Just jared shirtless

My (31M) ex (29F) started getting close to her coworker and I found out from a conversation with another female coworker that she was really into his body, found him attractive and felt like he was going "get her in trouble with her husband". I felt uncomfortable and told her about this and she kind of gas lit me into thinking its nothing.
Fast forward a year and they have become even closer, hanging out after work and during lunch breaks smoking weed together and walking home together. I discover this and told her im uncomfortable with it. She says ok and agrees to limit their time together.
A month or 2 later I ask if shes still spending time with him (she says no and tries to prove it with screenshots of their messages which are few and far between)
A month later I found out she skipped college classes to hang out with him alone because I checked the phone records and saw that they had been texting a lot more than she led on and was deleting messages and hiding their private hangouts. She slowly started to come clean but swore up and down it was platonic and that he was like a brother to her. They were only discussing the issues in their relationship and there are no romantic feelings involved. Not too long afterwards in a completely separate conversation she casually mentioned to me that she is no longer sexually attracted to me and gave no suggestions or insight on how i could work to fix that for her.
I couldn't take the lying, gaslighting and the uncertainty and things were already on the decline. Sex life slowed down a lot, lots of emotional neglect, insecurity from micro cheating, invading privacy and then trying to tell her not to talk with her coworker who was a threat to our marriage. It wasn't going well, broken trust from the inappropriate conversations she would have with coworkers and strangers, it was all too much and I finally decided to move out and end it all with hopes that she would see my value and come back ready to be a good wife now.
5 months later I was doing well in life, new job, new apartment, 30 lbs lost and a boost of confidence from meeting new women with lots of successful moments. I felt like me again, then her and I started reconnecting again.
We were yet divorced and we missed each other and both agreed to still be friends with benefits and see where things go, possibly in the future we would get back together and i held onto that because of the length of our relationship (10 years) and the fact that she was my best friend.
Things went well at first and it felt like old times and there was clear chemistry and familiarity but she wasnt overly aggressive with her feelings towards me, basically played the friends with benefits role well and never let herself get too into the sexual moments. It made me feel like she was not really into that part of our current relationship and that the friendship was more important. I was just happy either way.
About 2 months after we reconnected she comes over one day, we grab some food and head back to my place to do the deed. It went well and afterwards we were just hanging on the bed chilling when she fell asleep naked next to me. I went out to the living room since i wasnt tired and played some PS5. I hear her phone go off and realize she left it in the living room. I got super curious and realized my fingerprint still worked for her phone.
I snooped around and eventually found a picture of the same coworker in her phone, but it was a picture of him shirtless, in our old apartment, only a few weeks ago. I immediately open up his contact to see he is saved as "Daddy Jason" I do a quick skim through and see all the graphic messages and pictures shared between them and lost my shit.
This looks like it had been going on for a long time but it doesnt look like they started having sex until we split.
I took a picture of her naked on my bed from her phone and sent it to him saying you can have her bro. Then kicked her out of my apartment at 2am. Told her I knew what she did and we cant speak anymore. I will call you with next steps for the divorce.
I then proceeded to draft her the nastiest, most cruel message I could while also letting her know just how much this devasted me. She never responded.
She followed up a week later obviously condemning me for everything I said (I wasnt proud of saying any of it and my only purpose was to hurt her just as bad as I was hurt in that moment). It all went over her head. She called me insecure, said the resentful sex she would give me once every other week was never good enough and the worst was all she had to say regarding what I had discovered was "Im sorry I hurt your feelings".
I'm struggling to move on with other people now because I'm afraid that I'm not enough and that if they dont show their interest the way my ex used to show interest in me (no she shows interest in that way to her coworkers) that it will never work. I just want a girl who likes me for me, thinks im good enough and will always choose me even when we are old an saggy and have been together for decades.
I just never thought women like her existed. I thought she was better than that.
Did she cheat?

I'm not a conspiracy theorist but Trumps Reign of Corruption is deeply embedded with the Saudis and with the PGA. This is obviously going to benefit him and certainly he pushed the PGA to acquiesce. One might even be able to connect the stolen classified documents as the reason they have both secured so much wealth from the Saudi Royal Family.
A reminder of the significance of the Saudi influence over both Trump and Kushner.... Jared met with MBS on Jan 5, 2021 securing over $2 billion while his boss was attempting a coup. In Nov 2022 just before he announced a 3rd run Trump signed a $1.6 billion deal with the Saudis. Jared was sharing so much with the Saudis as a WH advisor the Saudi's bragged that they owned him.

22 (m) and i think i’m almost certain that i had a manic episode the past couple months the more i think about my past actions throughout that course of time. So going back to November of last year to early February of this year i was at a all time low in my life, i was depressed due to unemployment, having submitted application after application, endlessly tailoring my resume and looking up new information online on how to get hired felt like all of that effort did not matter since no employer would accept me. I barely did anything with myself and hardly took any care of myself. Sometimes would eat junk food and lock myself in my room alone in the dark while watching meaningless youtube videos as a cope.
Eventually, early February i was finally able to get hired, i got a job and felt alleviated. I didn’t have to worry anymore and could finally feel like i could function as a human being again. I felt better, but i maybe i wasn’t. I was in a relationship at the time, even after i got the job i’m starting to think maybe i wasn’t as better as i thought i was? A few days later my gf at the time noticed i wasn’t as affectionate anymore, she even told me. But for some reason i didn’t think much of it at the time. I didn’t stop because i just intentionally wanted to, i just i don’t know. I then slowly started to hyper focus on my goal at the time which was the gym. I even told myself and her that this is what is going to be me my main focus. To such an extreme extent now that i think of it, I ate everything according to my caloric goal to a point where she thought i developed a eating disorder, I weighed pretty much every ingredient, I started weighing myself everyday, I flexed in front of the mirror shirtless in inconvenient places like my work place bathroom, public bathrooms, home bathroom and even at the gym in the big mirror area where people kind of do their alternate workouts away from all the machines and equipment. I looked at myself way too often. I would flex every little opportunity that i had and felt such a high sense of self. Even sometimes when my gf would be talking to me i’d be looking at myself in the mirror. Sometimes id make food and didn’t want to share because it would mean i wouldn’t be hitting my daily calorie goal. I basically did everything i could towards this goal of mine even if it meant cutting off every other aspect in my life.
I also got easily irritated by any little thing, things that don’t even make sense for me to get so outraged. Then i did risky behaviors that when i look back at i think there’s just no way that i could’ve actually done that, everything i did throughout this past time period feels like a bad dream. I’m not saying that to take responsibility off my chest for what i did, but it just sounds so unlike me to the point where i feel like this can’t be the real me. I know myself better than anyone else. It’s weird. I also had trouble sleeping most of the time, I knew i had to get good sleep so i could make progress towards my fitness goal. I started taking melatonin which i had never taken before and some days it helped some days it wouldn’t. I didn’t go nights without sleeping tho. I just found it harder to fall asleep when i went to bed. I also wasn’t listening to anything my gf would say, she would tell me time and time again to my face how upset she was in the relationship and i wouldn’t listen. I reflect on my behavior and think there’s just no way i could’ve been like that, i know how much i love her and how much i know it would’ve immediately affected me to hear that the first time from her. But i just didn’t listen.
I did risky things like cheat, i still can’t believe i did cheat. I know that i did, but it’s like i have trouble accepting that i ever cheated on someone because i know how truly loving i am i know how i would’ve never done that to someone. Especially since my dad cheated on my mom years ago. I know myself to be way better than that. There was even this one time where my at the time gf told me that i wanted to have sex with the sliding door open from the balcony, that i told her that it was fine if other people would hear us in my words i said to “ give them a show “ and honestly i almost had forgotten i said that, its kinda scary thinking that i did because it sounds so unlike me it sounds so dark of me. I also remember this one time i was driving late at night on the HOV lane by myself, all of a sudden this from behind me this car speeds out of nowhere getting closer and closer to me, I guess he didn’t like how i wasn’t going as fast for his liking so he went around me just to brake check me, he constantly did that and i kept giving him the attention he wanted. It got so dangerous, at one point he turned off his lights for a few seconds. Usually i would feel more so road rage because of something like that but I felt more so a thrill from this. I kept blinking my high beams at him, at one point he was easily a couple of inches from touching my front bumper. Eventually he sped off when i got off on my exit, once that happened i started laughing to myself, thinking what had just happened was funny. The more i think about it the more i feel like i had a manic episode. I talked to my therapist yesterday about this possibility and he said we would have to further explore what happened. When my own close friend tells me himself “ you were the last person i would’ve thought would do some shit like that “ it shocks me that i acted so out of character my friends don’t even recognize me anymore. Everyone around tells me that i acted like a whole other person. It just sounds like it makes so much sense what i experienced was a manic episode.

