Everything 2021-2022 Season

[golden]

Speaking of basketball... the NBA GM's survey is out and the Raptors got thoroughly dis-respected and dis-regarded.

https://www.nba.com/news/2021-22-gmsurvey

[TrueTorontoFan]

Pretty fascinating how many of you thought vaccines were 100% at preventing infections before Covid. In reality the Covid vaccines were some of the most effective vaccines EVER.

The flu vaccine only stops infection 40-60% of the time. That's is typical for vaccines. The Covid vaccines being over 90% initially is insanely effective. They are still more effective against Delta than the flu vaccine is against the flu.

Vaccines reduce infection rates, but their real purpose is boost your immunity so if you do get infected you won't be hospitalized or die. That's why the elderly get the flu vaccine every year. Not so they won't get the flu, so they won't get very sick and die if they do. That is how vaccines work.

Would be great if these armchair experts took 5 minutes to educate themselves on vaccines. Then they'd realize what they think is an argument against the Covid vaccines (it's not 100% effective at preventing infection) is actually an argument in favor of the Covid vaccines since their ability to block infections is much higher than all the vaccines we've been getting our entire lives.

any one who thought it was 100% hasn't actually read any sort of clinical trial data at all. I personally was impressed that they even got any vaccine to 70% let alone the two mrna ones to +90%....

We are literally seeing yet not appreciating a huge advancement of science.

[TrueTorontoFan]

USA could release the patent and let other countries make them too, but capitalism so not gonna happen. Profit over everything all the time no matter what.

all patents related to the mrna vaccine technology has actually been released. At least from Pfizer and Moderna. In terms of this specific vaccine.

[Primer]

all patents related to the mrna vaccine technology has actually been released. At least from Pfizer and Moderna. In terms of this specific vaccine.

Not really though.

"Such calls have not yet gained traction. Outside of deals to bottle and package their vaccines, J&J has only one partnership with an Indian company, and Pfizer, BioNTech and Moderna have none in India, South America or Africa. Pharmaceutical companies have cited reasons including quality concerns and the time required to get new companies up to speed. Instead, they say they’re ramping up their own production, and they ask wealthy nations to increase vaccine donations to poorer ones. Prabhala calls their arguments “a useful canard that obscures the real barrier — an unwillingness on the part of western pharmaceutical companies to relinquish control over their patents and technology, even at the cost of millions of lives”.

Although the Biden administration supported a waiver on intellectual property surrounding COVID-19 vaccines that was proposed by India and South Africa at a World Trade Organization meeting last October, action has stalled. And the administration has not pushed US companies to partner with those in the global south. Germany, which funded the development of BioNTech’s mRNA vaccine, later licensed to Pfizer, remains opposed to patent waivers."

Here's the whole article. Pretty depressing. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-02383-z

[Scraptor]

Speaking of basketball... the NBA GM's survey is out and the Raptors got thoroughly dis-respected and dis-regarded.

https://www.nba.com/news/2021-22-gmsurvey

They’re gonna learn after we smother the east with our defense

MVP - OG
MIP - OG
6MOY - Yuta
ROY - Scottie
DPOY - FVV
COY - Nurse
FMVP - Banton
Championship - Raptors

[TrueTorontoFan]

Not really though.

"Such calls have not yet gained traction. Outside of deals to bottle and package their vaccines, J&J has only one partnership with an Indian company, and Pfizer, BioNTech and Moderna have none in India, South America or Africa. Pharmaceutical companies have cited reasons including quality concerns and the time required to get new companies up to speed. Instead, they say they’re ramping up their own production, and they ask wealthy nations to increase vaccine donations to poorer ones. Prabhala calls their arguments “a useful canard that obscures the real barrier — an unwillingness on the part of western pharmaceutical companies to relinquish control over their patents and technology, even at the cost of millions of lives”.

Although the Biden administration supported a waiver on intellectual property surrounding COVID-19 vaccines that was proposed by India and South Africa at a World Trade Organization meeting last October, action has stalled. And the administration has not pushed US companies to partner with those in the global south. Germany, which funded the development of BioNTech’s mRNA vaccine, later licensed to Pfizer, remains opposed to patent waivers."

Here's the whole article. Pretty depressing. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-02383-z

I was going based off their statement:
https://investors.modernatx.com/news...uring-covid-19

"Moderna will not enforce our COVID-19 related patents against those making vaccines intended to combat the pandemic. Further, to eliminate any perceived IP barriers to vaccine development during the pandemic period, upon request we are also willing to license our intellectual property for COVID-19 vaccines to others for the post pandemic period. "


Not sure what exactly that means but I assumed that they wouldn't. Whether they have or haven't I suppose you are correct.

[TrueTorontoFan]

They’re gonna learn after we smother the east with our defense

MVP - OG
MIP - OG
6MOY - Yuta
ROY - Scottie
DPOY - FVV
COY - Nurse
FMVP - Banton
Championship - Raptors

I think Scottie is a sneaky ROY candidate.

[KeonClark]

Speaking of basketball... the NBA GM's survey is out and the Raptors got thoroughly dis-respected and dis-regarded.

https://www.nba.com/news/2021-22-gmsurvey

Hilarious. Raptors almost get no mentions, but then, the guy who was criminally underrated and undervalued in Toronto is all of a sudden a landslide game changer (when he heads to Miami, of course)

Which one player acquisition will make the biggest impact?


