ESPN Has NBA Coverage Issues

[d2o 1603]

22 minutes ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

This. We are discussing ESPN's pre-game show the day before the NBA finals. This is the best thing that ever happened to that show. I might actually pay attention to it for once.

This would make you watch?   That seems........weird

 

[SilasCoade 2622]

If ESPN wanted to right the ship of NBA coverage they'd get rid of Jay Williams, Jaylen Rose and really any one else on their NBA studio crew currently. Hire the Knuckleheads podcast to do what they do live. If you have to have a lady, steal Candace Parker and let her bring the technical analysis. Profit.

[d2o 1603]

Just now, Llogg said:

If ESPN wanted to right the ship of NBA coverage they'd get rid of Jay Williams, Jaylen Rose and really any one else on their NBA studio crew currently. Hire the Knuckleheads podcast to do what they do live. If you have to have a lady, steal Candace Parker and let her bring the technical analysis. Profit.

With you on Jay Williams.  He brought nothing in the first place but then he shot his credibility (what little he had) with the KD thing.    Disagree totally on Jalen.   I like him a lot.  

The Knucklehead guys (Q Ricardson and Darius Miles) have been getting a lot of love lately.  Havent listened to their pods yet but I hear they are great so they may not be a bad hire. 

Candace is a star in this game!

[DonkeyCigars 143]

The first thought I had when I read this was the Bill Burr quote and how Nichols wears Gucci pumps, I'm sure.

Quote

Let’s talk white women. Amazing. Amazing, your accomplishments over the last few years. I've got to tell you, the way white women somehow hijacked the woke movement, generals around the world should be analyzing this. Just to refresh your memory, the woke movement was supposed to be about people of color not getting opportunities, the at-bats that they deserve, finally making that happen. And it was about that, for about eight seconds. And then somehow, white women swung their Gucci-booted feet over the fence of oppression and stuck themselves at the front of the line. 

 

[DonkeyCigars 143]

Also if you guys aren't enjoying "BIG PERK" Kendrick Perkins and his takes, then I can't help you. He's awesome and I like watching his clips.

Also, unpopular sports opinion...

...

...

I'm timidly getting ready to say this and duck....

...

...

(I've come around and actually like/enjoy SAS, but only during basketball season and when it comes to talking about basketball. He's hilarious and with merit-- I think he's wildly entertaining and I would say I agree with his takes 80% of the time).

[Mitch Cumsteen 18913]

15 minutes ago, d2o said:

This would make you watch?   That seems........weird

 

No... I'm going to watch the game regardless. I pay virtually no attention to whatever they are talking about and that goes for the TNT guys as well. They are all pretty much background noise to me. But if there's an opportunity for an uncomfortable exchange between Maria Taylor and Rachel Nichols or a giant elephant in the room that nobody is addressing, I might actually look up from my phone for 5 seconds. 

[Kermit 3162]

3 minutes ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

No... I'm going to watch the game regardless. I pay virtually no attention to whatever they are talking about and that goes for the TNT guys as well. They are all pretty much background noise to me. But if there's an opportunity for an uncomfortable exchange between Maria Taylor and Rachel Nichols or a giant elephant in the room that nobody is addressing, I might actually look up from my phone for 5 seconds. 

They have to pre-tape any exchanges because Maria refuses to acknowledge Rachel in any setting. 

[Blotto 23975]

25 minutes ago, DonkeyCigars said:

 

(I've come around and actually like/enjoy SAS, but only during basketball season and when it comes to talking about basketball. He's hilarious and with merit-- I think he's wildly entertaining and I would say I agree with his takes 80% of the time).

Absolutely nothing about this statement surprises me

[Brothahorn 10096]

Also if you guys aren't enjoying "BIG PERK" Kendrick Perkins and his takes, then I can't help you. He's awesome and I like watching his clips.
Also, unpopular sports opinion...
...
...
I'm timidly getting ready to say this and duck....
...
...
(I've come around and actually like/enjoy SAS, but only during basketball season and when it comes to talking about basketball. He's hilarious and with merit-- I think he's wildly entertaining and I would say I agree with his takes 80% of the time).

Perk and Bowens would be a huge upgrade. And bring real personality to the set. Plus they know what it's like to be a professional.

[gsoda3 3358]

They have to pre-tape any exchanges because Maria refuses to acknowledge Rachel in any setting. 

That makes things difficult. And it doesn't go any way to doing this...

The trope of painting a black woman as angry anytime they take a hard line in the sand on things... is old and needs to be retired.

[ChickenSandwich 9919]

1 hour ago, DonkeyCigars said:

The first thought I had when I read this was the Bill Burr quote and how Nichols wears Gucci pumps, I'm sure.

