Jenksismyhero

I find it somewhat interesting that nearly every story has a headline that says Simmons leaving ESPN, when it sounds like the opposite is true. ESPN decided not to renew his contract.

QUOTE (bmags @ May 8, 2015 -> 12:38 PM) If 30 for 30 didn't make money, every sports related channel in the world wouldn't be making knockoff docs. 30 for 30 basically killed the sports movie. For ESPN it makes "nothing" in comparison to actual, revenue-generating media. The loss, if there will be one without Simmons input (how much was there recently?), would be minor. It gives them accolades for journalism/Emmy's for TV more than anything. What's that worth to ESPN? Not much given the content they push out daily.

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ May 8, 2015 -> 11:45 AM) My idea isn't really designed to benefit either party. The purpose is to make everybody's vote count for something. If you are a Republican in a 75% Democratic district, you might stay home on Election Day because the result is inevitable, but if you can contribute to a statewide vote where it's really close as to whether your party gets 4 or 5 of the seats from your state, then your vote is worth something. But it would, or potentially could, in the exact same way you're wanting to fix. If you're taking popular votes in Illinois it's going to be mostly Dems. So not only will you have more Dems, but you'll have Chicago Metro Dems. At least now you have 7-8 House districts outside of the Metro area. People down south can at least have SOME kind of representation for their issues.

And let's not pretend like both parties don't gerrymander and/or receive the benefits of it. I'm curious if all things considered each party wins out equally. I'd bet it's close.

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ May 8, 2015 -> 11:38 AM) Most rural areas get gerrymandered in with cities as it is anyway. To a point. But take Illinois for example. Basically anything south of I-80 is going to be ignored in favor of everyone north of it.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ May 8, 2015 -> 11:29 AM) He was the mastermind behind two of the biggest ESPN innovations in the past few years with Grantland and 30 for 30. Dumb move by ESPN. Without knowing how their ad dollars work, it's tough to say if this is really that bad of a move. My guess is Grantland doesn't make them much money, even though it's read by a lot of people (and even that is debatable, as it's still rumored to be small compared to ESPN generally). 30 for 30 is popular, but it's not must-see-tv. It's a glorified OTL segment a lot of the times. ESPN has the games and league affiliations. Plain and simple. That's why people watch/read what they produce, and will continue to do so. Simmons is a minor cog in that machine. Fox could go real hard for him. They need a spark both on their TV and website. Yahoo would be a good fit. Simmons and Woj could be 2 anchors for the NBA, and I have no idea who writes for other sports like the NFL, so Simmons could cover that. I'm sure it's tough to leave Grantland, his baby, but the dude has a ton of options and a ton of friends in high places.

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ May 8, 2015 -> 10:13 AM) This is what I have thought should happen with Congress. Instead of breaking each state up by districts, each party has a slate of candidates for the state. Voters vote for one party's slate of candidates. Taking Indiana for example, if 56% voted Republican, 36% voted Democrat, and 8% voted Libertarian, then the Republicans would get 5 seats, the Democrats 3 and the Libertarians 1. Then we don't get gerrymandered districts that result in a party getting less than 60% of the vote but almost 80% of the seats in the state. The rural areas will go un/underrepresented if they don't have specific people to vote for.

My guess would be he goes somewhere in the Turner family. He had a podcast with Rachel Nichols a while back and they talked about the amount of access she didn't realize she would get when she signed up with them. Turner owns a ton of properties. It'd suck if he stops doing the BS Report. The schticks with his friends get old, but Lowe, Jalen, Kolsterman, etc. are all must-listens.

Seemed like they knew that would be an F U Lebron game. And then when they kept draining threes at a ridiculous rate, I think they gave up.

Wow, Swanigan decommits from MSU. There goes their stellar class. Jeff Goodman thinks he might be headed to Purdue.

QUOTE (buhbuhburrrrlz @ May 7, 2015 -> 03:08 PM) http://www.csnchicago.com/page/bulls-pulse jimmy buckets presser for MIP Gar and Thibs are actually sitting next each other. In two different locations. Someone call Woj! jon greenberg ‏@jon_greenberg 29m29 minutes ago Yes, people, amid the "noise,"!Thibs and Gar can still sit near each other.

QUOTE (Tony82087 @ May 6, 2015 -> 12:33 PM) As I said yesterday, the biggest issue I see right now is Thibs bringing back up the issue at the worst possible time. They won the biggest game for the franchise in the last 4 years, momentum looks great right now, and Thibs sits down with Woj and produces this interview that brings everything up to the forefront. If I'm a player, or obviously a front office staff member, I'd be PISSED, and they have a right to be. Again, I'm not saying both sides aren't at fault, but Thibs needs to STFU right now and focus on coaching, not talking to his boy and playing the PR game. Huh? I don't think he provided anything for that story, certainly not an interview. Most of those quotes were used by KC and others. I think those were from a press conference/media availability sessions, not one-on-one interviews.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ May 6, 2015 -> 12:44 PM) I would argue that Pau doesn't love Thibodeau. Probably likes playing here but love is a little strong. Pau has been on championship teams in which every regular season game wasn't taken as seriously as it is here. I don't doubt for one second that there have been times throughout the season in which Gasol disagrees with the way certain things take place. Go read the Shelbourne piece on ESPN that came out today. It's literally the exact opposite. Gasol came here because of Thibs, not in spite of Thibs. Edit: a snippet from the piece: http://espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/2015/story...bulls-win-title

