PC Board OT thread

[john248]

wow...i mess with fruityloops in like...2001 lol

[PaulieWal]

I haven't been as big a fan of the Lowe Post recently...I think some of it is because I just haven't cared for the guests that he's had on. Lowe clearly knows what he's talking about, but the past couple of podcasts he's had I've skipped over because it turned into more of an interview-session with him and the guest instead of really delving into basketball.

As terrible of a writer and analyst that Simmons is, I do listen to him when Zach Lowe, Bill Barnwell, or Jonah Keri are on. He gets them pretty loose on the program and they always come off well on his podcasts (particularly Lowe, as Simmons is essentially only a basketball talking head now).

I agree somewhat. Lowe sometimes has a tendency to become more of the interviewer and he will simply let his guest drive the podcast. For all his faults Simmons knows how to do these and he will get into a genuine conversation with his guest which makes them more entertaining even though Simmons does go on his 'crazy theories' rants sometimes.

I expect Lowe to get better with time. After all he did start hosting his own podcast only a few months ago while SImmons has been doing this for years.

[SactoKingsFan]

I’m originally from Indonesia, grew up in the Bay Area and Sacramento. According to my family, going to Warriors games in 92 when I was 6 really sparked my interest in basketball. I remember being a big Barkley fan for some reason and was pretty upset when the Suns lost the 93 Finals. Moved to Sacramento a few years later and have been a Kings fan ever since. The Webber era was a combination of the most exciting and frustrating moments I've experienced as a sports fan. Right now I’m just happy about the Kings staying and the new arena.

I have a BA in Anthropology and MA in Archaeology. I’m currently teaching Anthropology (Cultural and Archaeology) at a community college which has been more enjoyable and less stressful than TAing/teaching at a University. Most of my summers are spent in the Great Basin working on various projects that are an extension of my MA research on prehistoric hunter-gatherer subsistence patterns.

Other than basketball and archaeology, my main interests include camping/hiking, running and binge watching shows (Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, The Wire) that I missed when they originally aired. I've gotten so used to camping that I sleep better in a tent and sleeping bag than an actual bed. When I’m not in the field I run ~20 miles a week rain or shine.

[Clyde Frazier]

Anyone here listen to basketball podcasts? Which ones?

I've always felt like there haven't been enough of them, but I think it's on the upswing lately.

- BS report -- Simmons is tough to listen to sometimes, but i'll usually sit through it for a good guest

- Lowe Post -- Lowe's definitely grown on me, and i think he's better on his own

- Eye on basketball -- Zach Harper's another guy that's grown on me. Good guests and makes sense for die hards.

- The Starters -- usually catch the show on TV, but used to listen to TBJ pretty religiously (although sorta fell off for a year or 2)

- SVP and russillo -- just started listening this year, and for a general sports show, they have some of the best NBA coverage i've ever heard. Obviously dying down now, but still worth a listen.

- Knicks blog radio / SNY knicks podcast -- call in show / podcast hosted by Anthony Donahue who's basically a knicks fan with an aspiring media career. Well, it's definitely his career, he always just comes off as more of a fan than anything else. Any knicks fans who haven't checked him out definitely should. He's obsessed.

[PaulieWal]

- Lowe Post -- Lowe's definitely grown on me, and i think he's better on his own

I agree and we need to remember he only started hosting his own podcast a few months ago. I expect him to be better with time. Still for the most part he has good guests on. His two podcasts with JVG were quite good. When it comes to actually breaking down the game and analyzing the Xs and Os I don't think there's anyone better than him right now in the media.

[D Nice]

I guess I'm the only one who finds Lowe to be watching-paint-dry-level boring. I'd much rather just hop on realgm, he offers nothing you can't get better versions/takes of from this site.

Jalen has actual domain expertise (was a very good player), came up through the NBA ranks, played with/against plenty of guys still in the league, and watches games and not box-scores. He's insightful without being redundant. And he's one hell of a story-teller (black Yoda ).

Bill is a great host. As long as he's not talking about the Lakers his spiels (on the BS report, he sucks on ESPN/ABC) his takes are pretty balanced. And what I love is he's completely open about his bias, he hates the Lakers and he's proud of it. We need more fans like this. He's also a historian of the game, and this spills out in his interviews (he gets great guests, DMC/Petit most recently) in nothing but a positive fashion.

