Re: The Gold Standard: The Ronnie Gold Story
Been out for a while, glad to see that you're still doing this.
Been out for a while, glad to see that you're still doing this.
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Re: The Gold Standard: The Ronnie Gold Story
Read through this over a short period of time, I'm hooked on the story. You've done a great job with this, now take down the Jazz in round 2!Comment
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Re: The Gold Standard: The Ronnie Gold Story
Thanks for continuing to follow, folks. Expect updates today as I work to catch up on this (been a long week, lol).
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Re: The Gold Standard: The Ronnie Gold Story
5-5-16
The building roared in cheers as the Lakers walked off the floor, holding on for a 95-90 win against the Chris Paul led Jazz. Ronnie sat and watched his team celebrate the win, especially Jabari Parker who had stepped up in a big way in the fourth, sinking two clutch threes in the final two minutes.
He didn’t leave his seat, not even when the lights began to dim. A glass of whiskey in his hand, he sat and watched the court below, replaying every moment of the game and picking out what worked and what didn’t. Chris Paul had brought his best game tonight and closed the gap late.
Once the Jazz got back to Utah, Ronnie imagined they’d offer a tougher challenge. The Jazz homefloor was among the best in the league. He looked at his half-finished glass and sighed. He still needed to drive tonight and the buzz from the booze was nearly gone.
He set it down and exited his booth, slowly making his way through the empty hallways of Staples Center. A few of the maintenance crew offered him smiles and nods as he walked by and he smiled and nodded back.
He was, for better or worse, pretty visible around these parts, top to bottom.
He entered the garage area and found his car. As he reached to open the door he pulled his hand back in pain, blood trickling down it. “Damn it,” he muttered as he put pressure on the open wound. He bent down and found that someone had jammed some broken glass into his door handle.
Carefully, he picked it out of his handle and got into his car. “Must have been some really pissed off Jazz fans,” he said as he shook his head. It was a schoolyard move but he’d let it slide. There wasn’t any reason to raise a ruckus over this.
He took a handkerchief from his glove compartment and wrapped it around his hand before starting his car and proceeding home.
****
Gerard watched as Gold drove out of Staples Center and hit the road. This was ridiculous and if he had been alone he would have ended this outright: no games, no ploys, no subtly.
But Neal was beside him, carefully observing every move he made. “Well, it’s done.”
“And now we wait,” Gerard repeated with little effort to hide his disdain. “If you wanted to injury him I could have done that much faster with a crowbar than with some glass.”
“It’s not the glass that matters,” Neal said with a shake of his head, every movement he made further infuriating Gerard. “It’s what was on it. Gold’s contracted a very rare poison with an equally rare antidote. He’ll come looking for it and I’m the only one who can give it to him.” He sipped at his drink. “We’ll wait. And the longer we do, the more leverage we have.”
Gerard’s eyes narrowed. “And the closer to death he gets.” That’s all that mattered to him at this point.
Neal chose not to acknowledge that, but his eyes flashed understanding.
Gerard’s time would come. Whether Neal got in the way of that was his choice.
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Re: The Gold Standard: The Ronnie Gold Story
Ronnie Gold is in a tight spot.
There really aren't enough villains using poison in the world these days, I'm glad Neal went that routeComment
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Re: The Gold Standard: The Ronnie Gold Story
Must apologize for the lack of updates. With the weather as nice as it is, we've been doing a lot of home improvements (minus the disasters) these past few weekends. Expect updates to this story this weekend as we bring the season to a close. As always, thanks for keeping the faith folks!Comment
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Re: The Gold Standard: The Ronnie Gold Story
The Grantland NBA Round Two Review
By Vonny Lee and Winslow Fisher on May 13, 2016
Vonny: Round two has come and gone and, despite the promise of fireworks, it was rather a dull round. The NBA must be shaking their collective heads as much as the teams that lost are, right?
Winslow: Doubtful. Though the NBA watched notable stars exit this round, they absolutely are excited to see the conference finals matchups they do have. Let's break it down.
The West
1 Lakers vs. 4 Jazz
W: The Lakers came into this series 4-0 in the postseason, looking to sustain their impressive campaign. So far, under this new regime in LA, the Lakers have never lost a postseason game and that streak continued here, as they thoroughly trounced the Jazz in three out of the four games. The only game where this was close was in Game 2.
V: I nearly died in Game 2. Seriously. The Lakers couldn't stop Chris Paul or Derrick Favors and the Jazz were just two made shots away from taking this game. The Lakers only one 95-90 and the way Kobe looked (slow, old and ineffective) made Lakers fans cringe. He tried forcing shots late but eventually just settled into grabbing boards and dishing out passes. His defense left A LOT to be desired.
