NBA ratings were the highest on Christmas that they’ve been in five years, but in the weeks before, the media and online fans had to take part in their annual tradition of arguing about why the league’s ratings are down, whether it matters, and why it’s caused by what you — yes you, specifically — don’t like about the current state of the game.
Amidst all that discourse, JJ Redick was asked for his thoughts on the ratings decline to start the season, and used the opportunity to take a not-so-subtle shot at “Inside the NBA,” Turner’s longtime NBA flagship pre, post and halftime program that will be licensed to ESPN next season to continue its decades-long run.
Here is what Redick had to say, via Sam Amick of The Athletic:
“I don’t think we … have done a good job of storytelling, of celebrating the game,” Redick said. “If I’m a casual fan and you tell me every time I turn on the television that the product sucks, well, I’m not going to watch the product. And that’s really what has happened over the last 10 to 15 years. I don’t know why. It’s not funny to me.”
Claiming that someone on TV is saying every time a fan turns on an NBA game that a) the product sucks and b) that trashing it is “not funny” to him is a pretty thinly veiled shot at “Inside the NBA,” which is known for both its irreverence and how crotchety its main cast — especially Hall of Famers Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal — can be about how modern basketball is played, especially its de-emphasis of post play and preponderance of three-pointers.
And, to some degree, whether this blogger thinks it was a shot doesn’t really matter, because Barkley clearly did, and fired back during Turner’s broadcast of Timberwolves/Celtics on Thursday night (emphasis mine):
Barkley: ”Hey JJ… He said something about we’re the reason people ain’t watching this crappy product you got… yeah, us, like we’re out here jacking up 100 threes a night… JJ, you come for the king, you better not miss. Because I can get you, brother. Remember, I got the Lakers games. You can’t hide them flaws they got. You’re just a dead man walking. They got rid of Frank Vogel who did a good job, they got rid of Darvin Ham who did a good job. You came out there thinking you were gonna change things with that same ugly girl you went on a date with…
Ernie Johnson, growing increasingly frantic as highlights continue to roll: ”64-51 was your halftime score as we get back to the highlights. Rudy Gobert!”
Barkley, ignoring him to continue: ”He (Redick) came in there thinking ‘I can make this thing work.’ The hell you can! You can put some makeup on that pig!
Shaq: *dying of laughter*
Barkley, continued: “The Lakers stink, man. Come on man.”
The funniest part about this is Barkley threatening Redick with negative commentary… while railing about how much the Lakers suck. It’s like if the mob came into a small family business, smashed up the place, and then said “this is a real nice place here, it would be a shame if somebody wrecked it.” For Barkley, trashing the Lakers and teams that shoot a lot of threes is a labor of love. He’s going to do it whether Redick says nice things about his show or not.
Now, there is an argument to be had about whether the way “Inside” discusses the league has pros that outweigh the cons. Obviously basketball purists can quibble with its lack of emphasis on X’s and O’s, or say that it does a bad job explaining the sports nuances to fans to make them feel more educated about the product in a way similar to the NFL.
But if you’re reading this, you’ve probably laughed at an “Inside the NBA” clip at some point. Or had a friend who is not that into basketball send one to you because they thought it was funny. There is some value for the league in having a show even the most casual observer can be entertained by when they put it on, even if whether that outweighs any negative feelings it creates about the product is up for debate.
But I’m not going to do that here, because there is no chance I’m going to change your mind, regardless of what your opinion on the show is, so trying to do so is as pointless as the ratings discourse that sparked this feud.
The only thing left to watch for now is whether or not Redick — who might only love basketball more than he loves being condescending into a microphone — fires back at Barkley after the Lakers finish their game against the Blazers, or decides to let this beef fizzle out. We’ll update this post if he does.