 

Spared no personal expense 

[aggie08 21734]

2 hours ago, d2o said:

Agreed.  I love the Jump and overall have liked Nichols.   She said a shitty thing though.   It could be indicative of deeper thoughts it could just be her being a sore loser.   Either way its not a good look.

For sure. As much as I like Nichols, accusing someone of getting a gig over you because of affirmative action or "diversity" is pretty textbook white privilege. "If I get the job, it's because of hard work and dedication [ignoring my own connections]; if they get the job, it's to meet a quota." Not saying it should be an instant shit-canning, but it's an awful look as a prominent face of a league who tries to be above those things.

[UpperWestside 6263]

1 hour ago, ScottS said:

Wait, Deadspin is still a thing?

I think there is still technically a website with people writing for them. Every Deadspin writer from the original version of the website writes for and owns a share of Defector. I gladly pay the monthly subscription to them for all the entertaining articles they write! 

[UpperWestside 6263]

4 hours ago, d2o said:

Legler is still there but only gets segments every so often.  He is still doing his segments from home

 

They should probably make him a free agent then. There is no need to bring him closer to the actual studio than that.. 

[DonkeyCigars 143]

1 hour ago, Blotto said:

Absolutely nothing about this statement surprises me

Because you, too, enjoy SAS and have matured in your tastes and refinement with respect to hearing true and poignant pro basketball opinions?

[Guest]

Maria is on the cusp of doing something?   Lolz

 

Some a y’all seem a little bit concerned that everyone in the world ain’t on pins and needles over her fucking cause.

[hobbes2702 13351]

28 minutes ago, slorch said:

Maria is on the cusp of doing something?   Lolz

 

Some a y’all seem a little bit concerned that everyone in the world ain’t on pins and needles over her fucking cause.

Why are you even posting in this thread?

[Pancho 46060]

31 minutes ago, hobbes2702 said:

Why are you even posting in this thread?

Yeah, I don’t know what he’s even talking about or why that post is even in this thread. 

 

If you’d like a laugh, Black Twitter is roasting Stephen Jackson and his recent video.  There is some comedy gold!

 

Jackson’s vid:

 

Some responses:

 

[Guest]

36 minutes ago, hobbes2702 said:

Why are you even posting in this thread?

Why are you quoting me?

[Catdaddyhorn 3462]

6 hours ago, aggie08 said:

I'm biased because I think that, at least pre-pandemic and doing shows over Zoom, The Jump was the best original content that ESPN has created since the original round of 30 for 30's. Pretty much the only show on their network that focused on the positive aspects of sport, rather than tearing guys down; some decent analysis without going to deep in the analytics weeds; and just enough dorky NBA humor to keep it fun. Of course, ESPN didn't bother ever promoting it, and stuck it on shitty time slots in favor of their "dudes yelling at each other" shows

Totally agree about The Jump.  Especially the early iteration with Nichols, Amin, & McGrady. In like Nichols, but like @d2osaid she said something shitty in a moment of frustration.  It's just sad that her default setting was black person got the job because she's black rather than the more likely and more frequently occurring reason that younger woman got the job because she's younger.  

[Catdaddyhorn 3462]

4 hours ago, d2o said:

With you on Jay Williams.  He brought nothing in the first place but then he shot his credibility (what little he had) with the KD thing.    Disagree totally on Jalen.   I like him a lot.  

The Knucklehead guys (Q Ricardson and Darius Miles) have been getting a lot of love lately.  Havent listened to their pods yet but I hear they are great so they may not be a bad hire. 

Candace is a star in this game!

Here's a sample.

[hobbes2702 13351]

36 minutes ago, slorch said:

Why are you quoting me?

Seriously why are you even posting? You don’t know who the people are, you don’t like the nba, so why are you here?

[d2o 1603]

4 hours ago, Brothahorn said:

4 hours ago, DonkeyCigars said:

Also if you guys aren't enjoying "BIG PERK" Kendrick Perkins and his takes, then I can't help you. He's awesome and I like watching his clips.
Also, unpopular sports opinion...
...
...
I'm timidly getting ready to say this and duck....
...
...
(I've come around and actually like/enjoy SAS, but only during basketball season and when it comes to talking about basketball. He's hilarious and with merit-- I think he's wildly entertaining and I would say I agree with his takes 80% of the time).

Perk and Bowens would be a huge upgrade. And bring real personality to the set. Plus they know what it's like to be a professional.

Perk is hilarious and many other things.   Professional is not one of them hahahhahahahaha

[Js1 86946]

38 minutes ago, hobbes2702 said:

Seriously why are you even posting? You don’t know who the people are, you don’t like the nba, so why are you here?

Because shit post slorch’s white victimhood radar went off. 

MT’s WBB and VB coverage are top notch, which are typically throw away sports for legit coverage by ESPN. She also does NFL, CFB, MBB and NBA. Versatility in a broadcast world on a channel that has been getting lean with its on-air personnel seems like a good asset. 

Edited July 5, 2021 by Js1

[aggie08 21734]

2 hours ago, DonkeyCigars said:

Because you, too, enjoy SAS and have matured in your tastes and refinement with respect to hearing true and poignant pro basketball opinions?

Of all of your many bits, this may be your weirdest.

[DonkeyCigars 143]

7 minutes ago, aggie08 said:

Of all of your many bits, this may be your weirdest.

It's not a personality trait, I just have come around on SAS. I used to be like you guys too and think he was a blowhard moron, but over time he's grown on me and I think he knows a heck of a lot of what he's talking about and appreciate his insight and commentary.

Edited July 5, 2021 by DonkeyCigars

[Blotto 23975]

4 hours ago, DonkeyCigars said:

Because you, too, enjoy SAS and have matured in your tastes and refinement with respect to hearing true and poignant pro basketball opinions?

Nah, its not nearly that nuanced. I just think you're one of the dumbest m'fers to ever post on the many incarnations of this board. 

[Message Board User 12405]

There's a black twitter?

The more you know...

[Catdaddyhorn 3462]

25 minutes ago, Message Board User said:

There's a black twitter?

The more you know...

You must be new around here. 

 

[washparkhorn 9967]

On 7/4/2021 at 3:55 PM, slorch said:

Fuck ESPN and their drama. Just show sports.  The other shit doesn't matter.

MTV used to play music videos. 

I love the game of basketball.

The drama - from LBJ to ESPN to refs wanting to be the stars of the show - is noise that entertains those who don't care about the game of basketball.

Apparently the drama increases $$$. Great for monetization, but it's not basketball. 

[Patrick Bateman 3966]

Nichols addresses the issue....... 

 

[shadow_operative 15932]

concise, contrite, straightforward; that's how you handle something like this. good job all around by ESPN and their whole crew from The Jump. 

Edited July 6, 2021 by shadow_operative

[d2o 1603]

55 minutes ago, shadow_operative said:

concise, contrite, straightforward; that's how you handle something like this. good job all around by ESPN and their whole crew from The Jump. 

Meh, she never said what she did and how she now understands that it was wrong.   Perk and RJ both spoke more to the actual issue than she did.

[shadow_operative 15932]

2 minutes ago, d2o said:

Meh, she never said what she did and how she now understands that it was wrong.   Perk and RJ both spoke more to the actual issue than she did.

i don't think she feels any differently today than she did when she said what she said, and it seems that MT really doesn't like Rachel Nichols. so considering all of that, i thought they did a decent job handling it. RN isn't going to bend over backwards to apologize for saying something that a)she believes and b)isn't inherently wrong/hateful/racist in the first place. she obviously needed to say something though, so a quick apology followed by Perk and RJeff helping to put out the fire seems like a good way to handle it.

Edited July 6, 2021 by shadow_operative

[d2o 1603]

Just now, shadow_operative said:

i don't think she feels any differently today than she did when she said what she said, and it seems that MT really doesn't like Rachel Nichols. so considering all of that, i thought they did a decent job handling it. RN isn't going to bend over backwards to apologize for saying something that a)she believes and b)isn't inherently wrong/hateful/racist in the first place.

In order to be contrite don't you have to mean what you are saying?

And saying that you think the only reason that someone get the job is because they are black is indeed inherently racist, whether they mean it to be or not.

 

[shadow_operative 15932]

5 minutes ago, d2o said:

In order to be contrite don't you have to mean what you are saying?

And saying that you think the only reason that someone get the job is because they are black is indeed inherently racist, whether they mean it to be or not.

 

a)she can be sorry for hurting someone while still believing that what she said is true.

b)no, her statement is not inherently racist, and that is fact. it's important that you know that. all kinds of companies are now trying to meet POC quotas, and making a statement about that is *not* inherently racist. even if RN is wrong and MT actually got the job because she's younger and prettier, it still doesn't make what RN said racist. not even a little bit. 

[d2o 1603]

Just now, shadow_operative said:

a)she can be sorry for hurting someone while still believing that what she said is true.

b)no, her statement is not inherently racist, and that is fact. it's important that you know that. all kinds of companies are now trying to meet POC quotas, and making a statement about that is *not* inherently racist. even if RN is wrong and MT actually got the job because she's younger and prettier, it still doesn't make what RN said racist. not even a little bit. 

Nope.

