Bomani Jones just commented on the radio that he felt Mason was misused at Duke

[Class of '94]

Moderators, feel free to move this to another thread if it would be more appropriate.

I've been out of the NC area for a number of years, so I'm not as familiar with Bomani Jones. That being said, I just heard him on 99.9 the Fan via online streaming that he felt Mason was misused for 4 years; and that he could've been a great face to the basket 4. He also said that he believed Mason got bad infomration in that Mason should've left school earlier; and it cost him a lot of money. Bomani then went on to say that Duke has historically misused their bigs. My personal belief is that Mason Is better prepared to have a long career in the NBA by staying and developing decent post moves that he can build upon. If he had left sooner and possibly gone higher, I don't think he would've been a better NBA player longterm because I just don't think his face-up skills would've transistioned smoothly to the NBA because they weren't showing that well at the college levet his freshman and sophmore years.

Wow.....Here I thought Duke was debunking that myth about big men at Duke with Mason's success; and I here Bomani speak the same old rehtoric. I guess he somehow forgot about Elton Brand, Carlos Boozer, Shelden Williams; and even guys like Josh McRoberts and Christian L. (who were face to the basket big men although Christian had very good post moves).

Again, I don't know Bomani very well but I get the sense that no matter how many facts you'd give him that shows the contrary, he'd continue to have his (negative) views about Duke and how they utilize their big men.

[DukeWarhead]

Moderators, feel free to move this to another thread if it would be more appropriate.

I've been out of the NC area for a number of years, so I'm not as familiar with Bomani Jones. That being said, I just heard him on 99.9 the Fan via online streaming that he felt Mason was misused for 4 years; and that he could've been a great face to the basket 4. He also said that he believed Mason got bad infomration in that Mason should've left school earlier; and it cost him a lot of money. Bomani then went on to say that Duke has historically misused their bigs. My personal belief is that Mason Is better prepared to have a long career in the NBA by staying and developing decent post moves that he can build upon. If he had left sooner and possibly gone higher, I don't think he would've been a better NBA player longterm because I just don't think his face-up skills would've transistioned smoothly to the NBA because they weren't showing that well at the college levet his freshman and sophmore years.

Wow.....Here I thought Duke was debunking that myth about big men at Duke with Mason's success; and I here Bomani speak the same old rehtoric. I guess he somehow forgot about Elton Brand, Carlos Boozer, Shelden Williams; and even guys like Josh McRoberts and Christian L. (who were face to the basket big men although Christian had very good post moves).

Again, I don't know Bomani very well but I get the sense that no matter how many facts you'd give him that shows the contrary, he'd continue to have his (negative) views about Duke and how they utilize their big men.

Yes, we totally misused the Big Man of the Year winner. I suppose we should have had him running the point.

[Class of '94]

To Adam Gold's credit (one of the radio hosts), he repeated a couple of times that they would agree to disagree with Bomani. However, that's when Bomani started trying to justify his opinion and made those ridiculous statements about Duke historically misusing their bigs; and how Mason could've made more money if he had left sooner. Thus, he concluded that Mason was getting bad information by staying at Duke as long as he did.

[hudlow]

To Adam Gold's credit (one of the radio hosts), he repeated a couple of times that they would agree to disagree with Bomani. However, that's when Bomani started trying to justify his opinion and made those ridiculous statements about Duke historically misusing their bigs; and how Mason could've made more money if he had left sooner. Thus, he concluded that Mason was getting bad information by staying at Duke as long as he did.

Maybe it's not all about the money...

[wilko]

Bo can BE very entertaining when he isnt talking about Duke.
When he does talk Duke, hes a UNC honk. He cant help it.

I bet he didn't say Reggie got bad advice - It was "Go get your Money son".

Truth be told - from him - It was less about Mason and more about wanting to see Duke lose more.

[FerryFor50]

Moderators, feel free to move this to another thread if it would be more appropriate.

