs are moving past that need and if they acquire another strong 3 and d player, even one that only scores 10 or 12 points off the bench, but has strong defensive skills, Tim’s need dwindles more and more.

It is a shame because like Dwight he has put in the effort to help this team and like Dwight, he has his limitations.

Maxi gives more flexibility either as a back up small ball center or a stretch four that that can play with Wood (if his defense improves) to give us better rim protection when a player starts to eat us up inside or a team is driving too easy on the Mavs. They wouldn’t play the whole game with both, but they could be on the floor together for small stretches to slow some things down or be part of a fourth quarter hold the fort moment. And this works since both can shoot three pointers so you do not lose anything on offense if you need to go this route. Dwight’s liabilities were laid bare this past year and Wood offers us a chance to over come this problem. This is the part of the hope.

The pundits are saying we are not giving up too much to take this chance and I hope they are correct, but the proof will be in the pudding next year. If he comes into camp with a I want to see how this is going to work out or I want to try and make this work this can be really good. If he comes into camp with the attitude he showed sometimes throughout this past year with the Rockets then, I hope the Mavs cut bait real quick. They had great chemistry this past year, better to fight through the same problems and see what they can get at the trade deadline than suffer through the first half of the season with distractions.

So that is the hope, yet there is the worry.

Let’s go Mavs!

And I am not ready to talk about the Cowboys, that play off game still ticks me off.

#Mavericks

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dallasareaopinion · 5 years ago

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The 2020 random thoughts begin and even one from the paranoid posts

Okay been picking up this morning and went from old Austin Punk rock to Simon and Garfunkel for the music choices. Huge disconnects going on in the world nowadays. Yet, in my warped head which music you listen to doesn’t matter as long as it is good.

Where to start? How ‘bout them Democrats?! or.... hard for me to understand why you would want to shout out the crazy when you are trying to win over an audience. Whether or not someone said if anyone votes against Trump their head will be on a spike it is irrelevant to the case so why bring it up. Let it filter out for the public to hear and let the media bash it to death. Or Nadler insulting people on the first day so much so that our semi illustrious Chief Justice had to participate more than he probably wants to.

This impeachment never should have happened. The people that support him have gone blind to reality; the Republicans are lining up behind the blind to keep their jobs and as always the Democrats are clueless by letting Trump stand up in front of the nation after all this is done and gloat he is exonerated after the Senate acquits him. Trump is morally bankrupt, devoid of principle, all talk and no action, and a narcissist. Yet there are enough people in this country who won’t accept it because the very same people who will acquit him have failed them to the point they are angry at Washington D.C and have this false belief Trump is going to fix it all. Well, we have mentioned this numerous times so moving on now. The Democrats should be working hard to find someone to ignite their own grassroots movement that actually supports some practical policy to at least move the needle a bit on Trump’s base. Instead, they have gone to multiple grandparents to provide new answers of which they don’t have.

The only way to remove Trump from office is to neutralize his strength which is the anger of millions of Americans that he has now directed at the Democrats and mainstream media. I am not saying he is right, but that is what needs to be addressed. Grandpa or Grandma ain’t going to get you there.

Speaking of moving on the Mavericks had to rather quickly. Dwight Powell had worked his way into being a valuable piece to a playoff-bound team and his efforts to get there need to be recognized. His work ethic is definitely something to praise. Then comes the one second that derails the best of careers; a season-ending injury of major significance. Mr. Powell, we hope that you are able to come back. Your efforts to get you where you are is something all parents need to show their young children who want to be athletes. Mavs fans pray for your complete recovery.