1. Kyle Lowry, Miami – 77%
2. Russell Westbrook, L.A. Lakers – 17%
> Also receiving votes: Spencer Dinwiddie, Washington; Jonas Valanciunas, New Orleans
> Last year: Chris Paul – 44%

[planetmars]

If the Raptors can make the playoffs, I think Nurse has COY locked up. The award always goes to the coach who exceeds expectations. And nobody in the US believes in the Raptors. Not even the smart guys down there like Zach Lowe.

[Fuchan]

Hilarious. Raptors almost get no mentions, but then, the guy who was criminally underrated and undervalued in Toronto is all of a sudden a landslide game changer (when he heads to Miami, of course)

Which one player acquisition will make the biggest impact?


1. Kyle Lowry, Miami – 77%
2. Russell Westbrook, L.A. Lakers – 17%
> Also receiving votes: Spencer Dinwiddie, Washington; Jonas Valanciunas, New Orleans
> Last year: Chris Paul – 44%

Masai always likes to give a "fuck you" in one way or another. While the rest of the league is voting who is the best PF, who is the best center, etc... Masai and company are busy filling the floor with 6'9 players who are all going to play like guards haha

[golden]

Masai always likes to give a "fuck you" in one way or another. While the rest of the league is voting who is the best PF, who is the best center, etc... Masai and company are busy filling the floor with 6'9 players who are all going to play like guards haha

Doc Rivers took notice already:

"One thing I thought stood out was their length. Even at the guards, all their players were long and athletic and I thought we had a lot of short guys on the floor," said Rivers post-game. "I mean, there were times when our guards were inside on rebounds and they still got them because of their length and size. So that's a concern."

https://www.si.com/nba/raptors/news/...oc-rivers-says

[S.R.]

Not really though.

"Such calls have not yet gained traction. Outside of deals to bottle and package their vaccines, J&J has only one partnership with an Indian company, and Pfizer, BioNTech and Moderna have none in India, South America or Africa. Pharmaceutical companies have cited reasons including quality concerns and the time required to get new companies up to speed. Instead, they say they’re ramping up their own production, and they ask wealthy nations to increase vaccine donations to poorer ones. Prabhala calls their arguments “a useful canard that obscures the real barrier — an unwillingness on the part of western pharmaceutical companies to relinquish control over their patents and technology, even at the cost of millions of lives”.

Although the Biden administration supported a waiver on intellectual property surrounding COVID-19 vaccines that was proposed by India and South Africa at a World Trade Organization meeting last October, action has stalled. And the administration has not pushed US companies to partner with those in the global south. Germany, which funded the development of BioNTech’s mRNA vaccine, later licensed to Pfizer, remains opposed to patent waivers."

Here's the whole article. Pretty depressing. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-02383-z

There's a lot of misinformation and bullshit and idiots on Facebook, but the mistrust of major pharmaceutical companies is well founded. Profits vs health are not always competing interests, but they are at times and these companies have chosen the former over the latter too often. Governments should be taking control - especially after funding vaccine development and filling purchase orders with public funds - because a number of these corps will not put global health ahead of their profit margins.

This is the industry that literally gave us the opioid epidemic.

Volvo is well known for intentionally not patent protecting the three point seatbelt and arguably saving countless lives in the process. These companies don't do that, they've been sitting on patents for a year now 'because it's complicated' while hundreds of thousands of people in the developing world die without access to vaccines. I mean just think about that for a minute.

[S.R.]

Doc Rivers took notice already:

https://www.si.com/nba/raptors/news/...oc-rivers-says

Is Doc Rivers the most overrated coach in the NBA? The Celtics got a ton of mileage out of that one ring and it also set up Doc's teflon career. He's supposed to be a player's coach but the guy keeps losing his stars and I don't see him getting the most out of the locker room. Lob City underachieved and never really came together and the same's happening in Philly.

[Fuchan]

Is Doc Rivers the most overrated coach in the NBA? The Celtics got a ton of mileage out of that one ring and it also set up Doc's teflon career. He's supposed to be a player's coach but the guy keeps losing his stars and I don't see him getting the most out of the locker room. Lob City underachieved and never really came together and the same's happening in Philly.

I agree, he should send Garnett and Pierce a nice Christmas gift every year because he has been riding the Celtics success for years. He pretty much send Simmons out with his comment after their playoff breakdown last year. Is Simmons too sensitive? Maybe, don't really know the inner workings of what happened. But Doc did himself no favors and you can tell he knows by the way he fields questions about it. Buckle up Doc, it's going to be a long year in Philly. Just the way I like it.

[Primer]

Is Doc Rivers the most overrated coach in the NBA? The Celtics got a ton of mileage out of that one ring and it also set up Doc's teflon career. He's supposed to be a player's coach but the guy keeps losing his stars and I don't see him getting the most out of the locker room. Lob City underachieved and never really came together and the same's happening in Philly.

That Celtics team was a perfect situation for him. Those guys didn't really need a coach, just a guy they all respected enough who didn't try to do too much. He has expertly parlayed that into a long yet underwhelming coaching career.