https://www.timestelegram.com/story/news/history/2023/06/08/mohawk-valley-history-lafayette-owed-life-to-augustas-amos-parke70299078007/
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1825, 198 years ago
A tearful reunion
You can't miss Amos Parker. He is well over six feet tall. Some say closer to seven. Many say he was the tallest soldier in the American army during the Revolutionary War.
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This week, the now 63-year-old Parker enters Shepard's Hotel on Bagg's Square in Utica (really the Bagg's Hotel, but the name was changed while Abraham Shepard owned it from 1825 to 1828). Parker is determined to meet the hotel's distinguished guest, the Marquis de Lafayette.
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In 1777, while the Revolutionary War was raging, the then 19-year-old, tall, red-haired Lafayette left his home in France and joined the American army in its fight to win for the American colonies their independence from Great Britain. He fought in many battles and, in 1781, commanded troops in Yorktown, Virginia, when British Gen. Charles Cornwallis surrendered his army to Gen. George Washington, just about ensuring an end to the war and an American victory.
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On the night of January 30, 1948, Utica firefighters fought one of the most spectacular fires in the city’s history. Flames roared through “The Long Block” on the west side of Lower Genesee Street, between Oriskany and Whitesboro streets. The 3-alarm blaze was fought in temperatures 30 below zero. Seventeen firefighters were injured and 11 businesses damaged. Losses were estimated at $400,000.
Now, 44 years later, the 68-year-old Lafayette is back in America, touring the country as a guest of its grateful citizens. This week, after visits in Rome, Oriskany and Whitesboro, he enters Utica triumphantly via the Rome Road (today Lafayette Street). After a big celebration, he is in his hotel room, resting before continuing his journey east.
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Suddenly, there is a knock on the door and in walks the very tall Amos Parker. At first, Lafayette is puzzled, but then Parker begins to relate an incident that occurred at the Battle of Yorktown.
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As the fighting there raged, Lafayette ordered 25 of his men — including Parker — to remove a fence so that Lafayette could lead his soldiers through the breach. "Once you remove the fence," Lafayette shouted, "allow me and my men to ride through the opening. Do not fire your weapons!"
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More:Utica's Conkling leading figure at 1880 Republican convention: Mohawk Valley history
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More:Utica Independent Infantry Company prepares for war: This week in Mohawk Valley history
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More:Later known for illustrations, Saturday Globe began without: Mohawk Valley history
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The fence was removed and Lafayette and his men began to ride through. Suddenly, Parker spotted a British sniper aiming his rifle at Lafayette. Before the sniper could fire, though, Parker raised his musket and shot him.
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Unbelievingly, an aide to Lafayette had Parker court-martialed for disobeying Lafayette's "don't fire your weapon" order. He, of course, was acquitted when it was learned that by disobeying the order, he had saved Lafayette's life.
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Now, in a hotel room 44 years later, Parker and Lafayette relive the incident. They embrace and (a historian later wrote) enjoy "a heart-tugging event and weep" in each other's arms. (After the war, Parker settled in the town of Augusta in southwestern Oneida County and died there in 1842 at age 80. He was buried at the Parker (Augusta) Cemetery at the intersection of Augusta-Solsville Road and Anderson Road. A blue and yellow state marker there reads: AMOS PARKER, TALLEST MAN IN AMERICAN ARMY. SAVED GEN. LAFAYETTE'S LIFE. PRESENT AT THE SURRENDER OF CORNWALLIS. BURIED HERE.
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1923, 100 years ago
Record at UFA
A class of 210 students receive diplomas at Utica Free Academy (UFA), the largest class ever graduated in the school's more than 100-year history. The Right Reverend Charles Fiske, bishop coadjutor of the Central New York Episcopal Diocese, addresses the students: "Why has the city of Utica paid for your education? … It expects to receive from you a return for its investment. You owe the community repayment for this debt. Not in money, but in service. You are expected to exercise a high standard of living, put forth an honest effort to make your neighborhood a better place to live and accept public calls of duty to serve your community with its charities and efforts to improve the public well-being."