And yet in sports, the team needs to move on. I am on record as not wanting the Mavericks to make a trade this year. As always rumors start being spun this time of year in the NBA and I hoped they would be ignored by Mr. Cuban and Mr. Nelson. Now we have made two trades, which in reality is one, it took two moves to get there. Apparently, we have or are about to have Mr. Willey Cauley Stein. If Powell wasn’t injured then this would not have taken place. I would have preferred to have maybe gotten lucky and traded for a very young piece who had the same work ethic as Dwight Powell and coached him up. WCS, as he is known in some press reports, fits in some ways. He is somewhat young headed into his prime years. He has talent. The unknown is will he step up his efforts and let the Mavericks game come to him or will he inject sidewise issues into very good team chemistry. Hard to say because he has not been given this opportunity on a team yet, but also he won’t be starting. Which affects him the most will have a telling effect on what he does for the team. Cautiously I will be optimistic based on his talent level and hope the success of the team instills in him the desire to be part of it.

Election year is upon us and I still rant and rave the duopoly of the Republicans and Democrats have failed us. The Impeachment trial is more proof positive of this failure. We need new parties, yet for now, we are stuck again with clueless Democrats and greedy Republicans trying to convince us their incompetence and lies are the answer. Sheesh

Finally today, the paranoid posts rear their ugly head for the first time this year. Is the Coronavirus SARS 2.0, an overreaction, or another Chinese failed development of germ warfare that got away from them? Why is it that two unusual and unique viruses come from the same region and apparently spread quickly around the world? Is this actually what they say, some version of an animal to human virus that mutates or are they doing top-secret work there and someone left the door open? Who knows? Yes SARS and Coronavirus are years apart, but coincidence isn’t always based on time. Let’s hope the paranoia in me is working overtime.

And I much prefer the Corona virus from Mexico, specifically Corona Familiar, “la cerveza mas fina”. Hmm, I have a few in the frig, oh wait still got a few things to do.

Cheers

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dallasareaopinion · 5 years ago

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Its only been two games and story part 2

The Mavs won in New Orleans last night. Interesting game. The West is too competitive to have too many interesting games.

So the questions are:

Is KP going to continue to shake off rust and get better, and maybe smarter? If he averages in the low 20′s and ups his rebounds to 7-8 a game along with a few blocks per game is he worth a max contract? There are people who have signed max contracts that are doing better and there are some not doing better. What is the expected value? I will take five years of the above especially if it is more efficient.

Why accept KP scoring in the low 20′s? And that is because Luka and KP cannot be the only scorers on this team to be successful. We NEED balanced scoring and that has been the concern along with who is the fifth starter. Well after two games who is the third fourth and fifth starter? I do not know yet, but if Deleon Wright plays 30 minutes a game like he did last night one of those spots is taken. And that is exactly the 30 minutes of starting or bench play we need to balance out the KP and Luka duo. Having a third player of that caliber is what leads you to the playoffs. Add a fourth and you are a title contender (okay you do need more, but that is a necessity). This leaves the question to be, can Wright do this consistently? I believe he can and if he does, then optimism for this year is growing.

And if Wright does become a consistent player at this level and is the third started, who then are the 4th and 5th starters? And right now there is still a round robin of players trying to fill these positions. Apparently Coach C is rotating based on match ups as per the first two games, yes again only two games, so will it continue?

I think we will see different starters tomorrow night against Portland for two reasons, match ups and what happened in the first quarter in NOLA wasn’t too encouraging. And on a side note, I get this strange but unstanstiated feeling that Carlisle has more confidence in Lee over Hardaway, Jr. Doesn’t seem to be working out, but over the last two weeks I just got that feeling. No rhyme or reason for it, but it exists.

Dwight Powell was the penciled in starter at 5 so is he still the starter when he comes back or can Maxi score some points consistently and efficiently and take the spot away from him? More to see on this developing story. This does narrow down on of the starters to two players.

So we are back to the who is the fifth starter question? The above was pretty much what most fans and local writers were discussing when the season began a whole 2 games ago, so how much has changed on the fifth starter argument? Your choices are Lee (apparently), Hardaway Jr. (maybe), and the more realistic choices of DFS, Jackson, Jalen, and Curry. Two games ago, I was of the opinion this was Jackson’s spot to win. I have watched both games. I had to record them, but go to watch them and I am not sure about what I have seen for Jackson yet. He has disappeared into the aforementioned list, yet so have them all, except Lee who will disappear to the end of the bench if he doesn’t improve radically very quickly.

