OT Simmons leaving ESPN

[James]

where will I go for all his 5k word pieces stocked with useless 90s references?

Wonder what happens to all the talented writers at grantland... Bleacher report must be excited. although i'm not sure there is room for any more tv episode breakdown writers anywhere else

 

[HuskyBballFan]

Sounds like ESPN owns Grantland and it will continue to run without Simmons.

Honestly, the stuff written by Simmons himself is my least favorite content at Grantland. They have some very talented people working there - Jonah Keri, Bill Barnwell, Zack Lowe, Andy Greenwald, etc.

 

[HuskiesAllDay]

Sounds like ESPN owns Grantland and it will continue to run without Simmons.

Honestly, the stuff written by Simmons himself is my least favorite content at Grantland. They have some very talented people working there - Jonah Keri, Bill Barnwell, Zack Lowe, Andy Greenwald, etc.

Zack Lowe is awesome.. love his stuff

 

[KembaStepback]

It'll be interesting to see who from Grantland follows Simmons. Don't be shocked to see Simmons go to HBO. He'll be able to do 30 for 30 like documentaries and they're Time Warner....so he could go on TNT and do NBA.

 

[HobokenHusky]

"Me leaving ESPN is kind of like that episode of Saved by the Bell when Jesse Spano gets addicted to pain pills . . . . . she was so excited but then she said she was so scared, and I am excited but scared! You bros will laugh now because you've seen that episode of Saved by the Bell and think it's the greatest reference ever! Rabble Rabble Rabble Red Sox Celtics Rabble Rabble obscure reference to my friend that has a funny nickname that no one knows" - Bill Simmons, probably

 

[aceboon]

It'll be interesting to see who from Grantland follows Simmons. Don't be shocked to see Simmons go to HBO. He'll be able to do 30 for 30 like documentaries and they're Time Warner....so he could go on TNT and do NBA.

I'd be indifferent to Simmons going on NBATV but the last thing I want is to see him messing up the flow of the Inside the NBA crew, he doesn't fit at all.

 

[nomar]

"Me leaving ESPN is kind of like that episode of Saved by the Bell when Jesse Spano gets addicted to pain pills . . . . . she was so excited but then she said she was so scared, and I am excited but scared! You bros will laugh now because you've seen that episode of Saved by the Bell and think it's the greatest reference ever! Rabble Rabble Rabble Red Sox Celtics Rabble Rabble obscure reference to my friend that has a funny nickname that no one knows" - Bill Simmons, probably

pffff

I like Simmons, but this made me laugh.

 

[whaler11]

You have to filter through some garbage on Grantland (Rembert/Barnwell especially. But there is some good stuff.

 

[nomar]

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/09/sports/bill-simmons-and-espn-are-parting-ways.html?_r=0

 

[James]

from the nyt ^

“It long ago went from being a Bill Simmons site to one that can stand on its own,” Skipper said

Not really a fan of simmons but in the words of hank hill , horses ass. Simmons has his fingerprints all over grantland, he butts his way into much of the content. And he 100% deserves credit for showcasing young talent, writers that espn itself would probably not hire. When people think of grantland they think its a simmons creation/website imo.

 

[Candyman]

I used to read Simmons every week starting in 2000 back when he wrote one maybe two columns a week on Page 2 for ESPN. I love it and looked forward to it. He was funny and insightful and his mailbags were a highlight. Loved his live real-time columns during the first two days of the college tourny. I'm a Yankee fan and even liked his take on the Yankee-Red Sox rivalry.

With that being said he was web writer and thats all i liked about him, his written word. I know times have changed and hes evolving but i cant stand his on-screen and even his podcats personality. His podcats used to be about sports and such now he has manistream celebs on all the time. All he cares about is the NBA.

I stopped reading him before Grantland started. He comes across as so douchey on the NBA pregame show. Good Riddance.

 

[Husky25]

I used to be a Simmons disciple. I consumed all of his content (20k word columns, podcasts from the beginning, running diaries, his first book of Red Sox centric columns I had already read.), but right around the time he became a regular on TV, specifically The Mouse's coverage of the NBA, he pretty much jumped my personal shark. I check Grantland every couple weeks, but Katie Baker (hockey), Rembert Browne (pop culture), and a Molly What's-Her-Face (pop culture) are more entertaining at this point. If I never have to look at, hear, or read Chuck Clostermann, it could quite possibly be too soon.

As I said in a different thread recently, I don't begrudge anyone their success. He's certainly earned it, but I wouldn't mind if Simmons reverted even ever so slightly back to his mid 2000's writing style.

