This Guy Needs His Own Show
Michael Beasley (photo. Chad Griffith)I’m probably not the only person who thinks they could be program director for NBA TV. While I have to give credit where it’s due and applaud the network for striking gold with Gary Payton, Chris Webber and Cousin Ahmad on Tuesday night’s “NBA Gametime,” there are lots of other areas where I’d want to tweak the formula and get some more entertaining stuff on what should be one of the best sports channels on TV.
On the heels of this story, I got my latest of many ideas for an NBA TV show: “The Daily Curmudgeon” hosted by Rick Barry, where he and a guest — maybe Kareem Abdul-Jabbar one day, or Oscar Robertson the next, or Hubie Brown the day after — sit down and bitch for half-an-hour about everything they don’t like with today’s game. In a special hour-long edition every few months, Rick and Charley Rosen rifle through a “PTI”-style list of topics and just rip everything and everyone to shreds.
I also need NBA TV to take better advantage of its video library. With so many amazing games having been played throughout the League’s 60-something years, why does it seem like I’m always watching the same five old-school games? The 1984 Finals were great, and that famous Suns/Celtics game from the ’70s was cool, but get a little creative, please. Give us more Larry Johnson in his prime, more Alex English, more Run-TMC, more Hakeem, more Rodman, more Young Shaq, more Payton/Kemp, more Bad Boys.
Then there’s my reality shows: Following Michael Beasley all day around Miami, following Hamed Haddadi all day in the D-League, and “What would you Du for Love?” a dating show starring Chris Duhon and 15 hopeful NYC groupies.
What changes would you make to NBA TV?
January 21st, 2009 at 5:38 pm
GEE..."What the deuce?!" says:
See AB I am diggin your ideas man. Throw them in with a couple of my additions to the game.
That coach’s challenge would have already come into play this year a couple of times.
I would replace Chris Webber though. He is on TNT enough and I would have someone else get that spot. Ron or Tracy while they are injured. What’s Vernon Maxwell or Sprewell up to these days. Zo would even be good.
My reality show would be “Mountain of Love” featuring groupies trying to get with Deke. Hilarious already!
Deke would give the finger wag to ladies he eliminated.
January 21st, 2009 at 5:38 pm
SteveNash says:
The Rockets on “Medical Mysteries”
January 21st, 2009 at 5:47 pm
A-Slam says:
I would want a show called “The Bitch Sasha Vujacic” it’s basically a talk show with Sasha as the host (naturally) and has numerous guests on the show explaining to him why he’s a bitch (Chris Paul first guest?) The he would also have “an intimate minute with Kobe Bryant” with the machine just expressing his love and all the great things about Bryant that gives him a buldge in his under armour before every game.
January 21st, 2009 at 5:53 pm
LAballer says:
i love the beasley idea..with all the BULLSHIT reality shows on tv..why dont we have one with cameras just following an NBA player around and showing what life is like for a young rich famous hoopster? but it has to be in a big city, has to be someone with a personality (there are some people who just seem beyond boring..richard jefferson, duncan, those guys dont even need to be interviewed really) who is young and single..well single doesnt really matter i guess but im sure a lot of the players dont want their wives watching them get some groupie love..
January 21st, 2009 at 5:54 pm
wMS2 says:
And right after “The Bitch Sacha Vujacic” they could air “The Boy Vince Carter”.
January 21st, 2009 at 5:57 pm
Drink the Haterade (KB24 Chip 09) says:
It should be “What would you Do for Love?” a dating show starring K Love and 15 hopeful Minny groupies.
January 21st, 2009 at 6:03 pm
JA says:
Wow. The groupie reality shows would be killer.
And more Kemp games would definitely be a step up.
January 21st, 2009 at 6:12 pm
hooper5013 says:
@ A-slam
the whole Kobe and Sasha love this you explained is WILD JUNGLE HOMO!
LMAO @ Gee…”Mountain of love” and
Super Lmao @ “Deke would give the finger wag to ladies he eliminated.”
Pure comedy
January 21st, 2009 at 6:24 pm
miamiVIS3 says:
I would Def. watch that Michael Beasley show I miss that little web series they had about him on ESPN.com before the draft
January 21st, 2009 at 6:44 pm
A-Slam says:
@ hooper. hey im not the one who’s Kobe’s personal pet here lol just sayin sasha iss
January 21st, 2009 at 7:22 pm
fallinup says:
I’d do a show where the host is a fast talking skinny dude that goes to different courts in the country. The host hustles the players into playing him and a (or a couple) disguised NBA players.
ala White Men Can’t Jump, but with a different NBA player (s) in a different city….for every show…The host has to be funny as hell. And a smart ass. And the disguises gotta be good enough for no one to know who they really are.
January 21st, 2009 at 7:57 pm
Austin Burton says:
@fallinup — I like that one. You’d have to get NBA guys who don’t look like pro athletes on first glance: Luke Ridnour, Kevin Ollie, Anthony Johnson, etc. You can’t show up with Mo Evans or Leon Powe, dudes would be like “Nah, I’m good.”
January 21st, 2009 at 8:01 pm
fallinup says:
@ Austin
I had Steve Nash in mind. Looking like a crack head.