I've been out of the NC area for a number of years, so I'm not as familiar with Bomani Jones. That being said, I just heard him on 99.9 the Fan via online streaming that he felt Mason was misused for 4 years; and that he could've been a great face to the basket 4. He also said that he believed Mason got bad infomration in that Mason should've left school earlier; and it cost him a lot of money. Bomani then went on to say that Duke has historically misused their bigs. My personal belief is that Mason Is better prepared to have a long career in the NBA by staying and developing decent post moves that he can build upon. If he had left sooner and possibly gone higher, I don't think he would've been a better NBA player longterm because I just don't think his face-up skills would've transistioned smoothly to the NBA because they weren't showing that well at the college levet his freshman and sophmore years.

Wow.....Here I thought Duke was debunking that myth about big men at Duke with Mason's success; and I here Bomani speak the same old rehtoric. I guess he somehow forgot about Elton Brand, Carlos Boozer, Shelden Williams; and even guys like Josh McRoberts and Christian L. (who were face to the basket big men although Christian had very good post moves).

Again, I don't know Bomani very well but I get the sense that no matter how many facts you'd give him that shows the contrary, he'd continue to have his (negative) views about Duke and how they utilize their big men.

Bomani went to UNC. That's all you need to know.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bomani_Jones

[OldPhiKap]

Bomani went to UNC. That's all you need to know.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bomani_Jones

Bomani misused his educational opportunities.

[Newton_14]

Bomani went to UNC. That's all you need to know.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bomani_Jones

He also was reportedly fired from a teaching job at Duke. Just more fuel to the Bomani hates Duke fire. He's a tool.

[roywhite]

Bo can BE very entertaining when he isnt talking about Duke.
When he does talk Duke, hes a UNC honk. He cant help it.

I bet he didn't say Reggie got bad advice - It was "Go get your Money son".

Truth be told - from him - It was less about Mason and more about wanting to see Duke lose more.

Right on. Bo has talent and a good knowledge of basketball.

He just has a deep-seated dislike of Duke, and probably of Coach K, too. If you scratch the surface of a few other prominent broadcasters like Stuart Scott and even Scott Van Pelt, it's the same thing; they are jealous of Duke and think the natural order of things is for their beloved home state school to be on top of some uppity private school.

Bo looks foolish when he goes on a rant like this. Ultimately, it's self-defeating and hurts his credibility as an analyst and broadcaster.

[killerleft]

That I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.in' and moanin' is just all that's left of the Carolina Way.

[mattman91]

Bomani misused his educational opportunities.

Ohhhhh burn!!! :D

[Merlindevildog91]

Ohhhhh burn!!! :D

Shouldn't this comment be in the PJ Hairston/weed thread?

(Sorry, I couldn't resist.)

When Bomani Jones is on Around the Horn on the satellite radio, I listen to NPR on my way home.

[OldPhiKap]

Quick test for the SAT set --

Bomani Jones:Journalism as

A. Pizza:Health food
B. Paula Dean:Sensitivity
C. Amy Winehouse:Moderation
D. Dog:Leg


(I am assuming there is still such a thing as the SAT?)

[jipops]

Did he provide any actual specifics to this or was it the usual sweeping generalized statement? If he was misused, how was he misused? What should Duke have done differently with what Mason has brought to the table?

If our big men end up being 1st team All ACC and 2nd team All-American I hope the staff continues to misuse. Clearly being 2-time academic All-American is a prime example of misuse as well. Did Bomani cite any examples of a post-game that Mason had coming into Duke?

[uh_no]

Quick test for the SAT set --

Bomani Jones:Journalism as

A. Pizza:Health food
B. Paula Dean:Sensitivity
C. Amy Winehouse:Moderation
D. Dog:Leg


(I am assuming there is still such a thing as the SAT?)

they ditched analogies ~10 years ago, though

[arnie]

Glad I missed this and disappointed Gold didn't end the rant. Bomani's daily racist rants against Paulus and Duke in general in 2009 were the worst journalism I've ever heard. I guess integrity means nothing to ESPN and others.

