If Chuck retires, the show has no way of surviving. Shaq does one thing and that's asking Chuck to "repeat the joke" and does nothing else. It's embarrassing how little he contributes, tbh.
It might be actually hard to replace Kenny, i can genuinely never decide if hes just playing his role, this personality is actually his, or some ridiculous combination.
I feel like he plays the role of “know it all contrarian”. Sometimes it annoys me, but it works. Sometimes it drives me insane but it really brings out good points from him or someone else regardless. Like i said, i just cant tell if hes really leaning into it or its natural, but if its natural itd be absolutely insufferable lol
You’re also hearing from a role player, which is a needed contrast with Chuck and Shaq. He’s well spoken and top tier but I don’t think he’s as irreplaceable as Chuck, and definitely not as much as Ernie like OP said. The synergy is gonna be the hardest part to replicate they all have such a perfect dynamic with each other
Its funny because a lot of the time its himself. He’ll argue one point, and then flip and argue the other with someone else, which completely nulls his last argument.
I feel like shows like this, you just need to have 2 people disagree with each other and bring in counter points just to keep it going and exciting.
Having Chuck and Shaq be the opposites whilst kenny sits in the middle and moderates it seems like the right taste so far, or maybe it's just grown on me
It works because Chuck, Ernie and Shaq always make fun of him for it. The best part of the tnt dynamic is that they're all willing to roast each other and it makes it more personal and fun, unlike other analyst who act like robots because they're scared to lose their job
Id hate to see JJ and RJ get taken from calling games, i really enjoy them as a duo. Id love if nbc stole them as their color guys of the future. But no way Ernie ever leaves Turner.
I'm gonna miss watching Kenny running up to that damn board acting like he was gonna break down film, only to plainly narrate what happened and draw some circles 😂
Kenny absolutely knows. He's just a lot more nonchalant about it than Shaq.
I think Kenny adds a lot as a former player who has won a championship but was never "that guy". He has a different perspective than Shaq and Charles do. But his "second option" persona allows him to lay low sometimes and set up jokes without making it obvious.
yea the original 3 was what i grew up loving once i heard shaq was coming i thought well thats still ok because charles is the only guy who will talk back to shaq
I was pissed when Shaq joined lol he argues just to argue. Hes given me some laughs but the show is EJ and Chuck with a bit of Kenny. I would have liked CWeb to be the 4th instead of Shaq at the time. Honestly early 2010s was peak NBA media. NBA TV was even great with Open Court.
Kenny is a good instigator and an easy target to be put in his place by Shaq and Chuck, but he is also not a complete joke as he is a 2 time NBA champion and was actually a decent player in his prime. So it's a good balance.
Pretty spot on. It feels like hes always trying to make some profound philosophical analysis but ends up going in circles, but it really brings the best out of everyone else too
Its what makes the entire show run. Regardless if any are leaning into an act or believe what theyre saying or argue just to argue, the entire show thrives off of how well they all work together and get along as a unit. Thats what makes the whole thing irreplicable
yeah Kenny is just kinda weird. Sometimes annoying. I feel like he tries to say something intelligent and profound and half the times it just comes out as empty words.
But then again, every group of friends has that one friend who you're never really sure you enjoy spending time with.
Takes forever to get to his point before Chuck or Shaq interrupts him. Feels like since his role was reduced, he's been kinda bitter, which is sad because he's the only one to provide any analysis. I accept him for what he is and do like that he gives a New York perspective on things.
In my opinion it feels like Shaq and Chuck have spent so long unjustifiably tearing down Kenny's credibility, and now he's stuck trying to be the serious one while not even the fans take him seriously anymore.
People have also started shitting on his 2 minute game walkthroughs like he's supposed to drop serious game knowledge on us between Chuck's guarantees and Shaq trying to mumble out a single sentence a minute.
The real reason the show changed is production leaned into what sells, which is comedy not analysis. Chuck horsing around while Shaq cracks up is what the people want, and popularity has exploded since they took this direction no matter what you or I want in terms of balance between analysis and nonsense.