You’d be surprised what they can do with makeup these days. I bet Baron Davis would make a good drunk bum. Beard and all!
January 21st, 2009 at 8:08 pm
Austin Burton says:
You’re right, Nash would work. Probably Baron, too. The thing is with some guys, i.e. Kyle Korver, they’re still 6-foot-7 so it doesn’t work no matter how they look. I bet Devin Harris could pass for a “regular” guy.
January 21st, 2009 at 8:29 pm
J 694 says:
They should also start airing commercials. Nothing up to date though. Strictly old school commercials starring NBA players. Some local low budget commercials would be cool too. I know guys Todd McCullough have some local car dealer commercials that have to be priceless. Also, Yinka Dare (RIP) Puma commercials, I know they existed.
January 21st, 2009 at 8:33 pm
George W Kush Sr says:
How about sending Nate Robinson and Jameer Nelson to go play 2 on 2 and dog ma’fuckas?
January 21st, 2009 at 8:34 pm
marcus the great says:
oh yea, “Mountain of Love” sounds great @ Gee
and more video (i’m def down with more Payton/Kemp throwback footage, and of course Hakeem!
January 21st, 2009 at 9:10 pm
jc says:
Wow,How tall these guys are!If they want to date,maybe they only can find tall girls from some searching sites,as far as i know __TALLLOVING.c om__cute, hot , talented… whatever u can come up with…LOL
January 21st, 2009 at 10:50 pm
AB_40 says:
a jerome james road to revocery special?
a how to hide food instructional video with deandre jordan?
a darko millicic road to glory special?
clubbin with steve nash & shaq
a special on dirk winning the mvp?!… steve nash winning back2back mvp’s?! Shaq having only one MVP?!
and how three guys who average 11 3 and 5 to 8 assists can be considered all stars?
pau gasol and vladimir radmanovic clubbin
what I would really like to see is some bernard king games, george gervin. I don’t care if they’re in black&white. you know I wanna see some of the old greats.
and I want to have some ex aba players in the HOF because they deserve it more then some of their nba counterparts.
y’all forgot young vince and dominique wilkins:D
January 21st, 2009 at 10:57 pm
A-Slam says:
they showed the Bernard King game where he dropped 60 on the nets on christmas day. I swear every bucket was off a turn around jumper lol
January 21st, 2009 at 11:44 pm
floRida_evans says:
Turnaround j is a good move to create space and get your shot off….
January 21st, 2009 at 11:45 pm
floRida_evans says:
More rappers should use it.
January 22nd, 2009 at 12:02 am
Celts Fan says:
how about a trash-talk show like Wild’n Out, only instead of going at each other, they beat Nick Cannon to death
the best part of Gunning for that #1 Spot was Michael Beasley, eyeing up Donte Green and yelling, “Donte, you ugly as hell” as he’s dusting him for an easy layup. so ya, following Beasley around would be fuckin perfect.
and the big ticket item, you gotta put this shit on pay per view though. (cheesy, movie preview guy voice) “You almost saw it once but one faitful cup intervened. Their bad blood was never truly settled. WE got it here. 2 men enter, only 1 leaves. Artest, Wallace, steel cage.”
January 22nd, 2009 at 2:11 am
GEE...P.T.I. Pardon the Illness says:
I cannot wait for SMACK tomorrow. All the games, and especially the Knicks and Suns.
Detroit with Rip sitting out.
Houston beating Utah.
Green dropping tha fresh buzzer beater.
Bynum going off for 40 suntin.
Woooo can’t WAIT!
January 22nd, 2009 at 3:09 am
Big Sia says:
HADDADI
respect.
January 22nd, 2009 at 3:15 am
knoc says:
hahaha mountain of love. nice
January 22nd, 2009 at 4:21 am
Thats my boy Blue says:
What about “Wanna be my driver?”
People get to try out of as Eddy Currys driver…
First test who can get him his food fix back to his place the quickest (Eddy then eats the three slowest contestants)
Then you could have washing Eddy’s towels day…
Eddy then says to whoever is getting kicked out “check (it) out dave”. Only Dave’s are allowed to compete…
January 22nd, 2009 at 4:57 am
Hi, Jurg from Denmark says:
hi hi everybody.
i was thinking of a tv show where big jurgo goes through that great top 10 list of euro’s. and i get all those great player into studio to talk and we be slipping on some jin and juice. and getting drunk and randy. and then we would probly sleep with some women.
this is from jurg, hi hi.
January 22nd, 2009 at 9:46 am
wtf says:
Some of you guys are painfully lame. You have the worst jokes in the world.
January 22nd, 2009 at 10:50 am
Tbone says:
“Striking gold” with Payton and Webber? Weren’t you the one who said that it isn’t a good look for either of them when they first started together? Maybe it was Andy or Christian, but I asked for an explanation of why it isn’t a good look and got no response.
From the beginning, I’ve thought that they bring a fresh prespective to NBATV.
January 22nd, 2009 at 1:21 pm
Austin Burton says:
I didn’t think GP/Webber was a good idea at first, but they grew on me.
January 23rd, 2009 at 12:02 am
Tbone says:
Ah I appreciate the response. I think they have gotten better as well, they’ve built a little more chemistry than at first. They are some wild dudes!