lefty
10-19-2012, 08:36 AM
It's official: Bill Simmons and Jalen Rose are replacing Chris Broussard and Jon Barry.
Apparently SVG didn't get the job because of Stern:
Quote:
According to sources, Van Gundy and ESPN allegedly had a handshake deal, and the hope was that SVG, along with Bill Simmons, would perhaps inject some life into the struggling NBA show.
And then, according to sources, NBA commissioner David Stern allegedly stepped in and prevented ESPN from hiring Van Gundy, who he has been at odds with for over a year.
I called ESPN and asked about Stern blocking the Van Gundy hire, and the network confirmed Van Gundy was a candidate. A spokesman said, “We had discussions with Stan Van Gundy and were interested in a role for him at ESPN. Ultimately, we differed on potential assignments and we moved in another direction.”
SVG isn't happy:
Quote:
“No one at ESPN will tell us what happened. Certainly the NBA office isn’t going to tell us what happened. One of the quotes from ESPN in there – we had discussions, but couldn’t agree on a role … as is usual, that’s a bunch of BS from ESPN. We actually did agree on a role, but then they came back and pulled that. That’s when we knew something was up.
Nobody is going to give a straight answer because … that’s just the way a lot of people operate … nobody there has the guts to say anything, so that’s what you deal with.
What I find fascinating … you have to give David Stern and the NBA a lot of credit … ESPN pays the league, and then the league tells them what to do. It’s more ESPN’s problem. You gotta have no balls whatsoever to pay someone hundreds of millions of dollars and let them run your business.
Apparently SVG didn't get the job because of Stern:
Quote:
According to sources, Van Gundy and ESPN allegedly had a handshake deal, and the hope was that SVG, along with Bill Simmons, would perhaps inject some life into the struggling NBA show.
And then, according to sources, NBA commissioner David Stern allegedly stepped in and prevented ESPN from hiring Van Gundy, who he has been at odds with for over a year.
I called ESPN and asked about Stern blocking the Van Gundy hire, and the network confirmed Van Gundy was a candidate. A spokesman said, “We had discussions with Stan Van Gundy and were interested in a role for him at ESPN. Ultimately, we differed on potential assignments and we moved in another direction.”
SVG isn't happy:
Quote:
“No one at ESPN will tell us what happened. Certainly the NBA office isn’t going to tell us what happened. One of the quotes from ESPN in there – we had discussions, but couldn’t agree on a role … as is usual, that’s a bunch of BS from ESPN. We actually did agree on a role, but then they came back and pulled that. That’s when we knew something was up.
Nobody is going to give a straight answer because … that’s just the way a lot of people operate … nobody there has the guts to say anything, so that’s what you deal with.
What I find fascinating … you have to give David Stern and the NBA a lot of credit … ESPN pays the league, and then the league tells them what to do. It’s more ESPN’s problem. You gotta have no balls whatsoever to pay someone hundreds of millions of dollars and let them run your business.