Official Game Thread: Hawks at Thunder (8 PM EST Tip!)

[lethalweapon3]

Caveat Emptor, eh?

 

High ceilings! Low floors!

You and your significant other just went all in on a spacious mansion, freshly renovated with all the accoutrements one might expect of a eight-million-dollar property, and then some. Multiple levels with grand views of flocking geese, tall trees buffering tiers of landscaped backyard with an observation deck fronting a pristine Great Lake. Ten thousand square feet of bliss, nestled in one of your nation’s toniest neighborhoods.

But not all is at it seems.

You discover you’re not being greeted and embraced by your new, well-to-do neighbors. Instead, you have people standing around, or sitting in cars, in odd spaces near the shrubbery, phones out, awaiting you and your gal pal, suspiciously, as you venture beyond the security gates. It’s not just paparazzi.

Some of these shady people soon approach you, but they seem agitated as they do. Wanting to know your business, but not all that interested in disclosing theirs. And everybody wants to figure out how you know some guy named Aiden. A dude you’ve never heard of before.

Finally, one furious stranger spills the beans. He, and an untold number of folks, were all duped by this Aiden, who showed off his ill-begotten earnings by flexing, kicking black and chillaxing, at this very property, on his social media pages. These suckers are hunting, or paying people to hunt down, the man who schemed them out of dozens of millions of dollars, then flaunted his booty to scheme others in the same way his flaunts first attracted them to him.

They’re bitter. They’re vengeful. And they just might do something irrational, to you and/or your loved ones and/or your lovely new residence, if they don’t get the money they entrusted to him back, and yesterday. “Where are you hiding The Crypto King? I will burn his little kingdom down!”

Soon to somehow celebrate his 25^th birthday, Aiden Pleterski is just four months younger than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Aiden didn’t need to sweat it out for 15-plus years in gyms and arenas around North America, becoming top-five in MVP voting in just five NBA seasons and a FIBA World Cup medalist, to make bank.

He needed to do what enterpre-nerds across the Northern and Western Hemispheres aimed to do in recent years. That is, doing all he could to look like the picture of young wealth, then attracting and enticing wealth, all at the expense of gullible people spanning the full global spectrum of wealth.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is the latest episode of Tales From The Crypto.

Aiden became Ontario, Canada’s version of the more notorious Sam Bankman-Fried of FTX (ex-Arena) infamy. Dressed in humble streetwear fits you might hastily assemble at Ross Dress for Less, Pleterski, like SBF, showcased his access to noblesse and nobility, using selfies with celebs and rappers like Machine Gun Kelly to give off just the right scent of street-cred.

Aiden buddied up with a son of one of Canada’s hotel and property development magnates, who set up a lease-to-own deal at this mansion his family owned along Lake Ontario in Burlington. Within a year of look-at-me-everybody IG snapshots, and dude-trust-me captions, it wasn’t terribly long before the house of Joker cards began to crumble, on top of him and all those who dared to associate with him.

Aiden told financiers their money was being traded Forex-style, in a brokerage account he falsely claimed to own in the notorious offshore tax haven of Belize. Not just individual parties, but professional investment fund managers who should know better, were among the fast-growing legion of devoted IG followers buying the bit.

If this young man who called himself The Crypto King, wasn’t profiting substantially from his own investments, like they all believed they would soon, then how else could he parade about the continent in private jets, multi-level yachts, McLarens, Ferraris and Lambos around the clock? Who can say no to a promised 70 percent split on capital gains, 10 percent bi-weekly growth targets? Instagram, insta-wealth!

Latch onto this investment prodigy, with the cherubic Josh Giddey countenance, while you can, nab the cryptocurrency trinkets before somebody else gets them, and enjoy the tax-free windfall! Oh, and be sure to hook in your closest friends, too! They wouldn’t want to feel left out, would they?

Aiden, as all Ponzi schemers tend to do, “allegedly” invested the bare minimum needed to keep his maneuvers looking halfway legit on FedEx Office paper, spent a little more to have some obscure e-news outlets make his story seem legit, then showered himself in the lion’s share of the money funneled his way. Including this posh mansion complex here, halfway between Toronto and Niagara Falls. Open concept!

