LA's play by play duo will be Bill Macdonald & John Ireland

Ireland doesn't bother me at all. It's that idiot Macdonald that sucks.

This off season sucks!

DB24 wrote:Rather have Meyers...

This doesn't make any sense.

I wonder if they didn't renew Meyers contract because they were planning on moving Spero into television, then got burned when he decided to take the Knicks job. Not sure why they had to rush to replace him with McDonald and Ireland unless it was for familiarity or were the only ones they could get willing to sign on for one-year.

http://www.insidesocal.com/tomhoffarth/archives/2011/06/your-new-lakers.html

Lakers media relations director John Black said the team had a "verbal agreement with Spero to be our new TV play-by-play announcer but he had a change of heart."

When it came out that Meyers' contract would not be renewed, Dedes was a natural choice to take over, but [b]Dedes insisted there were too many options at the time for him to give the Lakers' a solid confirmation and it would be presumptious to say he'd be hired.[b]

This is according to Wiki below so I assume it is current for what Sundy is doing now. Why in the flying F couldn't the Lakers have groveled a bit, apologized and given him a nice contract for 2 years or so to give it another try?? Would he have turned them down, I doubt it. Are they too proud to do that? Or did that go down so badly when Joel reportedly lobbied behind his back for the job and Lakers gave it to him that the bridge was too burned? Sure sounds like he's available. Again, dammit!!

"However, his most famous assignment was calling the Los Angeles Lakers telecasts on FSN. In January 2002, he took over as play-by-play announcer when Chick Hearn took a leave of absence due to a heart procedure. Hearn had called 3,338 consecutive Laker games, including playoffs. Sunderland called 17 games until Hearn returned. When Hearn died in August 2002, Sunderland returned to the Lakers, this time for good, paired with Stu Lantz. In the 2002-03 season, the team retained the simulcasts that began under Hearn's tenure. The following year, the Lakers split the broadcasts and Sunderland and Lantz called games only for television (FSN and KCAL-TV). In the summer of 2005, Sunderland was released by the Lakers and replaced by Joel Meyers.
Sunderland continued to do the Southern California Sports Report, but FSN West cancelled the show at the end of 2005. He continues to do freelance assignments, including a 20 game college basketball schedule, for the network. Sunderland served as the play-by-play announcer for NBC Sports coverage of Indoor Volleyball at the 2008 Summer Olympics. [1]
Sunderland was a member of the 1984 United States Olympic volleyball team that won the gold medal at the Los Angeles Olympics. Among his teammates were eventual broadcast partner Chris Marlowe and Volleyball Legends Karch Kiraly and Steve Timmons."

I still can't believe this is our new TV announcer. I just re-watched youtube clips of Kobe's 81 point game to see if he was as mediocre as I remember and he was, if not worse. He's enthusiastic enough, and I like him as the pre/post-game host, but his voice has no power, he doesn't get excited enough, he sounds amateurish announcing games. He was a sub and you could tell, he sounds like a host, not an announcer, this is going to suck. It's bad enough we don't what our team will look like next season, it's bad enough there's a lockout looming, but I at least wanted to be happy in the little things, like who calls the games.

Weezy wrote:I still can't believe this is our new TV announcer. I just re-watched youtube clips of Kobe's 81 point game to see if he was as mediocre as I remember and he was, if not worse. He's enthusiastic enough, and I like him as the pre/post-game host, but his voice has no power, he doesn't get excited enough, he sounds amateurish announcing games. He was a sub and you could tell, he sounds like a host, not an announcer, this is going to suck. It's bad enough we don't what our team will look like next season, it's bad enough there's a lockout looming, but I at least wanted to be happy in the little things, like who calls the games.

Well he was a sub at the time. Perhaps MacDonald realizes how great a gig this is going to be for him, so he goes and practices a bit. It is doubtful, but maybe, just maybe, he will surprise a few people... I sure hope so, because I really do not like this hire either.

Don't mind Billy Mac, he can be quick/witty and I enjoy his light-hearted approach. Funny at times too.

I guess this means I'll NEVER listen to the radio broadcast. And the real victory is John Ireland ultimately being relieved from his duties as sideline reporter.

Snake Eyes wrote:

Weezy wrote:I still can't believe this is our new TV announcer. I just re-watched youtube clips of Kobe's 81 point game to see if he was as mediocre as I remember and he was, if not worse. He's enthusiastic enough, and I like him as the pre/post-game host, but his voice has no power, he doesn't get excited enough, he sounds amateurish announcing games. He was a sub and you could tell, he sounds like a host, not an announcer, this is going to suck. It's bad enough we don't what our team will look like next season, it's bad enough there's a lockout looming, but I at least wanted to be happy in the little things, like who calls the games.

Well he was a sub at the time. Perhaps MacDonald realizes how great a gig this is going to be for him, so he goes and practices a bit. It is doubtful, but maybe, just maybe, he will surprise a few people... I sure hope so, because I really do not like this hire either.

Practice doesn't help you when you just don't have the voice. Again, I like Billy Mac, great host for Lakers Live, but as an announcer? That's just freaking lazy on the Lakers part, they couldn't even go out and find a real announcer.

The Lakers are the premier franchise in the NBA. What is this crap?

I was okay with replacing Joel with Spero because that was a clear upgrade. But McDonald? Let's just get Joel back. Or maybe they tried that already and he turned them down.

