Grant Napear???

[KingsFanSince85]

I know it's de rigueur around here to throw shade at Grant Napear, but I just can't get up the indignation to join in. I know some absolutely hate his announcing, but he's more to my taste than any other *team* announcers I ever happen to come across. I think he tries to not be a homer announcer, which is good, and to the extent that he points out positive things about the opponents, I don't have a problem with it. He gets a bunch of grief for "slobbering" on the Warriors when we play them, but guess what? The Warriors are winning a lot of games. Do we really want an announcer to pretend every opponent is .500 when it's blatantly untrue? And he doesn't pussyfoot around the negatives that Cousins brings (mostly outbursts against the refs and techs), but I don't want an announcer to pretend these things didn't happen or that they don't matter, or that we should just accept them on the assumption that Cousins can't improve himself. And those who dislike Grant's handling of Cousins make it sounds as if he's always negative about him and tend to ignore his excited screams when Cousins is dominating the game ("COUSINS!!! HAS DONE IT AGAIN!!!"). To me, in his play-by-play, he's quite fair.

I get that there are reasons to dislike him. His radio persona can be overly aggressive (in the few instances I have listened to it). That's not to my taste, but it's also not play-by-play. People say he wants to run Cousins out of town. Again, this may be radio, but I hardly think there's any of that in his play-by-play. He might even be a jerk in real life for all I know. Again, it's not his play-by-play.

So if you want him fired from KHTK - well, I don't really listen, I wouldn't change my listening habits based on whether he was there or gone, so I'm not going ot join either side of the argument. But I'm perfectly happy with his performance as play-by-play announcer, and I wouldn't join in any call to oust him.

I more or less agree with you on everything you've written. At least with regard to his play-by-play duties. Unlike many, I actually do like both Grant and Jerry (and Doug). Probably my only criticism of his TV personality is that he tends to belabor a point e.g., "you can't allow a 3 here" and his incessant rambling about Cousins behaviour. But other than that, I enjoy his enthusiam -- especially when the Kings or an individual player is going really well -- and overall performance.

It's his radio personality that's a bit tough to stomach. People that are well-versed in sports can tell he doesn't know near as much as he purports, which certainly rubs the wrong way. Then you factor in the ranting, yelling, screaming and utter disrespect he often shows to his callers, it becomes unlistenable. I do get that many of his callers are clueless and should be cutoff, but he takes it to another level. He's much better on Rome's show where he has to be much more under control.

Lastly, I do understand the POV some have with regard to Napear coming off as a "turncoat". I remember that whole Maloof saga quite well. He did take a side then pretend it never happened once things turned out the way they did. I'm actually quite surprised he was able to keep his job because of it.

 

[VF21]

Please, no Doug! He's fine talking about basketball (although I prefer Bobby Jackson or even Henry Turner), but once he starts talking about other sports I find him unlistenable.

I think they're talking about the broadcast team, where it would pretty much be talking about basketball.

 

[King Baller]

I don't mind Grant so much when I watch the games, probably since he is who I listened to since I was born, but I really can't stand how he talks to people he disagrees with on his radio show. Sometimes it seems like the slightest thing will send him off the edge, so I find it a little ironic how he talks about Cousins being a hot head. If I remember correctly, he told a listener on his show that he was an idiot several times, before telling him to go into work and tell his boss he was quitting because he is such an idiot.

Bingo, you have nailed it. When I did listen to KHTK, Grant's yelling and out of control emotional outbursts at his callers (who I consider his customers) was beyond rude. He exhibits the exact behavior he criticizes Boogie for!

Now I never called his show because I am mostly busy when his show is on. But I do have a chance to hear it from time to time while in the car. Now I never turn it on.

As the Kings play by play guy I think he is escalating his negative bias towards Boogie. The other night during the fracas in the Bulls game he repeated over and over that Boogie has pushed an assistant coach. All the while he is chirping this the refs are gathering a few feet away from where he sits.

I used to really enjoy Grant and Jerry's work. But Grant's bias has just about killed it for me. I wish he would just stop it. Otherwise he needs to go somewhere that has the "All Stoic" team.

 

[IfAt1st]

Send Napear packing. He's a big boy, he'll be alright.

Bring in Doug Christie and a new pbp guy next year.

Or gal.

 

[ESP47]

I'm paraphrasing because I can't remember the exact quote but Brick said it best in the game thread when he said something like "Grant and Jerry are competing to see who can get a pat on the head by the refs".

We're all tired of the attitude and technicals but what makes it worse is having to listen to Grant flip his lid over it every game. We're already annoyed, we don't need to be double annoyed by having some guy tell us all exactly what we already know. Grant is a play by play guy. He doesn't need to be giving his opinion every time it happens because quite frankly, no one cares. Jerry is there to give us opinions and analysis, Grant is there to tell us what's going on with the game. Usually Jerry is going to tell it how it is with a touch of homerism but he's sitting next to Grant so when Grant constantly calls for his agreement, he usually, well.....agrees.

If you don't think Grant is completely against Cousins and Barnes, take for instance the situation before halftime. Barnes walked over Shroeder who was laying on the ground and when Hardaway came over to say something to Barnes, they just sort of leaned against each others arms in a non threatening way. We couldn't see it because they were showing a quick highlight reel of the first half but you could hear Grant scream something like "Barnes is engaged in fisticuffs at center court!!!!!! ......oh wait not fisticuffs". You can just see where the man's head is at when it comes to certain players on the team. There wasn't even an actual push and Grant is immediately screaming fisticuffs. I can guarantee you if it was Tolliver instead of Barnes, those words wouldn't be coming out of his mouth. I'm just tired of his agenda that is now seeping from his radio show into the televised games.

 

[dude12]

Yeah, I used to be indifferent as to our tv crew. I like Jerry, seems like a nice guy. I've never minded him one way or the other. I'm sure Grant is a nice guy but quite frankly, I'm tired of him. More than tired actually, I'm beginning to despise him. For some of the reasons and situations that ESP47 just described above....the Barnes at halftime incident which wasn't incident. The absolute hate he has for Cousins can't be hidden by him. And then as others have mentioned, those guys gush about IT and its way overboard, they gush about the Warriors and its way, way over the top. I'm not asking for Grant to be a homer type guy like Heinsohn but my god it's getting old.

There is an art to some of these situations and if you listen to Gary Gerould, you can report or announce while not being so damn critical of the home team. Kruk and Kuip with the Giants are great examples of staying even keel when things are not going well.

I'd love for Grant to be retired.

 

[IfAt1st]

Did y'all know that Joerger got a technical last game vs the Hawks?
Grant barely mentioned it when it happened, and neither he or Jerry harangued the tech on the coach the way they would if it was Barnes or Cuz.

Didn't Tolliver get a tech in one of the last games and they never mentioned again, also?

It's simple, Grant - if getting a tech is a big mistake, than it's just as big of mistake, regardless of who does it.
Unless you harp on players and coach equally, you are being blatantly biased, which is not a good thing for a person making their living by talking (presumed fairly) about the Kings.