NBA Off Topic Thread

[ProfessaPackMan]

More on that:

Quote:

While Charles Barkley is a certain broadcast free agent if Warner Bros. Discovery loses its NBA package following the 2024-25 season, industry sources said Thursday that co-host Ernie Johnson would remain at Turner either way -- meaning next season could be the last for TNT’s award-winning studio show "Inside the NBA." Barkley told ESPN Cleveland on Tuesday that he has an opt-out in his contract, in case the NBA chooses ESPN, Amazon and NBCUniversal ahead of WBD. But the sources said Johnson -- who has been the lead studio host for "Inside the NBA" for 35 years -- "would stay with Turner" and likely continue his role as lead studio host for the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, as well as do MLB play-by-play. Johnson did not respond to an interview request Thursday but sources said the reason he is staying at WBD is mostly loyalty. "He is Turner Sports. Period," a source said. Recent speculation had the entire "Inside the NBA" team -- Barkley, Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith -- leaving en masse and reprising the show on either ESPN, NBC or Amazon. But the same sources also said they suspected "Shaq probably wouldn’t do TV." O’Neal, for instance, is the president of Reebok Basketball and has a production studio, Jersey Legends, that is now part of Authentic Studios. He also has ties to franchises such as Five Guys, Papa John’s, 24 Hour Fitness and Krispy Kreme. ESPN has long been intrigued by Barkley, and its Chair Jimmy Pitaro has been open about trying to replicate "Inside the NBA." "Pitaro used to say, 'How the f*** do they have the greatest show on television?'" a source said. NBC could also pursue Barkley, considering the chair of NBCUniversal’s media group, Mark Lazarus, used to work alongside Barkley at Turner. All of it is moot if David Zaslav, the WBD CEO, matches or exceeds NBC’s reported $2.5B annual bid for an NBA package. ESPN reportedly has a handshake deal to retain its current package for $2.6B, and Amazon is said to have the framework in place for a package worth another $2B-plus. That leaves WBD competing with NBC for a significant third package or taking a reduced fourth package of only Thursday night games, which would keep Barkley and O’Neal in studio. "My bet is that Zaslav will overpay to keep it, goes ballistic to keep it," an industry source said. "But I think NBC is the front-runner right now or just got in the front. I don't know if [NBA Commissioner] Adam Silver’s doing that to make Zaslav come in with a big number. It's got to be big. Like, it's got to blow NBC's number away. "But at the same time, it’ll be less [of a package] than [Zaslav] has now. He's going to have less playoff games, less regular season games ... I'm sure Amazon got playoff games in their package. In order to develop a third package [for Amazon], you’ve got to take assets away [from Turner]. Zaslav could take just Thursdays; that may be the way there's four. But not if it weakens the package too much. Then NBC is not going to pay. So I would say if David Zaslav doesn’t go ballistic, meaning pay out through his nose, NBC’s going to win."

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.co...nSource=search

[Master Live 013]

I'm not following all that too closely, but why would Zaslav need to go "ballistic"? Doesn't TNT have matching rights? Whatever number NBC puts forward Zaslav gets to say "Yes/No" and that is that. Unless he needs to go "ballistic" to force a 4th package which allegedly is not the NBA's preference (but that also may be a negotiating tactic on their part).



Don't care about the Shaq part, as much as I like him I'm on the record that Inside the NBA was better when it was just Ernie, Kenny and Chuck. But don't know if the show works as well without Ernie.

[Sportsforever]

I apologize if this has been discussed here before; I admittedly don't follow the NBA forum as actively as I do the NFL/MLB forums. It seems like each year in the playoffs more and more big name players are injured; Giannis, Dame, Embiid, Leonard, just to name a few this year.

It may be my memory, but the NBA I watched growing up (80s/90s) I don't remember the injuries being a factor in the playoffs like they are now. Players today don't even play as many games in the regular season as they did 30 years ago with load management.

Would this indicate that the game is actually more physical? Are the athletes too muscle bound by comparison? One would think with advances in medicine, nutrition, and training we'd see fewer injuries, not more. Thoughts?

[ProfessaPackMan]

Quote: Originally Posted by Sportsforever

I apologize if this has been discussed here before; I admittedly don't follow the NBA forum as actively as I do the NFL/MLB forums. It seems like each year in the playoffs more and more big name players are injured; Giannis, Dame, Embiid, Leonard, just to name a few this year. It may be my memory, but the NBA I watched growing up (80s/90s) I don't remember the injuries being a factor in the playoffs like they are now. Players today don't even play as many games in the regular season as they did 30 years ago with load management. Would this indicate that the game is actually more physical? Are the athletes too muscle bound by comparison? One would think with advances in medicine, nutrition, and training we'd see fewer injuries, not more. Thoughts?

Don’t know if it means the game is more physical, especially when you consider the *type* of injuries that have become more “frequent” like torn muscle injuries which are moreso freak injuries as far as how they happen.

Even in Youth/HS Ball, you see more of those injuries becoming more frequent than they were 20-30 years ago.

But to your original point, I believe the one thing that has changed is…quality of life AFTER their playing careers are done. You don’t see too many players that have retired in the last 10 years look or moving around kinda crazy so I guess that’s the one + that has happened with all of those advances that you mentioned.

[dubcity]

I think guys were injured just as much, you just didn't hear about it. They would play through bad injuries. That just doesn't happen anymore. But now I think guys get hurt more as a result of skipping games, load management, etc. The constant ramp up and down leads to injuries.

[ProfessaPackMan]

What would you consider a “bad injury”?

[illwill10]

[Dead2009]

I wonder if James Harden is gonna demand a trade from the Clippers either during the offseason or midseason like he usually does next year.