Worst off season in a while. The only thing that can make up for this is if we score Dwight or Deron.

Awful. Wow, how in the hell did this happen? Two complete jokes for those respective positions. Ireland is going to be a disaster on the radio and I'm not a Billy Mac fan either. How did we go from Spero and Joel, two outstanding and qualified announcers to neither?

So depressing. I don't know about this new Laker order . . . I'm pretty disappointed so far.

Why are you guys noting his performance during the 81 pt game? Of course he is going to sound excited. It was an 81 pt game! Can you imagine him during the regular games? I can tell Stu is going to get fed up with him.

Complaining enough about him being hired can cause a change to happen if the volume of complaints are a staggering amount. I watched this play out recently here in Dallas with the Rangers. The Rangers let Josh Lewin go (Some of y'all out there in SoCal know him as the guy who does the Chargers games.) in part because he was doing Rangers and Chargers games. The Rangers hired John Radigan, the Rangers postgame show host, to take his place on the TV broadcast. It was an unmitigated disaster and so many people complained about how bad he was as a play-by-play guy that Nolan Ryan replaced him in May after less than two months on the job. He's a really nice guy who did a good job with the postgame show, but he was a complete joke as a baseball announcer.

I think this hire of Billy Mac is comical at best. Say what you want about Joel, but this is a huge downgrade from him. Joel didn't sound like a homer like so many local play-by-play guys do and I liked that about him. He wasn't a cheerleader and that appealed to me. With Billy Mac I may have to watch all 41 Laker home games on mute on League Pass.

solenstyle wrote:Why are you guys noting his performance during the 81 pt game? Of course he is going to sound excited. It was an 81 pt game! Can you imagine him during the regular games? I can tell Stu is going to get fed up with him.

I only referenced it because it was the only freaking thing I've ever heard him announce And like I said, he was mediocre even in that game, his excitement was ok, but nothing special, Joel would have been going nuts, Sunderland would have crapped his pants. Again, he just doesn't sound like an announcer, he sounds like an interviewer.

Joel didn't bother me much at all, he got a little annoying at times but he was fairly solid, probably the least amount of homerism I've heard from a play-by-play guy.

Maybe now that the Knicks hired Spero, I'll get to see why you guys think he's so good. I've never really listened to him much.

As for MacDonald, horrible downgrade.

Man, I was really looking forward to Spero as our new announcer. Grrr!

give me a second for this s*** to sink in...

wow

I have never been more angry with a decision the Lakers have made...ever.

I was ok with getting Kwame, I was ok with every trade we made. I was ok with every coach we hired. I was ok with every contract we gave to players compared to this...

you gotta be F'N kidding me???...hiring a fruit cake like MacStupid as a tv announcer and letting Spero leave...

wow...I'll have a hard time to watch Laker games. I watched the 81 point game with MacDonald and he sucked so I decided to buy the DVD of that game with the Raptors voice which was much better.

I repeat, I have never been THIS disgusted. It will kill all the "laker games experience". wow.

Man i'm gonna miss Stu and Joel. They're one of the best announcers in the league. Even other fanbase that hate the Lakers view them in high regards and see them as unbiased and informational. They would even point out calls that went to the Lakers favor and tell that it should have gone the other way. Now they're going to be replaced by these reporters.

Peaks and valleys. New coach, I say peak. This right here, valley. What's next, peak. So looking forward to Thursday night.

yes speros voice is golden man.. too bad we couldnt negotiate a deal

Thought it said Stu is staying? Am I reading it wrong? Tv - Mac and Stu, Radio - Ireland and Mychal ?

Gone: Joel :clap: and Spero

I really like Spero, and thought he'd be a great 40 yr guy like Chick for my kids to grow up with. Bummer.

Jim Buss is going to destroy this franchise.

Word is that Joel and Stu weren't getting along, so Joel was out no matter what happened.

Meyers wasn’t pleased about the way being paved for Dedes and not being retained after this season, thus severing his ties with the Lakers. Some of his relationships, including with Lantz, became strained. Despite continuing to do their final broadcasts together on TV, Meyers and Lantz no longer spoke off the air — Meyers unhappy that partner Lantz, who was being renewed, didn’t help him more.

http://www.ocregister.com/sports/play-3 ... eland.html

Once Spero took the NY job, the lakers went with mcadonald.

I never thought Stu and Joel got along anyway. Stu was always making the guy look bad during broadcasts anyway.

therealdeal wrote:I never thought Stu and Joel got along anyway. Stu was always making the guy look bad during broadcasts anyway.

There seems to be a disconnect between the two... About the Lakers overall, to quote Bob Dylan - "The times they are a-changin...'"

I was so hoping Lantz would've been let go too. He's so grating. His arrogance and pompous attitude are pretty sickening to me, as he brings absolutely nothing of value to the table in my eyes.

Very disappointed.

damn ^ sucks stu didn't back up joel. . initially i didn't like joel but then he grew on me after the first season. i really wanted to keep sunderland's voice, but joel was pretty solid imo. but seeing spero as a potential candidate made me happy.

and yes stu always treated joel like dirt and talked down on him, feel bad for meyers honestly. .

BILLY MAC?!?!?!?!?!!?!?!!?! FFS

edit: joel meyers did it the right way, very objective for the most part(esp compared to the other 29), and had just a little of the right amount of homerism, hardly any overall. i'll miss you joel.