QUOTE (buhbuhburrrrlz @ May 6, 2015 -> 10:46 AM) Both sides have managed tension and conflict all season. This doesn’t negatively affect the daily workings of the Bulls, as their current third seed and optimism heading into the playoffs attests. Thibodeau and Gar Forman talk if not daily, darn near close to it. They even -- gasp! -- laugh together sometimes. It’s beyond repair in the sense that both sides are tired of the struggle. Too much distrust has built up over time and too much philosophical conflict has worn down long-term harmony that it won’t be a Jerry Sloan-type situation with the Jazz. This is why talk of Thibodeau definitely being gone after this season is premature. Nothing has been definitively determined. If you’re asking me to guess, I still guess he is coaching elsewhere next season. And this is another moment to stress that the relationship has broken down in both directions, meaning Thibodeau has entertained leaving too. But the reason why the situation is fluid is inherent in your question: At the end of the day, does management fire a very successful coach with two years left on his deal? Does Thibodeau leave a city he loves living in and a roster he knows is very strong? A short playoff run or spectacular flameout would certainly flare the negativity anew. But a long, successful playoff run could lead to both sides taking pause and salvaging another season or two. That’s why, as they say, you play the games. -KC Johnson Also, Rose LOVES Thibs. The players on the roster LOVE Thibs. That's something they have to consider, regardless of what they would prefer/want.

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ May 6, 2015 -> 10:11 AM) Woj, probably the most respected beat writer in any sport today, says Thibs is done with the Bulls come season's end. I think that's a great indication that the rift is massive. Sure he is, but he's also a guy known to go after certain players, execs and agents when he doesn't get the access that he wants. I'm not ignoring the obvious that there's some serious disagreement between Thibs and the front office, or even a "rift." But Woj basically said he's gone, no matter what. Other than reporters citing unnamed sources (in Woj's article the best inside access he got was a conversation about a conversation), there's been really no actual hint that they can't get along and work through things. I think they did a pretty good job through FA and the draft. Do people really believe that Thibs had zero involvement there? Perhaps he did not, but I have a really hard time believing that.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ May 6, 2015 -> 08:58 AM) Thibodeau and Forman don't get along. It's to the point where they really don't even talk that often. They differ philosophically which is the biggest reason why there will be a split in my opinion. Management wants to win every regular season game. Thibs HAS to win every regular season game. Management wants less practices and more shootarounds. Management doesn't want starters playing in blowout regular season wins. Management wants young players to get a crack at the rotation for a reason other than an injury to a player. Regardless of what we think, management does think that Thibs has something to do with the injuries over the last 4 seasons. Management didn't trade 2 first round picks to move up for a player that would sit the entire season. Tom only cares about basketball and nothing else and isn't a good working relationship. Are Gar and Paxson stubborn and ridiculous? Yes probably so. Thibodeau is too though. The Bulls may regret the day that they let Tom Thibodeau leave. Fred Hoiberg could end up being the right guy at this time though. We don't know. I am pretty confident that we are going to find out though. With respect, this is all a bunch of media-driven bulls*** and/or unsupported theories. We know for a fact that Thibs is unhappy with some things, and that GarPax are unhappy about somethings. We've seen those types of comments in press conferences to the public. That's something we can say for sure. Getting rid of Ron Adams pissed Thibs off. That we know for sure. Anything beyond that is 100% speculation. We don't know how severe the rift is, if there is one to begin with that's any worse than other front office/coaching rifts that exist in the league. What's the source for saying that management wants less practices, guys to rest, etc. For all we know, Thibs and GarPax felt the same up until this year when things were done a little differently. What's the source for saying that they expected McDermott to get big minutes (especially after his injury and the emergence of Snell as a legit back-up?)

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ May 6, 2015 -> 08:16 AM) Dan Bernstein and Joe Cowley have both explained this a ton. Most don't listen to them though because they are smug assholes who are continually wrong on nearly everything they say. They will end up being correct in this case though. Fixed.

QUOTE (Alexeihyeess @ May 5, 2015 -> 10:05 AM) Its worth remembering that GarPax were on the verge of trading Niko, Butler, Taj and the picks from '14 for Kevin Love. Only reason that didn't work out was because the Wolves liked Wiggins+ more. So its not like GarPax are some masterful engineers of NBA rosters. The offer was Taj, Mirotic and McDermott. No Butler or picks. Gasol-Love-Dunleavy-Butler-Rose. Yes please. http://www.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on-basket...-for-kevin-love

QUOTE (whitesoxfan99 @ May 5, 2015 -> 09:17 AM) There are a ton of miles on those legs and while he is still the best player in the world, he already isn't the same player as peak LeBron and the gap between him and the rest of the NBA isn't near as large as it was just a couple of years ago. He really should work inside more often. There just aren't a lot of players that can stop him when he makes a concerted effort to post up strong and back a guy to the rim. What I don't get is that he can drive on every single play and its a 95% chance he either gets to the rim or gets fouled. If he would just do it 10 trips in a row, they'd win all the time. But he doesn't do that. Maybe i'm being unrealistic and don't appreciate the physical toll that would take, but it seems like he will have a 2-3 trip stretch where he dominates and then he just stops. He starts taking jumpshots instead. And that's exactly what defenses want him to do. When he takes the ball to the hoop and gets in the post he's basically unstoppable.

Jimmy Butler defended LeBron in 73-of-75 possessions last nite. James shot 7-of-18 when he was primary defender w/5 TOs via @ESPNStatsInfo

He's had some bad turnovers though. And some lazy defense.

Lebron looks like s***. I think he knows they have no shot this year.

QUOTE (Jake @ May 4, 2015 -> 08:12 PM) I guess that's technically a charge, but you can't have a guy who makes first contact right as he lands get whistled for a charge Rose was in the air before he set up. No charge.

The refs are in the take. So f***ing bad.

Thibs about 4 possessions late on his substitutions...again.