We all know that it's a cluster and pretty much the worst pre-game/halftime show in sports television. It just doesn't work, The personalities have no chemistry and just don't mesh well. Jalen can't speak. I love Jalen, but this is not the right format for him. He's best doing the podcasts with Jacoby. Magic *really* can't speak. There's no doubt Magic is one of the best players ever, but I don't need to see him on television doing analysis. He's not offering much. Wilbon isn't showing a compelling personality on the show. I can't put my finger on it, but he's too bland I suppose. Simmons has encyclopedic knowledge of basketball, but it doesn't translate well to television. Especially when he's cracking jokes and the rest of the panel falls silent because they don't get it.

My idea is that they blow the whole thing up. Replace the entire panel. Although I like Simmons and think he would get better on television with time, he's dropped hints that he might not do it next year. So assuming he leaves on his own, get rid of everyone else and start off fresh.

I suggest they add Michael Smith as host, Bomani Jones, Sheed, and Grant Hill. I think that's a nice mix of personalities to inject some spark into this lame show. I don't know how Sheed would play on TV but we know dude has a great personality in post game interviews and quite frankly has a high basketball IQ. Grant Hill would play great on television and some underlying tension between a Dukie and a Tar Heel could make for some interesting moments. I'm a fan of Bomani Jones and think he would bring some humor and critical analysis to the show. I think Michael Smith could do a good job as a straight man and host. He's a personable guy and think he would do a good job being a "ring master" to the show.

Those are my thoughts. What do you think? How would you fix this mess of a show?

Simmons tweeted a couple shots a the network last night I wonder if we'll see him on there next season. He is simply not made for tv (or hell podcasts I just can't stand his voice)

Idk....I dont watch many ESPN shows bcause I think most of the ppl suck.

Since Simmons has been going in on pre shows forever. But the stuff he and jalen mention going on in the green room always sound way more interesting than what goes on during the show. This is also te first show in a longtime I can remember that feels hostless. Who's supposed to be in charge on that set?

