first take

Stephen A. Smith Hits Suns With Reality Check After KD Injury

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Stephen A. Smith has had a lot to talk about as it pertains to the NBA world over these past few weeks. Overall, a lot has happened. This is particularly true as it pertains to the Phoenix Suns. They recently traded for Kevin Durant, who is 3-0 during his time with the team. Additionally, yesterday was supposed to be a joyous occasion for the team as they were playing the Oklahoma City Thunder at home. This was going to be KD’s first home game with the team. The fans were excited about the match, and the atmosphere in the arena was palpable.

Unfortunately, things went left before the game as KD injured his left ankle. He slipped on the court and subsequently missed the entirety of the game. Moreover, it was reported that his injury could end up keeping him out for the rest of the season. This would even extend to the first round of the playoffs. It is an absolutely brutal situation that could derail the Suns’ season. As Stephen A. explained today, this has a huge effect on the Suns’ ability to win a title.

Stephen A. Speaks

“There are no title aspirations that are reasonable for the Phoenix Suns without Kevin Durant,” Stephen A. said. “If he ain’t there, they don’t have a snowball’s chance in hell.” Needless to say, the First Take host does not have very much faith in this team, beyond Kevin Durant. Ultimately, this is a fair assessment when you realize how this team has no depth once you take KD out of the equation. Of course, this is because the team traded all of its depth in order to acquire the superstar.

KD is one of the best players in the league, and when you lose him, it is incredibly hard to win. You just have to ask the Brooklyn Nets and they will confirm this to be true. Hopefully, he is able to return to the court a lot sooner than some have theorized. Let us know what you think of Smith’s take on the matter, in the comments below. Additionally, stay tuned to HNHH for the latest news and updates from the sports world.

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Stephen A. Smith Claims Lamar Jackson Situation Exposes NFL Collusion

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Stephen A. Smith has always been a big fan of Lamar Jackson. Overall, there isn’t much to dislike about Jackson. He is a quarterback who can pass the ball well, and he runs better than any other QB we have ever seen. However, he has struggled with injuries, and that is exactly why the Ravens will not offer him a huge contract. Over these past couple of years, the Ravens and Jackson have been in a stalemate as it pertains to contract talks. Consequently, the Ravens hit him with the non-exclusive franchise tag yesterday.

This is a very unique situation as any team can sign Jackson to an offer sheet. Subsequently, the Ravens have to either match the offer and keep Lamar or let him walk for two first-round picks. Shockingly, there isn’t a single team looking to make an offer. Instead, numerous teams without a quarterback have come out and said that they will not pursue the former MVP. This has many screaming “collusion,” and today on First Take, Stephen A. spoke about those allegations.

Stephen A. Talks Collusion

While speaking to Chris “Mad Dog” Russo, Stephen A. made the point that the non-exclusive franchise tag is a clause “built on collusion.” Meaning, it is a great way for teams to teach players a lesson in asking for more money than they are worth. The owners effectively win because they get to keep their best players for low prices. Moreover, the other owners benefit because now, the price for quarterbacks has dropped significantly. For example, if Jackson doesn’t get an offer sheet, he will make $32 million next year, instead of the $40 million that guys like Daniel Jones are getting. It feels like the owners are breaking the rules, although the rules are quite literally drawn up this way.

For Jackson, this is going to be a difficult few weeks. If he remains in Baltimore on this one-year bridge deal, then he will likely have to negotiate a weaker contract for himself. It is the harsh reality of the NFL, and it sucks that Jackson had to be the one to experience this. As for the Ravens, they feel very good about their decision. Let us know what you think of all this, in the comments below. Additionally, stay tuned to HNHH for more news and updates from around the sports world.

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Stephen A. Smith Has A Message For Ja Morant And His Father

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Stephen A. Smith is someone who always tries to tell it like it is, no matter what the circumstances are. If you have been paying attention to the NBA as of late, you know that the latest discourse is centered around Ja Morant. Overall, this is due to his recent behavior. For instance, he was recently seen waving a gun on Instagram live. Furthermore, he has been hit with a bevy of allegations that could very well derail his young career. Needless to say, Morant needs to take a deep breath and figure himself out before stepping on the court again.

The Grizzlies have subsequently suspended Ja Morant indefinitely. As for Stephen A., he has been tasked with speaking on Morant. Over the weekend, Smith laid out the fact for Ja, noting that the NBA has people watching their players’ every move. Smith even claims that the NBA has ties to the FBI and that they will catch you if you step out of line. It was an ominous sort of warning, although it is one that many players need to hear. Today on First Take, however, Smith had a direct message for Tee Morant, Ja’s father.

Stephen A. Reacts

“I’m simply trying to highlight and illuminate to Tee Morant the importance of him being a dad,” Smith said. “You raised him. You helped get him to this point. Make sure that you don’t let anybody get in the way of what he is on the verge of accomplishing. Make sure you do your part in protecting him instead of joining in to have a good time like you’re one of his boys. You’re not one of his boys. You’re his dad.” This is a very poignant message that could very well go a long way. In fact, it is a sentiment that Shannon Sharpe also shared.

As for the FBI stuff, Smith reiterated his position on First Take this morning. He made it clear that Morant needs to be careful, and that the NBA took a similar approach with Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson back in the day. Hopefully, every player in the league listens to this message. These are valuable things to know, especially in the digital age. You can check out some of Smith’s comments, down below.

