... not sure if serious or laughing at someone that thinks that way. Just the "I've never liked Stu" part is empirically wrong. And would require some real convoluted logic or personal preference even to explain why.
I think I remember hearing a couple of testy moments on air where Stu made it a point to diss his perspective/disagree with him vehemently. No idea about off the mic stuff, but I remember thinking I heard a couple times on air where it seemed a little bit awkward.
maybe we are all just so used to him we don't know any different Like many, I grew up on Chick n Stu, but I do think they do a nice of being fair and unbiased and call our guys out when they stink it up. Def not homers.
I love Stu, I’ve been watching Laker games since 1993, so for me he’s always been the other voice of the Lakers next to Chick. Thanks to him I know to always shorten my dribble when I blow by my defender, or to not be cute when I take it to the rim. I actually enjoy his occasional grumpiness, his wanting to get home or to dinner already in blowouts, and how he used to never get to say a whole lot when Chick was calling games so he takes advantage of being able to now. But seriously, there are so many bad color commentary guys around the league, biased homers with zero insight on the game. We are lucky to have Stu, he will praise the other teams when they make a good play, for how they are run or coached, he’ll talk players up that deserve it, there’s no hate there from him, as it should be, he’s a pro. I also met him one time at a Laker game, in the early 2000’s. My mom’s company took us to the game, we had a suite, he came in before the game and met everyone, did a trivia question and I won one of those NBA folders made out of a basketball cover the coaches use. He seemed like a nice guy, was funny and friendly. I’ll be sad for sure the day he retires, it goes beyond just calling the games with Stu, he’s an ambassador to the team.
have to wonder just how much longer he'll be doing it given that he's 75 years old it'd feel wrong watching lakers games and not hearing stu's voice
I think listening to Chick and Stu gave me the appreciation of great players from other teams. They gave props when props were deserved. So many Laker fans will rip on opposing players to a ridiculous degree. I can remember Wade getting completely ripped by Lakers fans and I would say that they were all nuts. Sure, I would rather have Kobe, but Wade was a very good player and when you cannot acknowledge that, you kind of lesson your credibility. There are a ton of announcers that I cannot stand because they pretty obviously don't know much and just have a homer POV, love their side and hate the other. The reason I have said that it is better to understand how great the opposition is, is so that when you beat them, you know you have accomplished something. If they are all krap, then there is nobody worth beating.
Stu is the man. I do wish he lays Mr. Floor to rest, I always cringe when he does that. Regardless a fan I am. I love his call here. Legendaray.
I remember as a kid watching stu play high school ball he was the talk of the town but I didn't like him cause he always bought the smoke and always killed our sorry team but i he was a bad man around our area
Damn. I'm olde enough to remember Keith Erickson with Chick. I like Stu and will miss him when he's gone. Maybe my fave Stu-ism is "A million dollar move with a nickel finish." I cringe when "Billy Mac" does any Chick-ism. Even "In-and-out heart breaaaak!" That's Chick's. It's not yours, you fawning, homer company man Bill MacDonald. Make up your own stuff, ya effing hack. He's cringeworthy. Look: I was spoiled by Chick. I grew up listening to him. Hardly anyone even calls the game anymore, for any team. I mean really calling the game, like from pass-to-pass, with adjectives about quality of shot, what the ball did, how a guy reacted, etc. Every team has two dismal homers: one PBP guy and a "color" commentator. They all suck. Some are not as bad as others. Rarely do I find anyone any good at all, which reminds me: I was watching DET@GSW on GSW's feed. Both guys suck: Bob Fitzgerald has his tongue planted firmly us the a** of the entire GSW org, and you know what? That layup from a pass by Jordan Poole was REALLY set up by the Olympian talents of Steph Curry or Klay. We get it, ya eff-wad: they're great. How about calling the game? When someone makes a play, they (with color dude Kelenna Azubuike) can't shut up about "essence" of the greatness in a player. How about calling the game, fer crissakes? So anyway: I'm watching GSW starting crush DET in the 2nd Q, and...the sound is gone. I can hear the crowd. I can hear the squeak of basketball sneakers on the court. It was AWESOME! I wish every effing game was like that. So what did the NBCSportsBayArea people do? they told us there was a technical error, and stopped showing us the game, but we got the hear Fitzgerald and Azubuike talk, with the sound quality of a transistor radio. Fer eff's sake! Every team has its own level of crap announcers and the homerism really isn't that bad with Fitzgerald and Azubuike, "Billy Mac" and Stu. Some teams have guys who are so homerish is nauseating, and I have to change to another game. In general: the rule is: if it's a team from a city that doesn't have MLB, NFL, or NHL, the announcers are the absolute worst. EX: Portland. No matter who's behind the mic, their guys are GOOD, the opponents are EVIL. It's childish BS. The bigger the city - LA/Chi/NY - the better the announcers. (BTW: No one can hold a candle to Walt "Clyde" Frazier as a commentator, with the NYK. Tell me someone better. You can't. Dude's old skool and great at it.) I know, I'm "Old man raises fist at clouds." The only Lakers PBP guy I thought was any good (with Chick beyond beyond "great") was Spiro Dedes. I DVR games, I FFWD through commercials. I re-watch defensive sets on certain sequences with Rewind, I mute when some guy makes a nice play and the two broadcasters go off about how he was a 2nd round pick and they had to trade so and so for him, but he needed G-League time and his college was blah-blah and he likes to workout...just call the effing game. But they won't. Those days of grizzled old dudes who were brought up to call a game in order to paint a picture in the radio-listener's mind are gone. Some young computer wiz: Invent something for my Roku so I can eliminate the sound of the announcers. I know how to watch basketball intelligently and enjoy it vastly more than listening to a bunch of Company Men yack constantly about trivialities.