When the returns that came due didn’t materialize, some sent the matters to their lawyers, or the law, to sort things out. Some, with the aid of Internet sleuthing, sought to resolve matters with their own bare hands.

One investor who dropped about three-quarters of a million bucks into Aiden’s LLC account got a few heavies together to hunt him down last December in downtown Toronto, and “allegedly,” as later revealed in a black-eyed Aiden’s apology video for his “investors,” to abduct, kidnap and torture him.

The hotel tycoon’s kid that owned the property stopped receiving Aiden’s $45,000 monthly rent payments by last summer and was handed a McLaren Senna to help try making up the debt. Months later, he ignored a number of disturbed late-night, early-morning calls from one number, until he finally decided to pick up the phone. It was Pleterski, who said he could really use a few million bucks, right-quick, to save his hoodied hide.

“I’m with some bad people right now. They need $3 million. I have nobody else to call. My parents don’t have that type of money, and you’re the only person who can help me.” The landlord-pal bought himself just enough time to bring police into these desperate phone calls, which concluded with Pleterski’s eventual “release,” conditioned of course upon not bringing the police into all this bargaining.

Five of Pleterski’s alleged captors, including that duped investor who also turned out to also be an inspector in Aiden’s bankruptcy proceedings, have since been arrested by Toronto police as of this past summer. Meanwhile, The Crypto King still lives rent-free, not only in irate Canadians’ heads, but also in one of the landlord family’s more secure properties, for his daily protection.

In Aiden’s bankruptcy proceedings, the landlord emphasized the extent to which his tenant-friend’s ordeal has brought great risk to his wealthy family, citing random people showing up to the property Aiden was renting and seeking payback, in one form, or another.

None of this action was known, or at least conveyed, by the realtor to Gilgeous-Alexander, the All-Star marquee of the Oklahoma City Thunder, as he and his girlfriend were dazzled at every turn by the marble and modernity at this palatial lakefront estate. Just days after moving in, SGA grew hesitant to leave the house, or even return to it. He is now suing to undo the sale of the property. His chances of getting his payments back, via the courts, are about as good as the odds for those suckered by The Crypto King.

The Hawks’ Trae Young, with his new mansion out in Calabasas, California to accompany his hometown crash-pad in Norman, Oklahoma, seems like he did his due diligence before ponying up $20 million for the not-so-humble abode first customized by ex-NFL linebacker Clay Matthews. Anybody snooping around there is likely on the lookout for his neighbors, Brittney Spears and Kourtney Kardashian. I can only hope the whole gated complex wasn’t built atop the former site of TermiteWorld Amusement Park, or something.

I empathize with our well-moneyed pro (and now college) athletes, and similar performers in various industries of entertainment. At one end, hoopers like SGA are beholden to the I-washed-your-jockstrap-all-throughout-AAU-now-pay-up friends and family members, eager to cash in on their long-envisioned investments in time and energy.

At the other end, there are financial booby traps laid all around them, from too-good-to-be-true financing deals, to business ventures, to vehicles and real estate, where the dirty details of why they even exist for the taking are often obscured by their flashiness, and their look-mama-I-made-it potential. Many of the individuals on the first end are the very ones coaxing these athletes into getting enmeshed in the second.

In the middle, you get the yahoos who wager, either online or at the cigar bar, the barbeque, or the barbershop, on these athletes’ performances, or those of their opponents, leading to a de$ired point-spread, over/under, or parlay result. Then the yahoos yearn to take their losses out on them.

“Somebody said, ‘I chose the wrong slave today,’” SGA’s Canadian countryman Chris Boucher shared on a Yahoo! Sports podcast last March. “Literally, sent me that message… He said, ‘I chose the wrong slave,’ because I only had five points, and he needed ten.” Boucher was just five points away, one supposes, from that wagerer feeling indebted for life, or at least until the next di$appointment.

Some of the athletes and high-profile celebs, though, also become the people looked to by the populace as financial role models. Where is Sir Charles Barkley when we need him?

