Maybe Magic read Bill Simmons' book, [I]The Book of Basketball[/I] (2009)? Bill did a whole list of former-players-turned-commentators who sucked at the job, and I think he considered Magic the absolute worst of the lot. Just ripped him to shreds.
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Maybe Magic read Bill Simmons' book, [I]The Book of Basketball[/I] (2009)? Bill did a whole list of former-players-turned-commentators who sucked at the job, and I think he considered Magic the absolute worst of the lot. Just ripped him to shreds.
[QUOTE=El Kabong]Dunno, can't see Simmons having that much pull over there.[/QUOTE]
Are you serious? ESPN lets him do whatever he wants. He's their "star" and has been for a while.
as expected this report was bullshit
[QUOTE]SI.com: Deadspin reported last Thursday, via unnamed sources, that you were responsible for Magic Johnson being removed from Countdown. What is your response to that assertion?
[B]Simmons[/B]: Those unnamed "sources" are liars. Someone planted a fake story to try to make me look bad, and there's a 99.3 percent chance it came from someone in Bristol (which presents its own set of concerns). I was upset; I can't lie. Maybe this happens to people more often than I realize, and maybe it comes with the territory, but man ... I can't properly explain how fantastic it was to watch basketball with Magic for nine months. I brought my dad to our show for the whole day once and he absolutely loved it. He just couldn't believe they paid me to watch hoops with Magic. One of Magic's best qualities is that he always makes an outsider like that feel special and [feel as if] they connected with him -- I probably watched him do it with 50 people last year. To see Magic do that for my father was something else.
He's just an amazing person. When [Johnson's agent] Lon [Rosen] told me Magic was leaving, I actually got pissed at myself that I didn't appreciate those nine months more. Our interview with LeBron after Game 7 [of the NBA Finals] -- seeing the affection that LeBron and Magic had for one another, getting LeBron to open up a little, and being part of that moment in NBA history -- was one of the five or six highlights of my career. Jimmy Kimmel wanted me to write a book about a season watching basketball with Magic -- he was endlessly fascinated that I spent 8-12 hours a week with someone like that. Magic is a story jukebox. We'd be bored sitting there watching some sh-- game and I'd liven things up by asking, "Magic, what was the best fight you ever saw in a game?" and he'd pause dramatically, then he'd launch into some awesome five-minute story and do all the voices and everything. Remember, Magic's life intersected with just about every relevant NBA player and celebrity from the past 40 years. He has an endless well of stories. I probably heard two percent of them. My wife had a running joke -- I'd come home from doing a show, walk through the front door and she'd immediately mock me in my voice (not hard to do), "I can't believe I get to work with Magic Johnson" before I even said anything.
I don't know if our show will be better or worse without Magic, but he certainly made the show feel bigger. He's one of the most famous people on the planet -- and the weight he carried with current players is just something we'll never be able to match. We'll never have a moment on our show again as special as that LeBron moment. Big picture, I know I'll be better on TV this season. I learned a ton last year and felt like I was coming at this season from a position of strength. I knew the Dodgers were becoming Magic's life; you could see it happening last spring. He loves being part of a team again. So I knew he'd leave, just not this soon. I wanted one more year with him.
Anyway, that's why the "report" upset me so much -- it wasn't just that someone made it up (and how disturbing that is), but how I felt in real life was the exact opposite of what that "report" portrayed. I felt blindsided when Magic left. I thought he was quitting on the show, and I guess on me, too. I took it personally. But then I thought about the whole Dodgers thing (and how into those games he was), and it made more sense and I got over it. Regardless, I will miss spending time with him every week. Jalen and I nicknamed him "Mogul" for "Hall of Fame Mogul." We were like little kids around him. In retrospect, maybe that wasn't the ideal dynamic for a studio show, but I thought we were getting better at challenging him while also respecting him and everything he accomplished. Year 2 would have been better than Year 1.
Read More: [url]http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/more/news/20131013/bill-simmons-magic-johnson-espn-media-circus/#ixzz2iO543rwL[/url][/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=RoundMoundOfReb]Both Wilbon and Magic were terrible. Good riddance. [/QUOTE]
pretty much
all Wilbon does is kiss peoples asses and Magic often comes off like he isn't even watching the game.
Pretty much disagree with most on here.
Loved Magic on the show. Love Jalen. Wilbon is passable.
Simmons is the worst piece of crap I've ever seen on air. No credibility. No intelligence. Everything he says is awkward. Dumb as a stump. Unwatchable.
I totally get how Magic would find him intolerable and I got that watching Magic watch him on the air.
Just my opinion, but I can't believe people actually think Simmons is good. I think he is completely brutal.
I wonder if Magic held a grudge against Simmons because of this old article.
I'm sure Jordan would have lol.
[url]http://proxy.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/020927[/url]
[QUOTE=bagelred]Juicy stuff. :cheers:
[URL="http://deadspin.com/sources-magic-johnson-left-espn-because-of-bill-simmon-1443543687?rev=1381432772&utm_campaign=socialflow_deadspin_twitter&utm_source=deadspin_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow"]LINK[/URL]
Say what you want about Bill Simmons, but he's not boring. Bill Simmons FINALLY found his niche in the NBA Draft. My god, he was comic gold during draft and the only reason to watch all those hours.
Doris Burke is a terrible replacement though....but not unhappy Magic is gone. He was kinda useless. I don't mind Jalen and Bill together. They have chemistry.
So, who knows....[/QUOTE]
Bill Simmons is like the only dude I truly like listening to when he talks basketball. Guy's the man :cheers:
[QUOTE=NBAplayoffs2001]Bill Simmons is like the only dude I truly like listening to when he talks basketball. Guy's the man :cheers:[/QUOTE]
It's great because he's an actual fan and actually has his own opinions. At times you have to take that in to account though when he says something off base but I respect that he actually thinks for himself and it makes him much more enjoyable to listen to.
Doris is a hottie so don't be complaining about her.
Good, Simmons finally did the world a service. Magic Johnson was horrible on ESPN.
[QUOTE=Derka]Good, Simmons finally did the world a service. Magic Johnson was horrible on ESPN.[/QUOTE]
His analogies are cringe stuff
How anybody can take Simmons opinion on anything laker related is beyond me.
He's so biased that its unreal. He admits to spending every waking moment as a celtics fan wanting magic to fail.
If you got this guy alone he would tell you Bird > Jordan and it isn't that close. For the love of god he thinks Bird made his teammates better than Jordan did and brought them to a level that Jordan never brought his teammates.
Simmons is a certified moron.
Never had a problem with Magic's views on the game... How can you not like listening to one of the greatest players ever thoughts on basketball
Simmons is hit and miss, OK for the most part like where he comes from as far as being a fan first but like a fan he does get a little too much sometimes, he's great when he's sharing his thoughts as opinion but as soon as he starts thinking he's actually an analyst and begins breaking down the game it's time to turn the volume down
[QUOTE=Stringer Bell]I wonder if Magic held a grudge against Simmons because of this old article.
I'm sure Jordan would have lol.
[url]http://proxy.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/020927[/url][/QUOTE]
[QUOTE]Test patterns in Sri Lanka got better ratings than "The Magic Hour".[/QUOTE]
Ouch :oldlol:
Simmons at least makes it watchable by actually daring to give his real take on things.
Tired of these old jocks rambling on saying nothing on these shows.
Magic could ramble on for 5 straight minutes, reminiscing, using examples, analogies, statistical analysis, and his point would be scoring the basketball is good.
doris burke?????????????????????????????????????????
I'm done with that station.
[img]http://www.old-dog-treats-and-rawhide.com/images/dog-with-remote.jpg[/img]
Dang Rover, is that noise on tv again? {sigh} OK hang on, lemme turn these steaks and I'll come change the channel for ya.
Drama mamas.
[QUOTE=Bobcats2013]Bill and Jalen are great. I hope the sources are true, that way my fear of Simmons getting fired go down a bit.[/QUOTE]
Simmons needs to stick to writing and Jalen needs to stay on Radio. They really don't offer consistent game analysis. Now Collins is A+. Doris and Jalen need to go. Replace with Webber and Hill in my opinion. Bill I guess can stay due to comedic factor and yes usuallt honest. Magic was more useless than Shaq and that's hard to do.
I gave their per/post games a shot and its not watchable. Collins is only person I take serious.
Good. Magic is a shitty analyst.
[QUOTE=gts]Never had a problem with Magic's views on the game... How can you not like listening to one of the greatest players ever thoughts on basketball
Simmons is hit and miss, OK for the most part like where he comes from as far as being a fan first but like a fan he does get a little too much sometimes, he's great when he's sharing his thoughts as opinion but as soon as he starts thinking he's actually an analyst and begins breaking down the game it's time to turn the volume down[/QUOTE]
guy has no idea about how the game is basketball is played on the court. its actually sad for someone who has watched so much basketball. Historically, he has read a lot and witnessed a lot. But he really never understood what was going on during the games. That is good enough I guess....i just can't listen to him. He is by far the most annoying announcer on TV. Other players know that fans don't really want to hear someone analyze a game.
Its like when someone asks me about something I'm working on. I just give them the shit they will understand because no one has time to give them a primer on the subject matter.
magic is the worst analyst