[Class of '94]

Did he provide any actual specifics to this or was it the usual sweeping generalized statement? If he was misused, how was he misused? What should Duke have done differently with what Mason has brought to the table?

If our big men end up being 1st team All ACC and 2nd team All-American I hope the staff continues to misuse. Clearly being 2-time academic All-American is a prime example of misuse as well. Did Bomani cite any examples of a post-game that Mason had coming into Duke?

He basically implied that Duke forced Mason to be a back to the basket post player; and felt Mason was more natural as a "face the basket". Bomani thought that Mason would have been a very good face-up 4. Without putting words in his mouth, I interpreted Bomani as suggesting that he envisioned Mason as a KG type player that could face up and shoot or drive to the basket to score.

Bomani even went back to citing Mason's HS coach saying that Duke had misused Mason and that' s not how he used Mason in HS. Again, that's when he also said that Mason was projected to be in the teens to high twenties of the first round after his freshman year; and after 4 years he went in the twenties(the same area he would gone had he left after one year). He felt that with Mason's ability, he should've went higher (had he been better utilized or left earlier). Gold did counter that point by saying that Mason never looked very fluid in his moves facing the basket; but that's about it. Apparently, Gold didn't want to spend too much more time debating with Bomani.

The thing that had bothered me about Bomani's comments was that he completely disregarded the "history" of K playing to each player's strengths; and if Mason had shown to be a dominant player as a face-up 4, he would've allowed Mason to do it. And while Mason looked good handling the ball and running the floor on a fast break, Mason didn't look nearly as effective (or successful) in his first 2-3 years as a college player facing up and either shooting or driving the ball to the basket. A perfect example of K adjusting to the strengths of a player was Grant Hill. K early in Grant's freshman season was put in the post a lot on offense; but K realized after a few games that Grant was more effective on the perimeter driving and penetrating to the basket; and he adjusted Duke's offense by moving Grant to the perimeter to take better advantage of Grant's skills. I just never saw that as being a viable move in Mason's first couple of years as a Duke player.

And not surprising I guess, Bomani didn't pounce on Roy when Adam and Joe wanted to get his thoughts on Roy strongly encouraging Bullock to stay; and did not consider Roy was giving his misinformation by suggesting Bullock should stay (like he implied K had done with Mason); but rather, Roy may just be stubborn and wanting to uphold the tradition and standard that Dean Smith created by making sure that players who left early were drafted in the first round; and Roy wasn't sure that would be the case for Reggie.

[OldPhiKap]

they ditched analogies ~10 years ago, though

Is that why kids are on my lawn, playing crappy "music" and wearing stupid sneakers?

[miramar]

He basically implied that Duke forced Mason to be a back to the basket post player; and felt Mason was more natural as a "face the basket". Bomani thought that Mason would have been a very good face-up 4. Without putting words in his mouth, I interpreted Bomani as suggesting that he envisioned Mason as a KG type player that could face up and shoot or drive to the basket to score.

Bomani even went back to citing Mason's HS coach saying that Duke had misused Mason and that' s not how he used Mason in HS. Again, that's when he also said that Mason was projected to be in the teens to high twenties of the first round after his freshman year; and after 4 years he went in the twenties(the same area he would gone had he left after one year). He felt that with Mason's ability, he should've went higher (had he been better utilized or left earlier). Gold did counter that point by saying that Mason never looked very fluid in his moves facing the basket; but that's about it. Apparently, Gold didn't want to spend too much more time debating with Bomani.

While there is this myth out there about Mason's extraordinary talent when he arrived at Duke, I think that has more to do with his extraordinary athleticism. Those of us who saw Mason for four years know that initially he had very limited offensive skills that he had to develop over four years. I don't understand how anyone can say that he could have been a good face-up four when at first he always seemed to crouch down and put the ball on the floor and hesitate long enough to allow the double team, which would be the kind of thing that Gold was referring to.

