Joel Hans Embiid

[Perknose]

I'm putting this here because OT has too many twerps and haters, and Embiid is a lightning rod for those types. HEY, the NBA finals are nigh upon us, so, damn it, it's news.

I don't for one New York minute think that Embiid wrote this all by himself, but it's really well done.

Enjoy.

 

[fskimospy]

MVP!

 

[Perknose]

MVP!

Yeah, it's interesting. One could make a strong case for any of the three top contenders . . . Embiid, Jokic, Giannis, but since the last two already have multiple MVP awards, that might be the tie breaker.

 

[Mr.IncrediblyBored]

Embiid is really frickin good. It's funny he says his life is a movie. They basically made that story into a movie on Netflix, Hustle with Adam Sandler and Juancho Hernangomez (who is in the NBA). Good movie too.

 

[Roger Wilco]

I really need to see him play when I go back home.

 

[UNCjigga]

Cool story bruh…but 2018? It’s not news.

 

[Perknose]

Cool story bruh…but 2018? It’s not news.

Joel Embiid is in the news right now in a preeminent way . . . bruh. This is relevant and detailed background about how he got to be sports headline news RIGHT NOW.

Stop playing moderator. You're not one.

Also, stop playing a "stick up your ass Karen type" . . . even if you are one.

 

[darkswordsman17]

I think the bigger issue is the fucked up commentary you added about him not having been able to write that himself. Which is two parts fucked up, that you're implying he specifically can't write that (for whatever reason you're coming to that assumption), and 2 that seems to imply you think its some masterful writing. Its not bad, its just not otherworldly let alone enough for you to imply that he simply couldn't have written that himself. I won't even bother broaching whatever bias you're working with to jump to such a thought.

At least that would be something worth discussing, not a nearly 5 year old piece of a professional athlete that is painfully aware that you can in fact bust your ass and find success. Well, if you're also seven feet tall and athletic and luck into the right circumstances (being able to be discovered such that you get a scholarship to a top flight basketball program) that then helps pave the way.

 

[Perknose]

I think the bigger issue is the fucked up commentary you added about him not having been able to write that himself. Which is two parts fucked up, that you're implying he specifically can't write that (for whatever reason you're coming to that assumption), and 2 that seems to imply you think its some masterful writing. Its not bad, its just not otherworldly let alone enough for you to imply that he simply couldn't have written that himself. I won't even bother broaching whatever bias you're working with to jump to such a thought.

At least that would be something worth discussing, not a nearly 5 year old piece of a professional athlete that is painfully aware that you can in fact bust your ass and find success. Well, if you're also seven feet tall and athletic and luck into the right circumstances (being able to be discovered such that you get a scholarship to a top flight basketball program) that then helps pave the way.

Embrace your outrage with all the quivering fervor you wish, but that was 1.) a deft piece of sports writing, not War and Peace, and 2.) does not track with or have the flavor of anything Joel has ever said or written, of which I have come across a ton these last several years, and of which you are clearly ignorant. I wasn't putting him down, not one whit.

Otoh, nothing you so righteously penned smacks of the very same thing you attack me for, except ,of course, for this:

a professional athlete that is painfully aware that you can in fact bust your ass and find success. Well, if you're also seven feet tall and athletic and luck into the right circumstances.

 

[A///]

I'm not sure what to make of this. I don't even know who the guy is. I'll get back later and enjoy my Saturday with some ice cold beers.

 

[akugami]

I'm not sure what to make of this. I don't even know who the guy is. I'll get back later and enjoy my Saturday with some ice cold beers.

The most important question is, do you have ice cold beers for the rest of us?

Also, Embiid is best center in sports, just ahead of Jason Kelce.

MVPiid

 

[hal2kilo]

I think the bigger issue is the fucked up commentary you added about him not having been able to write that himself. Which is two parts fucked up, that you're implying he specifically can't write that (for whatever reason you're coming to that assumption), and 2 that seems to imply you think its some masterful writing. Its not bad, its just not otherworldly let alone enough for you to imply that he simply couldn't have written that himself. I won't even bother broaching whatever bias you're working with to jump to such a thought.

At least that would be something worth discussing, not a nearly 5 year old piece of a professional athlete that is painfully aware that you can in fact bust your ass and find success. Well, if you're also seven feet tall and athletic and luck into the right circumstances (being able to be discovered such that you get a scholarship to a top flight basketball program) that then helps pave the way.

Always look on the bright side of life....

 

[A///]

The most important question is, do you have ice cold beers for the rest of us?

Also, Embiid is best center in sports, just ahead of Jason Kelce.

MVPiid

Sure, it looks like water and tastes like it but I assure you it's tasteless beer.

Don't follow college ball so I have no idea who these people are.

 

[Pohemi]

Sure, it looks like water and tastes like it but I assure you it's tasteless beer.

One of my buddies drinks Coors too.

I haven't watched/followed basketball in years, either college or pro, so I had no idea who this dude was. Good article though and I laughed a few times.

 

[A///]

One of my buddies drinks Coors too.

None of you are getting Coors. you can drink water, it's healthier for you. I've got a couple mixed boxes of Ballast Point. Odds and ends I've moved from their original to a regular amazon box. We've had a streak of hot weather recently and it went well with today's fish fry.

 

[Perknose]

We've had a streak of hot water recently and it went well with today's fish fry.

Cold beer is a known antidote for hot water.