W: Kobe's poor play in that game was not indicative of the way he played in the series, where he averaged pretty solid numbers across the board. Now, is Kobe going to carry the team night in and night out? No. That's Jabari's territory now and the transition that is taking place this postseason is two decades in the making. We're watching Kobe take a step back for the greater good and it's rewarding him with wins.
V: I have no idea if he'll keep doing that as his star grows dimmer and Jabari's grows brighter, but let's look at the Jazz real quick here: What happens now?
W: The Jazz have to be happy they got this far in a brutal West, but don't have a lot of room to grow. The main problem with this series was the way Marc Gasol was hampered by his hamstring. If he's fixed, this series looks a lot different on the scoreboard and maybe even changes who gets to the WCF. The Jazz need to upgrade at the two-spot possibly, as Terrence Ross is decent, but isn't electric. It's also possible the Jazz keep everyone together and upgrade the bench, which was abused by the Lakers second unit.
3 Hornets vs. 6 Nuggets
V: The Hornets had no problem with Denver, winning the series 4-1 behind multiple impressive showings from Anthony Davis. The Brow was a force in this series, dominating poor McGee and making people look silly on offense when he just rose up and sent the ball flying back.
W: The Nuggets came out and just were flat. Surprisingly flat. I picked them to win in six and the lost in five, only showing up in games three and four (splitting those 1-1) before getting crushed again in Game 5. Where was the heart? Where was the soul? I question whether this form of the Nuggets really has what it takes to get back to the Finals, especially after the departure of George Karl. It seems his absence has really left this team searching for an identity it no longer has.
V: The Nuggets are a sad tale because if they were out East, they'd be a perennial Finals team. Instead, they have to be beaten in the West by teams with higher seeds but not THAT much higher win totals. It's a travesty I tell you and one I wish didn't exist. But it does.
So, what happens to Can't Get Right McGee and Andre Iguodala? Iggy could pick up his player option and lock in for one more year, but will he after another disappointing playoff run?
What about McGee? Will the 7-footer re-sign or will Denver go a different way?
W: Denver is in an interesting spot as they have room to play if they let McGee and Iggy go. Denver already has C.J. McCollum waiting in the wings to replace Iggy and though they are different types of players, the small guard lineup could work in their favor if they push the pace.
McGee is where things are tricky. He's ideal for their style of play but Roy Hibbert and Nikola Pekovic are on the market as well (assuming the other young centers have their options picked up, which is very likely across the board). The one potential outsider looking in is Dwight Howard, who could very easily abandon the Nets (leaving them without anything to show for their earlier trade) for Denver, but that may not be the best thing for his image or career. Dwight would have a better chance of advancing in the East than he would in the West most years and league sources say he's very aware of this.
The East
1 Heat vs. 4 Nets
W: Speaking of Dwight and the Nets, they got beat 4-1 by the Heat and just couldn't close in tight games. This was not your usual Heat series full of beatdowns and embarrassments: the Nets were close in three out of five of the games, suffering only one bad loss in Game 1 (95-76), which was to be expected after they slogged through Round 1.
Miami showed up but were led by DWade, who has assumed Alpha Dog status again since LeBron's injury. He scored 25, 23, 21, 14, 15 in the five games he was in.
The Nets, for their part, weren't horrible: they just weren't good enough.
V: The Nets remind me a lot of my Grandma's first YMCA team. Filled with big names and good role players, but no glue guys. My Grandma's team just couldn't cut it in big moments cause egos got in the way.
The Nets egos, I think, got in the way here. Deron wanted his, Dwight wanted his, Joe wanted his ... and now they are out of the playoffs. Again. But they have a bright offseason ahead of them, assuming Billy King survives. I mean, let's face it, the Nets are absolutely a team that needs to be blown up.
They have no youth. Everyone of any value is going to be a free agent and no one they have is in high enough demand that they can trade them. Will Billy King survive or will he attempt to put this team back together or re-sign on Deron and D12, letting everyone else go and rebuilding through FA and the draft?
W: The Nets could easily blow it all up, but that would mean the team fires Billy King (who traded everything and everyone to get Joe Johnson, Deron Williams, and Dwight Howard on the same team) and plugs in someone with a new vision.
If Billy is retained (as it seems like he will be right now), then the Nets would likely re-sign Deron at a discount and get Dwight back. But if Dwight doesn't come back (he's far more valuable as a defensive presence at this point than Deron), then maybe Deron is gone and a new PG is signed for Dwight.
The PG market isn't great this year, the only headliner being Damian Lillard (whom the Nets famously traded his pick away for Gerald Wallace), so if they can somehow pry Lillard away from Portland and have him play with Dwight, Billy King's past sins will be forgiven.
But Portland loves Lillard and Lillard loves Portland. He has publicly and privately stated he's testing the market but doesn't really see a reason to leave of Portland continues to build a strong team around him.
In short: The Nets have a lot of options for the first time in years and they may just blow them all again. (As a Knicks fan, I can only hope).
2 Bobcats vs. 6 Pacers
W: Paul George, Paul George, and Paul George. He showed up BIG in this series, willing the Pacers past the Bobcats 4-2 in a tough six games series that saw them win each game by an average of three points, including a mad Game 1 OT win. This was THE series of the second round and the Pacers have Paul George to thank for advancing back to the conference Finals.
V: The Bobcats did everything they could to win this series but just came up short. In terms of offseason moves, the best they can do is probably let Louis Williams go an shore up their bench. Louis was a nice burst, but just never quite lived up to his pay.
W: The Bobcats should address their bench production and maybe look at dealing MKG for a more offensively polished 3. Though MKG brings a lot to the table in terms of defense and rebounding, you have to wonder if his lack of offense is hurting the team. Then again, when you have someone who can stop LeBron on a consistent basis on your team, trading them sounds like crazy talk.Comment
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Re: The Gold Standard: The Ronnie Gold Story
He's back.Indianapolis Colts
New York Mets
New Jersey Devils
San Antonio Spurs
D.C United
West Ham United
Twitter - @DarkOutFrontComment
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Re: The Gold Standard: The Ronnie Gold Story
The Grantland NBA Conference Finals Preview
By Vonny Lee and Winslow Fisher on May 13, 2016
Vonny: It's time for the Conference Finals and we expected at least three of these teams to make it. One, though, is certainly a surprise to get here but that's the East for you, right?
Winslow: The NBA's weaker conference usually is the one to produce the surprises and this year definitely wasn't any different. But let's start out West, shall we?
The West
1 Lakers vs. 3 Hornets
W: If you're a Lakers fan, you knew that the Hornets were going to be the team you saw. The games between these two have been close all year long, usually hinging on a key fourth quarter run. Now, it's time to ask whether the matchups or the experience will be the key to this series.
V: As a Lakers fan, I didn't want to see the Hornets here, I'll admit that. They have great players at every position, they have Eric Gordon who can get hot whenever he wants, Wesley Mathews who can get hot whenever he wants, Anthony Davis who just patrols the paint, and Cody Zeller who will make you pay if you don't pay attention to him. Add in a friendly distributing point guard that towers above everyone else he plays, and the Hornets are not a team you want to face.
They have youth. They have bravado. They can make the Lakers pay.
W: Clearly you're going to pick the Lakers, but I can't disagree with any of your points. Out of all the teams the Lakers faced during the regular season, the Hornets were by far the ones they absolutely disliked to play. It's not just that the team is younger, but the team is primed to be a threat for years on end, not just a one and done thing. There are a lot of veterans on the Lakers squad who would prefer not to sprint for seven games straight but these Hornets won't let them do that.
V: Absolutely I'm picking the Lakers! They haven't lost a postseason game YET. Last year, they went 4-4-4-4 (never been done before) and Jabari Parker is a man on FIRE. Denzel Washington wishes he was that good!
W: Pretty sure Denzel is happy with himself, especially since he makes more money than you and I combined in a day than we do in a year.
V: Not the point. The point is that the Lakers are a freakin juggernaut and they have not only Kobe, the Black Mamba, but also Spider-Man, AR15, and Tony Parker (nickname classified). I think experience wins out and the Lakers make this look easier than we could have guessed: they win in five.
W: So, you spend two rounds predicting the Lakers to lose a few games and now you're content with them losing just one? Your logic is colored by all the Kool-aid you're drinking. Nevertheless, I can't pick an upset at this point. Jabari Parker is playing insane, the rest of the Lakers are playing well, the bench hasn't disappeared yet, and I can't see the Hornets getting past them without a serious injury. I got the Lakers in six.
The East
1 Heat vs. 6 Pacers
V: The Heat should be on their knees, praying to the basketball Gods that LeBron can continue to play through his injury. Because if he can't, then these Pacers are going to win this series. Paul George has been crazy in the postseason and the Revenge Tour for the Pacers (beating the Cavs in Round One, knocking out the upstart Bobcats in Two) is underway. Out of all the teams in the playoffs they wanted to face, the Heat were IT. The Pacers have always spoken about their dislike for the "Superteam" and now they have a chance to prove how much they hate them. But can they win?
W: That's the question on everyone's mind for this series. LeBron and Co. are not in the best of shape and are relying on parts that have been tossed to them. Jeremy Lin is not Linsanity any more (despite the nickname being just as good as before, Lin has clearly regressed). Manu isn't what he once was in San Antonio. The Heat are relying on a big man at the five in Joshua Smith who has injury history and, frankly, everyone on this team can go down in this series at one point or another.
