CHAMPS XVIII

Discussion in 'The Mainboard' started by Stone Cold Steve Austin, Jul 6, 2022.

  1. jplaYa

    jplaYa CHAMPZY/SMOLTZY/CHELSEA
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    Alabama Crimson TideAtlanta BravesAtlanta FalconsChelseaAtlanta United

    I think he’s feeling really good about his Clemson game performance. His defense got a lot better in March too. Still the sample size isn’t going to get him drafted I don’t think.
     
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  2. Joey Freshwater

    Joey Freshwater Slingin The Pipe Since 75
    Donor
    Alabama Crimson Tide

    He won’t be drafted this year. But the potential is there for a first rounder. He fits exactly what the NBA likes in a 4. Obviously has to improve the shooting consistency and percentage but the shot looks good I think he will improve the numbers. He’s gonna have to work on his defense a bit and be a little better on the glass but he’s going to be a stretch 4 in the pros so seeing him bang down low isn’t really that big of a deal for scouts.
     
    IV likes this.
  3. Joey Freshwater

    Joey Freshwater Slingin The Pipe Since 75
    Donor
    Alabama Crimson Tide

    Moving Sherrill to the 4 would be a huge mistake as well.
     
  4. Joey Freshwater

    Joey Freshwater Slingin The Pipe Since 75
    Donor
    Alabama Crimson Tide

  5. Odin

    Odin social distancing since 1990
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    Alabama Crimson TideAtlanta BravesChelseaMetal

    half the sites already list him at the 4. he's a 6'10 210 guy who can play on the wing. that's not a 5.
     
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  6. DDB

    DDB Some men just want to watch the world burn
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    Alabama Crimson TideMiami MarlinsMemphis GrizzliesNew England PatriotsTiger Woods

    I’ll take Ugonna or Stevenson
     
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  7. junior5

    junior5 @TrustyPatches’ granddaddy

    I genuinely believe we have the best coach in the college game right now, especially in the NIL/portal era. I know Hurley has won back to back and others have titles to their name but what Nate is doing at Alabama is unprecedented and honestly incredible
     
  8. junior5

    junior5 @TrustyPatches’ granddaddy

    I want Stevenson back. I think he takes a big step forward
     
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  9. Owsley

    Owsley My friends call me Bear
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    Agreed, and I’m not sure there’s someone realistic in the portal that can replace his upside.
     
  10. DDB

    DDB Some men just want to watch the world burn
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    Alabama Crimson TideMiami MarlinsMemphis GrizzliesNew England PatriotsTiger Woods

    We have predicted Alabama to add the following players from the portal. We do not know when decisions will be announced.

    Cornerback DaShawn Jones (via Wake Forest)
    Interior OL Geno VanDeMark (via Michigan State)
    Safety King Mack (via Penn State)

    Still waiting to see if Alabama decides to bring in anyone else this weekend. Former South Alabama LB Khalil Jacobs is currently scheduled to visit. Alabama added a commitment from the portal last Tuesday from former Charlotte safety Kam Howard.
     
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  11. i am a bammer

    i am a bammer Ben Eblen>Jamychal Green
    Donor TMB OG
    Alabama Crimson TideSan Diego Padres

    Meh but I'll take it. Obviously would've preferred to keep the guys we had before.
     
    #95211 i am a bammer, May 7, 2024
    Last edited: May 7, 2024
  12. HtownTide

    HtownTide I make motion pictures. Space movies
    Alabama Crimson TideAtlanta BravesHouston RocketsHouston Oilers

    I think Mack is actually a pretty nice pickup. The others? Meh
     
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  13. DDB

    DDB Some men just want to watch the world burn
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    Alabama Crimson TideMiami MarlinsMemphis GrizzliesNew England PatriotsTiger Woods

    Mack has major upside
     
  14. RJF-GUMP

    RJF-GUMP Daubert Qualified in Cooler Thermodynamics
    Donor TMB OG

    On3 Portal Rankings
    Geno VanDemark-1909 Nationally
    King Mack-50 nationally
    DaShawn Jones-588 nationally

    Sounds like Geno is one of the shittiest players in the portal
     
  15. DDB

    DDB Some men just want to watch the world burn
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    Alabama Crimson TideMiami MarlinsMemphis GrizzliesNew England PatriotsTiger Woods

    Geno is probably nothing more than a depth piece
     
  16. RJF-GUMP

    RJF-GUMP Daubert Qualified in Cooler Thermodynamics
    Donor TMB OG

    I think a lot of portal players are depth pieces. What's your point? You still don't want the shittiest of the depth pieces
     
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  17. Tiffin

    Tiffin ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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    Alabama Crimson TideLos Angeles LakersNew Orleans SaintsGrateful DeadToolAEW

    The WRs have to gain confidence against somebody in practice.
     
