Around the League: Week 5 1/18-1/24

[bajanguy008]

so is Inside the NBA beginning to lose it's appeal or it's just who I follow on Twitter
I've been seeing lots of "the jokes don't make up for the fact that they obviously don't watch many teams or actually talk basketball type takes and now seems like players not really interested in talking much in the interviews ?
I haven't watched and episode this season but get that impression from my timeline

[Indy]

I am on a zoom call right now with Magic Johnson for my company. I didn't expect to be this excited about it.

[Indy]

Mgaic said he got started in business by getting the phone number of 50 season ticket holders back when he first came to the league. He cold called all of them and asked them to lunch. Nobody said no, and he basically just spent each lunch asking them about how to run a business.

[ShelC]

That's pretty cooll! Ask him to buy the Suns.

[Indy]

That's pretty cooll! Ask him to buy the Suns.

I think he said he owns part of the dodgers too. I didn't know that for some reason.

[Indy]

Larry Bird's mom told Magic (in front of Larry) that Magic was her favorite basketball player.

[Indy]

Magic runs a SWOT analysis on himself, and his companies every year.

He sounds so much more knowledgeable at business and life than he does when talking about basketball.

[Superbone]

Cool beans, Indy!

[LazarusLong]

Anybody see the awkward interview involving Shaq and Donovan Mitchell?

[Indy]

Anybody see the awkward interview involving Shaq and Donovan Mitchell?

He is such an asshole. I wonder how many rings he would have if he was ever the clearly best player on his team.

[In2ition]

Anybody see the awkward interview involving Shaq and Donovan Mitchell?

He is such an asshole. I wonder how many rings he would have if he was ever the clearly best player on his team.

It felt like to me that he was challenging Mitchell, but Mitchell and the audience didn't quite see it that way at first or even now. It was definitely awkward.

[LazarusLong]

I thought Mitchell handled it well.

[Mori Chu]

Anybody see the awkward interview involving Shaq and Donovan Mitchell?

Here's the clip:



It's pretty offensive of Shaq. He is interviewing Mitchell post-game live, and he just says to his face, "You don't have what it takes to win it all." WTF? Then Mitchell has to respond to it, and he's just like, "Okay." (What is he supposed to say?) After a moment, Mitchell adds that he keeps working hard to get better every day or something like that. But what is Shaq thinking? That's totally disrespectful to say to a player's face in a post-game interview, especially for a game the Jazz won. Mitchell had 36/7/5, btw.

I just don't get what Shaq was thinking. It felt like he wanted to have a controversial "hot take" and be seen as a tough and blunt evaluator of players. But he came across just looking like a huge A-hole.

[Indy]

I thought Mitchell handled it well.

Better than most people would have, for sure. I would have said something about whether he would have without Kobe, Phil, Wade and Riley.

[bajanguy008]

so is Inside the NBA beginning to lose it's appeal or it's just who I follow on Twitter
I've been seeing lots of "the jokes don't make up for the fact that they obviously don't watch many teams or actually talk basketball type takes and now seems like players not really interested in talking much in the interviews ?
I haven't watched and episode this season but get that impression from my timeline

yea as Laz got the discussion sparked gonna just put this back here lol as interested to hear y'all takes on the show

still watch it for the laughs
find that they are attacking players more than being funny now
wish they actually talked more basketball

[Mori Chu]

To me their problem begins and ends with Shaq. He got less bad over the years, but now I feel like he's regressing and becoming more bad again. The show doesn't need both him and Barkley. And I much prefer Barkley's personality over Shaq's.

[LazarusLong]

Sometimes they are entertaining, sometimes a bit tiresome.
Barkley can be all over the place, but does have the ability to laugh at himself.
Shaq can be OK, but then he talks out of his a-- like he did last night.
Kenny is a bit self-important, which I find curious for a guy who was never "the guy" on his team...
Ernie is pleasant and unflappable as the ringmaster.

[Indy]

so is Inside the NBA beginning to lose it's appeal or it's just who I follow on Twitter
I've been seeing lots of "the jokes don't make up for the fact that they obviously don't watch many teams or actually talk basketball type takes and now seems like players not really interested in talking much in the interviews ?
I haven't watched and episode this season but get that impression from my timeline

yea as Laz got the discussion sparked gonna just put this back here lol as interested to hear y'all takes on the show

still watch it for the laughs
find that they are attacking players more than being funny now
wish they actually talked more basketball

I think Ernie and Kenny watch a lot of basketball and take their jobs seriously. I would watch more of the show if it were just them. Maybe have Barkley and Shaq call in from home, and they can have a segment for each where they bring them in and make fun of them for a few minutes then get back to basketball. I honestly hardly watch it anymore.

[Indy]

Sometimes they are entertaining, sometimes a bit tiresome.
Barkley can be all over the place, but does have the ability to laugh at himself.
Shaq can be OK, but then he talks out of his a-- like he did last night.
Kenny is a bit self-important, which I find curious for a guy who was never "the guy" on his team...
Ernie is pleasant and unflappable as the ringmaster.

I completely agree with this, but at least he takes his job seriously.

[LazarusLong]

Kenny provides some good insights, agree.

When Kenny chides Barkley for not winning a championship, I think "Without Hakeem, you wouldn't be gloating ..."
Shaq can be insufferable, but he was a dominant player.

Also, I remember KJ schooling The Jett when Smith was with Sacramento.