Both Jalen and Bill are just very engaging, even stepping outside of their basketball analysis. Jacoby does a great job of "steering the ship" and asking the kinds of questions we would ask. It also has the added benefit of being a video-cast as well as a podcast. Sometimes during the season, being completely honest, I'll look forward more to the Birdmester vids or Jalen's podcast than the games being played the same night!

I'd rather listen to nails on a chalk board then sit through an entire Lowe podcast. Haven't heard any of his with guests and I'm a JVG fan, so I might check those out if I end up with time to kill and absolutely nothing better to do.

[SactoKingsFan]

Podcasts I've been listening to recently:

BS Report
Lowe Post
Jalen Rose Report
The Starters
Sactown Royalty
Cowbell Kingdom
Dan LeBatard Show

[PaulieWal]

Podcasts I've been listening to recently:

BS Report
Lowe Post
Jalen Rose Report
The Starters
Sactown Royalty
Cowbell Kingdom
Dan LeBatard Show

I know some don't like LeBatard especially because he's a Miami personality but I like his show. He's funny, doesn't take himself too seriously and has good guests on. What many don't realize is that his MO is to make fun of other personalities including some from ESPN (Bayless/SAS) for their "hot-takes" and when he's giving one him himself, it is usually meant to be taken as a parody.

[SactoKingsFan]

Podcasts I've been listening to recently:

BS Report
Lowe Post
Jalen Rose Report
The Starters
Sactown Royalty
Cowbell Kingdom
Dan LeBatard Show

I know some don't like LeBatard especially because he's a Miami personality but I like his show. He's funny, doesn't take himself too seriously and has good guests on. What many don't realize is that his MO is to make fun of other personalities including some from ESPN (Bayless/SAS) for their "hot-takes" and when he's giving him himself, it is usually meant to be taken as a parody.

Yeah, it's really funny if you understand the parody aspect of the show. I also like that he's not a complete homer and didn't bash LeBron after he left MIA.

[bondom34]

LeBatard is awesome. Great just as comedy in general, and as someone who never was a Heat fan (sorry Paulie!) I podcasted his show almost daily at my old job. It was the first thing I'd listen to in the AM and it made my day. Douche or no douche was always worth a laugh. And SVP/Russillo are by far the best on ESPN radio other than him to me. Wish Russillo did more TV.

[ronnymac2]

During the season, I watch Rose and Jacoby a lot. They're hilarious. Jalen Rose is pretty cool and gives a lot of insight based on experience.

I like listening to and reading Simmons as well. He's a little wild with his theories, but they make you think and imagine. I don't mind the bias either. As long as you're up front about your biases, it's all good.

I don't watch or listen to Lowe, but I'll read his articles. That recent post on Kyle Korver was amazing.

[kayess]

Re: Lowe and Simmons

I've always loved the contrast between these two: Simmons's gimmick is that, just like the rest of us, he's a fan, and there's absolutely nothing wrong about that when you're as honest about his biases as he is (Kareem is a ninny, eff the Lakers, etc.) Lowe's pretty much transcended fandom - he's able to appreciate every player and every aspect of the game for whatever they're worth - but he's still able to enjoy it from an artistic, encapsulating-the-struggle-of-the-human-condition point of view.

Case in point: Compare these two articles from Simmons (http://grantland.com/features/the-consequences-caring/) and Lowe (http://grantland.com/the-triangle/the-life-and-death-of-fandom/) respectively.

(btw, I think Simmons absolutely hit that one out of the park)

[PaulieWal]

Re: Lowe and Simmons

I've always loved the contrast between these two: Simmons's gimmick is that, just like the rest of us, he's a fan, and there's absolutely nothing wrong about that when you're as honest about his biases as he is (Kareem is a ninny, eff the Lakers, etc.) Lowe's pretty much transcended fandom - he's able to appreciate every player and every aspect of the game for whatever they're worth - but he's still able to enjoy it from an artistic, encapsulating-the-struggle-of-the-human-condition point of view.

Case in point: Compare these two articles from Simmons (http://grantland.com/features/the-consequences-caring/) and Lowe (http://grantland.com/the-triangle/the-life-and-death-of-fandom/) respectively.