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  18. southlick

    southlick "Better Than You"
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    Alabama Crimson TideAtlanta BravesNew Orleans PelicansDallas CowboysBirmingham Legion

  19. RJF-GUMP

    RJF-GUMP Daubert Qualified in Cooler Thermodynamics
    Donor TMB OG

    Dude has SEC and an elephant tatoo'ed on his arm. Fucking gump and I love it.
     
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  20. Tiffin

    Tiffin ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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    Alabama Crimson TideLos Angeles LakersNew Orleans SaintsGrateful DeadToolAEW

    I'm not sure if I should be more concerned about him trying to lose 30 lbs in a month or that he thinks it's March and not May.
     
  21. DDB

    DDB Some men just want to watch the world burn
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    Alabama Crimson TideMiami MarlinsMemphis GrizzliesNew England PatriotsTiger Woods

    What’s your shtick? Why you insulting our shitty depth pieces :laugh:
     
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  22. RJF-GUMP

    RJF-GUMP Daubert Qualified in Cooler Thermodynamics
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    That tweet is from his mom , not him.
     
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  23. Tiffin

    Tiffin ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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    Alabama Crimson TideLos Angeles LakersNew Orleans SaintsGrateful DeadToolAEW

    Well I'm still concerned but at least she isn't putting the pads on
     
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  24. southlick

    southlick "Better Than You"
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    Alabama Crimson TideAtlanta BravesNew Orleans PelicansDallas CowboysBirmingham Legion

  25. Odin

    Odin social distancing since 1990
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    Alabama Crimson TideAtlanta BravesChelseaMetal

    80 voters who want to do dumb shit
     
  26. SummerOfGeorge

    SummerOfGeorge Friend of the Program
    Atlanta BravesAtlanta HawksAlabama Crimson TideAtlanta FalconsAtlanta United

    Details on the Vegas NIL tournament are out

    https://www.cbssports.com/college-b...millions-paid-to-schools-is-nearly-finalized/


    NIL-driven Las Vegas college basketball event with millions paid to schools is nearly finalized
    The 'Players Era Festival' will include eight teams in 2024. In 2025 it's expected to double to 16 teams -- with huge brands

    By Matt Norlander

    A one-of-a-kind revolutionary regular-season men's basketball event to be staged later this year in Las Vegas is expected to be finalized in the coming weeks, CBS Sports has learned. Its selling point is based on the major factor that has drastically altered college sports over the past three years: name, image and likeness compensation for players.

    Games will be played in November under the umbrella of an event dubbed the "Players Era Festival," which will also include live music and other attractions for fans amid the glitz of the Las Vegas Strip during Thanksgiving week. In a college sports first, the event will also include $1 million NIL payouts for eight participating schools. What's more, players involved will have future earnings opportunities through long-term NIL contracts, sources told CBS Sports.

    Alabama, Houston, Notre Dame, Oregon, Rutgers, San Diego State and Texas A&M are all on board, sources said. The eighth and final school for the 2024 event will emerge from a small group that is still being deliberated. The Players Era Festival is not being pitched as a one-year happening, either. Plans are to double the size of the field, sources told CBS Sports, with 16 teams as the target for 2025 and beyond. Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas, Michigan, Syracuse and Virginia have all engaged in discussions about potentially playing in 2025. If they opt in, they'd be joined by most (if not eventually all) of the schools playing in 2024, many of which have already signed up for a three-year agreement, according to sources.

    Event organizers are in the final negotiating stages with MGM Resorts International to hold games at any or all of its three major venues: T-Mobile Arena, MGM Grand Garden Arena and Michelob ULTRA Arena. The tentative schedule is to play games on Nov. 26, 27 and 29, with Thanksgiving an off-day. The 2024 format(s) for the eight teams has not been decided. Organizers are still weighing whether to have a single eight-team tournament bracket or two separate four-team multi-team events (MTEs).

    The tournament would be unique in that the NIL collective of each participating school would be paid $1 million. Additional significant NIL opportunities (believed to be in the neighborhood of another $1 million) would be awarded exclusively to the winner or winners of the event, depending on the final bracket format(s). The money would then be distributed to athletes by the collectives. The athletes, while in Las Vegas, would be required to participate in multiple off-the-court activities to earn that NIL money. That quid pro quo agreement for NIL money is a key distinction and at the core of the appeal of the festival. Pay-for-play remains against NCAA rules. However, athletes can be paid for NIL work surrounding the actual games, which is the pitch here.

