I don’t exactly want to say this podcast was “fun” to record, but it was therapeutic to talk about all aspects of this Gilbert Arenas situation with two well-thought and highly knowledgeable people, Mike Prada of Bullets Forever and Bethlehem Shoals of Free Darko and as of today, AOL’s NBA FanHouse.
Below is the run down of what we discussed, as ripped from what Mike wrote on Bullets Forever, and a link to play the podcast. Enjoy (I guess).
Prada: We spent an hour plus talking to one of the leading NBA bloggers of all time, Bethlehem Shoals from
Free Darko and (formerly)
Sporting News. Shoals is also an author of
The Macrophenomenal Pro Basketball Almanac: Styles, Stats and Stars In Today’s Game. The forward to that book was written by none other than Gilbert Arenas. Shoals has also written extensively about Arenas for Free Darko and The Baseline (you could say Arenas is the most “Free Darko” player in the NBA), so he feels the pain of this story as much, if not more, than us Wizards fans.
What did we end up talking about? It was a long discussion, but we hit at several of the key issues, namely:
- The media coverage and how Peter Vescey’s original New York Post article shaped perceptions of the story.
- How the local reporters (Mike Wise, Michael Lee, Mike Jones) were the guys who took a more measured approach and got the story right.
- How stories like these just spiral out of control as people write before knowing all the facts.
- “Finger guns” and all of that.
- David Stern’s ultimate decision to suspend Arenas indefinitely, and whether the a) timing and b) language of that suspension was appropriate.
- The reaction by the Wizards to basically tear down all remnants of Arenas in the Verizon Center. Is that appropriate?
- A discussion on why we hold athletes to such a high moral standard when politicians and musicians get in arguably more trouble.
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On this edition of the Dagger Report, Mike Prada of Bullets Forever and myself are joined by Mike Jones, currently the Wizards beat reporter for the Washington Times, and Jimmy Toscano of Celtics Blog.
With Mike, we discuss:
- Dealing with Gilbert Arenas in general and the exclusive he got with him this summer;
- His reaction when Arenas called the media “lazy”;
- Developing a rapport with players as a reporter;
- The current state of the Wizards and Arenas playing with a “video-game mentality”;
- The path Mike took to covering the Wizards at the Times;
- The back luck he faced on his first day on the job, covering a Wiz game in Cleveland … of all places;
- His next move as the Times has decided to cut its coverage of sports;
- The changing media landscape, its affect on local and national sports coverage, and the presence of blogs.
With Jimmy, we discuss:
- His foray, like Mike Prada and myself, into the locker room to cover an NBA team up close as a blogger;
- How Brian Scalabrine recognized Jimmy as a new face amongst the media and took the time to ask him his name, among the other characters of the Celtics locker room;
- The progression of Garnett’s knee, the statistical production of Paul Pierce, and the Celts in general.
And of course …
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{flickr/Keith Allison}
Episode #4 of the Dagger Report (a Washington Wizards podcast) is here.
This week, Mike Prada of Bullets Forever and I talk about the ways and means of Gilbert Arenas amidst early season struggles. To join us for his conversation, which was recorded on Sunday evening, is Jake Whitacre, contributing editor at Bullets Forever and managing proprietor of Gilbertology.net.
The second segment, recorded on Saturday afternoon, features Jordan Sams of SB Nation’s 76ers blog, Liberty Ballers. Here, we discuss Eddie Jordan’s first year in Philly and the troubles of the Sixers (which aren’t as bad as those of the Wizards).
Enjoy.
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In this week’s Dagger Report, Mike Prada of Bullets Forever and I talk about the Wizards’ early season struggles, and how they derive from the sub par play of Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler, the arrival of Earl Boykins … and of course, injuries.
And since the Wizards play the Detroit Pistons in D.C. tomorrow night, we caught up with Brian Packey of the SB Nation Pistons blog, Motown String Music. Brian, who evidently attended high school with JaVale McGee, drops some Pistons knowledge on us, reveals Epic Vale’s old nickname, and gives us some insight on the Pistons’ coaching situation past and present.
Enjoy.
Episode 3: The Dagger Report – Washington Wizards podcast
Or click here to subscribe via iTunes.
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Episode two of ‘The Dagger Report’, a Washington Wizards podcast is out. This week, Mike Prada of Bullets Forever and I discuss the Wizards-Cavaliers rivalry (if you want to call it that, I do).
And to get a perspective from both sides, a couple “rival” bloggers join us. John Krolik of Cavs: The Blog (part of the ESPN TrueHoop Network), and Andrew Schnitkey (aka RockKing) of the general Cleveland sports blog, Waiting For Next Year, were kind enough to take part.
In addition to rivalry talk, we’ll also talk about what exactly has been going on with the Cavs so far this season.
Click below to listen.
Episode 2: The Dagger Report – Washington Wizards podcast
Or click here to subscribe via iTunes.
Mike Prada of Bullets Forever and I decided to kick this season off with a Washington Wizards-related podcast … The Dagger Report.
Ideally this would have been posted first thing this morning (or even yesterday), ideally these podcasts will be more accessible in the future (such as on iTunes or in an embedded player instead of just a link below), and ideally you will see podcast episodes from Mike and I once a week featuring a variety of guests … as you can tell, we got a lot of ideas. It’s a work in progress, just like Flip Saunders’ coaching footprint on this team.
Below is a rundown of what we will talk about in this first episode (stolen from Prada’s post on Bullets Forever):
In our first episode, we talk with Rashad Mobley from Hoops Addict about the Wizards’ preseason. Who should start while Antawn Jamison is injured? Who should start at shooting guard? Have the Wizards experimented too much in the preseason at the expense of developing a set rotation? Rashad, Kyle and I discuss these issues and more.
We also talk with Mark Riggs, aka Rook6980, about Flip Saunders’ Hawk offensive system and his defensive philosophies. How are the Wizards picking this stuff up? Which players should fit well, and which players don’t?
Finally, with the Wizards set to play the Dallas Mavericks tonight at 8:30, we talk with Rob Mahoney from the Mavericks blog The Two Man Game. How will Shawn Marion fit in with the Mavericks this season? What’s the next shoe to drop for the Mavericks? Who do we think has the edge in tonight’s matchup? We discuss these questions and more, including a part where I question how we can consider Jason Kidd a defensive liability.
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