The actual NBA Draft proved dramatic enough Thursday night with General Manager Chris Grant and the Cavaliers making a mockery of most mock drafts throughout the country with their selection of power forward Anthony Bennett out of UNLV, but there was another unscripted moment that has gained national attention.
It came as the draft was headed for the doldrums, but that changed quickly.
ESPN's Shelley Smith interviewed new Los Angeles Clippers coach, Doc Rivers, who left the Boston Celtics earlier this week, to ask him about his new team's draft choice.
Bill Simmons, an NBA television analyst, popular writer for the ESPN-affiliated site Grantland.com and unabashed Boston Celtics fan, was working as part of the channel's draft team. He has been openly critical of Rivers in recent weeks, suggesting that the coach who led the Celtics to a championship, quit on the team. Topping it off, Simmons' devotion to the Celtics took another hit when their GM, Danny Ainge, continued to dismantle the team by trading Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to the Brooklyn Nets.
It capped an unusually bad week in Boston sports given the Bruins' loss in the Stanley Cup finals, the loss of Rivers and the arrest of New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez for murder.
Wily journalist that Smith is, she also asked Rivers about the trade.
He promptly delivered this terse zinger: "I would like to call him (Simmons) an idiot, but I'm too classy for that."
Simmons, noticeably unhappy, replied on the air: "The truth keeps changing. He's giving different quotes about this. He did know, he didn't know, he kind of knew. He wanted the trade to happen, he was coming back, he needed a year off. When he sticks to a story, I'll believe the truth."
It made for great, honest television on Rivers' part. But I had to wonder if Simmons crossed an invisible line that few sports journalists cross.
Yes, we all have favorite teams in favorite sports, but for the most part, we don't allow it to affect our jobs and observations. Simmons has written sonnets expressing his love for all things Boston Celtics and for a while he allowed his inner fan boy to come out after news of that trade broke.
Good television it was, but I suspect it might be a moment Simmons eventually regrets. But I could be wrong. More and more, it seems that sports fans love to engage in groupthink and appreciate talented writers such as Simmons who can put into words his attachment to the Celtics with sincerity normally reserved for loved ones.
There's no doubt he possesses sharp wit, accounting for one of the show's funniest moments. At one point during the draft, he referenced the blaxploitation film classic Cooley High, the TV show The White Shadow and former Indians outfielder Oscar Gamble in a 30-second span when talking about Celtics draft choice Lucas Nogueira and his life-of-its-own afro.
---
©2013 Akron Beacon Journal (Akron, Ohio)
Visit the Akron Beacon Journal (Akron, Ohio)
Distributed by MCT Information Services
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
Verbal exchange between Doc Rivers, ESPN personality adds spice to NBA draft telecast
Dengan url
http://terdiamtersipu.blogspot.com/2013/06/verbal-exchange-between-doc-rivers-espn.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
Verbal exchange between Doc Rivers, ESPN personality adds spice to NBA draft telecast
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
Verbal exchange between Doc Rivers, ESPN personality adds spice to NBA draft telecast
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar