U mad, bro?: Some Penguins fans don't want Marc-Andre Fleury back; Pirates fans didn't want Adam Frazier to go

Apparently not all Penguins fans are happy with the idea of the Penguins bringing The Flower back to Pittsburgh. Pirates fans are tired of seeing good players like Adam Frazier traded. And the Team USA Olympic basketball squad is leaving people flat.

All that in this week’s “U mad, bro?”

Louis disagrees with my take that the Penguins should investigate reacquiring goalie Marc-Andre Fleury.

“The Penguins need to find a younger, established goalie that provides hope. You can give MAF credit for three cups, if you want, but, in reality, he was one of two goalies that helped the team to the Cup. He never won them on his own.

Keep up the [mostly] good writing.”

Really? Who helped Fleury win that Cup in 2009?

Also, “a younger, established goalie that provides hope.” Are those available? Like who? What younger, cheaper and, at the same time, “established” goalies are on the trade block these days?

Keep up with the [occasionally] good emails, Louis.

John isn’t in favor of rebooting the Marc-Andre Fleury discussion either. He sent the following message in support of current goalie Tristan Jarry.

“Pens want to move on from Jarry because of one playoff series only to replace him with a 17-year vet that has had several (garbage) series in the playoffs, including one this year for Vegas in which his terrible decision cost them.”

Yes, Fleury’s semifinal stick-handling error against the Montreal Canadiens was atrocious. I’d still contend Jarry’s Game 5 gaffe against the New York Islanders was worse, though.

But Fleury was excellent in the postseason this year until that point, and he got an expansion Vegas Golden Knights team to the Stanley Cup Final in 2018. So let’s not get too hyperbolic about his level of postseason play.

Also, if you pin your hopes on Jarry this year and you are wrong, that’s just one more year of a remaining few with the Penguins core that will have been flushed by a goalie who many thought would never be more than Matt Murray’s backup.

Jwade03 was put off by the USA basketball team falling on its face during an Olympic opening game loss to France.

Just basic basketball that isn’t played in the NBA. Making FT’s, shooting percentage, playing defense. The poster highlight dunk is great and looks good on Sportscenter but it still only counts as 2 points.

— jwade03 (@steelers2031) July 25, 2021

Agreed. A lot of people fall back on the explanation of, “The NBA style of play is not conducive to international competition.”

Well, that is a stupid excuse. If our players aren’t good enough to adjust, then they just aren’t good enough. Or our style stinks and everybody else’s is better.

Pick one. Regardless, we have no one to blame but ourselves.

By the way, it’s not like France had some sort of herculean effort to beat the Americans. They blew a lead at the start of the fourth quarter, in part, because they made dumb personnel decisions. Plus, they got antsy when Team USA made a run and got a technical.

But the American squad puked it right back to France, leading to a French win.

I’d also add, going back to that Nigeria game, a lot of the highlights I saw weren’t backdoor cuts and a team beating the U.S. with precise ball movement and set plays. They were running and dunking and blocking shots and shooting 3s, just like the NBA players.

That wasn’t a “styles that don’t match” kind of loss. They just got outplayed.

After that 83-76 loss to France, head coach Gregg Popovich said, “When you lose a game, you’re not surprised. You’re disappointed. I don’t understand the word ‘surprised.’ That sort of disses the French team, as if we’re supposed to beat them by 30. That’s a hell of a team.”

Edgar sent this email as a reply.

“Nobody is expecting a 30 point win. Just a damn win.”

Yeah. Exactly, Edgar. You are 100% right.

Pop keeps falling back on this, “The rest of the world is pretty good, too, ya know?” explanation whenever his team loses. Which it has done three times since the exhibition games started.

Yeah. No kidding. We get it, Pop. Other countries aren’t the walkovers they were when the original Dream Team ran through Barcelona in 1992.

But France, Australia and Nigeria haven’t caught up to the point that American NBA stars should ever lose to those teams.

With or without LeBron James and Steph Curry.

If we aren’t the best in the world anymore, we should be. At least, based on depth of talent.

If the best players don’t want to be a part of the team, they should want to be. And if they still don’t go, then that’s our fault, too.

If the players think the Olympics don’t matter that much anymore, don’t bother playing.

Kris comments on the Pirates’ decision to trade Adam Frazier.

“Adam Frazier to the Padres for more ‘prospects.’ Why does Bob Nutting even own the Pirates if he is not interested in fielding a winning team and is only interested in acquiring more ‘prospects’ so that he can then trade them away in a few years?”

The short answer is that’s how he makes money, Kris.

The long answer is, by spinning established major league players for future assets who may never impact the future big league team, he assures himself of maintaining a profit.

Either way, it’s the same answer.

That said, Frazier being pushed out for minor leaguers shouldn’t be a shocker. The lack of a better return is bothersome, though.

As is the reality that a real team probably wouldn’t have been scared into dealing a .325 hitting infielder with a good glove because he’s making $4 million and has “only” one year of arbitration left.

But, to your point, the Pirates aren’t a real major league team. They are now a team that tries to win the pretend farm system ranking award, not pennants at the big league level.

Ted chimes in on the Pirates’ willingness to trade any veteran possible — Frazier, Tyler Anderson, Clay Holmes — off the major league roster.

“I heard that Cherington tried to trade the name ‘Pirates’ to Cleveland for a couple prospects. Is this true??”

It is true, Ted. But Cleveland only offered the “fifth-best” nickname idea in Cleveland’s system.

Which makes me wonder, if “Guardians” was the best nickname available, what was the fifth best?

Guardians? Blah! C’mon, Cleveland. That’s bland even by your standards.