tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102327997051254703.post954977590282942045..comments2023-10-31T06:31:41.395-04:00Comments on Bottom of the Barrel: Bill Simmons Quote-athon Part 1Bengoodfellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09401971573776672570noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102327997051254703.post-22093390710330048182009-08-01T14:23:33.865-04:002009-08-01T14:23:33.865-04:00Just to chime in. Simmons only puts down Ariza'...Just to chime in. Simmons only puts down Ariza's playoff shooting percentage for 3's, and not his season one for the column. He's is sneaky dishonest like that quite often in his columns.<br /><br /> He also blames the Lakers for not getting Ariza back, as if they just cut him loose. The Lakers offered him almost exactly what the Rockets did...when Ariza said "No, I want to go shop myself around some more" they picked up Artest. I would have preferred Ariza myself, but in that position, the Lakers had to cover themselves. If Boston say, makes an offer that ARiza takes, and Artest re-signs with the Rockets, the Lakers would have been screwed. They wanted Ariza, they made him a fair offer, which pretty much ended up being the same offer he took with the Rockets. In his typical Laker-hater fashion, Bill is too busy ripping them for moves that any fan can understand, but he's to myopic to see. <br /><br />His podcast with Bucher and Stein is Bah-RUTAL. After about 20 minutes, it's pretty much Bucher and Stein calling Simmons a moron, while he keeps tut-tutting them, because really HE, knows far more about the league then they do. <br /><br />There was an entire section on David Lee from the Knicks and how his rebound rating/numbers are inflated because of the fact that 1- he was on a bad team and other teams didn't really care about him getting 12 rebounds when they were going to win by 20, and 2- The Knicks then went to the Phoenix system (which Bill has already stated inflates numbers) and Lee was getting rebounds at a higher rate then normal because of the very high tempo of the game. Bill sat there in bewilderment screaming about rebounds per minute making Lee one of the Top 5 rebounders in the NBA, while Bucher and Stein kept telling him it was the situation creating numbers more then it was Lee being a great rebounder. I personally think both sides were way to stubborn. The fact that Bill was staking his argument almost entirely on a stat, that would be inflatd by exactly the factors being argued by Bucher and Stein, was the epitome of the self-involved arrogance that is Simmons today.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00086638597582394978noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102327997051254703.post-28137630856712628972009-07-30T18:59:29.764-04:002009-07-30T18:59:29.764-04:00I do remember Bill writing that in his draft diary...I do remember Bill writing that in his draft diary actually. That's nice to even just jokingly accuse Earl Clark of being a druggie. Because it was the podcast I did not hear him say anything about Joba but that sounds pretty typical of him. Can't we all get along and just love sports together...<br /><br />I guess people don't take him seriously so he is able to throw shit like that around. I think that is why no one tears him up, no one takes him to be a serious journalist and he is not making serious accusations...even though people follow his every word. <br /><br />I do expect a Papi flavored column from Bill tomorrow.Bengoodfellahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09401971573776672570noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102327997051254703.post-24506209101835596612009-07-30T16:12:22.775-04:002009-07-30T16:12:22.775-04:00I have the quote below...while it's not a dire...I have the quote below...while it's not a direct "I think Earl Clark does drugs" I do think it's an unfair cheap shot and pretty hypocritical that a guy who can handle no criticism throws these types of things out<br /><br />From his draft diary..."Bilas somehow gets through a minute analysis of Clark without comparing him to either Lamar Odom or Tim Thomas, which in NBA-speak means, "Uniquely talented forward, drifts through games, might fail a drug test or two, will get at least two coaches fired..."