Bill Simmons getting his own show on ESPN

[BleedGreen1989]

If you’re a fan of Bill Simmons and his online magazine Grantland, then you’re going to be a fan of ESPN’s newest program.

The network announced Tuesday that it will debut Simmons’ own series — “The Grantland Basketball Show” — on Oct. 21 at 8:00 p.m. ET. The show will be an hour long, and there will be up to 18 episodes during the coming NBA season.

Simmons, who is an avid Boston sports fan, will run the show, which ESPN says will feature “a rotating group of Grantland commentators and other contributors.” They will air eight shows during the regular season and eight during the playoffs, while other episodes are planned for the NBA draft and free agency periods. As a result of the project, Simmons will no longer be an analyst on “NBA Countdown.”

I for one, love Simmons and the whole Grantland staff so I'm pretty excited to see these guys get their own show.

[Interceptor]

I wish they would stop messing with NBA Countdown. I was just starting to like the Collins/Simmons thing.

[CeltsAcumen]

Not a big fan of Simmons, I do not think he adds anything to NBA or MLB discussions.

he does not really understand the game, he never played, its obvious.  I mean he fist pumped for James Young.  I like James Young but a fist pump?  Really?

Plus its comical when guys like Magic Johnson and Jalen Rose talk hoops and then we go to Simmons who really knows nothing about how the game is played.

Also, he promotes one of the most annoying attitudes in New England, the loser Red Sox attitude.  Please feel sorry for me I am a Red Sox fan. 

Sorry, its my opinion, right or wrong. 

I cannot stand Disney more, ESPN is just TMZ for sports and NFL fans. 

[indeedproceed]

Love this. Might as well set my DVR today.

[Rick Robeys Return]

I am fan of Simmons, and I enjoyed him on Countdown. But he is much better in a longer form vehicle. The 30 second sound bite, necessary for the four person Countdown set, was not ideal. So I hope he retains production control over the show.

I also wonder if he was a bit too controversial for ESPN. For example, when he started commenting on Lebron's apparent play/ body langauge/ attitutude during the second half of the  play off game just after Cleveland won the first pick, is the kind of "analysis"/ speculation that I imagine ESPN frowns upon...

I like he and Jalen Rose together and I wonder what this means for Rose on Countdown....

[Future Celtics Owner]

I think he would do well on a premium channel like HBO. But Im a fan of this move....good luck buddy

[Beat LA]

Not a big fan of Simmons, I do not think he adds anything to NBA or MLB discussions.

he does not really understand the game, he never played, its obvious.  I mean he fist pumped for James Young.  I like James Young but a fist pump?  Really?

Plus its comical when guys like Magic Johnson and Jalen Rose talk hoops and then we go to Simmons who really knows nothing about how the game is played.

Also, he promotes one of the most annoying attitudes in New England, the loser Red Sox attitude.  Please feel sorry for me I am a Red Sox fan. 

Sorry, its my opinion, right or wrong. 

I cannot stand Disney more, ESPN is just TMZ for sports and NFL fans.

A guy can't be excited?  Jeesh, tough crowd.  Have you even read, "The Book of Basketball," because I'd highly recommend it.  The footnotes alone are epic. 

As for the countdown crew, you really thought that Magic was better than Simmons?  Magic Johnson is one of the worst broadcasters/commentators of all time.  He's the complete opposite of who he was as a player in the booth or studio.  What I mean by that is that on the court, Magic was always a step or two ahead of everyone (well, except for Larry haha), but when he's commentating he's always a step or two behind everyone else, and he struggles to articulate his points, even when he isn't lagging behind, for the most part.  I mean, he once said, "Kobe Bryant really took over in the second half - especially in the 3rd and the 4th quarter."   WOW.  Isiah Thomas was so much better, believe it or not.  Go back and listen to those broadcasts when it was Costas (yuck lol), Collins, and Zeke.  Doug and Isiah were a great duo, or at least a pretty good one, although no one can ever top Mike and Tommy, haha.

Jalen's okay (his racist remarks against Grant Hill aside), but will he please stop singing lol?  I mean, the bar isn't set very high when his competition is Jon Barry (no.  Just no.), Jeff Van Gundy (yeah, he can be funny, but most of the time he's off topic and just an idiot haha), Mark Jackson (need I say more?), and that's just espn/abc.  At least we won't have to listen to Steve Kerr anymore.  He was turrible

Side bar - my favorite Van Gundy moment -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVDI7Jhxfm8

I remember watching that game live and trying not to wake anyone up due to laughing lol.  All I could do was    Incredible.  Jamie Foxx ft. Jeff Van Gundy - blame it

[LooseCannon]

Plus its comical when guys like Magic Johnson and Jalen Rose talk hoops and then we go to Simmons who really knows nothing about how the game is played.

I love the tension created when ex-athletes are forced to interact with an opinionated non-jock who disagrees with them.

[freshinthehouse]

Good to hear.  Grantland has some of the best writers in the world when it comes to discussing the NBA, or basketball in general.   

[Yoki_IsTheName]

Does this mean more Zach Lowe? YES!

[Vox_Populi]

 

Will this basically be a rich man's version of the Starters?

[D.o.s.]

Will this basically be a tired version of the Starters?

[Eja117]

He worked very well with the NBA draft guys but was basically pwning the NBA Countdown crew. Good for him to have his own show.

[Interceptor]

Will this basically be a tired version of the Starters?

Come on now. I think that the Grantlanders will be better than The Starters. And if not, at least we'll have some Boston fandom instead of the Raptor show.

[soap07]

Plus its comical when guys like Magic Johnson and Jalen Rose talk hoops and then we go to Simmons who really knows nothing about how the game is played.

Listening to Magic Johnson talk about basketball is a great reminder to me that having played the game at a high level in no way makes you a quality analyst.