Little ol’ me? I’m just trying to see if there’s enough loose change under the couch to go grab a chili dog meal from Sonic before today’s Atlanta Hawks game at OKC tips off (8 PM Eastern, Bally Sports Southeast and 92.9 FM in ATL, BS Oklahoma). But at day’s end, when I urge you to tread carefully, and seek out independent professional advice, when flop-haired flunkies are on their podcasts and insta-pages hawking Crypto and Forex and such, who are you gonna believe? Me, or Steph Curry, Matt Damon, and Tom Brady during the Super Bowl?

People burned by pushing all their chips into stuff like the Crypto craze, or DFS and sports wagering, are often the same people grasping at new ploys to climb themselves out of the holes they’ve dug for themselves and others. People, precisely, like Pleterski, who falls on the mercy of the public as “just a 20-something-year-old kid” who fell for the allure of Crypto gains himself, dragged his friends and family into it, and conjured up The Crypto King as a means to somehow paper over his debts.  

My thoroughly unprofessional advice to them all is to stop digging, put down the shovels, quit putting themselves at risk of getting struck by shovels, and admire the legitimate work put in by people who make a nice living for themselves by truly understanding how to trade in futures. People like Sam Presti.

Presti had a future league MVP in his hands, but recognized he couldn’t maintain three possible future MVP talents in his business climate. So, off to Houston went James Harden in 2012, one of the blockbuster sports deals of the century.

That trade brought them six seasons of Steven Adams, a 2013 draft pick who became a mainstay for seven seasons. Adams, in turn, got OKC Kenrich Williams and a 2023 pick that they swapped out for Ousmane Dieng, who are both on the current roster.

Eleven years later, Presti couldn’t resist getting in on a Harden deal, again. In 2027, his Thunder will have the option of swapping either their own or Denver’s top-5-protected first-rounder, for the Clippers’ unprotected pick, at a point when ex-Thunder stars Russell Westbrook, Paul George, and James Harden are likely to be distant memories in L.A.  This, as part of the price Philadelphia was willing to pay to finally extricate themselves from The James Harden Cistern, er, System.

Presti trades tend to reverberate. The PG13 trade in 2019 brought Presti picks that were used to select backup guard Tre Mann, in 2021, and 1^st-team All-Rookie big Jalen Williams the next year (seemingly holding 2022 second-overall pick Chet Holmgren’s slot, for one injury-deferred season). It also pried a second-team All-Rookie player, Gilgeous-Alexander, from L.A. The Clips’ gamble for Harden had better pay immediate dividends, since they owe OKC an unprotected 1^st in 2024 for George, too.

None of Presti’s moves have transformed the Thunder (3-3, 40-42 plus a Play-In win last season) into insta-champs, yet. But excepting Kevin Durant, no recipients of Thunder players make off like championship bandits, either. In the meantime, Oklahoma Citizens are in absolutely no rush to cash out. Not on a roster, coached by Mark Daigneault (2^nd in COTY voting last season), whose top 9 contributors are all under age 25, led by the senior-most SGA (out, sprained knee).

Even without Gilgeous-Alexander, this game young roster pushed the full-strength Warriors to the brink on Friday night before succumbing, 141-139, at the hands of a Steph Curry lay-in that was nearly waved off due to Draymond Green’s overexuberance, thanks to Giddey touching the net first.

The Thunder needed a perfect 6-for-6 night from the perimeter from Lu Dort, of all people, to keep the Dubs close to the vest. But the promise of great things to come remains real. It’s exemplified by Holmgren, for now a pushover in the paint versus seasoned vets like Jokic and Jonas, but a rangy talent that covers the entire floor well. By veterans like Williams (out, back spasms) and Davis Bertans, just hanging around and imparting wisdom until the next wannabe-contending team dangling a first-rounder bangs on Presti’s door.

There’s the possible control of up to 13 first-rounders from other teams through 2029, and counting, to say nothing of the many more second-rounders that could be packaged in some manner, too.