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1948, 75 years ago
Utica in novel
Carl Sandburg, noted poet and historian, completes a novel that contains a chapter on Utica and the Erie Canal. He was in Utica a year ago to collect material for the novel: "Remembrance Rock."
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1973, 50 years ago
GE contract
The General Electric Aircraft Equipment Division in Utica is awarded a $1.3 million contract for a computer system for the Viking Orbiter, which will explore Mars in 1975.
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1998, 25 years ago
Morrisville celebrates
The village of Morrisville celebrates its 150th anniversary. It was incorporated in 1848 and named for its founder, Thomas Morris. He settled in the area in 1797 and built a house on the corner of today's Main and Cedar streets. His father, Robert, was a Founding Father from Pennsylvania, who signed the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
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Civita M. Allard, a registered nurse and an associate professor in the Health Services Department at Mohawk Valley Community College, receives the college's "alumna of merit" award.
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In American Legion baseball, Utica Post defeats Parkhurst Post, 13 to 3, behind the pitching of Chris Donalty (a four hitter) and the hitting of Eric Miller (3 hits, 2 RBIs). Meanwhile, Whitestown beats Lee, 6 to 4, behind the hitting of Jason Englehart, Mike Antanavige, Bernie Martin, Brent Wengert and Matt Maine. Steve Rice has two hits for Lee.
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The Genetaska Club of New Hartford elects Ellen Boerger as its president. Other officers include: Peg Mullin, vice president; Barbara Reinshagen, recording secretary; Sue Maher, corresponding secretary; Joyce Ebensperger, treasurer; and directors Joyce Goggin, Ada Ruhm, Ellie Lampert and Barbara Weaver.
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2013, 10 years ago
Pro hockey returns
Utica, after many years without a professional hockey team, has one again. The Utica Comets are in the American Hockey League, a minor league affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks in the National Hockey League. They will play in the Utica Memorial Auditorium. Robert Esche, a former goalie in the National Hockey League and president of the Mohawk Valley Garden, will operate the team. Mayor Robert Palmieri says the move fits in with his vision for a revitalized Bagg's Square and Harbor Point development. "What a great day for the city!" he says. "The emotion is overwhelming."
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The Greater Utica Sports Hall of Fame inducts Stan "Buddy" Evans, longtime baseball coach at Rome Free Academy and college football official; Bill Holowaty, originally from Mohawk, longtime baseball coach at Eastern Connecticut State University; Ed Wadas, a "super" supporter of local athletics and called the "candy man" for giving out candy at local games, especially in Whitesboro, Oriskany and New York Mills; and Tom Wells, multi-sport coach at New Hartford schools, especially known for his highly successful swim teams.
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Bobbi Jo Kahl is approved by the town board in Remsen as as the town justice.
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In American Legion baseball, Roberts Post defeats Whitestown, 3 to 1. Nate Palmer, a senior at Holland Patent High, strikes out 18 and gets the win. He is supported by the hitting of Kinsey Williams, Nico Ramos and Austin Mann. Whitestown's Jared Muraca pitches well, allowing only five hits.
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Trivia quiz
Next Sunday is Father's Day. Let's celebrate with a tough question. Name the man who was the son of a U.S. president and also the father of a U.S. president. If you can't name him, at least name the two presidents. (Answer will appear here next week.)
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Answer to last week's question: Richard Nixon was president when, on July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin first walked on the surface of the moon after landing in the Apollo 11 lunar module.
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This Week in History is researched and written by Frank Tomaino. E-mail him at [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]).

Hello all - not sure if this would be acceptable or not - but I'm doing a Goodreads challenge of 100 books this year and I'm on book 29 now. As part of this - I've been on a tear reading books about the Trump presidency and what was going on behind the scenes from major political reporters, Whitehouse staff, etc. Below are some of the recommendations if anyone wants to see just how really fucked up things were beyond what you find in the news and online:
American Resistance: The Inside Story of How the Deep State Saved the Nation - Great read on some of the actions taken by regular federal employees during the administration to run counter to some of the insane stuff Trump was up to, especially his flagrant disregard of established laws, policies, and procedures within the federal government. This book honestly should have been like 200-300 pages longer in my opinion – fairly quick read but very insightful to see just how the “normal” government employees were doing what they could to deal with Trump’s idiocy.