 

[FrostyNuggets]

His 90210-ilk columns stopped being cute years ago, and my guess is he knows it and hates himself. As the great Steve Langford would say, "Who gives a sh--, Who gives a f---"

 

[James]

Bill Simmons Releases 2,000-Page Book Exploring How Clever He Is

via

 

[Excalibur]

from the nyt ^

“It long ago went from being a Bill Simmons site to one that can stand on its own,” Skipper said

Not really a fan of simmons but in the words of hank hill , horses ass. Simmons has his fingerprints all over grantland, he butts his way into much of the content. And he 100% deserves credit for showcasing young talent, writers that espn itself would probably not hire. When people think of grantland they think its a simmons creation/website imo.

This really seems to be a case of two a$$h0les who just can't get along with each other.

Simmons is still an excellent writer, and he knows as much about the NBA as anyone out there not officially connected with the league. But he writes far less than he used to, and I'm not big on him in other media (TV, podcasts).

 

[aceboon]

Simmons knows alot about the NBA as far as history but his actual opinions on gameplay are garbage, he's really the last one I'm looking to sum up or describe what's going on. Lowe has already been mentioned but there's far better basketball writers out there than Simmons. I do appreciate the fact that he tried to push the NBA though considering how much attention ESPN spends on the NFL.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

His 90210-ilk columns stopped being cute years ago, and my guess is he knows it and hates himself. As the great Steve Langford would say, "Who gives a sh--, Who gives a f---"

This might be valid if he was cranking out a weekly column. But he's arguably ESPN's most valuable talent - he's certainly one of its highest paid. He lives in a big fancy house in Hancock Park and spends his days recording podcasts with Jalen Rose and his nights hanging out with Kimmel. For a guy who could not seem more mediocre, I doubt he hates all that much these days.

And I say this as someone who can't stand Simmons.

 

[James]

Simmons knows alot about the NBA as far as history but his actual opinions on gameplay are garbage, he's really the last one I'm looking to sum up or describe what's going on. Lowe has already been mentioned but there's far better basketball writers out there than Simmons. I do appreciate the fact that he tried to push the NBA though considering how much attention ESPN spends on the NFL.

the one sole thing i love about the sports guy is his how he pushes hoop. his podcasts are like 75% hoop centered, use to love when he got guests like steve kerr and bill fich once upon a time. His passion for the game is undeniable, but he is not much of a basketball mind imo. makes rash judgements on players off one 1 or 2 games, terrible talent evaluater ... many times he would trash a player ( draymond green comes to mind) only for said player to rise to prominence

 

[Deepster]

I don't think he knows all that much about the NBA beyond the surface garbage. And how many times does he have to toss out hypothetical trades that would never, ever, EVER happen in a billion years? "Sasha Millovlavic's expiring contract, a #1 and Jeff Green for Tyson Chandler and Miroslav Gorkic's expiring contract". What are there? Like 2 trades a season in the NBA?

 

[Northbound]

I stopped reading Simmons ages ago and this split has been coming for a long time. Would have ahooened a few years back had Walsh not be his godfather

Wacky times at the WWL recently.

 

[FrostyNuggets]

This might be valid if he was cranking out a weekly column. But he's arguably ESPN's most valuable talent - he's certainly one of its highest paid. He lives in a big fancy house in Hancock Park and spends his days recording podcasts with Jalen Rose and his nights hanging out with Kimmel. For a guy who could not seem more mediocre, I doubt he hates all that much these days.

And I say this as someone who can't stand Simmons.

The point is he has become everything he used to rail against...........Gatsby qualities not withstanding.

 

[superjohn]

I liked Simmons columns at first but realized quickly he was a one joke wonder and he was about as Boston biased as some on this board. He does know NBA hoops pretty well and I'll always like him for the 30 for 30's and Grantland. HBO would be a great place for him but agree with other posters, he better not go to TNT. Barkley, Kenny and Ernie are the best thing on tv, I was against adding Shaq but he has been a fine addition and doesn't interfere.

 

[Fishy]

This looks like he either has a plan and a soft landing already set up or he just played the worst game of chicken ever.

I don't think Grantland means anything to ESPN and I'd expect that it slowly fades away until they can kill it quietly.

 

[Candyman]

I used to love his pop culture/sports mind. He blended pop culture with sports like no other I read before. He truly started from the jouranlism bottom, writing basically a blog to doing the NBA pre- game show for ABC. He's made millions but in the process he became a huge .

Also, he is not a fan of college basketball or college sports in general and hated Jim Calhoun.

 

[Durks07]

This looks like he either has a plan and a soft landing already set up or he just played the worst game of chicken ever.

I don't think Grantland means anything to ESPN and I'd expect that it slowly fades away until they can kill it quietly.

With all of the strife surrounding his suspensions and what not, he's been expecting and planning for the inevitability of this for a while.

On leaving ESPN, if he ever did:

I need to not deal with Bristol as much. Nothing against Bristol, but I do worry that it becomes a little cultish after a while. ... At the cafeteria, there's Mike and Mike getting a sandwich and there's Matthew Berry and, hey, there's Mark Schlereth. ... I am not afraid to leave. If it happens, I will kill myself trying to haunt them somewhere else.