Most importantly, there’s Gilgeous-Alexander, who is amidst the max-extension mega-deal he signed in 2021. He’ll have until at least 2026 to lead this Thunder club into NBA title contention. If it doesn’t work out? SGA will be pushing 30 by 2027, and if he remains healthy and free from shady property deals, it’s safe to say he’ll remain a valuable commodity around the NBA.

It’s also reasonable to assume that Presti will just keep doing prest-o-chang-o shell games to keep things intriguing around the Sooner State, given it’s become the key to his longevity. A trade acquisition like SGA, or a lotto pick like Holmgren, might pay off big-time in the form of banners down the road. But at some point, you just know Presti will be prepared to face the burning question with each of them: are you going to Love It? Or, List It?

 

Let’s Go Hawks!

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

There will be no Tea Time for De'Andre Hunter, who is listed as Available despite suffering a pinky dislocation during Saturday's win in N'Awlins. KoKo B. Buf (broke thumb) and 2T's Matthews (calf strain) are the sole Hawks declared out-of-commission.

Both Clint Capela and Onyeka Okongwu ought to have a field (goal) day versus OKC (28th in D-Reb%, and NOP is now 30th; 29th in O-Reb%), although Jaylin "the other one" Williams returns from rehab to help beef up the Thunder frontline.

Hawks defenders will have to identify the OKC player on-court with the hot hand from outside, be it Dort (?), or Holmgren (56.5 3FG%) or Isaiah Joe, and make them put the ball on the floor before deciding whether to pull-up or pass. Jalen "the Main One" Williams and Josh Giddey combined for 12 assists in the absence of SGA (upgraded to Questionable, sprained knee) vs. GSW, but also committed 12 turnovers. "Shag Diesel" Kendrick Williams is the only OKC non-Two-Way player listed as Out on the 1:30 Boo-Boo Report update.

 

~lw3

[shakes]

excited for this one.  OKC has become my League Pass sidepiece, the team I root for when I'm not rooting for the Hawks.  Huge fan of Chet.

[theheroatl]

 

I  counter you with my short story and game preview

Here you go:

 

“Underdogs and Eagles”

In a small town nestled between rolling plains and vibrant skies, there was an arena that hummed with anticipation each night. This was the domain of the Thunder, a team known for their unexpected strikes and resilient spirit. But tonight, the winds carried a different tune, whispering of soaring visitors—the Atlanta Hawks, with eyes sharp as their namesakes and plays as graceful as flight.

The Thunder, seen as underdogs in their own den, had a point to prove. Their leader, a young guard with the ferocity of a storm, was ready to channel the roar of their loyal fans into a force to be reckoned with. Meanwhile, the Hawks, swift and strategic, sought to extend their dominion, their own maestro aiming to conduct an aerial ballet with the precision of an eagle's descent.

As the clock ticked down to the opening buzzer, both teams knew the hardwood would tell a tale of clash and composure, of lightning and loftiness—a story that would resonate long after the final echo of the whistle.

---

**Game Preview: Atlanta Hawks at Oklahoma City Thunder**

Tonight, the Atlanta Hawks take flight to the heartland to face off against the Oklahoma City Thunder in a game that's expected to be a true test of agility versus energy. The Hawks come in with a reputation for sharpshooting and an offense that soars high in efficiency ratings. Their strategy is to outpace and outmaneuver, to spread the court with their wings wide open.

The Thunder rumbles into the matchup with something to prove. Their home court, an arena known for its electrifying atmosphere, will be pulsing with the energy of fans eager to witness a display of raw determination and youthful zest. The key for the Thunder will be to harness the chaos, to turn their unpredictability into an advantage that can ground the high-flying Hawks.

This game promises a dynamic battle: the poised precision of the Hawks against the relentless hustle of the Thunder. Keep an eye on the perimeter play—will the Hawks' sharpshooters find their mark, or will the Thunder's defense create the turbulence to throw them off course? As tip-off approaches, the stage is set for a memorable clash in the NBA tonight.

Edited November 6, 2023 by theheroatl

[benhillboy]

34 minutes ago, shakes said:

excited for this one.  OKC has become my League Pass sidepiece, the team I root for when I'm not rooting for the Hawks.  Huge fan of Chet.