Fear: Trump in the White House, Rage, and Peril – Authored by veteran reporter Bob Woodward, this trilogy of books covers the Trump presidency from beginning into the first little bit of Biden’s presidency. He pulls information from a ton of sources – many who remain anonymous to protect their identities/jobs from across all parts of the Trump presidency to open a lens into Trump’s decision-making and behavior when he’s not putting on a show for the cameras. Worth the time it takes to read these – I had never personally heard of Woodward or his work until I got off down the “Trump” rabbithole and I also have his three books on Bush on the way to the house right now.
Frankly, We Did Win This Election: The Inside Story of How Trump Lost – From the senior white house reporter for the Wall Street Journal, this book goes into detail about Trump’s loss of the 2020 election and the elements that helped foment what eventually led to January 6th. Great read in conjunction with pulling out the January 6th report listed below.
The Big Lie: Election Chaos, Political Opportunism, and the State of American Politics After 2020 – This book – from the White House Bureau Chief of Politico – covers the “big lie” – or rather – Trump’s claims that the elections were “rigged.” In fact, he goes into detail to show that this effort to cast doubt on the election actually started before he ever won the 2016 election. Another good read to go in conjunction with the Jan 6 report.
The January 6th Report: Select Committe to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol – The New Yorker’s edition of the Jan 6th report. It looks like it’s a massive fucking tome, but the narrative portions are actually probably close to approximately “halfish” of the pages – the rest are long lists of references and notes between each major narrative section. I appreciated the way the Jan 6 report was authored by the committee because it read more like a true narrative rather than the Mueller Report, which was basically just a straight-up investigative report and probably not as easy a read for the general public as this is. This should be required reading for everyone interested in keeping this dude out of office, as well as getting insight into all of the facts behind what occurred from multiple angles – which conclusively proved that Trump was directly responsible not only for the insurrection, but had run several attempts to directly influence and overturn the 2020 election through fake electors, fake electoral slates, and a pressure campaign across the board.
This all culminated from reading a battery of books on QAnon, The Proud Boys, The Oath Keepers, and Chief Sund’s book on the attack on the Capitol, which is an honorable mention – in fact, I have the other officer’s book here as well, but it’s a few rungs down on the reading list until I get through the remaining books on Trump I have.
Those remaining major books are:
A Very Stable Genius: Donald J. Trump's Testing of America - About 3/4 of the way through this one - great read so far.
The Divider: Trump in the White House, 2017-2021
I Alone Can Fix It: Donald J. Trump's Catastrophic Final Year
Front Row at the Trump Show
Betrayal: The Final Act of the Trump Show
Donald Trump v. The United States: Inside the Struggle to Stop a President
Unthinkable: Trauma, Truth, and the Trials of American Democracy
Breaking History: A White House Memoir
Of the many, many negative impacts of social media and being in an “always-connected” world is that we have started to collectively move away from taking the time to disconnect and actually read and research topics. One of the axioms I’ve always stuck to is that knowledge is power – and – you should always find out as much information as you can about “the enemy.” It’s one thing to hate Trump because of what you see in the news or his policies or the stupid shit he says online – it’s another to hate him because of the research and realize just how dangerous this person is and exactly why it’s imperative that he never be allowed to be in any kind of position of power ever again.
I have a library here of some several hundred books and am currently finishing up my second undergrad – this one in history (just joined Phi Alpha Theta) and am also working on my Masters through Virginia Tech. As I’ve gotten older, I have stopped engaging in “serious” arguments with people – especially online – because 9 times out of 10, it’s readily apparent within a few moments that they are either uneducated on a topic or ignorant of the facts. I hope that some of you find use in this book list. Trust me – it’s well worth the time to read through at least some of these to get a clearer picture of what was happening in the White House from 2017-2021.
Cheers.

I’ll try and keep this as short as possibly, I (19f) have been dating my boyfriend (21m) for past 8ish months. My boyfriend has some issues with drinking, and he’s been in therapy for it since before I met him.
Well, two nights ago, he came out and told me that he’s slipped back into his heavy drinking problems and asked me to help support him in stopping. For background information, he asked me of this before a few months back in the form of asking every night if he drank or not. Admittedly, after a week or so I don’t think I did it every night. Back to the present; when he asked me I said of course I’ll support you in any way I can, but I need to know that you’ll be honest with me and your therapist from now on. Cut to last night, I showed up at his apartment to surprise him and things were going well. When he got home he asked me not to “let him” go to the store or out the apartment at all so I was like “okay sure.”
About maybe 30 minutes later he’s saying he needs to go out and get something, and I responded with “Oh like what? I can go get it you just stay here and relax.” This went on for like 10 minutes before I stood in front of the door like “You’re not going anywhere, I know you had something to drink while you were hanging out after work with your coworker, I don’t want you out there.” And I was getting really nervous at this point because I grew up with an alcoholic, and while I know it’s a disease, I also know they will do just bout anything to get a drink. So while I’m desperately trying to help him but also keep him and other drivers out there safe, he out of nowhere just hugs me and laughs like “relax, it was just a test. I wouldn’t go out like this anyway.” For context, he was shirtless and just wearing his shorts and he didn’t have his wallet on him. But in my defense, 1)I don’t know if he has cash in his car, 2) he was putting on his shoes, and 3)how the HELL am I supposed to think clearly when I’m freaking out?
I got mad at him and he said he was sorry but I just ignored him. Cut to later that night, he’s trying to get all cuddly and I’m still ignoring him and he’s like “okay, why are mad now.” I told him how I felt and he said “Well last time I asked you to help keep me in check you barely did it, and I thought you would at least be competent enough to understand I was joking with you when I did that test.” I just got up and went to bed early and ignored him for the rest of the night. He tried asking me how that mad me more mad but I don’t think he gets it. He said that he wasn’t calling me an idiot, he was just using proper English or whatever and he didn’t mean to make me feel like he was insulting me.
This morning I found a note from him saying he was sorry and that if I want we can talk bout it later, and while I’m still VERY mad at him, I also can’t help but feel like an idiot for not seeing that he couldn’t have left the apartment as he was.

(Long Post)
I am trying to come around to the idea of possibly keeping Dame AND Scoot. It's difficult to think about how Dame would feel about drafting a point guard with the 3rd pick instead of using the pick to get our franchise GOAT some help. I absolutely LOVE Dame and I actually still don't see him forcing his way out because I think we can still form a good team with our other assets BUT the fit of Dame and Scoot is just so bad. Literally any other draft pick would be a better fit next to Dame but if Schmitz sees the potential in Scoot then you have to make the pick, I am not the HIGHEST on Scoot but I am sure he will be really good. However, I got to thinking how much I appreciate how Sharpe was brought up with the team.
I think this is a really slept on storyline, but Sharpe was really developed well for us. I can't think of many other 19-year-old players with Sharpe player profile come into the league and look that steady. I think Sharpe reluctancy to mess up out there made for some disappearing stretches, but it ended up working out just as well then if he had free reign to go out there and play through a ton of mistakes and have to go through confidence ups and downs. I think having a Dame led veteran team also helped Sharpe stay disciplined and understand playing in a team concept and focusing on winning EVEN if we didn't win many games. I think Billups is an awful coach, but I think his best work as a coach was molding the young guys on the team, especially Sharpe. Anthony Edwards and Jalen Green are the two young guys that resembled Sharpe the most out of his peers and both had stretches where they just weren't playing smart basketball and I think you still see those bad habits in their game now with their decision making, shooting, mentality, etc. Sharpe carries himself very well on and off the court and I think it really is a good reflection to our organization that we haven't heard of any bad news with any of our players, I think Dame has a large role in that. I observe closely the new generation of basketball players and the culture they are a part of with Hip-Hop and social media and its truly a different beast then the 90's kids. I think it's why you are seeing guys like Ja Morant, Zion Williamson, the Hornets franchise act so much different then guys like Dame/Lebron. Heck even Tatum/Mitchell/Booker who are my age group act much different than the post 2019 NBA draft guys. Funny because Sharpe had concerns about his motor and drive but I think we are lucky to have a guy that is so reserved and kept to himself because he really gives off silent assassin vibes, someone that just wants to hone on his natural ability and doesn't really care for the marketing and flashly lifestyle that comes with being an NBA player.
