I liked him at first and still like him. I still think he gets a bit too excited, but it's cool -- I'm still enjoying the broadcast as long as he keeps giving legit info during the broadcast and doesn't turn it into a circus or high school hijinks kind of broadcast.
Sense of humor isn't high on my list of priorities for a color commentator. It's a bonus... i just don't see much out of Hollins yet that covers knowledge of the game... Still early though...
Hollins is goofier than Bull. Bull talked more basketball. If you like goofy type talk, Hollins is good for you.
the only basketball Bull talked is his 2 little talking points of 3>2 and Rockets don’t want to shoot midrange which everybody got and understood after the 500th time, and then every so often he’d talk about some play the Rockets ran…other than that, it was goofy stuff like Nwabadaabadoo, Green Light, etc and being corny nostalgia got people thinking Bull was good
There's no damn X and only 1 S in lackadaisical and isn't pronounced with an X either. Laxadasical / Lacksadasical is not a word. (It's like nails on a chalkboard , almost as bad as people screwing up Moot & Mute.) Sometimes he makes the Gramar Nazi want to kick puppies .... other than that, I can't complain a whole heck of a lot. Quick, someone forward this to Hollins .... lack·a·dai·si·cal Lackadaisical Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster
Maybe I struggle to detect sarcasm but Craig got a little feisty when Ryan disagreed that Sengun's passing was his best quality lol
https://theathletic.com/3213592/202...-iguodala-and-others-to-lead-rockets-analyst/ Before he became a television analyst for the Houston Rockets, Ryan Hollins was a journeyman big who played 10 seasons in the NBA. A second-round pick in the 2006 NBA Draft out of UCLA, Hollins knows a thing or two about the professional game. Back in September, Hollins was named the lead analyst for Rockets broadcasts in the 2021-22 season after analyst stints with the LA Clippers and with ESPN. This season, he’s teamed with Craig Ackerman as the broadcasters for AT&T SportsNet Southwest. The Athletic had a chance to catch up with Hollins to discuss the Rockets, his own professional career and more. The interview has been lightly edited for clarity and brevity. Ryan, you’ve been around the league for quite some time. At what point in your career did you start to think about life after the NBA? How was that process mentally? You know, I was always a role player in the league. So for me, that mindset was pretty early. You had your stars, your midlevel guys and you had the guys that knew they had to be good locker room guys, work hard. I was always amongst that class. So, the NBPA would offer career courses — coaching, business management, tech — like, I took every course that you can imagine. If they put it out, bro, I signed up for it. And when I took the broadcasting [course], it just clicked. And once I had that, I figured that this is something I want to do. I felt a sense of competitiveness. I saw something I wasn’t good at that I wanted to be good at. As a player, when the lights come on, you go perform. Be intriguing, be intricate, figure something out, go speak, the spotlight’s on you. What are you gonna do with the ball in your hands? I felt that type of vibe, that energy. So from that point on, I knew it was something that I had to do and I had to work at. And then, I literally went from there while playing in my career. Like, I started grinding since then for it. How was that broadcasting class set up? It’s crazy. It’s me, [Andre] Iguodala, [Shaun] Livingston, Earl Boykins, Vince Carter. And I remember there was an ESPN exec, Gerry Matalon. It was funny, Gerry was obviously going after Vince Carter like, “Vince, let me get you on SportsCenter later on.” Vince had the fast track; the fact you’re even doing this was big. (Matalon) kind of waved me off, like, walked right by me. I went on and I did my deal, and he lost his marbles. He walked over to me, he’s like, “Hey, whoa, whoa, buddy. I didn’t see that from you. You were monotone, you were quiet.” So, Matalon from Day 1 was like my guardian angel behind the scenes. He