Charles Barkley Rips ESPN For Dan Hurley Coverage With NBA Finals, Stanley Cup Looming
Charles Barkley appeared on "Don’t @ Me with Dan Dakich" on Friday, and one of the topics of discussion centered around the rumor that Dan Hurley could coach the Los Angeles Lakers.
According to multiple sources, Los Angeles is preparing to offer Hurley a lucrative contract to become their next coach. Naturally, ESPN pounced on the news and decided to discuss that for a lengthy portion of its afternoon coverage.
Charles Barkley Turned Off Espn Because Of Their Coverage What Kind Of Idiots Are Running This Network
However, Barkley (rightfully) believes that ESPN dedicated far too much time to discussing the news, especially since the NBA and NHL are heading into their respective championship rounds.
"I love Dan Hurley, and good luck to him if he goes to the Lakers. But I was so pissed, with Game 1 of the NBA Finals and Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals coming on, for them to spend the first hour talking about, ‘What if Dan Hurley goes to the Lakers?’ I was so pissed I had to turn my TV off," Barkley said.
Dan Hurely (towel over shoulder) could sign with Lakers. But Barkley thinks ESPN should wait to heavily cover that news until it actually happens. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
He makes a valid point. The NBA is arguably one of the most followed leagues in America, yet ESPN talked about a team that got eliminated in the first round instead of the two teams fighting for the league title.
And while OutKick’s Dan Zaksheske pointed out that the Florida Panthers-Edmonton Oilers matchup presents certain problems for an American audience, ESPN still owns the rights to broadcast that series. You would think that they’d discuss this matchup just two days before it starts.
That led Barkley to dish out some pretty heavy criticism of the people who ran that hour of programming.
"This is how stupid they are. Y’all got the Stanley Cup and NBA Finals, and y’all talking about a team that’s irrelevant. Whoever’s doing that program has to be the stupidest, most boneheaded person in the world," Barkley said. "Who in the hell is running their programming over there? That’s nothing but speculation."
Obviously, if Hurley does sign with the Lakers, that will be big news. But Barkley was right to say that until then, ESPN should have focused on different and more important events.