Now I don't think Scoot has any red flags or potential issues BUT I think having Dame around and giving Scoot similar treatment to Sharpe would be terrific for Scoots development. I just want to avoid a situation like the Rockets, TWolves, Hornets, Bulls, where they are consistently in the lottery because they don't have a great environment for young players to develop and their players often do better when they leave. I think the way that Dame sets an example for everyone in the organization is so important and its hard to replicate that if we move off of him because of contractual reasons. I think teams that are trying to rebuild are really missing this aspect of team building because without the right veterans or mentors, a team full of young guys in this era can really pick up some bad habits and not turn into winning environments even with all the talent and potential in the world.
Side point, I think the league could be in trouble with the post 2000's stars. I really observe how the new generation is brought up on social media and today's culture and it really shows with young stars like Ja, Zion, Lamelo, Edwards, Green. Not to say those guys are awful human beings or wildly different than older generations who had their own fair share of issues just not as visible because of the lack of social media. But I think players today are so focused on their brand and doing whatever it takes to get to the league and are missing valuable character-building journeys and overcoming adversity, the experiences that make Damian Lillard who he is. Now all these young players can develop very well and turn into fantastic leaders and faces of the league when they are older, but I think there will be a difference between that group and the guys like Lebron/Kobe/Dirk/Wade/Duncan/Curry/Dame/KG/Giannis/Jokic group of faces of the league. Unless you have a team full of Dwights and Shaqs where they are moreso on the goofier lighter side of personalities but are still so dominant.
Think this is a reason why Dame started the Formula Zero to instill positive morals and values in players and to reduce their entitled mindset. I don't think basketball and being a good teammate is as important as it used to be. Not saying guys have to make basketball their entire life and shouldn't pursue other interests, I just think it's going away from what made the special players so elite and there will be less superstars going forward if guys aren't developed correctly. Maybe a reason why international players are thriving so much today....
TLDR: Team culture is super important, and Dame sets an invaluable example for the entire franchise. I think there is a possibility that people aren't taking account of that the team could go down a bad direction or even be worse off if we aren't prioritizing the right values into our young players. Its not as simple as going young and giving keys to young players and then we automatically become contenders. Dame said himself he wouldn't be where he is now if it werent for Earl Watson, Ronnie Price, Jared Jeffries and other real vets to teach him how to be a pro. I think we are going to see a lot of elite talents fail to reach their potential because of the lack of veterans and leadership on theri team and we will hear about it when they get older and things click for them.

just what in the french toast was this second half? I was excited to see this end and knew it was off the rails but good lord I got maybe 2-3 episodes into the final half of S4 and I just wanted it to be over with. With every passing episode "Jesus, just get it over with already. You're killing me here"
Zeke popping in and out? What is this quantum leap? "I want nothing more than to hold you Zeke", two seconds later getting her back blown out by Jared. smdh!
Some fans wanted Ben and Saanvi? Ok, lets write that in...boom they have sex...two seconds later "So about that, yeah not for me". wtf? smh!
Jared? Slept with half the cast...knocks up his random no strings chick, gets back with the woman he "loves", then becomes a loving "father" or "partner" to his random hookup chick, Mick? All smiles for the most part, all is well in this triangle of crap! My god, no wonder so many people are growing up not understanding what a healthy relationship is. haha!
The repetitive "we gotta save the lifeboat"....."the death date", everyone getting "the" idea or figuring something out. haha!
This 2nd half was so bad I need to check if D&D (turds from GoT) were involved.
The last episode, getting on the plane, the sudden judgement was cool, then death coming for them but they fought death off? Uh! Ok?
The ending? Meh! You can tell they just wanted to end it and whoever wrote this stuff, I hope they are on strike so someone who can actually write something complex with a finish can get the job.
We knew this wasn't going to end well so my expectations weren't high. There was some good but a lot of bad about this 2nd half to the ending.
The ending with "11 passengers disappeared from the flight" is going to be hard to explain, poor airline.