goes, “If this is something you want to do, network towards it. Reach out. My number is always available.” Some people throw that out. He gave me advice, like, if you don’t feel like you’re in the best place ever and this is the place to be — Disneyland, Magic Kingdom — why would the listener ever feel like that? So, if you ever see me on air, I’m smiling ear to ear, I’m hype. I don’t feel like that all the time, but I’m hyped up. I’m smiling ear to ear. I’m excited. We’re having fun because what I’m doing, we shouldn’t want to be nowhere else. That’s the mindset that I took into broadcasting. Gerry knows I bugged him. He was like, “Do your own work, get your reps in, do anything you can and don’t turn nothing down.” So, even as a current NBA player, I’d reach out to do certain things — ESPN Radio, stuff like that. I’m new to this. Let me try all this. And that’s where my broadcasting style really developed. When I was in Cleveland, I would go on the news station in between games and get reps. I would look for any and every opportunity to go on and talk. At ESPN Radio, the first year, I worked for free. I was doing full shows for free. That’s crazy. I would go and sit behind the scenes at shows. At ESPN, I would go sit in the audience and just watch the show happen live. I was Rudy, bro. (Rudy Ruettiger from Notre Dame.) I was cleaning up stuff, so that’s why it’s crazy. People think or they kind of turn their nose up at me sometimes like I just showed up on ESPN or there was some privilege. I would sit behind the shows like Rudy, bro, soak up game and meet the producers, meet everybody. I was thirsty. I literally worked like the intern — “You need some coffee, some tea?” — and the intern got one shot and ran with it. So how was that adjustment mentally? All your life, you’re taught to use your physical gifts as an athlete; now you have to start over from scratch using none of that. I have always been a grinder, bro. Like, I come from the ‘hood, so there’s nothing given to me. My dad got up at 4 a.m. every morning to go to work. And for my basketball profession, I was the guy who was cut. For myself, people didn’t know my hard work that went into it. They just thought I showed up. I was like a 10-day contract guy who kept doing well, so I kept getting more than 10 days, but I never had a home; I never had a max contract. And people thought I was a max-contract guy, so I was like, attack this guy. When it comes to longevity, someone actually believing in me, I’m gonna long-term invest in you — AT&T, Rockets, bro … that’s a blessing! Loyalty is everything where I come from, and that’s what we’ve been afforded here. Is that NBA work ethic what carried you through this journey of becoming a broadcaster? Just being able to go out there, practice and get reps? Absolutely. I talked about being cut every day. I had to watch the guys who made the team come to school with their jerseys on and laugh about practice and talk about the points they scored in the game and all this. I had to sit back and watch them for a whole school year talk about how amazing it was to be on a basketball team — and all I wanted to do was play basketball. But I’ve been used to knocking on the door from outside. I’m OK grinding. I’m OK having faith. I’m OK being able to visualize something in my head that’s not quite there yet — and know that it’s going to be there. I’ll never forget when a talent booker told me, “A guy like you will never go on the national circuit. It’s not gonna work out.” But they don’t know the way I was working. They don’t know the way I was improving. They don’t know the honesty that I have with myself about not being good. I’m learning from some of the best in the business, then I’m developing my own style, then I’m watching the best. I’m, like, I want to be the best. So, I gotta watch the guys who are the biggest personalities: Stephen A (Smith), Shannon Sharpe, Skip Bayless, Jalen Rose. I’m studying these guys like, like a scouting report. Like the way I watched Kobe (Bryant), (Tim) Duncan. I’m watching them the same way, studying them, studying their games, studying their styles as I build and develop my own, you know?