(btw, I think Simmons absolutely hit that one out of the park)

I agree. As much hate as Simmons get for his TV gig and he deserves it sometimes he is an incredibly talented writer. I think that's also the reason he struggles with TV. His weird conspiracies and theories which are funny in writing make for cringe worthy TV at times and he becomes another ESPN hack when on air. Lowe is pretty analytical guy who has a dry sense of humor. You don't read his stuff for the humor or to be entertained, you read his stuff to learn more about the game. My understanding of plays and the things different teams do on offense and defense is so much better since I started reading him. Listening or reading him I know I am getting no bull analysis. I expect his podcasts to get better as well. You can't compare his podcasts to Simmons who has been doing it for 7 years now vs. Lowe who started it a few months ago.

[Ballerhogger]

why did kobe and dirk franchise thread get locked?

[Quotatious]

why did kobe and dirk franchise thread get locked?

Because Dirk won the poll, so the the goal of some agenda-driven posters has been accomplished.

[kayess]

why did kobe and dirk franchise thread get locked?

Because Dirk won the poll, so the the goal of some agenda-driven posters has been accomplished.

Everyone's out to get Kobe, he has the harshest standards applied to any superstar ever, no one is even in the same stratosphere when it comes to uncalled for criticism.

btw, LeBron should've gone for 70 in the 2014 Finals. His efficiency numbers are meaningless, your context means nothing. His usage numbers though? It tells you everything you need to know, no context needed, about the load he carried

btw, Wilt was a selfish stat padder who couldn't beat Russell consistently enough because he cared only about his own efficiency

[Ballerhogger]

why did kobe and dirk franchise thread get locked?

Because Dirk won the poll, so the the goal of some agenda-driven posters has been accomplished.

That is pretty comical

[Doctor MJ]

Top 5 in no particular order

Johnny U
Joe Montana
Peyton Manning
Tom Brady
Brett Favre

Otto Graham should get a mention for the pre-Super Bowl guys. He's like the Bill Russell of the NFL. No one won like him and he still holds a passing record or two.

I used to be more into ranking football before I just became dissatisfied with my ability to do so. The game is just so complex and I never played in any formal setting.

The mention of Otto Graham is important to me though. He very much is the Russell of the NFL, and there's an added irony:

When people talk about the NFL GOAT, they often have Jim Brown at the top of the list while ignoring Graham as someone from pre-historic times. Brown though joined the Cleveland Browns almost right after Graham retired from the Browns. In any normal circumstance you'd see them as being in the same era, and Graham's impact was far great on his team than Brown's was.

It seldom even gets discussed, but in most audiences you know that people would say, "Yeah, but quarterback has changed much more than running back since then.", and they are right. They make the assumption though when they do this that Graham was someone of the earlier mold, when in fact he is the archetype on which the quarterback position was built.

The Bill Walsh coaching tree is absolutely legendary, as is his West Coast Offense which is now so ubiquitous that aspects of it get used without even name checking it. Well, Walsh was coach Paul Brown's protege, his offense a variant of Brown's, and who was the guy who proved Brown's system could work? Graham.

Being the first of course doesn't make you the best, but it's important to note that coach Brown never had that success again. In fact the first time Graham retired, the team successfully begged him to come back back the offense fell apart without him, and then when he retired for good the offense went from scoring 349 points in a season to 167.

So yeah, the ability to rapidly read a field, choose the right receiver, and throw with pinpoint accuracy - basically what still defines passing quarterbacks to day - Graham was all over that. With training in modern offensive schemes, I have little doubt he'd be amazing today.

Does it make him the GOAT? I don't know. I think you can make great cases for him over legends before this generation, but Manning and Brady have just accomplished so much, it's hard for me to truly make an argument for Graham over them.

[bondom34]

Kinda off topic, but I guess that is what this thread's for, but speaking of historic football stuff a town I grew up right by had an old NFL team in the 1920s. Won the national title, but had it taken away because of some weird territory rules saying they played a team they shouldn't have or something when they played Notre Dame in an exhibition. The Pottsville Maroons:
http://www.pottsvillemaroons1925.com/

They say the Cardinals franchise is cursed since b/c the title was given to the Chicago Cardinals at the time. The field they used to play on is now a strip mall and italian restaurant.

[D Nice]

why did kobe and dirk franchise thread get locked?

Because I owned the thread.

I like how whoever locked it let there be one post after mine so it doesn't look like it. Comically convenient (otherwise the thread would have been locked as soon as it was needlessly necro'd).

I also like how if you don't rank Kobe below his actual floor it is a "sign" of intellectual inferiority.

As I said, can't wait until Stockton is a better player than Kobe (#realgm).