ESPN’s Terrible Draft Coverage

[Pantsman]

The nba wants their draft to be the nfl draft so desperately but people only know like 3-4 players total. It doesn’t work the same.

[MrGoat]

The second round was almost nothing but ads. If they had nothing to talk about I don't really see the point of turning it into a two day event

[Sofia]

i was drunk at a beach with a fat chick and even she probably knew that ESPN sucks

This is more interesting than the draft, tell us more.

[Mavrelous]

The draft coverage is not for you, RGM posters plugged into every detail who watched basketball almost daily and know who Loonie Walker IV and Marcus Sasser are, it's for the average Joe who catches his hometown team and nationally televised game every once in a while and wants to see if anyone from his alma mater made it to the pros...

[Buckeye-NBAFan]

ESPN didn't have SAS, ABC did

It's shocking to me anyone would have willingly watched ABC's coverage when there was an alernate SAS-less feed

[UcanUwill]

I watched SAS and WOJ feed, that was the only one I had, so I will talk about that.

I said this in other thread, but I do not watch ESPN by principle, I hate everything it represents, I didn't watch that programming in years. Until Yesterday, I tuned it in a bit, because, yes I wanted to see the draft, you knows, players who are being drafted.... I knew it was going to be bad, but I was not prepared to what I saw, that seriously was one of THE most insulting programming I have ever, ever seen. I had to turn it off, but I was so pissed off, I still can't shake off how much of an insult it was all around. Its incomprehensible to me this is television.

When you have Bob Myers and WOJ on brodcast, people who built incredible level of respect over more than a decade, and they lost almost of that in my opinion, in like 5 minutes there being behind that desk, what an achievement it is. As I said, this was Kardashians, Jersey Shore level garbage. Maybe I am wrong, I have never seen these shows, but what pops to my head when I think of those, it is something similar to was on tv there during the draft. Shameless, I know SAS is a clown, but how much they pay WOJ and Myers to be as insulting? Or where they always this insulting, and I just didnt know?

[UcanUwill]

NBA media will be so much better once Stephen A Smith is no longer involved. Do New Yorkers even like that guy?

Someone has to freaking like him still, but this is cultural generation that literally empowers and rewards idiocy. Just look at most famous celebrities and even freaking politicians from that region, its beyond meme now.

[ForeverTFC]

The draft coverage is not for you, RGM posters plugged into every detail who watched basketball almost daily and know who Loonie Walker IV and Marcus Sasser are, it's for the average Joe who catches his hometown team and nationally televised game every once in a while and wants to see if anyone from his alma mater made it to the pros...

That’s fine. It still doesn’t have to suck so much. TNT doesn’t give us any big brain insights either but at least we can enjoy the programming they put out.

I wish a guy like Hollinger was still there. Bob Myers should be that guy but he’s up there acting like a moron for some reason, and it’s disappointing.

Also, I found it highly disrespectful that they cut to commercial or had interviews during picks being made in the 2nd round. Let these guys have their moment, plan your commercials around that.

[BadWolf]

draft was a long process in 5 minute era, in 15 minute era it's just terrible tv, people are used to tiktoks and you force them to watch a 6 hour round 1

[Best Bird Ever]

People who watch draft have not enough important stuff to do with their lives.

[LockoutSeason]

Remember when everyone slammed Chauncey Billups for his draft coverage? ESPN could use him right about now.

[knicksfan974]

The amount of ads was ridiculous. Still love to watch the draft live but damm this time ESPN made it hard.

[Apz]

Just put together a few of the youtube streamers, and say the barlow fella that seems to know everything about every draft prospect, and u would have a great show. Also, they would be so cheap they wouldnt need to have commercials

[marcush]

It has been broken ever since the picks started getting leaked. It’s an online event now.

[ThunderBolt]

Lowe, Macmahon, Marks, Bontemps and even Windhorst would be better than the guys they have on the show. I’d be fine if I never saw Christine Williams again.

[Sealab2024]

I think what was a bit shocking was the cheap feel to it. Like this is the kind of draft coverage you get when a producer begins the process with "what do we have in storage". The sets felt cheap, the graphics were recycled and often completely missing (team depth charts), nobody knew what they were talking about, the commissioner looks like a goblin, backstage looked like it was decorated by a prom committee, etc, etc, etc. This is a multi billion dollar sports league in conjunction with a multi billion dollar sports entertainment medium and they couldn't afford one guy with a little charisma who did nothing but scout these pics so somebody on that dais knew who these people were. That's just shamefully second rate and both the NBA and ESPN ought to be ashamed of themselves.

[wade44]

It was a shameless embarrassment but who can be surprised. No quality sports talk standard at ESPN exists therefore you’re left with idiot buffoons

[Saints14]

It's too bad. On the one hand there are great live streams now (Sam Vecenie, No Ceilings) but I enjoy the suspense of the pick being announced on stage. ESPN really just needs more draft guys that they trust doing TV (maybe throw a bag at Vecenie), they've been giving Givony more airtime and he's gotten pretty good at it but you could tell Schmitz was their guy before he left to take a team job. I didn't watch the 2nd round but if anything, that should be catered to the Sickos wanting in depth analysis. But what absolutely needs to be fixed is making it clear which team a player is drafted to in the event of a trade, and clearly announcing the terms of the trade. It's frustrating when I have to go to Woj's twitter to see trade details in real time, but then doing so spoils the next 2 picks

[dhsilv2]

The draft coverage is not for you, RGM posters plugged into every detail who watched basketball almost daily and know who Loonie Walker IV and Marcus Sasser are, it's for the average Joe who catches his hometown team and nationally televised game every once in a while and wants to see if anyone from his alma mater made it to the pros...

I have to ask then...how was this coverage good for that person?

[hippesthippo]

It was bad.

I found it really interesting how few fans showed up. Everyone who was there was likely friends/family. The camera had to look all over the place to find a team's few lone wolf fans among rows of empty seats.

It just seemed pathetic, particularly when compared to the NFL draft which is a full on spectacle.