I think not having an actual post game show hurts them too, because that's when you really get to know the TNT/football crews. The ABC/ESPN basketball team always feels way less important than the commercials, and I feel like I've barely heard what they have to say by the end of the day.

~~~~~~~~~
"This is the streets, and I am the trap." © Jay Bilas
"I don't read pages of rap lyrics, I listen to rap music." © Bombastic
http://www.popmatters.com/pm/archive/contributor/517
Hip Hop Handbook: http://tinyurl.com/ll4kzz

“@BillSimmons: Wow, SportsCenter edited my joke out about Wade going to Germany before Game 4 - I should have just ripped people to shreds like SAS did.”

“@BillSimmons: The rigidity of studio TV is really discouraging. Let's just say that A LOT makes sense after these past 8 months.”

Seems he's fed up with the format as well. But it doesn't seem like it's ALL studio tv

even more so than how awkward Simmons looks/sounds on TV.

However it's important to remember that the show sucked long before Sports Guy & Bat Man got to the set.

The Bald Berry & Unnamed Sources on there last year was way worse.

Mike Wilbon is a columnist who got big nationally by bringing his Post debates with Tony K to ESPN.

He is not, however, a veteran studio-host/straight-man who can set up the analysts like EJ does on TNT.

He's there as an analyst with no chops to be one.

If it's just gonna be two old jocks & two former writers kicking opinions around in a circle without guidance I'd much rather they swap out Wilbon for Screamin A.

He's far more insightful on the topic of the NBA & entertaining speaking on it.

ESPN's NBA show is at least at "leave on as background noise while I make dinner/clean the apartment" status this year as opposed to "hurry up and change the channel" like it was when Unnamed Sources and that crew was on there.

It's more important to ESPN for them to fill in Sportscenter segments than for it to function as it's own entity.

Give them 30 minutes before the game, Halftime and 30 minutes after the game. Let them produce their own segments. Have players join them on the set after games. Let Simmons and Jalen be themselves.

AND GET THE DAMN PAPERS OUT OF WILBON'S HAND!

They spend too much time trying to shoehorn certain talking points into the show and it doesn't feel organic.

and try to cyse certain talking points that they think will get them views. If they don't change, then it won't really matter what personalities they put together imo.

like even the cast that's already there would be a whole lot better if they just let them talk like regular folks.

don't know about his journo chops
but they seem to be going the way of the Personality
and that kid's got it in spades

i like the idea of adding micheal smith
iono about bomani jones
he seems like the toure of sports journalism or something to me
not so much his content but just the vibe of his analysis
not sure i want that in a 15-30 minute pre game show
is chris webber available?

C-Webb would be a great idea. He might not want to sit near Jalen though. Nigga might ask to have a side desk just to himself.

-------------------------
“Floyd Mayweather should be taking fights up to 157 or 160 pounds...His frame can hold the weight..it's not even a lot of weight....Go to the gym and lift weights man..lol.”-- Warren Coolidge

Not only with each other, but with their audience.
Seems like ESPN/ABC changes the panel without giving them a chance to grow.

But really the only sport I enjoy broadcast on ESPN/ABC is college football. It helps that college football is more regional, so when ESPN rolls into town, it makes it seem like a bigger deal and you get big ESPN production values to go with it. Gameday isn't as good as NBA on TNT but probably the closest equivalent on ESPN and they have similar formats - strong host who knows how to get out of the way and strong talking heads who aren't afraid to piss people off (in fact pissing people off is practically Corso's whole shtick). You think you could go on ESPN and start talking about how San Antonio got some big ol' women like Chuck did? Or even burn up precious airtime with Shaq going "Birdman Birdman!"? It's pretty obvious the ESPN guys are stifled or even censored in what they say.

Scoop up Matt Winer or Rick Kamla as your host, make C-Webb your star analyst, bring over GP (OK I have no idea how ESPN would ever hire him) and Dennis Scott/random 90s Magic player. Instant improvement and they'd probably like the raise.

>bring over GP (OK I have no idea how ESPN
>would ever hire him)

>strong host who knows how to get out of the way and strong
>talking heads who aren't afraid to piss people off (in fact
>pissing people off is practically Corso's whole shtick). You
>think you could go on ESPN and start talking about how San
>Antonio got some big ol' women like Chuck did? Or even burn up
>precious airtime with Shaq going "Birdman Birdman!"? It's
>pretty obvious the ESPN guys are stifled or even censored in
>what they say.

Unless one of them is bill Walton of course

I will never forget those NBC broadcasts with him, Dick Enberg and Steve "Snapper" Jones...Jones would just go off on him for saying something stupid

The greatest line Walton ever said:
After Karl Malone hit a bucket, dude said the Jazz are on a 2-0 run

>I will never forget those NBC broadcasts with him, Dick
>Enberg and Steve "Snapper" Jones...Jones would just go off on
>him for saying something stupid
>
>The greatest line Walton ever said:
>After Karl Malone hit a bucket, dude said the Jazz are on a
>2-0 run

Aside from Peter Vescey, that NBA on NBC broadcasting crew was like manna from heaven, to envoke the Bill Walton-isms. Wasn't Dr. J part of the pre-game/post-game crew as well at one point?

true definition of a fuckboy, if that dude's ego wasn't big enough I can't imagine what level it would be on if he got that gig

We use to argue like hell back in college.

just seeing him rolling his neck on tv makes me want to stomp that nigga's ears together. hopefully that is just for tv and twitter, can't imagine being around a dude who always acts like that.

the shit i like about him--nuanced arguments with unique conclusions--just don't translate to TV.

after Max Kellerman and Stephen A Smith both left ESPN Radio within a short time period he provided an alternative from the WFAN NYC shows that only act as if just the NFL and MLB exist across the sports lanscape. It was good to hear consistent NBA and CBB talk and also references that made sense to a 20 something year old, but after the TV appearances and his behavior on twitter I just can't really mess with dude anymore.

He's got all the snark of a dickhead whiteboy

But he's a nigga, and a real one by most accounts


----------------------------



O_E: "Acts like an asshole and posts with imperial disdain"




"I ORBITs the solar system, listenin..."

(C)Keith Murray, "

I been a fan since the morning jones and dude is not a fuckboy.

He gets slandered hourly on twitter from racist fuckboys.

He's one of the more articulate black voices in the media. I like him on TV because balances out the monotony of everyone else. He provides a perspective with facts on issues. Plus, by all accounts he keeps it 1hunnid. Only internet niggas hate Bomani.

listening to jalen and earv butcher the fucking english language on natl tv really gets on my nerves at times.

"the spurs is doing blah blah blah", "lebron don't do xyz", "bosh need to box out", etc

basic shit. i mean, damn.

At least one of the two.

Jalen and Magic ride their basketball ethos without any other leg to stand on. Bill is too nerdy to enjoy and Wilbon is invisible.

There's gotta be guys available who can entertain like Chuck or pull off the straight act like EJ. I'm thinking Stan Van Gundy or Karl Malone or something along those lines... I don't have a definitive group in mind though.

What about shows like PTI & Around The Horn? While they're not on the level of TNT, it's definitely not as stuffy. I don't even feel the ABC crew gets to those levels.

But PTI isn't produced by ESPN. And that's the reason it's the best show on ESPN. An outside production company came up with the idea for PTI and produced it. They license it to ESPN. ESPN is involved with the production of PTI, but not too much.

>What about shows like PTI & Around The Horn? While they're
>not on the level of TNT, it's definitely not as stuffy. I
>don't even feel the ABC crew gets to those levels.

I don't watch it but I podcast it (sometimes I'll skip if it was a slow sports day of the panelists don't intrigue me) and there are a lot of inside jokes, ribbing, plain old wrongness and pop culture references. A couple months ago Tim Cowlishaw of the Dallas Morning News did an entire show as Al Davis.