    "If there are events where there's an extraordinary amount of money involved, and there's no donor fatigue involved in this, how do you not play in this?" one coach participating in the Players Era Festival told CBS Sports. "There's not a decision we make that's not NIL-driven. I'll play in the parking lot of Mandalay Bay, just clear the f---ing check."

    The basketball-oriented festival is being put on by EverWonder Studio, a production company based in New York. The tournament will be financially backed by Redbird International Media Investments, a subset of RedBird Capital Partners, a multi-billion-dollar investment firm. Redbird IMI is an investment consortium majority funded by the United Arab Emirates. It is headed by former CNN CEO Jeff Zucker. FrontOffice Sports first reported on the event in March. An official announcement should land in the next 10 days, according to a source.

    Broadcast rights are yet to be formally secured; the games are expected to be distributed on a streaming service instead of traditional linear television. The event has come under scrutiny and faced backlash from many in the industry because its emergence poses an existential threat to the traditional November/December MTE television model that's become more prominent in college basketball in the past 15 years. Some schools in the 2024 field reneged on previous deals with other MTEs, inviting further discord.

    Event organizers have assured all involved that the Players Era Festival will be in line with NCAA rules, sources said.

    "We will be very good about making sure this is fully compliant," a source added.

    Because the Players Era Festival is aggressively pushing forward in a constantly shifting NIL era of player empowerment — and because it has tens of millions of dollars in private-equity funding — there is skepticism from many in college athletics over its long-term financial viability. Traditionally, even the best MTEs don't have massive profit margins. The highest-profile regular-season events hope to earn $1-2 million in profits. This would also mark a sea change in college basketball due to private equity investments influencing how teams schedule, thus likely affecting how MTEs in the future are operated.

    Schools participating, however, see a landscape-altering opportunity at a time when programs are desperate for any fundraising to bolster recruiting prowess and increase their NIL war chests. Consider: many top-end 2024 transfers in the past month have committed to a variety of programs after being promised north of $1 million, sources said.

    "I would play on Nick Jr., I would play on YouTube. It doesn't matter," a coach scheduled to play in the event told CBS Sports. "All the other stuff passed through our compliance smell test all the way through. We have not run up against a road block that is a definitive no."

    Said another coach in the event: "As long as they get it compliant, our administration is full-go." He later said, "You'd be stupid not to do this if you were invited."

    Intersport — a respected/established entity in the sports-event space that annually helps put on the CBS Sports Classic, the Fort Myers Tip-Off and many other events — will be the tournament's operator. Seth Berger is the tournament director. Berger, 56, is a long-time presence in the basketball space. He's a former high school coach in Philadelphia who most notably founded And1. As a prep coach Berger won a state title and coached the likes of former five-star prospects Mohammed Bamba and Cam Reddish. Berger has been the primary recruiter to get teams into the event in 2024 and beyond.

    NCAA rules prevent schools from playing in the same MTE more than once in four years; it's why the same high-profile programs aren't in the Maui Invitational in back-to-back years, or even once every three years. As a workaround, organizers of the Players Era Festival are intentionally attempting to break off different MTEs with different names to be played at different Vegas arenas in an effort to bring many of the same teams back for multiple years while technically staging them in separate events.

    "We are turning this into what NBA All-Star weekend is for the NBA," one source involved with the event said. "This would be a celebration week for college basketball."

    Players will also be eligible to sign on to a 10% equity stake in Players Era in perpetuity, a source said, meaning that college athletes would earn money with the company moving forward, provided that Players Era continues to grow as an asset in the years ahead. EverWonder Studio is aiming to expand its presence in the live-sports space in the coming years.

    "The concept is for NIL activities, it's not a one-and-done exchange, it's about long-term value," a source said. The festival is also considering including a financial literacy program for all teams/players involved.

    EverWonder Studio has produced documentaries and docuseries for Netflix, Apple+ and Disney. It's also produced the CMA Awards, NFL Honors and Oscars Red Carpet Show.

    There have also been discussions about trying to make the proposed 16-team event in 2025 into something similar to FIFA's World Cup format, with group-stage play, but the viability of that model remains unclear. If the event comes to fruition as envisioned, it could spark the start of a landscape-changing trend in college basketball for the rest of this decade, if not beyond.
     
