SI's Report Card of Television commentators

Bballkingsrock

Bballkingsrock

All-Star
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/kelly_dwyer/04/11/announcers.grades/index.html

Sacramento Kings
Grant Napear, Jerry Reynolds
Napear is known far and wide as the "if you don't like, you don't like NBA bas-ket-ball!" guy, which is nice and all, but there is more to the voice of the Kings than breathless (and kind of scary) soundbites. Napear is pretty matter-of-fact with his broadcasts. I like listening to him, but he comes across as a bit dour sometimes. He doesn't easily abandon his grudges, either, which is only admirable if your wife was stabbed by a one-arm man and you were framed for her murder. Reynolds is a folksy type who is best known (to me, at least) as the guy who predicted that Travis Mays and Lionel Simmons would be All-Stars by their third NBA season.

GRADE: B

Kind of odd grades.

What is up with Bill Walton and Hubie Brown getting A+'s? WHY?
 
the best i have heard all year was Kenny Smith in that Overtime victory over the Knicks in the Garden. Kenny is very smart and doesn't just say the same boring things that anybody could notice he goes in depth and actually makes you say damn i never thought of that.
 
Bballkingsrock said:
What is up with Bill Walton and Hubie Brown getting A+'s? WHY?
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Indeed -- that myth of breezy old know it allism was in vogue 5 years ago, but thought people had largely gotten beyond it now.
 
Walton is retarded, but he is kind of amusing to listen to, if you don't take anything you say seriously (which i don't, of course).
I agree that Kenny Smith has excellent analysis - I wish he was doing more in game stuff.
 
Bballkingsrock said:
What is up with Bill Walton and Hubie Brown getting A+'s? WHY?
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hence the quote at the end of waltons paragraph "I know the proceeding paragraph will probably result in a brick being thrown through my living room window."
 
coolhandluke said:
Bill Walton - A+ - for serving as a fine example for kids by demonstrating oh-so-eloquently what drugs do to you.

Hubie Brown - A+ - for not dropping dead on national TV. Keeps zombie fans hooked on to NBA.
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ROTFLMAO!
 
I actually think Grant and Jerry are pretty dang funny, and some of the best announcers when it comes to company man broadcasting.

And no question they are much better than the Warriors announcer. Talk about homerism 101. Yet they get an A-???
 
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I was glad to see Bob and Smitty (Hawks) make the list. I like them for the most part. They're not homers and Bob comes up with some funny stuff.
 
I also agree that Sixers and Bulls announcers are some of the worst... Sixers ones were convinced that they would win every single game against Sacramento (during our best days), and they always ended up being "surprised".
 
Bballkingsrock said:
I like listening to him, but he comes across as a bit dour sometimes.
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Referring to Grant as "a bit dour" is like telling a guy in the path of a tidal wave that he may experience a little "moisture". :D
 
What grade did Doug Collins get? In my opinion, he has the best b-ball IQ out of all the commentators. There have been many times where he calls out exactly the play that a team is going to do by observing the sets. For the most part, he is also very fair and unbiased.
 
I like Harlan/Collins/Durham/Tolbert/Breen/Sometimes Walton/Snapper Jones/Albert's decent/Kerr most of the time.

Don't like Napear much, Tirico's bland.
 
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