July 8 can’t come fast enough. Until NBA free agents can actually sign with the teams that are making the offers – Joe Johnson is staying in Atlanta with a max deal, Amar’e Stoudemire was offered 5 years and $100 million by the Knicks, Dirk Nowitzki is reportedly staying with the Dallas Mavericks, etc. – reporters, analysts and all-around jackasses will continue to “report” what their “sources” are telling them. Like Stephen A. Smith, for instance.
The former ESPN and Philadelphia Inquirer employee and current host of a FOX Sports radio show, Smith openly bragged one week ago that his “source” told him that Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh were a done deal for the Miami Heat. This became huge news (I even wrote about it) and the whirlwind of speculation and rumors has become ridiculous. Smith, of course, was wrong and has since backtracked via Twitter, despite not actually taking credit for his false reporting. Instead, he actually blames Bosh for making him look bad. But hey, that’s why he gets paid the big bucks.
Make me believe in credible journalism again, LA Times:
But at some point quality must trump quantity, right? The irony about our media age is that so many “scoops” are arguably less valuable than ever. The second a story is posted, competitors can rewrite the information, repackage it as their own content, and attract tons of traffic without doing much of the heavy journalistic lifting. The Internet has liberated reporters from print deadlines, but it has created an even more intense appetite — and need — for constant content, no matter how trivial or trustworthy. As a result, any bit of semi-newsy information is worth throwing to the masses, especially on a hot story like James.
Sure, this is mostly just a case of the lone dissenter, who bemoans his colleagues for doing what everyone expects and then becomes the anti-attention-whore. But still, this whole thing is absurd. I’m sure that David Stern loves every second of anything that takes the focus off of half the teams in his league failing financially, one of the worst drafts in NBA history, or the desperate attention that needs to be given to the league’s officiating. But hey, as long as Smith has a point to make, we should take him seriously.
Smith also claimed on his Twitter that the Toronto Raptors were looking for draft picks and cash as compensation in a sign-and-trade for Bosh. Too bad the Raptors announced that they will not help Bosh by completing a sign-and-trade. So 0-for-2, I guess.
And yes, he did Tweet at me today. Made my year to have my employment questioned by a guy who was just “let go” by the Philadelphia Inquirer.
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You work?!!
I wish someone would start a rumor about Amar’e Stoudemire and gay sex clubs, so I could say “I’m a bear in my natural habitat — A Stoudemire.”
Stephen A. Smith is the Dick Vitale of the NBA. A fucking blow-hard that thinks he knows everything about basketball because he talks loudly.
You’d think that one of Stephen A. Smoth’s sources would easily be able to dig up who you work for.
or Smith.
Well considering I have With Leather and Uproxx listed on my Twitter profile, I’d assume it’s an easy task. As for my fluffer gig, only the crew at Manhole Productions knows about that.
The day before Micheal Vick was indicted for dog fighting, Chris Mortenson went on ESPN and said no indictment was coming. The Falcons, believing his report called a press conference and announced they would stand by Vick. The enxt day, an indictment. The Falcons looked terrible. NO ONE at ESPN reprimanded Mortensen.
The day before Braylon Edwards was traded to the Jets, Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen both reported that Edwards was staying with Cleveland. Ooops. No one said anything about them screwing up.
Sources do this. They say things to certain reporters for various reasons. You don;’t like Stephen A. Smith. That’s what your column is about. Do you know how many stories the Watergate reporters, Woodward and Bernstein, had to retract because of poor sources? 7. Then they got the story from Deep Throat. It happens.
Hahahaha dude, you rocked Smith. Fuck yeah.
My sources tell me that Tommy Blogs is one of Stephen A. Smith’s sources.
A reporter’s job is to report facts. As soon as they start making up their own rumors for the sake of collecting a paycheck, the news becomes invalid. There are reporters who bust their asses and do great jobs in creating relevant stories based on facts. But for every Stephen A. Smith who makes up stories and reports them as news, 100 actual journalists lose credibility. By indicting SAS, I’m hardly letting the rest off the hook. I’m just pointing out that this guy made up a rumor, reported it, bragged about his “done deal” and trusty source of 15 years and he is wrong. Dead wrong. And nobody is holding him accountable. Well I am, because he’s an embarrassment to people who think there’s still a shred of decency left in journalism.
I’ve always thought that the NBA needed their very own Eklund.
*stick tap to whomever gets that*
I love how Tommy Bloggs (if that even IS his real name) thought that a winning argument would be the citing of other instances where journalists embarrassed themselves by using poor sources, and pointing out how they weren’t held accountable, and that therefore Burnsy should similarly follow suit and just let it go.
Ha ha, I love you Tommy Bloggs!
The day before Tommy Bloggs wrote this post he jacked off on the couch real quick before his parents got home.
I think SAS is just pissed at Burnsy that Red, White and Dude never really took off.
I know I am. :-(
@ Donkey Hodey
I get it.
There is a saying I have followed since the first time I wore a protective cup; Those who can do, those who can’t write about it.
Save yourself the trouble, don’t listen to any of these self proclaimed journalists.
Hey Ben, when you come back to find your racist comment deleted, know that I’m also thanking you for ruining a catalyst for intelligent debate.
Me thinks you owe Mr. Windbag an apology, he was right on all counts. He is a little more connected than you think.
Me thinks you’re wrong. He was lucky on two counts. He said it was a done deal. He went out of his way to “report” two weeks prior to anything actually being able to happen that LeBron and Bosh to the Knicks were a done deal. A week later he changed his tune to all three going to Miami. That would have been fine if his Twitter wasn’t a complete frenzy of backtracking for the past week. If he said, “I predict all three land in Miami” and then stood by it, then I never would have written this post. Instead, he guaranteed something based on an anonymous source and then altered his guarantee twice. That’s like me saying, I’m having bacon and eggs for breakfast and it’s a done deal. Then I have French toast and say, My stomach changed its mind, but I’m still right.
If LeBron chooses Miami tonight, then SAS isn’t connected, he’s lucky. And he’s still barely employed.
Me thinks you got PWNED and making excuses about SAS being lucky is even more pathetic than your original blog posting. OH and your stomach didnt change its mind, you had no choice to go for the french toast due to the egg all over your face…
Burnsy you loose! Stephen A wins! And you can head back into obscurity. I, on the other hand, will be up at 6 am to listen to SAS do a glorious victory lap, as I fantasize about Deb Carson.
Stephen was right period……now u haters can eat a dick….
Stephen A > Withleather
I have a question for the author of this article. Do you prefer crow with or without salt?