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  27. southlick

    southlick "Better Than You"
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    Alabama Crimson TideAtlanta BravesNew Orleans PelicansDallas CowboysBirmingham Legion

  28. Odin

    Odin social distancing since 1990
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    Alabama Crimson TideAtlanta BravesChelseaMetal

    honestly this all sounds too good to be true.
     
  29. southlick

    southlick "Better Than You"
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    Alabama Crimson TideAtlanta BravesNew Orleans PelicansDallas CowboysBirmingham Legion

  30. southlick

    southlick "Better Than You"
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    Alabama Crimson TideAtlanta BravesNew Orleans PelicansDallas CowboysBirmingham Legion

  31. Odin

    Odin social distancing since 1990
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    Alabama Crimson TideAtlanta BravesChelseaMetal

    interview with murph

     
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  32. southlick

    southlick "Better Than You"
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    Alabama Crimson TideAtlanta BravesNew Orleans PelicansDallas CowboysBirmingham Legion

  33. Rammer Jammer

    Rammer Jammer Fan Of: Bama, Braves, Packers, MSU Baseball
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    Alabama Crimson TideMississippi State BulldogsGreen Bay Packers

  34. southlick

    southlick "Better Than You"
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    Alabama Crimson TideAtlanta BravesNew Orleans PelicansDallas CowboysBirmingham Legion

    yeah buddy
     
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  35. The Blackfish

    The Blackfish The Fish in Black
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    Alabama Crimson TideIndianapolis ColtsBook Club

  36. southlick

    southlick "Better Than You"
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    Alabama Crimson TideAtlanta BravesNew Orleans PelicansDallas CowboysBirmingham Legion

  37. Rammer Jammer

    Rammer Jammer Fan Of: Bama, Braves, Packers, MSU Baseball
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    Alabama Crimson TideMississippi State BulldogsGreen Bay Packers

  38. Snakes

    Snakes clumsy interloper
    Donor TMB OG
    Alabama Crimson Tide

    We take my kid to Magic City Collectables to get a pack of cards as a reward for good behavior. He loves them.
     
  39. Rammer Jammer

    Rammer Jammer Fan Of: Bama, Braves, Packers, MSU Baseball
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    Alabama Crimson TideMississippi State BulldogsGreen Bay Packers

    Great incentive
     
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  40. SummerOfGeorge

    SummerOfGeorge Friend of the Program
    Atlanta BravesAtlanta HawksAlabama Crimson TideAtlanta FalconsAtlanta United

    I take my kid to a local Atlanta establishment called Magic City for good behavior as well, but they ain't sellin' collectables.
     
  41. glimmer

    glimmer queen of tmb
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    Alabama Crimson TideMetalAntifaAnarchy

    it reads like a grift to me, ngl
     
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  42. SummerOfGeorge

    SummerOfGeorge Friend of the Program
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    As long as we're the ones doing the grifting!
     
  43. Snakes

    Snakes clumsy interloper
    Donor TMB OG
    Alabama Crimson Tide

    Yes i actually added "collectables" in there after reading my post and didn't want to get put on any watch lists for sending my kids to Magic City
     
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  44. SummerOfGeorge

    SummerOfGeorge Friend of the Program
    Atlanta BravesAtlanta HawksAlabama Crimson TideAtlanta FalconsAtlanta United

    WE ONLY GO FOR THE LEMON PEPPER.
     
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  45. Drown ‘Em

    Drown ‘Em The Candy Man
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    Alabama Crimson TideAtlanta BravesNational League

    That’s an odd stage name.
     
  46. Odin

    Odin social distancing since 1990
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    Alabama Crimson TideAtlanta BravesChelseaMetal

  47. The Blackfish

    The Blackfish The Fish in Black
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    Alabama Crimson TideIndianapolis ColtsBook Club

  48. dblplay1212

    dblplay1212 Well-Known Member
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    Alabama Crimson TideNew York YankeesJacksonville Jaguars2pacSneakersFormula 1

    That's how you win me back.
     
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  49. Drown ‘Em

    Drown ‘Em The Candy Man
    Donor
    Alabama Crimson TideAtlanta BravesNational League

    I know DeBo’s swing isn’t pretty, but gotta think Saban might intimidate him a little based on that long pause followed by the first shot duck hook after Saban arrived.

     
  50. Snakes

    Snakes clumsy interloper
    Donor TMB OG
    Alabama Crimson Tide

    I think Kalen's swing is pretty good all things considered. He looks like Fred Couples compared to Nate Oats.