Do you dislike Skip Bayless?

[swede]

If you do, watch Mark Cuban punch his lights out rhetorically.


Skip Gets Lit Up

I am liking Mark Cuban for a day.

[RashanGary]

If you do, watch Mark Cuban punch his lights out rhetorically.


Skip Gets Lit Up

I am liking Mark Cuban for a day.

You can tell Skip is no dummy. As little as he knows about sports, he hung in there in the war of words for about 1/3 of it. The longer it went, the more Cuban got to him.

Bayless doesn't bring anything to the table when it comes to actual sports conversation, but he does stir controversy and a lot of people tune in to watch that type of thing.

[Brando19]

Not a fan of Bayless...but the man knows how to stir up an argument. Did you know he was one of the best high school basketball players in the country?

[KYPack]

Not a fan of Bayless...but the man knows how to stir up an argument. Did you know he was one of the best high school basketball players in the country?

I had heard that Bayless was a top BBall proepect, but then I heard Bayless had inflated his rep and that he was just a HS star. What is the truth there, I'm too lazy to look it up?

I also like that S A smith looked like a monk that had taken a vow of silence during that segment.

Always wondered what it would take to shut that sumbitch's mouth.

[pbmax]

Bayless has padded his resume about his basketball skills, he was not a top HS prospect.

But Bayless was a good reporter and writer. or I should say he could be at times. But as far back as the Cowboys dynasty, he discovered being controversial raised his profile and paycheck.

His mind and skills are no longer used to uncover or reveal new information or understanding, they are used to discover the soft underbelly of an argument that hasn't begun yet.

The LeBron point is a wonderful demonstration. 9 years in the league, 3 MVPs and no championship. Told like that, it sounds like James is lucky he was not shattered by the weight of expectations. But Skip is expertly substituting the media's perspective for the player. The media are ready to give up on LeBron's chances at being an all time great, but I doubt LeBron was. And Skip, who does no more reporting on site, has no idea what LeBron is going through. Was he really under more pressure than Charles Barkley or Jerry West, Wilt or Kareem? Skip has no idea, he only has 9 years and 3 MVPs.

Bayless also is hewing to the idea that one great player should send a team to championship success. Jordan did not do it, West didn't, Cousy didn't, Wilt and Kareen didn't. LeBron is a poster child for the fallacy of the great player must win a chamionship meme. Great players win championships when they are teamed with very good teammates. It was a miracle James took that Cavs team to the Championship game.

In a way, Cuban wrongly credited Bayless with a point he didn't earn. Bayless had an objective data point like Cuban wanted the media to use, but Bayless' conclusion from that data was poor.

[swede]

A thoughtful post as usual, PBMax.

And I have just fallen into the inevitable trap of rewarding Bayless with attention, for it is not the clarity and depth of his reporting and commentary that justifies his salary; he gets paid to get people talking. If everyone talks about what an idiot he is he is still getting clicks and selling papers and recruiting viewers who watch in the desperate hope that someone like Mark Cuban will finally skewer him.

Cuban wasn't all that informed himself, but he at least illuminated the kind of discussions that sports fans would much rather have from the sports journalism community. Bayless gives us, "Oklahoma didn't want it as much as Miami." Would that our sports journalists would tell us how Miami managed the task. I want the sports version of the Wall Street Journal but sports journalists seem content to give us People magazine.

[Bossman641]

Bayless is a complete moron. I can't even watch that show any longer. He is a one trick idiot and his schtick grew old long ago. Find a controversial topic and argue it to death. Rodgers, tebow, vince young, lebron, tiger.

[sheepshead]

Nice, agree gotta give it to Cuban. I havent watched sports center in years for instance. I cant stand it. The commentary is too much to stomach. Its amazing more players dont call these goofs out.

[Tony Oday]

Jordan had Pippen, Shaq had Kobe, Lebron has Wade and Bosh and won't win another title.

[Brando19]

http://www.sportsgrid.com/media/skip-bayless-high-school-basketball-teammates-come-to-his-defense-kind-of/

I guess SKIP is the one that claimed he was an awesome high school player. Should have known it was bs.

[Brando19]

Jordan had Pippen, Shaq had Kobe, Lebron has Wade and Bosh and won't win another title.

You really think Lebron won't win another title? You're crazy. And Jordan had more than Pippen. I don't view Bosh as a star. He's above average player, but not a star.

[pbmax]

Jordan had Pippen, Shaq had Kobe, Lebron has Wade and Bosh and won't win another title.

Wade is getting old fast. He apparently played hurt most of the playoffs and had some disappointing games. So LeBron might need ANOTHER Wade to win another title. Bosh is very skilled but a complimentary player.

The point is that Pippen and Jordan couldn't win (or even beat Detroit) until the rest of the team was upgraded with Cartwright and Grant became a very good PF. They also needed Paxson/Hodges to find space in that offense to hit threes. You take away any of those pieces and the results of their playoff runs would be different. Remember, the conventional wisdom about Jordan before he won was that he didn't make his teammates better. He was just a scorer.

LeBron, no matter how good, isn't solely responsible for titles even though Skip thinks he is. You can see the reverse logic at work all the time among talking heads. They admit his superior talent and skills but then setup a false hurdle. "If he wants to be considered one of the best, or the best small forward of all time, he must win more titles..." He doesn't play five positions, he plays one. If it was up to one player, Wilt would have won 12 in a row.

The choice of opponents has something to do with it as well. Matchups rule.

[Pugger]

As long as folks continue to watch Clueless and is nonsense he'll be on the air. BSPN doesn't care if he is an idiot as long as his blatherings attract viewers. To me he is the Jerry Springer of sports talk.

[Kiwon]

Wow, Mark Cuban and I share something in common - we both apparently have trouble getting a good haircut. You'd think a billionaire could at least afford a decent haircut. Maybe not.

[Joemailman]

Am I the only one wondering why a thread about Skip Bayless and Mark Cuban arguing about Lebron James is in the Packer forum?