I love me some C. Webb. Shaq's Mr. Tough Guy attitude is so played out. Dude can't take a joke. My man C. Webb, on the other hand: <iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/4DMVgID-7U0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Also, can we get some love for Brent Barry? <iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/jMIa2srPn00" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Don't really mind Bill Simmons but what kind of basketball resume does he have? lol. Look at the NFL Sunday Crews. It's like the roundtable. I like watching games hosted by guys that have been there and know what they're talking about.
Not really. Check NFL Network if you want ladies with "talent" that are also talented. It is possible to have both. Cari Champion is decent looking but has little to no talent otherwise. I'm not really sure why she's on the air, frankly.
Bryant's rank here is a head-scratcher. So Shaq is the FMVP for 3 of his 5 rings, yet he's 4 spots ahead of Shaq? I would love to know his reasoning for putting Hakeem ahead of Shaq, but I'm almost sure that whatever it was, it would cause questions to be raised about his top 10.
I'm a fan of Simmons' podcast, writing, and 30 for 30. But what would make me forever grateful is if Stephen A. Smith was brought onto the show and somehow got eviscerated by Simmons causing him to leave the network so we never have to suffer the likes of SAS again.
Be careful what you wish for. SAS is the king of degenerating sound arguments into unintelligible cuckolding and then winning them.
The problem with C-Webb is that he'll lower himself to a Barkley level of discussion. It blew me away when I listened to C-Webb doing color commentary on an NBA game. I love listening to that guy. Put him in the studio with Barkley and/or Shaq, and it's like his IQ drops about 90 points just so he can communicate with those two. lol.
I haven't gone through this entire thread, but I agree. Burke is an amazing analyst. So glad she's getting more talking spots. She's up there with JVG game calling wise as my favorite.
I really like Doris Burke too. I actually emailed ESPN about her last season to say how good she was. One of my favorites.
Doug Collins and Doris Burke are not an upgrade over Magic and Wilbon. As terrible as Magic is at commentating, he's still a charismatic figure and the only one who had real star power. This matters in programming. Who are they going to attract with Collins and Burke? The current lineup is a disaster.
For any gullible person still sipping the Deadspin haterade of Simmons, here's an interview Simmons did with Richard Deitsch of SI for the weekly media watch column. (awesome column every week too) http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/mo...son-espn-media-circus/?sct=hp_wr_a3&eref=sihp
Then apparently you don't watch much of Doris Burke. The ESPN show was a failure because there was no lead presenter, then "Ernie Johnson" role. Burke will fill that and she'll provide a solid foundation for the show that never had one. Verdict's still out on Collins, but you're overstating the pull Magic had to get people to watch the show. Burke's going to be great, and the only person that may have been better would be Tirico, but his commitments with MNF take charge.
There's something about Doris Burke that really gets me going. I think its her voice, its hot and provocative. Also, she'll wear those glasses like she was a sexy principal or office co-worker. Sometimes, when shes calling a game I wonder what she sounds like in bed.... Would Smash.
I believe Simmons on this. Even if I don't really like Magic Johnson as a TV analyst, Bill Simmons does seem to genuinely like Magic and his stories. I do think some sort of Simmons power-play is plausible (and Simmons admitted to having some issues with how the show was kind of "looking like every other Bristol show") and makes the rumor a believable and "juicy" one. As Simmons says, the rumor probably comes from some body in Bristol (ESPN's HQ) and is born out of jealousy since Simmons isn't exactly a guy who toes the corporate line and kind of runs his own little kingdom. Simmons is one guy who has his own brand, which has value even beyond the ESPN confines. Simmons can probably leave ESPN for another place and still be successful.
I've seen plenty of Burke -- she's drab and unemotive. How is this show going to be entertaining? Where is the humor going to come from? Jalen? You think he's got enough to prop the whole thing up? He's arguably worse than Magic and doesn't have near the accolades. Look at the article where Simmons gushes about Magic interviewing LeBron -- who takes over that role? Simmons doesn't even have the same camaraderie Wilbon has with players. I like Simmons, but if I'm in charge of programming and I have a choice of Wilbon & Magic versus Simmons & Rose, I choose Wilbon & Magic 100% of the time. Obviously execs felt the choice was between Wilbon and Simmons, but they chose badly, and compounded their mistake by adding Collins and Burke. Perhaps Collins or Burke would've worked individually, but together -- I just don't see it. I think we'll see several people cycled through the show this season hoping to find a winning combination.
Maybe they can start by talking about basketball and what happens in basketball instead of going on about the Lakers 24/7.
Bill Simmons was worst. He is an annoying little gnat on that show. It's true ex-players don't always make good commentators but the worse 2 people on that show were Simmons and Rose and that's who they kept. I like Collins but he's older than dirt and I knw dirt. Their show will only suck more.