It's also kind of funny to hear these silly ideas from Mason's HS coach since this implies that some guy who coaches 17 and 18 year olds somehow knows more than coach K. I have no doubt that the guy used Mason differently, but there is a big difference in the opposing players in HS and the ACC.

Finally, it is possible that early on Mason could have gone as high or even higher to the NBA since the league loves potential, but he would have been far less prepared than he is now. Mason's hard work for four years gives him a much better chance for a long and productive career, so I think he's better off as a four year guy.

[Olympic Fan]

I've posted this before ... but for newcomers I will repeat it.

Bomoni is a professional Duke hater -- he claims it is his schtick. Several years ago, he contacted me to try and get contact information for Will Avery -- he thought Avery would rip K and repeat the bogus story that K told his mother "You've &^%#$ my program" that Curry Kirkpatrick (another of UNC's bogus journalists) made up -- a quote that has been denied by both Avery and his mother. As Bomoni and I talked, I asked him about an article he wrote in 2007, when he claimed that Christian Laettner's "stomp" of Aminu Timberlake was "the most despicable act ever committed on a basketball court" I asked him if he had ever heard of the Luke Witte mugging or the Kermit Washington punch ... he just laughed and explained that the facts weren't important, he was positioning himself as a Duke hater.

When you get upset by the stuff he says, you are just playing his game. He is not a journalist. He's not interested in the truth or fairness. He's all about getting a reaction.

The best thing you can do is ignore him.

[sagegrouse]

I've posted this before ... but for newcomers I will repeat it.

Bomoni is a professional Duke hater -- he claims it is his schtick.

When you get upset by the stuff he says, you are just playing his game. He is not a journalist. He's not interested in the truth or fairness. He's all about getting a reaction.

The best thing you can do is ignore him.

The surest evidence that we are in the off-season doldrums is a thread on Bomani Jones.

sage

[Mabdul Doobakus]

I think we've had at least 3 threads on Bomani in the past few months. I like him, but this is absurd. Anyone who's spent 4 years watching Mason would laugh at this idea. Mason--for all his athleticism--sometimes looks like he's never picked up a basketball. His offensive game is clumsy...every time he puts the ball on the floor, I wince, and he has nothing even remotely resembling a jump shot. Face the basket player?

[blazindw]

I love Bomani when he's not talking about Duke. Like OF said, he's a professional hater...and that's fine. I enjoy his podcast and whenever he's on ATH. I've said this before, but if I stopped listening to/reading the journalists that hate on Duke, there would be very few people left in America to read or listen to.

[davekay1971]

if I stopped listening to/reading the journalists that hate on Duke, there would be very few people left in America to read or listen to.

There's actually quite a bit to be said for that. I prefer silence over meaningless babble, and meaningless babble over purposeful disinformation.

[CDu]

I love Bomani when he's not talking about Duke. Like OF said, he's a professional hater...and that's fine. I enjoy his podcast and whenever he's on ATH. I've said this before, but if I stopped listening to/reading the journalists that hate on Duke, there would be very few people left in America to read or listen to.

It's funny, because despite being a UNC grad (econ master's program) and generally a UNC fan, he ALSO absolutely despises Roy Williams. Like, thinks Roy is a bad person and wouldn't send his kid to play for Roy Williams. He doesn't agree with Coach K but he at least respects Coach K (or has said as much in the past).

But yes, he's a guy who is paid to voice his opinion vociferously. He's not paid to be objective. That's for journalists. His job is to be a personality. He does that quite well. It's just that he tends to err on the side of abrasiveness, and since he doesn't like Duke that is obviously going to rub folks the wrong way.

I'm not really a fan of his, but it has little to do with his distaste for Duke. As you say, if we stopped listening to folks who don't like Duke, we'd have a really short list of folks to listen to.