<br /><br />With Joba it was during a Podcast he said something along the lines of "Why can't I bet in Vegas that in five years Joba will be on Maury talking about his meth problem, I would for sure take that bet"<br /><br />Again, it's not completely I think these guys do drugs, but I do think its fairly irresponsible for a "major writer" from the biggest sports empire to throw this stuff around. Why isn't Ken Rosenthal ripping Simmons to shreds for this on live TV? <br /><br />Speaking of which, Simmons always speculates on who juices, why are people from the established media not decrying the downfall of journalism when he does it? <br /><br />Can't wait for him to defend Big Papi with baseball expert, Jack-OEvan (Anon from earlier)noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102327997051254703.post-43685806398622900182009-07-30T15:40:59.977-04:002009-07-30T15:40:59.977-04:00Thanks. I am officially adding that and crediting ...Thanks. I am officially adding that and crediting you. I knew it was somewhere, I tried all sorts of key words in google but I thought it was in his "New NBA Stats" column. <br /><br />So I guess I did find it, I am just lazy or stupid.Bengoodfellahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09401971573776672570noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102327997051254703.post-24175505235887596382009-07-30T15:28:08.055-04:002009-07-30T15:28:08.055-04:00Never mind. Here's the quote from the article ...Never mind. Here's the quote from <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/090505" rel="nofollow">the article</a> discussing Ariza's poor wide-open three point shooting:<br /><br />"3:45: Trevor Ariza misses a 3...That's the single biggest weakness on this L.A. team in crunch time: Ariza's inability to nail that open 3. He made 32 percent of them in the regular season; in the Utah series, he inexpicably caught fire and nailed 11 of 18; tonight, he's 0-for-3.<br /><br />Which brings me to another way that stats need to get better: I guarantee that 99 percent of Ariza's 3s in 2008-09 were taken when he was wide open...If someone such as Pierce shoots 35 percent on 3-pointers, actually, that's infinitely more impressive than Ariza's 32 percent. So why not make "wide-open 3-point percentage" a statistic? If you have time to set your feet, lock and load to get off a good shot, that's a wide-open 3. The point is this: For all the wide-open shots Ariza takes, he should be at 40 percent minimum. He's just not that good."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102327997051254703.post-89192618333211182242009-07-30T15:24:11.144-04:002009-07-30T15:24:11.144-04:00I know, I was going to try and avoid that story fo...I know, I was going to try and avoid that story for tomorrow but I don't know if I can or not. <br /><br />Clearly, Bill Simmons reasoning was flawed for that article. It was a good idea, that he may be older than anticipated, but it looks like it did not turn out to be right.Bengoodfellahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09401971573776672570noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102327997051254703.post-57087031124950473972009-07-30T15:13:01.923-04:002009-07-30T15:13:01.923-04:00You mentioned you can't find the article knock...You mentioned you can't find the article knocking Ariza's three point shooting skills. I wonder how long before <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=4223584" rel="nofollow">this</a> disappears (or is altered) in light of <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4366335" rel="nofollow">this</a>.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102327997051254703.post-80717275190072873822009-07-30T15:01:34.843-04:002009-07-30T15:01:34.843-04:00Martin reported one time that the podcasts with Kl...Martin reported one time that the podcasts with Klosterman are basically them talking about each other for a good period of time. It seems appropriate that would be true. I think it is pretty interesting how Bill became famous but mostly it was just a unique take he had at the time. <br /><br />Color me interested about your comments on Joba and Earl Clark. I don't remember Simmons saying they were recreational drug users or hinting at it, though I do remember him saying something about Joba, but I don't remember what it was.<br /><br />Bill believes we all love sports and are in it together, but like most of his rules, that rule doesn't go for Bill. He can say whatever he wants, like write an entire column about how he doesn't hate Kobe, but then makes comments about Kobe at every opportunity. It's his column, he can say what he wants. I just don't buy his peace, love and sports talk. That only goes for when someone says something about him.Bengoodfellahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09401971573776672570noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102327997051254703.post-1160023787260059942009-07-30T13:39:57.679-04:002009-07-30T13:39:57.679-04:00The best (or worst) Bill Simmon's podcasts are...The best (or worst) Bill Simmon's podcasts are the ones he has done with Chuck Klosterman. Klosterman always tries to analyze Simmons career and how it's amazing that a guy who is not really a journalist or much of a writer has become one of the most read sportswriters. Simmons normally goes on a clueless defense. <br /><br />I know you covered briefly Simmon's in one of his recent podcasts with Cowherd on blogs and his comment sections and how they get mean and nasty. This is coming from a guy who has pretty much directly tied Earl Clark and Joba Chamberlain to recreational drug use in his columns, when to my knowledge (and a quick google search) neither personally has had any personal connection to drug use. But hey we all love sports and are in this together, right?