~~~~~~~~~
"This is the streets, and I am the trap." © Jay Bilas
"I don't read pages of rap lyrics, I listen to rap music." © Bombastic
http://www.popmatters.com/pm/archive/contributor/517
Hip Hop Handbook: http://tinyurl.com/ll4kzz

and i cant understand why anyone would want a water down version of the show.
i'd keep jalen and bill. i think they work, but i'd wilbon and magic. add host (i like the idea of mike smith, but isn't most of his knowledge football?), and someone like stan van gundy for analysis and what not.

also, while i like bomani jones, he has a tough time showing his bias about things if he doesnt like it. i'd love to see him get his own daily show-esqe sports show though.

no matter who you bring in.

I wouldn't get rid of either Magic or Jalen, because they add player expertise to the broadcast

Who you gonna sub 'em with, Tim Legler and Kurt Rambis? Jon Barry? Really?

No, the show just needs someone to anchor it, to steer the discussions in certain directions. Maybe you bring in Van Pelt. Maybe you bring in Tirico, who I'd take off of games. Maybe you bring in Jonathan Coachman (WWE bias). Maybe NOT Jay Crawford. But someone from the anchor desk could easily run the show and keep everyone on point.

________________________________________________________________________________________
Im not posting in PTP

His opinions are awful, and he has negative consistency

Everyone is afraid to openly disagree with him, which
is the real problem.

Bill Simmons is intimidated by everyone.

Jalen is fine

----------------------------



O_E: "Acts like an asshole and posts with imperial disdain"




"I ORBITs the solar system, listenin..."

(C)Keith Murray, "

and Stephen A Smith and Bill Walton

Yeah...it ain't that great....But chill with the whole "Jalen can't speak" bullshit...

His grammar and diction are on point....

you'll hear him hop and skip around the words instead of just saying them. I notice dead air with him more than any of the other three, which is super strange to me because there's anything BUT dead air on the podcast.


~~~~~~~~~
"This is the streets, and I am the trap." © Jay Bilas
"I don't read pages of rap lyrics, I listen to rap music." © Bombastic
http://www.popmatters.com/pm/archive/contributor/517
Hip Hop Handbook: http://tinyurl.com/ll4kzz

wilbon is tolerable but i am looking for a total teardown.

give us bill for sure, and a guy like jalen rose that isn't jalen rose. a younger guy for bill to play off of. then an ernie johnson-like moderator guy. i like the three-man format.