There is a new idiot on the sports scene Its no secret that in the past I have called Peter Vescey and Sam Smith on the carpet for writing things relating to me or the Mavs without ever having talked to me. Well guess what, in the past months I have talked to both of them. Peter Vescey has found email and now will actually email me and ask me what whats going on rather than telling me what Im doing in his column. I wont always answer him, but at least he will ask and I can tell him when he has some facts wrong. Sam Smith is still clueless. I got to speak to him face to face when we played in Chicago and told him so. It was a pleasure to do so. He didnt really argue when I suggested that he misleads people into believing that what he writes is fact rather than his opinion . I guess I shouldnt be surprised. His column just reflects the cultures of the company and newspaper he works for. You would think given what they are going through, the Chicago Tribune would offer disclaimers around everything he writes. But I digress. There is another writer that I dont correspond with , or talk to, that has taken upon himself to write what he thinks Im thinking. The new moron in town is Chad Ford of ESPN.com To think that ESPN let David Aldridge go for this. David Aldridge checked his facts. David Aldridge would email me in the middle of the night asking one last time if he had his facts correct, or if it was something that couldnt be commented on, to let you know what he was going with to make sure he got it right. I remember one time David and I got into a disagreement about what fans thought about the game,its players and costs. I told him that I thought fans loved the game, and all he had to do was talk to them to find out. He did. He went and sat in the stands and talked to the customers of the NBA and asked them what they thought. When they told him they thought the game was fun and affordable, he wrote just that. With quotes from the fans. So instead of a Aldridge, a reporter with great relationships around the NBA and access to information, they go with a guy,who at least in my case doesnt take the time to email me and ask. Its not like he cant find my email. Its not a suprise. Like Sam Smith, he is just one of the guys who would rather not let facts get in the way. The irony of it all, is that he writes for the ESPN Insider section of the website.The sad part is that ESPN.com charges for access to what he writes. This guy is so far from the inside of whats going on , that ESPN should be embarrased to take subscription money from its members. I wonder if ESPN.com is kicking themselves for the one they let get away http://www.blogmaverick.com/entry/1234000097028762/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wow, haven't we all been saying this for months now? Finally someone big calls him out. Maybe this will bring attention to the crappiness of Chad Ford's "Inside" reporting. Let's start the petition!!!
I forget what it was, but I once had a comment about the mavs which was probably negative - and told cuban to tell me what the hell he was doing. Well, he emailed me and explained exactly what he was doing. I didn't expect that - but since he did that I have so much more respect for him than any other GM out there.
When I worked with Ford he used to kiss Cuban's ass so much that we had to stop paying attention to him when he talked about the Mavs with us, we couldn't take him seriously.
And he nails Sam "How About This Trade Idea" Smith as well! Genius! Couldn't like that article more! Evan
LOL, brilliant blog by Cuban. What in particular I like about it is not so much the Chad Ford slam, but the fact he did it showing how GOOD a reporter David Aldridge is. The fact that ESPN just let him go in favor of (Ford or Steven A Smith) is ridiculous. What, because Ford comes up with outlandish National Enquirer trade scenarios and SAS just screams at the camera is supposed to be better for television than actual REAL reporting? That's what ESPN is saying here. Aldridge isnt the most "engaging" personality but at least his reports are spot on. I will take that over all style and no substance. And I wouldnt say what SAS brings is any kind of "style". ESPN's loss is TNT's gain with Aldridge. EDIT: And as far as "insiders" go when it comes to the Rockets. Pretty much the only ESPN writer I trust with LEGIT knowledge on the Rockets is ESPN The Magazine's Ric Bucher. He knows what's going on with the Rockets.
Marc Stein is also pretty solid. He rarely, if ever goes out on a limb, but that's mostly because he sticks to what he knows is legit. Sean Deveaney on Foxsports (Sporting News) is also trustworthy. Evan
I agree. But regarding Aldridge - he wrongly reported the Stoudamire to Houston deal which did not happen, and he also very recently wrongly reported a big deal in which Donyell, Penny, etc. would have been traded, so I don't trust Aldridge that much.
I dont remember the Soudamire situation well enough to comment. But the latest Aldrige report on the Donyell and Penny deal, what he reported is that the teams TALKED. He didnt report it would go down. Just that they have been talking and that those are the names that are being talked about. He also said that, that deal might go down with only 2 teams and not all 4. If his sources say to him that they have talked, I believe him.
My parents live live roughly about 20 minutes drive from ESPN Headquarters, which is located in Bristol, CT. I know quite a few people who actaully work there. So, I get a few inside scoops here and there everynow then. Anyways, the word is that David Aldridge was renegotiating his contract with with management. I guess he wanted TRIPLE the amount that he was making at the time. So ESPN gave him the HAMMER and booted his ass out. Same goes for that Dude that used to be NBA tonight. Whats his name...KEVIN Frasier or something like that. Keep in mind this is just gossip around town.
The Damon Stoudamire trade was real, but just fell through. IIRC, it really upset the chemistry on that team, with guys like Elie furious that they were almost moved. Evan
Others out of Toronto, Elliotte Friedman I remember, also reported the Stoudamire trade -- it just fell through like emjohn said.
Gotta love Cuban -- he's a great guy, and very funny. He once moderated a top 10 list for my website, TopFive.com (we've done daily lists since 1994). Check it out -- pretty funny stuff: The Top 14 Cool Things About Owning an NBA Team 14> Get to say things like "I'm looking for a guy with good ball-handling skills" without getting your ass kicked. 13> Not that you would, but if you wanted to you could rename them the Dallas Binky-Bonky-Boinky-Bunnies. 12> Your friends may have Picassos and Rembrandts hanging in their drawing rooms; but YOU have a 6'8" purple-haired tattoo-covered ex-rebound champ serving cocktail wienies. 11> You don't see the babes flocking to a badminton team owner, do you? 10> Forget to buy your girlfriend a birthday gift? No sweat -- have Rodman spot you a fur coat and some jewelry. 9> Good for some serious "street cred" with the other young billionaires. 8> Getting to approve the final design of the cheerleader uniforms. 7> "...and for the fifth pick in the draft, the Mavericks select Hugh Jass. Hugh Jass? Is there a Hugh Jass here? Mavericks, could you please bring your Hugh Jass up to the podium?" 6> Always a chance Van Gundy will hump your leg. 5> NBA players are in it for the pure joy of the sport -- unlike those greedy bastards in the NFL. 4> Get to hit Shaq upside the head for making "Kazaam." 3> For every hottie the players get, you get 20! 2> You get to one-up Bill Gates with snide comments like, "So, how is YOUR team doing? Oh, that's right, you don't HAVE a team, do you?" and the Number 1 Cool Thing About Owning an NBA Team... 1> Can tell the coach to run plays that involve pulling down the other team's shorts. Here's the original page: http://topfive.com/arcs/t5013101.shtml
That could be the case. But with Aldridge, I got the feeling that ESPN alread had insiders in Stien, Buchar and Ford and then added in Steven A Smith. There just wasnt room for Aldridge with that group. They gave Ford and SAS more or a role and that's what pushed Aldridge out in my opinion. As for Kevin Frasier, the guy got the Entertainment Tonight gig. I am sure his salary is pretty good. I liked Fraiser. He was solid. But John Sauders is great on the NBA Shootaround show as he lessen's the "boo-yah" factor which allows me to take the show more serious.