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102327997051254703.post-35881989248477289572009-07-30T08:07:03.866-04:002009-07-30T08:07:03.866-04:00Anon, that wasn't one of the worst articles Bi...Anon, that wasn't one of the worst articles Bill has written. I don't think I covered that on this site because I usually try to lay off him if I think he is right. That's what I don't get, how one minute he is complaining that Nash doesn't deserve MVP awards and the next minute he is one of the top 40 players in the history of the NBA. What has he done over the past two seasons that the MVP awards didn't prove? Also, as related to that Suns column, how is the system overrating Nash yet he is still one of the top 40 players of all time. These are the little things that drive me batty sometimes. <br /><br />Those critiques by Bucher and Stein are correct. Even the Isiah Thomas feud died down after he spoke with him in Vegas that one time. I don't know if it is human nature or not, but when he meets a player his opinion of them changes. I have to admit that Bill has stated the reason he doesn't go into locker rooms and interview players is because he knows his opinion of those players would change, for better or even worse I guess. At least he is actually self aware of that. Otherwise, I don't think he is aware of the inherent contradiction in getting all excited over Steve Nash. <br /><br />Martin sometimes listens to them and reports back but sometimes I feel like I need to listen to the podcasts as well. It feels different though to write down what Bill said without being able to copy and paste it on the page. I can't stand his voice but I do feel like I should listen to the podcasts. I have so many excuses for why I don't, I just need to do it.Bengoodfellahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09401971573776672570noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102327997051254703.post-78217894675861180132009-07-30T00:53:02.629-04:002009-07-30T00:53:02.629-04:00Yeah, I thought one of Simmons better pieces of da...Yeah, I thought one of Simmons better pieces of dare I say it "journalism" was when he talked about how the Suns system was overrating all their players ie. Nash <br /><br />I know you don't listen to the podcasts but in today's Ric Bucher and Mark Stien called him for his homerism to players he has actually met in person. I believe the quote was "if you spend two minutes with an athlete, you then think he's all world."<br /><br />While the podcasts are brutal, I wish somebody listened to them and covered them because it's where you become aware of how little self-actualization bill simmons has.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102327997051254703.post-12410436735476883572009-07-29T21:59:46.139-04:002009-07-29T21:59:46.139-04:00I like Almost Famous a lot, there is a certain cut...I like Almost Famous a lot, there is a certain cuteness about the movie. Of course Cameron Crowe movies have a little bit of cuteness to them sometimes and it works, Jerry Maguire, or it doesn't, Elizabethtown, so it becomes a matter of taste. <br /><br />Yes, yes, yes. Thank you for reminding us all that Bill said Steve Nash did not deserve those back to back MVPs and now he thinks he is one of the top 40 players of all time? That makes zero sense. I need to google that and get the Simmons quote about Nash not being good enough for the back to back MVPs. He is the master of revisionist history AND third person anecdotes. He's so talented!Bengoodfellahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09401971573776672570noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102327997051254703.post-18519521852277526182009-07-29T19:13:46.068-04:002009-07-29T19:13:46.068-04:00I must be one of the very few people on the planet...I must be one of the very few people on the planet who dislikes "Almost Famous". I'm just not a Cameron Crowe fan.