Grantland 5-part series arguing potential CBB champions. Guess who is left out...

[kobebeanbryant]

I never read Grantland, but the CBB article caught my eye today.

From the article:

Editor's note: This is the first of a five-part college basketball series that will run this week. We will be bringing you five writers arguing why their team will win the national championship. Check back for Duke, Ohio State, Syracuse, and Kentucky.

Thought it was interesting the defending champs were left out, considering we are a definite threat to repeat. Not that Simmons or his crew are known for their college basketball acumen.

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/7114532/why-north-carolina-tar-heels-win-national-championship

 

[bear]

Simmons readily admits that he isn't very knowledgeable and doesn't care much about college basketball. He'll write smaller things about major happenings that go on in the sport, but I don't read him at all for anything about college basketball. I haven't read Grantland very often so I don't know much about his staff over there, but I don't see how you can write a series like this and include Syracuse and Duke, but not UCONN...

 

[tykurez]

Simmons also had that sh1thouse podcast last year with his fatso friend Jacko just bashing UConn and Calhoun. Have been sort of turned off since ... as good as Grantland and his 30for30 stuff is

 

[Waquoit]

Simmonds is still great. He came up with a way to watch that cooking show "Chopped" for money. It can bring couples closer together.

 

[aceboon]

When they say "their team" I'm wondering are these guys fans of these teams or if they're just picking who they think will win it, if its the former then that would make sense why UConn was excluded.

 

[Walker11]

I check into Grantland maybe once a week. The site is usually good for 1 interesting article out of 10.

I was starting to read the UNC preview and then saw that they were discussing 5 championship contenders, none being Uconn and just went to a different page. Childish, I know, but wtf.

 

[Deepster]

Simmons grew up in the Greenwich area and went to Holy Cross. He has been a UConn hater for a long time. As funny as he might be at times? His credibility is zilch whenever one of his favorite teams or unfavorite teams is in the mix.

p.s. - Grantland really, really sucks. It's clearly an ego trip of a project that is failing miserably.

 

[Robertelamin]

It was tough to get through the 9 or so paragraphs mentioning, Larry Drew, Brandon Jennings, Jrue Holiday, Kemba, John Wall, Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington, Tyler Hansbrough, Danny Green, Greg Paulus, Josh McRoberts, Brian Zoubek, Marvin Williams, Ray Felton, Rashard McCants, Sean May, David Noel, Jawad Williams, Mike Bibby and George Karl (wtf?) before a current UNC player was mentioned..

 

[progrocks]

yeah, every article on that site should be about how great UConn is. If it is not, it means Simmons sucks

 

[kobebeanbryant]

yeah, every article on that site should be about how great UConn is. If it is not, it means Simmons sucks

exactly what everyone has been saying...

 

[Walker11]

yeah, every article on that site should be about how great UConn is. If it is not, it means Simmons sucks

C'mon, not quite the fair characterization. Simmons isn't even writing these articles. I'm just not going to value the college basketball insight of a guy who is writing the first in a series of articles on the teams that are the favorites to win it all when the #3 team isn't included.

 

[tykurez]

yeah, every article on that site should be about how great UConn is. If it is not, it means Simmons sucks

I actually enjoy a lot of his stuff ... but did you hear that podcast last year? It was criminally bad

 

[HarryAGampel]

Simmons writes fantastic NBA stuff. I can't believe I sat through his podcast last year when his friend just tted on every facet of UConn.

 

[Waquoit]

Grantland is no failure. Plenty of good reads there. It had an interview with Don DeLillo for cryin' outloud.

 

[Scot-e]

Good. I hope everyone feels the same way. We are sooooo under the radar this year.

 

[hooskies]

we are?

 

[nomar]

Grantland is no failure. Plenty of good reads there. It had an interview with Don DeLillo for cryin' outloud.

Yeah, if it's not your thing, it's not your thing. It's my thing. Nobody writes about sports and entertainment like Simmons and Klosterman do. They and the other writers don't hit home runs every time but it's the internet; nobody does.

Yeah it's a vanity project. Yes, Simmons has a big ego. If anybody here accumulated as many devoted followers as he has, they'd have an ego too. Simmons and ESPN get a lot of undue crap from people.

 

[spoop]

From the comments on the Grantland facebook page: "Grantland Also, UConn, we hear the outcry. Will keep you updated."

 

[Deepster]

Yeah, if it's not your thing, it's not your thing. It's my thing. Nobody writes about sports and entertainment like Simmons and Klosterman do. They and the other writers don't hit home runs every time but it's the internet; nobody does.

Yeah it's a vanity project. Yes, Simmons has a big ego. If anybody here accumulated as many devoted followers as he has, they'd have an ego too. Simmons and ESPN get a lot of undue crap from people.

I like Simmons and Klosterman too. And Simmons writes the same amount that he wrote for ESPN and Klosterman writes a couple articles a month.

The other 94% on that site sucks.

 

[Donyell]

I just get pissed off easy with anything even remotely negative uconn bias.

 

[benjordan]

Maybe they only had 5 writers who wanted those 5 teams?

 

[alexrgct]

I mean Kemba was absolutely vital to last year's team, but Bazz, Lamb, and AO stepped up big time during the BET and NCAA tourney. You're returning the supporting cast from that championship team and adding Andre Drummond, Ryan Boatright, and DeAndre Daniels. That's a really, really stout team, coached by a guy who's at absolute worst the second best coach in CBB. Very weird not to feature UConn. Not going to crap on Grantland in general, but I did think the omission of UConn was pretty bizarre.

 

[Nully]

Maybe if someone on the team had their own reality show?

 

[progrocks]

they are having people who are fans of those teams write those articles. This place sometimes, i tell you, there are only two ways it goes, either DOOOOOOOMMMMMEEEEDDDD or so an so sucks because they wrote something that does not let us write DOOOOOOMMMMEEEEEDDDDD!!!!!!

 

[benjordan]

Anyone on here a good writer? I bet someone could write one for UConn and maybe they'd post it.. maybe not but who knows.