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  1. #31
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    Default Re: Sources: Bill Simmons is the reason Magic Johnson left ESPN

    Quote Originally Posted by chips93

    most of the basketball stuff on grantland would go over the heads of your typical casual fan, who the espn show is trying to attract.

    they dont have to worry about the diehards, which is what grantland appeals to, because diehards will watch regardless

    Theyre probably willing to try anything because right now their pre game and half time coverage attracts nobody.

    Also, ESPN has been hiring too many former players for their sports coverage in recent years. A person doesnt necessarily analyze a sport well just because they played it well. Some former athletes are great on TV - many others are not.

    Seems like the minute any high profile athlete hangs it up, ESPN throws a contract at him.

    Emmit ****ing Smith LMFAO.

    I dont think they even audition these guys.
    Last edited by OldSkoolball#52; 10-14-2013 at 02:15 PM.

  2. #32
    The Wizard ralph_i_el's Avatar
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    Default Re: Sources: Bill Simmons is the reason Magic Johnson left ESPN

    bill simmons= Illuminati

  3. #33
    Good college starter Burgz V2's Avatar
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    Default Re: Sources: Bill Simmons is the reason Magic Johnson left ESPN

    I think Magic leaving has more to do with Wilbon not returning.

    I like Wilbon, but he didn't fit that show.

    I hate that panel tbh, but it's entertaining at least. That's what it's all about at the end of the day, ESPN doesn't really care who is more credible or not. Frankly, none of this really matters to me anyways, I only watch this show like twice a month on days of big nationally televised games.

  4. #34
    Local High School Star EllEffEll's Avatar
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    Default Re: Sources: Bill Simmons is the reason Magic Johnson left ESPN

    Not really a fan of Simmons, but whatever the reason is for Magic leaving, it was the right thing to do. Loved him dearly as a player, but not as an analyst.

  5. #35
    #Treble jzek's Avatar
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    Default Re: Sources: Bill Simmons is the reason Magic Johnson left ESPN

    Quote Originally Posted by El Kabong
    Dunno, can't see Simmons having that much pull over there.
    Uhh... he's so big over at ESPN they gave him a WHOLE SITE with a staff under him because everytime he posts one of his mailbags the whole ESPN site crashes from billions of readers

  6. #36
    Big Booty Hoes!! NumberSix's Avatar
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    Default Re: Sources: Bill Simmons is the reason Magic Johnson left ESPN

    Stan Van Gundy woulda been epic.

  7. #37
    NBA Legend and Hall of Famer DMAVS41's Avatar
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    Default Re: Sources: Bill Simmons is the reason Magic Johnson left ESPN

    Quote Originally Posted by NumberSix
    Stan Van Gundy woulda been epic.
    I know. Stan, Simmons, and Rose would make very a really interesting and entertaining crew.

  8. #38
    It's not rebound-ball. fos's Avatar
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    Default Re: Sources: Bill Simmons is the reason Magic Johnson left ESPN

    I just assumed his HIV had progressed to AIDs and he wanted to get out of the media spotlight.

  9. #39
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    Default Re: Sources: Bill Simmons is the reason Magic Johnson left ESPN

    I always thought it was fairly transparent that magic did not like Bill

  10. #40
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    Default Re: Sources: Bill Simmons is the reason Magic Johnson left ESPN

    Quote Originally Posted by JtotheIzzo
    I don't think there was a fued, but I do think the show is going to be more stylized to fit BS report and Grantland sensibilities, and Magic doesn't jive with intellectual sports fans.
    The problem with that theory is Doris Burke is replacing him.

  11. #41
    NBA sixth man of the year Indian guy's Avatar
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    Default Re: Sources: Bill Simmons is the reason Magic Johnson left ESPN

    Maybe Magic read Bill Simmons' book, The Book of Basketball (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.

  12. #42
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    Default Re: Sources: Bill Simmons is the reason Magic Johnson left ESPN

    Quote Originally Posted by El Kabong
    Dunno, can't see Simmons having that much pull over there.
    Are you serious? ESPN lets him do whatever he wants. He's their "star" and has been for a while.

  13. #43
    Local High School Star Andrew Wiggins's Avatar
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    Default Re: Sources: Bill Simmons is the reason Magic Johnson left ESPN

    as expected this report was bullshit

    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?

    Simmons: 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: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/mor...#ixzz2iO543rwL

  14. #44
    NBA Legend kentatm's Avatar
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    Default Re: Sources: Bill Simmons is the reason Magic Johnson left ESPN

    Quote Originally Posted by RoundMoundOfReb
    Both Wilbon and Magic were terrible. Good riddance.

    pretty much

    all Wilbon does is kiss peoples asses and Magic often comes off like he isn't even watching the game.

  15. #45
    Local High School Star BIZARRO's Avatar
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    Default Re: Sources: Bill Simmons is the reason Magic Johnson left ESPN

    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.

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