[shadow_operative 15932]

anybody here watch Big Brother? the cast is incredibly formulaic every year, and when the cast list is released you can pretty much always pencil in one angry black woman and one black dude included to keep her company. this year the cast comes out and there's POC everywhere. it was so noticeable. what's different this year? CBS has a new POC quota that they're filling. if i say, "CBS upped the black cast members by 400% because of their policies", is that a racist statement? of course not. and that's essentially all RN said. you can't just throw around words like "racism" all willy nilly like that. 

"Black people don't deserve to host this show." = inherently racist

"I believe the only reason this lesser qualified person got my job is because my employer has an agenda to get more POC on air." = not inherently racist.

the second sentence might come off as classless, butthurt, or jealous, but it is absolutely not inherently racist. again, that's a fact. 

Edited July 6, 2021 by shadow_operative

[shadow_operative 15932]

4 minutes ago, d2o said:

Nope.

you truly do not know what "inherently racist" means. maybe talk to some people and figure it out. 

[d2o 1603]

Just now, shadow_operative said:

you truly do not know what "inherently racist" means. maybe talk to some people and figure it out. 

You dont know the difference between a fact and an opinion soooooo.........

[SilasCoade 2622]

3 minutes ago, shadow_operative said:

anybody here watch Big Brother? the cast is incredibly formulaic every year, and when the cast list is released you can pretty much always pencil in one angry black woman and one black dude included to keep her company. this year the cast comes out and there's POC everywhere. it was so noticeable. what's different this year? CBS has a new POC quota that they're filling. if i say, "CBS upped the black cast members by 400% because of their policies" is that a racist statement? of course not. you can't just throw around words like "racism" all willy nilly.

"Black people don't deserve to host this show." = inherently racist

"I believe the only reason this lesser qualified person got my job is because my employer has an agenda to get more POC on air." = not inherently racist.

This is only true if Nicholls was privy to internal discussions at ESPN about the need to increase diversity. Even then I would find it arguable that opposing a diversity initiative, especially in a public media industry, could be considered racist.

[shadow_operative 15932]

31 minutes ago, Llogg said:

This is only true if Nicholls was privy to internal discussions at ESPN about the need to increase diversity. Even then I would find it arguable that opposing a diversity initiative, especially in a public media industry, could be considered racist.

"could be considered racist"? sure. but "inherently racist"? not even close. i mean just saying that something "could be considered racist" pretty much squashes any claims that what was said was inherently racist.

this is one of my biggest issues with the current climate we live in- people with good intentions throwing around words or terms that they don't understand. it's a problem.

"no black person deserves to have my job." = inherently racist

"i believe my employer gave my job to a lesser qualified POC because my employer wants more POC on TV" is absolutely, unequivocally, 100% NOT inherently racist. that's a fact. this is not up for debate. and it's seriously important that people (d2O in this case) know that. you don't do anyone any good when you have good intentions but zero idea what you're talking about. 

[Zeus 6755]

I'm woke and all but DO NOT take MY job away!

😝

It's the same thing as the people who say hey the school needs more diversity but they don't want to take their kid out of private school and send them into the inner city school. 

Nichols gets what she deserves. Also pretty sure releasing this shit breaks some privacy laws, but it's hilarious to watch espin crumble further. 

[Zeus 6755]

On 7/4/2021 at 5:49 PM, Kermit said:

Team Rachel. I like her chest pillows.

They prefer to call em milkers

[Guest]

19 hours ago, hobbes2702 said:

Seriously why are you even posting? You don’t know who the people are, you don’t like the nba, so why are you here?

The waning viewership discussion is interesting to me. No apology for my not seeking your authorization to participate in the thread.

The NBA over the last two seasons has lost a quarter of its TV audience, and while it will be some time before any year-to-year comparisons can be made without an intervening asterisk, the shrinking ratings make for diminished expectations as the league heads into the playoffs.

Edited July 6, 2021 by slorch

[hobbes2702 13351]

4 minutes ago, slorch said:

The waning viewership discussion is interesting to me. No apology for my not seeking your authorization to participate in the thread.

The NBA over the last two seasons has lost a quarter of its TV audience, and while it will be some time before any year-to-year comparisons can be made without an intervening asterisk, the shrinking ratings make for diminished expectations as the league heads into the playoffs.

Then start a thread about it.

[Post Oak 20551]

Maria is a goddess.  I don't care about the other stuff

 

[Loch Ness Monster 3533]

Usually stay away from ESPN but I liked Michelle Beadle when I saw her.

Don't think I've ever heard Rachel Nichols say anything interesting in the times I've watched a show she was on. 

 

[Pam Cummings 9825]

Rachel Nichols is so bland and robotic. I can't believe anyone would be outraged if they showed her less.

[MNLonghornFUKM 8964]

See why inside the nba is so much better than nba countdown? No females