All of the list performed well in brief momets throughout the two games, and none has done anything to reduce their chances. Wright stood out last night so his only worry is consistency and it doesn’t always have to be twenty points, but mid to upper teens efficiently with the defense he played last night. He definitely earned major points defensively. He is no Leonard on the Clippers, but he is definitely above average starting level defense on the perimeter.

Which leads us to how do we determine the fifth starter if all do well for 5-10 minutes offensively? This question leads us to the worry that the round robin of starters will continue for at least a few more games. And if longer how does it affect the morale of the individual players, then the team?

Starters for Portland? Wide open. Do we match up 2 bigs and 3 guards? One commenter from last night’s articles thinks so? I see their point. And if so, Do we put KP on Whiteside? Which I do not like. Or play hack a whiteside and rotate Kleber, DFS and a bit of Boban for the first time this year? Not much more enthustiatic about this either, but maybe a shade better.

And boom, then who is the third guard with Luka and Wright? Jalen? Seth? Or Justin? The good news is if Portland consistently plays a three guard line up, we can roll out a much better and deeper rotation than they can. The key is stopping Lillard. Or maybe not. If he scores 40 in a losing effort I will take it. Basically do the best you can on him and shut down everyone else may be the key to winning. We still do not know the starter, but this will determine who plays 30+ minutes tomorrow night.

Tomorrow is one game, but it can answer many questions for us or send us back to the drawing board. I am hoping questions are answered so consistency for everyone develops as they fall into their roles.

And now more attempt at my story>

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The movement started again. There was the previous attachment, held together in one place. A spot where an intrusion had entered. Two small impacts that connected to something that rested together. Then another larger impact that connected more. There was disconnect and connect at the same time. The movement forced pressure where the connection existed, yet the full connection or pressure against changed as the movemet continued. At one point there was separation between all that was connected except at the impact spot. The connection was brought back together and then the resting began again.

There was constant movment, it was slight. Pressure increased and decreased. At times there was slight movement different from the free movement. The movement was more laterally and when it happened how the pressure rested on top would change and increase or decrease in certain sides. The pressure was always there, but the slight movement changed the balance of the pressure.

The pressure lifted. Then there was movement. It included where the impact existed. The connections from the impact spot existed, but there was no connection, Movement continued and sometimes the movement brought the connections closer together and sometimes there was a drift or slight space between the connections.

The movement stopped and two strong impacts occurred. Something went missing. There was more connection. And more movement, however, the movement changed not just in direction, but also how the pressure aligned. The resting angle changed. The pressure was different, not as strong and it was more pressure going through to the bottom. The top was different and no real pressure coming from the top. The connections were stronger and more pressure was felt. The pressure came from the connection pushing back through not coming from the top like before, yet coming from the same surface as before.

The pressure was from the same surface, but from the connections in a different way and it grew stronger over time. At some point the pressure stayed the same and never changed.

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Okay what was that all about. I wanted to write about an inanimate object so as to not use feelings or descriptive adjectives. Why? I don’t know. I wanted to try and create a story that could describe a process slowly based on the observation of the inantimate object. Again without using adjectives that we normally use to describe something or something that has senses.

I do not have any idea of how I did. I know I used the word pressure too much because that was the only feeling I could think of that described what was happening in the existence of my inantimate object.

In case you are curious, the process is to descripe a piece of paper being used in an office. First it is in stacked up boxes, over time the boxes lessen as more paper is used, until finally its turn arrives.

It is put into a printer, printed on, stapled, put in a tray, then stapled to more paper, and eventually two hole punched and filed away, where eventually the drawer is full and never to be seen again. I thought about going through the pulled out and shredded process, but stopped at the filing because I knew this story was not going where I wanted it to go. Yet I am not sure I had a place for it to go so ending it seemed appropriate. I did plan that it would end at the filing or the shredding, but if I shredd the paper I thought I might eventually add feelings or descriptive adjectives to it which was part of what I wanted to avoid.

Anyway if you are so inclined email me your thoughts.

Cheers

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