True, I don’t pay much attention to the league outside of Atlanta, the heat, the Warriors, and these kids.  I will check a Haliburton or Luka box score but I’m straight on their games lol.

SGA better get his unorthodox footwork having ass out there for this tilt.  Jalen Vs Chet, Jaylen Vs DJ, Trae vs SGA(?), sh*ts gonna be a barn burner.  
 

Imma need Isaiah Joe to step it up: he’s a slick X factor for them.  It’s early but still a huge drop off from his last campaign.

Edited November 6, 2023 by benhillboy

[shakes]

It will be interesting to see how Hunter does vs JWill.   JWill looks like should've been a top 5 pick last year and in that draft, that's saying something.  

 

 

[terrell]

The Hawks are -8 when Murray is off court (-9.7 when JJ sits) and +9 when Trae is on the bench.

Just throwing that out there..

Hopefully a homecoming is what Trae needs to get on track.....

Edited November 6, 2023 by terrell

[AHF]

30 minutes ago, terrell said:

+9 when Trae is on the bench.

How important is that when the team is +39 points when he is on the court over the last 4 games?

[Spud2nique]

3 hours ago, lethalweapon3 said:

if they don’t get the money

 

Presti makes beautiful rosters then sells them for parts and does it all over again. It’s like the Oakland A’s they build great rosters then blow them up.

Thanks @lethalweapon3 you da man!

Vegas has OKC -1.5

I got Hawks winning by 7, 111-103

GO HAWKS!!!!

[terrell]

32 minutes ago, AHF said:

How important is that when the team is +39 points when he is on the court over the last 4 games?

I agree hes been better overall.

Still shooting horribly though..

I just want to see a game where he shoots at least 50% fg. honestly

Is that too much to ask?

He got really close last game..

 

 

Edited November 6, 2023 by terrell

[TheFuzz]

Lethal I hope you should be a professional writer, you're an artist!

Edited November 6, 2023 by TheFuzz

[shakes]

20 minutes ago, terrell said:

I agree hes been better overall.

Still shooting horribly though..

I just want to see a game where he shoots at least 50% fg. honestly

Is that too much to ask?

He got really close last game..

 

 

by my calculations he hasn't had a game where he shot over 50% from the field in well over a year.  Don't think he had a single game over 50% all last season.

[terrell]

This pic is 

 

[lethalweapon3]

This CBC Toronto article covered SGA's ordeal really well:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/nba-star-lawsuit-void-purchase-mansion-ontario-crypto-king-1.7015253

And it sounds like he'll be cleared to give it a go tonight:

~lw3

[terrell]

3 minutes ago, lethalweapon3 said:

This CBC Toronto article covered SGA's ordeal really well:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/nba-star-lawsuit-void-purchase-mansion-ontario-crypto-king-1.7015253

And it sounds like he'll be cleared to give it a go tonight:

~lw3

Good. I want them at full strength...

[AHF]

27 minutes ago, shakes said:

by my calculations he hasn't had a game where he shot over 50% from the field in well over a year.  Don't think he had a single game over 50% all last season.

[JayBirdHawk]

5 hours ago, lethalweapon3 said:

Caveat Emptor, eh?

I expected the entire thread in Latin 

[JayBirdHawk]

4 hours ago, theheroatl said:

I  counter you with my short story and game preview

Here you go:

 

“Underdogs and Eagles”

 

Well what we have here is a good ole fashioned 'write off'.  Let the competition commence. You ready @lethalweapon3

Love it!!

[JayBirdHawk]

 

 

[Spud2nique]

2 hours ago, Spud2nique said:

 

Presti makes beautiful rosters then sells them for parts and does it all over again. It’s like the Oakland A’s they build great rosters then blow them up.

Thanks @lethalweapon3 you da man!

Vegas has OKC -1.5

I got Hawks winning by 7, 111-103

GO HAWKS!!!!

Ps Capela please don’t bruise your right shoulder thanks 2K sheesh we tryin to stay healthy here