[Duvall]

I love Bomani when he's not talking about Duke. Like OF said, he's a professional hater...and that's fine. I enjoy his podcast and whenever he's on ATH. I've said this before, but if I stopped listening to/reading the journalists that hate on Duke, there would be very few people left in America to read or listen to.

Perhaps, but would you be losing anything necessary in the process? Even if you like Jones I'm not sure how any of his Hot Sports Takes could be considered essential on any level.

[dukejim1]

He also was reportedly fired from a teaching job at Duke. Just more fuel to the Bomani hates Duke fire. He's a tool.

Either because his UNC transcript came into question or he didn't think it was necessary fro a prof to show up to class.

[Henderson]

Let's see...

Bomani Jones, who never played or coached college ball, and who has no experience with Mason or his skill set. Maybe watched some TV games.

Vs.

Coach K, who played and has had some limited coaching experience and worked personally with Mason for 4 years+.

I'm hard pressed to decide who would be the better judge of how to play Mason Plumlee.

BTW, I have a fat loud mouth know-it-all brother in law who has approximately the same experience level as Bomani. I think I'll ask him for his take on Coach K's use of MP2 when he sobers up tomorrow. Seems equivalent.

[blazindw]

Perhaps, but would you be losing anything necessary in the process? Even if you like Jones I'm not sure how any of his Hot Sports Takes could be considered essential on any level.

It's not about being essential. For example, I don't find it essential that a journalist likes Duke for me to listen to/read him. That doesn't mean I read when he/she writes something dumb about it. It's not out of the question to like someone like Bomani but still not pay close attention when they start talking about our school. No journalism in this world is essential or necessary to read or listen to, IMHO.

[moonpie23]

about 5 years ago, (when that idiot was on 850 The buzz) jones went on some rant about duke and called coach K and DUKE the "worst example of college athletics!"....it was just a little too much for me.......

I, being kind of a quiet wall flower, decided to do something pro-active about him. I began calling all the sponsors of his show, finding an upper level manager and telling that person that putting their company's money behind that mouth, and that opinion, wasn't very smart in the triangle where MANY duke fans lived. Most of the ones i spoke with were not even aware of who he was, nor the kinds of things he was saying. I invited them to tune in a listen to jones and decide for themselves if they thought it was a "positive" thing for their business.

it became a bit of a task trying to actually track down the person-of-interest at many of the sponsors, but i was diligent. I think called around 20-25 companies. I called the manager of 850 (forgot his name now) and told him what i was doing and why. He wasn't very understanding.

Around the end of the 2nd week, the phone rang, and my assistant said it was "adam gold"....i was like, wtf? i'd been on adam's show as a caller (we'd had our little contentious moment when i called len bias a "coke head" ) but there could only be one reason he'd be calling ME!! It was WORKING!!

He asked me what i was upset about and i told him that i'd had enough. If the station was going to allow that kind of garbage to flow "for ratings", then i was going to take action against the station. Adam was really kind of cool about it, and we chatted awhile, but he finally said, "what's it gonna take for you to quit calling sponsors?" I told him that Jones had to go. He said that wasn't going to happen, but that he would talk to him and see if he could tone down the duke hate rhetoric.....I said, "well, i guess we will see"....and we left it at that...

I really liked 850 at that time, Joe O is a good friend of mine and i really didn't want to hurt the station, so i withdrew my campaign...


A few months later, they announced that adam and joe were moving to 99.9 and jones was "not".........

Now he's got a gig on espn.......good for him, bad for duke fans.....but, as the wall flower that i am, i hope we don't actually meet one day...

[CPDUKEGUY24]

According to Bomani's wiki page... Please refer to the end of his early life section (it wasn't me)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bomani_Jones

[wilko]

According to Bomani's wiki page... Please refer to the end of his early life section (it wasn't me)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bomani_Jones

None the less - It is accurate.
I would have added - "and swallows" the unabridged truth

[moonpie23]

According to Bomani's wiki page... Please refer to the end of his early life section (it wasn't me)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bomani_Jones

awesome;...