<br /><br />the Steve Nash thing caught me off guard too...I think I remember when Nash won his second MVP and Billy was vehemently against it on the grounds that only one of the 50 best players of all time would be good enough to win back to back MVPs and that Nash was not in that category. I guess Simmons is a master of revisionist history as well as third person anecdotes.ivnnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102327997051254703.post-2506461440968436062009-07-29T19:01:39.142-04:002009-07-29T19:01:39.142-04:00It is a shock to hear Brett Favre may not stay ret...It is a shock to hear Brett Favre may not stay retired huh? I actually have something about that ready to go for tomorrow, much to everyone's dismay/happiness. <br /><br />Peter King wrote like three articles about it...so far. <br /><br />Jeremy, I can see where I may have gotten what Bill was saying wrong. I stand by the fact I think he worships Morey a little bit too much. I don't like the Artest signing for anyone because I actually agree with Bill and thinks he gets by on name recognition rather than talent nowadays. I think LA made a mistake in not choosing Ariza over Artest but I think Ariza made a mistake in choosing Houston. <br /><br />I don't know if it will work out for Houston in the future, they may be able to put some pieces around Ariza that fit his skill set. I don't hate the Ariza signing but I don't think it made sense for him to go Houston...and Bill did make fun of Ariza not being a good shooter. I may have confused Bill's excitement for Ariza over Artest for Bill's for Ariza overall. I thought he liked Ariza overall, which I don't as much when you put him in Houston. <br /><br />I wouldn't put Almost Famous too far down in the discussion for best movie but Bill's reasoning for choosing the movie wasn't the best, plus I never thought of it as a quoteable movie. <br /><br />My top three would definitely have Gladiator in it and I would have to think harder about the other two. <br /><br />I am glad to see you joined the Yahoo Fantasy League. It should be fun.Bengoodfellahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09401971573776672570noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102327997051254703.post-38530762140450667462009-07-29T18:19:37.730-04:002009-07-29T18:19:37.730-04:00I think you made an error in your logic about the ...I think you made an error in your logic about the Ariza/Los Angeles/Houston triangle. The Ariza signing was very good for Houston, and very bad for Los Angeles, and very bad for Ariza. The first point that Simmons made was not that Ariza was going to be good on Houston, it was that Los Angeles made a mistake by choosing Artest over Ariza, for all the reasons he mentioned. Ariza is a better fit for LA because he doesn't get in the way, he plays great perimeter defense, and he can knock down open threes. Artest doesn't really do any of those things. <br /><br />As for Houston, it was a good signing, because they got a good player for a cheap price. It doesn't matter that he doesn't fit spectacularly right now, because chances are they'll find a way to make it work over the next few years. The mistake that was made was by Ariza and his agent, who could have gotten similar offers from Cleveland or Boston, either who would have competed for the title with Ariza, but instead they chose to sign with Houston. I have to agree with Simmons' argument on this piece. <br /><br />As for the whole "Movie of The Decade," I think Almost Famous is definitely in the discussion, but I don't think it cracks the top 3. My list would be Gladiator, Lord of the Rings 3, and No Country for Old Men. The Dark Knight, Traffic, and Mystic River get honorable mentions from me.Jeremy Conlinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00999218325324667964noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102327997051254703.post-15616780952901008992009-07-29T15:41:32.459-04:002009-07-29T15:41:32.459-04:00Ha ha! Peter King's big Tuesday news is that ...Ha ha! Peter King's big Tuesday news is that Favre might not stay retired! No shit, Sherlock?The Caseyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03323030436625176444noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102327997051254703.post-7814995069283805482009-07-29T12:10:09.454-04:002009-07-29T12:10:09.454-04:00I like Almost Famous also...not sure if it is the ...I like Almost Famous also...not sure if it is the best movie of the decade or not. If he had done Dumb and Dumber, I may feel the same way as you. <br /><br />When he uses those quotes, it's like he is taking ownership of the movie just to make you think of him every time you hear the quotes while watching the movie.Bengoodfellahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09401971573776672570noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102327997051254703.post-50181538264598633752009-07-29T11:43:54.800-04:002009-07-29T11:43:54.800-04:00I really like the movie Almost Famous, so I'm ...I really like the movie Almost Famous, so I'm bitter at Simmons for ruining it for me. I wish he'd picked Deuce Bigelow instead.KentAllardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16034050997693995004noreply@blogger.com