 

[abj13]

Yeah, it's interesting. One could make a strong case for any of the three top contenders . . . Embiid, Jokic, Giannis, but since the last two already have multiple MVP awards, that might be the tie breaker.

This years MVP race/narrative has an interesting shift in the narrative. There's been consistent arguments for the past 3 seasons that Jokic is the best player in the NBA because he has the best advanced stat metrics. Whether it is VORP, BPM, LEBRON, or RAPTOR (gag, I hate Fivethirtyfive's attempt at sports statistics), Jokic is well beyond his peers. The problem with these metrics is that they are biased to certain play styles. It goes deep into the math of how these calculations are made, but essentially, Jokic is an extreme outlier that breaks many of the metrics. On the one hand, you could say Jokic is that good of a player and the metrics are quantifying just how good he is.

On the other hand, there is the old school "eye test." For some of these advanced metrics, like RAPTOR, Jokic is a top 5 defensive player in the NBA. Other metrics have him as a top 20 defensive player. The worst is his DBPM rating that has him as the #1 defensive player, and amazingly, his value for 2022-2023 would place him tied for 5th for all time defensive performances by any NBA player (2021-2022 would be 6th!). Anybody who has watched Jokic, would never put him on the same level of the well-known defensive players that will win the defensive player of the year award (Lopez, JJJ, etc). Some would even rate Jokic as average and at times a liability on the defensive end. So there is an extreme disconnect between the eye test and these advance stats.

And that's what, thankfully, has changed this year and may lead to a non-Jokic winner for MVP. Seems like defensive prowess is now further highlighted, and there is better acknowledgement that advanced stats are convoluted and possibly misleading. Jokic may still win based on his offensive skillset, but I'm just glad more are appreciating how advanced stats can't place a single numerical value on a player that accurately assesses their contribution on both sides of the court. Better models are needed, and maybe someday someone will create a much better metric than the crappy RAPTOR rating system.

 

[HomerJS]

Embiid's problem, reputations are made in the playoffs, and he has come up short every time.

 

[Moonbeam]

One of my buddies drinks Coors too.

I haven't watched/followed basketball in years, either college or pro, so I had no idea who this dude was. Good article though and I laughed a few times.

I go to the store regularly but I never get near beer.

 

[A///]

Cold beer is a known antidote for hot water.

The Saturday wine has kicked in. A nice tempranillo.

 

[Perknose]

I go to the store regularly but I never get near beer.

How about full strength beer?

 

[Moonbeam]

How about full strength beer?

Lately it's been Modelo Especial because it's been on sale. I am partial to pale lagers but occasionally experiment. One of the highlights of my life was a thick as mud Guinness I had after a tour of the brewery in Ireland. I bought an also local loaf of bread and a cube of butter to have with it. A gift from heaven.

I did read the Embiid story which reminded me of the story of the man who lived a life free of negativity because he had a vast caravan of riches on its way to him. Having also while in Ireland, Moonbeam is an Irish name, kissed the Blarney Stone, i can assure you that that Guinness and bread definitely fell from that very caravan into my lap. Wonders never cease if you can catch them. Thanks for sharing some of your treasure with us?

 

[Moonbeam]

I think the bigger issue is the fucked up commentary you added about him not having been able to write that himself. Which is two parts fucked up, that you're implying he specifically can't write that (for whatever reason you're coming to that assumption), and 2 that seems to imply you think its some masterful writing. Its not bad, its just not otherworldly let alone enough for you to imply that he simply couldn't have written that himself. I won't even bother broaching whatever bias you're working with to jump to such a thought.

At least that would be something worth discussing, not a nearly 5 year old piece of a professional athlete that is painfully aware that you can in fact bust your ass and find success. Well, if you're also seven feet tall and athletic and luck into the right circumstances (being able to be discovered such that you get a scholarship to a top flight basketball program) that then helps pave the way.

Are you aware that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Have you ever thought about what that means? It means that the beauty that Perknose saw in the link he provided and the beauty he sees in the man who said it is just a reflection of the beauty of the personality of the person observing it. And the sad part, the part I pity you for, is that the ugliness and nastiness you imply is in the condition of others you continuously find a need to ridicule is just a reflection of your own inner ugliness. Please try to have a higher regard for yourself. It is a profoundly egotistical thing to do to imagine the ugliness you see in yourself could possibly be that bad.

 

[manly]

This thread is pretty funny, getting a lot more traction than the NBA thread in OT:

NBA 2022-23 Season

Well despite the Spurs trading their allstar Dejounte Murray for draft picks in the summer and their future face of the franchise Josh Primo going 露出狂 and getting released somehow the Spurs are 5-2 so far. I don't know how they're doing it with this roster that looks like it should win 20 games...

forums.anandtech.com

RAPTOR should be renamed to the "Jokic is a God" model; it seems laughably biased. Not every single model favors Jokic so strongly. The Dunks & Threes model has Jokic a bit ahead of Embiid. For much of the season, Jokic was my MVP but you have to also take into account the Nuggets late-season fade.

Since each of the top 3 candidates has a compelling case, there are two substantial reasons Embiid will win. First, voter fatigue is very real. Secondly, somewhat related, is the idea that for a player to win 3 consecutive MVPs, he MUST have team playoff success. Outside of 2020, the Nuggets have since regressed in this department.

Embiid is now a lock for the award, and is a deserving winner.

 

[Greenman]

I read the thread title as "Joel has imbibed", and wondered who Joel was and why it mattered that he had a drink. Took way longer than it should have to crack the code.