Yet, despite the injury to LeBron and the doom that came from that, DWade has been steady in the playoffs thus far. He's not great, but he's been solid and the supporting cast has been doing just enough to get them wins. But just enough won't be good enough to stop Paul George, or Jimmer, or even Roy Hibbert.
V: So, the Heat are going down, right?
W: It all hinges on LeBron. The NBA, collectively, has to be hoping the Heat pull this off and that the Lakers pull it off. An LA-Miami Finals is much more appealing than a New Orleans-Indiana Finals.
V: So, the Heat are going to win, right?
W: I'm not saying that. I'm saying that the NBA wants to see a Kobe vs. DWade, a Jabari vs. LeBron. Will we get that? I can't tell you. This series is the most toss up of them all but the Pacers seem to be more motivated than ever before. So I have them winning in seven.
V: I see the Heat desperate to the point of no return. If they fail here, this could be the offseason of anything. Think of it, really ... since they won the title everything has been hard for this team. I think they power on through to the Finals in six.Comment
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Re: The Gold Standard: The Ronnie Gold Story
5-17-16
He stared at the plane and felt his stomach turn. God, this sucked. This sucked the absolute worst. He leaned against the nearby wall again and forced himself to not imagine the flight down to NOLA. They were up 2-0 after two very close games and that wasn't making him feel better either.
J-Dog came over, his shades down and his dark eyes showing concern. “Hey, you sure you up for this?” His friend placed a hand on his shoulder. “You don’t need to come, Ronnie. You can stay here and get better.”
He waved him off. “Absolutely not,” he managed before he felt his stomach somersault yet again. He’d been battling this stomach flu for nearly two weeks now and it just wasn’t getting any better. In fact, he was sure it was getting worse but there was no way he was going to make any sort of drama.
The Lakers were on a quest for back-to-back titles, a feat not often done in the NBA. He couldn’t distract his team, especially considering how it affected the Bobcats when his personal life made headlines. I can’t do this to these guys …
He took a deep breath, suppressed the urge to vomit, and grabbed his duffel bag tightly. He straightened up and put on his best face. “I’ll be fine. Gary’s given me some meds, they should kick in soon.”
J-Dog didn’t look sold but he pushed his shades up anyway. “You’re the boss, Boss. Vitti’s a good trainer, so I guess he knows what he’s doing.”
Ronnie offered a half-hearted smirk. “Liz’s been bugging you to get me to stay, hasn’t she?”
Before J-Dog could answer, Vince’s large form appeared beside them. For someone so big, he was deceptively fast. “Flight’s gonna be delayed an hour. Plane needs some work.” Vince’s face also showed concern and he stroked his recently added goatee. “I think you should stay.”
Ronnie frowned. “She called you, too, didn’t she?”
Vince offered a half-shrug. “She’s worried. We all are. You’ve been working yourself to the bone all season long and now this hits … I think you need a vacation.”
Ronnie’s face grew dark. That was the last thing he would do. “This team doesn’t get a vacation until the season’s over. Neither do I,” he stated emphatically, his sickened stomach a nonfactor. “Back when we were all just low level guys, we were worked day in and out. And the GMs? They took to the freakin’ golf course when they wanted to. How exactly is that fair?” He shook his head. “No, I’m going. I’ll be fine.”
Vince and J-Dog exchanged a glance. “At least see someone beside Vitti,” J-Dog pleaded. “I mean, the man is a great trainer, but he’s not working out of a doctor’s office. Come on, Ron-Ron, please?”
Ronnie rolled his eyes but nodded. “I’ll see one when we get back. Okay?”
The two nodded.
Ronnie sighed. He hated doctors.
His eyes wandered over to the plane and his stomach lurched again.
He might just hate flying more at this point.
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Re: The Gold Standard: The Ronnie Gold Story
Ronnie????Indianapolis Colts
New York Mets
New Jersey Devils
San Antonio Spurs
D.C United
West Ham United
Twitter - @DarkOutFrontComment
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Re: The Gold Standard: The Ronnie Gold Story
I guess the poison did it's job?Comment
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Re: The Gold Standard: The Ronnie Gold Story
I live! Sorry for the long delay, but I'm in the middle of a lot of stuff right now (and a new dynasty project). I've reached the ending for this dynasty and will be posting the last of the material for it in the coming days, and then I'll move onto my next project. Thanks for the support and faith, fellas, and stay tuned for more.
Last edited by trekfan; 09-18-2014, 08:08 AM.Comment
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Re: The Gold Standard: The Ronnie Gold Story
Any spoilers as to the next project?I live! Sorry for the long delay, but I'm in the middle of a lot of stuff right now (and a new dynasty project). I've reached the ending for this dynasty and will be posting the last of the material for it in the coming days, and then I'll move onto my next project. Thanks for the support and faith, fellas, and stay tuned for more.Comment
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