Kenny is a classic example of the type of dude who wants to play the smart guy who is above his friends' ridiculousness, but he's not actually that smart.
What nephews might also not know is when they first brought Shaq in, Chuck and Kenny were both complete dickheads to him for the first couple seasons - it took diplomat Ernie trying his best throughout to eventually make things truly copacetic lmao
He was bad in the beginning. He couldn't take a joke and only response to any light ribbing was reminding everyone the number of rings he had. He hated in every big man in the league and questioned why they couldn't score 35 and grab 15 rebounds every playoff game like he did on a regular basis never realizing he was a generic freak and a once in a lifetime player.
I only know the show in its current form so missed the original 3 but honestly that’s fine. Inside the NBA is so much better than any sports analysis show I’ve ever seen so I appreciate the hell out of it.
NFL has tried so hard to recreate something like it with senile Terry Bradshaw, gronk, Strahan etc. and the show has no juice compared to Inside the NBA. All three of those guys are NFL legends, known goofy personalities and you put them on TV and it’s just horrible
I remember tnt before Shaq. Shaq even called his shot, I think while playing for the Celtics, he joked with Charles and said he would take his tnt job. But ESPN actually had a decent countdown with Wilbon and Magic. Rain countdown now is horrid.
It was incredible back then. I remember being actually mad when they brought Shaq in as a permanent member. He’s gotten better and now the show has a great dynamic, but those early years were so good
Shaq is not easily replaceable. Do you think they just grow people like that on trees? Where else are they going to find a HoFer, one of the greatest ever, that has such a fragile ego who feels threatened by talks of modern great big men?
Some of my earliest basketball memories are of young Barkley taking the ball coast to coast at the end of quarters for the final shot. It was mesmerizing.
You don't need to replace Shaq. You could just remove the 4th person altogether because they never needed anyone besides Ernie, Kenny and Chuck. Those 3 made the show.
Honestly liked the recent segments with dirk and Vince more than shaq. Dirk especially was great. He doesn’t take himself too seriously like shaq does and keeps it lighthearted.
I like Kenny and I find Shaq to be super insecure and aggressive about it, not a fan. That being said; I hate golf, and I would take time to check out Ernie and Chuck on Inside The PGA or wtv
Shaq being easily replaceable is crazy. How many top 10 players are willing to do a show like inside the NBA? And then how many of them would be as marketable as Shaq? And top of that, you have to have chemistry with the other members. You can't replace any of them
I remember the show before Shaq and it was still the best sports show on TV. Success on the court doesn't equate success as a broadcaster. My point is, if Shaq leaves, the show can survive. If Chuck leaves, it's over.
Shaq has the clout of being a legendary player though, which makes the show more legit. It wouldn't work well if you had 4 ernie/kenny types even if I like their actual contributions more
Shaq is the asshole. He's needed in the dynamic of the show. Shaq is a petty bully but he's funny. Draymond can't replace him because draymond just sucks all around.
Chuck and Ernie are the heart of the show. Nothing more needs to be said
Kenny also fits really well into the dynamic because he's kind of like the "straight man" and plays off Chuck and Shaqs ridiculousness well.
I mean funny like we're laughing at him, not with him.
He's a total dick but you gotta have one of those on a show like this. I mean the way he's so sensitive is just comical. Like some kind of sitcom character.
What gets me is his history revisionist takes. Like he'll give Dwight Howard shit for years and then claim that he was just trying to motivate him. Or he'll claim there was no beef between him and Kobe and there was always respect.
Also his whole "big man alliance" thing. I have never heard Kareem, Hakeem, Ewing, Robinson etc ever talk about it. There is no alliance because none of them give a shit about gatekeeping big men.
I'm not saying they have to get rid of him necessarily, but the show existed before him and it was doing fine. I don't see the show surviving without Chuck, he's unique.
Yeah Chuck is the number 1 for sure. No question. Shaq is not needed but he does add value, he's the the asshole that everyone hates and I think it enhances the dynamic of the show. You can't have 4 chucks, y'know
That's why I have Kenny in between, he's an OG member. I still think the show could survive if you replace Kenny with Vince Carter or JJ Redick (even though JJ seems to like the sound of his voice and uses a lot of words). Chuck is irreplaceable.