How did the Rockets angle open up this past summer? How did that come about? They reached out to my agent and were like, “Hey, is this something you would be interested in?” I even had reservations like, “Man, would they give me a shot at this?” It took a couple interviews and then obviously had to get the check from the team and all that. That took an immensely long time. This job is sacred. It’s sacred. It is big work. I had to be verified to every single source — coach, general manager, front office, ownership, everybody. But the biggest thing I appreciate is that AT&T and the Rockets saw my hard work, my attention to detail and my overall understanding. The psychology behind broadcasting, you have to be a jack of all trades, you have to learn everything, you have to understand everything. You know, Kelly, even from your perspective, we can’t just talk from a former player [standpoint]; I have to understand what the front office is thinking. I have to understand what the organization is thinking. So from my standpoint, there’s an art to being able to articulate, understand, work behind the scenes and grind that I’m so thankful that they understood. As humans, we never stop learning. You learned how to be an NBA player. You learned how to become a broadcaster. You also learned how to fill the void of someone else and make the role your own. Have those experiences helped you with your transition? It’s been a blessing. In my basketball career, the first time I came back with the same head coach was in Cleveland; we were rebuilding with Byron Scott. I’ve had a different coach every single year in my career. So, as a young player, how was I supposed to develop? I had different terminologies, I had different things. But the last 10 years, I hit a point where I said I’m not going to complain about it, I’m going to be moldable and adaptable. In my broadcasting career, I never had the Ryan Hollins show, so what I had to do was mold and adapt to what was there. In broadcasting, I mold and adapt to the circumstances and the stuff around me. But here with the Rockets, giving me a chance to get my roots down? Now, I’m trying to be like a tree, that big, old oak tree that no one talks about. And what you don’t see is the roots have been building for years. You mentioned development and culture earlier. You have a unique perspective as a former player in that arena. Where do you see these young Rockets currently? I’m ecstatic with what I’m watching. Because I’ve had a chance to sit outside the NBA and watch and not have an opinion, you know, like, the former-player me is gone. So, I’m watching the way the league has trended, the way the league has grown, the way that you have success. We play a system that gets up and down the floor. We have young guys playing in a system that is going to create mistakes, is going to create turnovers, is going to breed inconsistency. But I know from playing in the league, the hardest thing to do is to be able to get out and run. And our guys are running, getting to the foul line. Those turnovers will change. Not knowing the time and pace of the game or the feel of what’s a good shot, what’s a bad shot — you get that in time; I’m not worried about that part. Our guys are getting valuable championship experience. People may not see it, but we’re getting championship experience. Now when that starts to fine-tune in and we’re running guys out the gym, that’s a whole different deal. One thing I’ve noticed from your broadcasts is how you use analytics. You come from a playing era where that wasn’t as embraced as it is today. How has that change been for you? We have to be realistic about it. Some people are pro analytics, live and die by it. Some people are firmly against it. It’s the eye test, Kelly. We see it; if a guy can play, he can play. Let’s say, Jae’Sean Tate, for instance, never shoots above 40 percent from the 3 in his life. He’s a ballplayer, you know what I’m saying? He’s a ballplayer. So when I pull the analytics, that has to come with a strong value. But, you know, because I played the game and played against guys, and I know what works, that dude who does not analytically work well is making an impact to winning. So, I try to pride myself on both sides. You watch the Warriors coming around, and I think them and the Rockets — and particularly our organization — have shown that you can win with the 3 ball. A lot of people didn’t want to believe in it. In my second-to-last year, I had George Karl. He’s, like, no midrange shots. Unless your percentages are great, you can’t take it. He told Rudy Gay he can take it because amongst the league, he’s top five in the league in contested shots. That’s what you do. The rest of y’all, layups and 3s. So, it’s something even as a player I started to believe in and I started to see.
The only thing I've disliked about Hollins is how sometimes he's cool, then it's like somebody set his ass on fire and he's screaming at the top of his lungs at a fairly-routine dunk. I'm over here trying to figure out if I missed something, but nope... just a dunk. lol. I'd still take him over Bull and Clyde, though. Still a definite improvement for me.
Really enjoy Hollins. Maybe it's because I got used to Bullard, but I find Hollins much more interesting.
Fake enthusiasm. “OH MY GOSH CRAIG! CRAIG! DID YOU JUST SEE THAT CRAIG! HAHA WOW CRAIG!” *Yes, Ryan. I saw him lay the ball in the basket* Rather have Bullard. Really no different. Both repetitive. Hollins: Gotta go! Gotta go! Gotta go! “I played with him [in insert city here].” “Something something UCLA” Bullard: “3 > 2” “Modern game”
I wanted to go through this thread to get the full spectrum of replies. @DaDakota is an absolute gem. You're truthfully not appreciated enough. Post 1: Hate him Post 2: meh Post 3: he's growing on me Post 4 : CA and RH are really building some chemistry