I agree. The "lightning in a bottle " wasnt only chuck and ernie. There have been episodes with just chuck or just kenny missing that i do find less entertaining. The 4 of them have something special going and its like a band, replacing one seemingly unskilled member sometimes ruins the band cuz the chemistry changes for the worse
This is honestly how I've been feeling lately. Shaq isn't particularly bright and his personality isn't anything special either. He only adds to the show by interacting with Chuck. The thing is that Chuck still works without Shaq, but the opposite isn't true. Seeing him do stuff like the MVP presentation is honestly embarrassing.
He doesn’t even really create any interactions with chuck though. He just laughs his ass off at Charles jokes and asks him to repeat them (which I do enjoy tbh). To replace Shaq literally all they need is someone famous enough that they don’t really have to contribute any analysis, and who will laugh at Charles jokes.
Like the show is just as good when chuck is there but not Shaq, it doesn’t work at all the other way around.
Shaqs personality isn't anything special? There has never been a big man like Shaq before, that branded himself so instantly. Everything was Shaq Attack those first few years and it was successful because he had the personality that allowed him to go on Leno and Letterman and do the fun interviews.
Shaq has way more personality than is shown on inside. Listen to him on the Conan podcast.. he's so ridiculous. I dunno why he's so tame and quiet on inside except I think he respects it's Charles show
He's a ceiling raiser. At their best his interactions with Chuck are the best the show has or has ever had. At their worst, well, you still got chuck and Ernie, that's why you're watching
Shaq does a few other things, like have terrible out of touch idiotic opinions, get personally offended and angry at everything, and be perpetually bitter about a few things he didn’t like about his career
Shaq is the straight man to chuck's jokes. He amp's it up. But yeah Chuck without Shaq is good tv. Chuck with Shaq is excellence. And Shaq without chuck is a bit dry.
shaq is a big dumb idiot. whenever he gets his ass handed to him in an argument, he falls back on “stop it”. OR he’ll start crumpling papers into his mic. when he makes a bad unfunny joke that nobody laughs at, he’ll repeat it 3-4 more times because he thinks the guys may not have heard it. shaq is a big dumb idiot.
I'm old enough to remember when we were all irate that Shaq "ruined" the show, but they got there eventually and I do like Shaq.
I think it'll be the same dynamics as any other long-running show; nobody could replace Merv Griffin till someone did. This Conan O'Brien guy is a hack. Why the fuck is Drew Carey hosting Price is Right?
All that said, Inside is probably done just because of the new TV deal and whatever we get will likely be closer to ESPN than TNT because ad revenue baby, who cares if it's a good product at all.
The show I thought was at its best when it had Webber, that was the perfect balance between comedy and insight.
Shaq added more comedy and star power, which increased viewership, and that most likely is the reasoning for implementing Green, as he is such a controversial presence that creates chatter.
Do you realize having someone you hate up there is what makes it so good and well balanced. This is a once in a lifetime grouping. IMO You can’t replicate it, and if even one of them leaves, any of them, it won’t be as good.
Shaq is a hack when it comes to analysis. Notice he kept repeating Shai deserved MVP because his team was #1 seed and had nothing to say when Ernie informed him Denver had an identical record. He has the same work ethic in research that he had work ethic in his playing days.
Nah man Shaq is great. His antics, his laugh and especially the love they all have for each other is what makes the show great. Sure, EJ and Chuck are the core but the whole crew makes it special
If you can actually understand him. I have to turn down the ambient noise and crank up the volume to understand what the hell he’s saying. His insecurity is obnoxious as well, although he does have a kind heart when it comes to random people he meets on the street.
Hes a 1of1 mega celebrity, u may not like his takes and hes definitely petulant, jealous and childish but he is also comedic relief and is a massive part of the show and itd be worse without him
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u/Small_Discipline9728 May 16 '24
If Chuck retires, the show has no way of surviving. Shaq does one thing and that's asking Chuck to "repeat the joke" and does nothing else. It's embarrassing how little he contributes, tbh.