Smith On The NBA And FBI

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The Worst Takes Skip Bayless Has Ever Had

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Skip Bayless is known for being controversial. It’s what brought in viewers to First Take and does the same with Undisputed with Shannon Sharpe now. Everyone tunes in to see what kind of nonsense he’ll spout about the latest sports news.

Skip Bayless has 3.2 million Twitter followers (and doesn’t follow anyone at all on the site) and a majority of them aren’t there for his wisdom and advice. Quite the contrary, actually, as many of them are likely there for his wild takes.

Over the years, Bayless has put a lot on Twitter and said a lot on his various platforms. He has bad takes quite often, but here are a few of the most outrageous takes he’s ever had.

Skip Bayless’ Twitter is full of poor takes

How can the NFL cancel the game after Damar Hamlin’s injury?

Bayless took to Twitter amidst the Damar Hamlin injury during the Monday Night Football contest of the NFL’s Week 17. That was his first mistake. It was a sober moment, and one that genuinely didn’t need interrupting from Skip. Nevertheless, he tried it and gave a pretty poor take.

He wondered how the NFL could consider cancelling the game after Hamlin effectively died on the field. Yes, the game was an important one for AFC seeding, but this was a man’s life on the line.

Skip Bayless tried to deftly maneuver the topic and the sensitivity of the situation, but he failed as he often does. What resulted was one of his most insensitive and thoughtless tweets of all time.

Tim Tebow can be A better Player than Cam Newton

This tweet from Bayless regarding Cam Newton and Tim Tebow is an all-timer. The then-ESPN analyst has always been a huge fan of Tebow, but this take aged as poorly as any. Bayless believed that Tebow would have a better career than Newton.

As it turned out, Newton had a far superior career and it’s not even close. Newton may be done playing thanks to injuries now, but Tebow was never even close to as good as he was. The MVP and Super Bowl appearance prove that without even looking at all of Newton’s other excellent seasons.

Newton could be a Hall of Famer one day. Tebow would be lucky to get on a ballot.

Josh Freeman is better than Cam Newton

For a long time, it was clear that Bayless was no fan of Cam Newton’s. Not only did he say Tim Tebow would be better, he also said that about Josh Freeman. The former Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback started three seasons and was out of the NFL after 2015.

Bayless said:

“Long term give me Josh Freeman over Cam. Better leader, more consistent passer, more clutch, more poised under fire, more careful with ball.”

@RealSkipBayless on Twitter

Newton has three Pro Bowl appearances and won an MVP in 2015. Once again, this take could not have aged more poorly.

Johnny Manziel > LeBron James

Skip is a known LeBron James hater, but this take took the hating to another level. Bayless once tweeted that Johnny Manziel, the electric quarterback from Texas A&M, woud have a better career in Cleveland than the NBA’s now-leading scorer, LeBron James.

Manziel flamed out of the NFL and never even looked like he would have a career as a backup. Even though James has left Cleveland twice, it’s safe to say there’s no comparison whatsoever. Manziel barely made an impact on Cleveland and James will never see an athlete replace him in that city.

Von Miller is overrated

Von Miller is probably on his way to the Hall of Fame. At the very least, he can sleep at night with a Super Bowl MVP award and knowing that he was probably the biggest reason the Denver Broncos won Super Bowl 50. He also won Super Bowl LVI with the Los Angeles Rams, so he’s had one fine career.

Rewind back to when he was a young player with the Denver Broncos and see how poorly this Skip Bayless tweet aged. Maybe Miller isn’t Denver’s MVP, but he was in the biggest game of his life, so Bayless once again couldn’t be more wrong.

More Tim Tebow love

Tim Tebow had a mediocre career with the Denver Broncos, which is why they jumped at signing Peyton Manning when he left the Indianapolis Colts. Bayless wasn’t a fan, but he did believe that Tebow could land elsewhere and finally have a real chance to become the NFL superstar the analyst always knew he would be.

Unfortunately, that never happened. Tebow was effectively out of the league after that and Manning went to two Super Bowls with Denver and won one of them on his way out of the league. Manning is a Hall of Famer and Tebow tried to play tight end recently. There’s no comparison at all.

Derek Fisher will outcoach Steve Kerr

Steve Kerr has won Coach of the Year and won three NBA Finals trophies. Derek Fisher is not even an active coach. One might think that there was no question over which coach was better. One would be wrong.

Bayless firmly believed that Fisher would end up being better than Kerr back in 2014. Just two years later, Kerr won that Coach of the Year and proved that Bayless was foolish. Seven years later, Kerr is leading the defending champion Golden State Warriors still, making the tweet look like an all time cold take.

Kerr may have the added benefit of coaching two all-time three-point shooters, but there’s no denying his ability as a coach. Mark Jackson didn’t win a Finals with the same core players.

Brandon Weeden is a star according to Skip Bayless

In 2012, Skip Bayless was convinced that the Cleveland Browns had found their franchise quarterback at long last. Brandon Weeden was their savior, according to the controversial analyst.

“Browns just stole a starting QB: Brandon Weeden. Much better than Tannehill. Will soon beat out Colt, have 6-7 good yrs. TRich AND Weeden!”

@RealSkipBayless on Twitter

Ryan Tannehill hasn’t been an MVP caliber player, but he’s still playing and starting in the NFL. Weeden isn’t and was never a good NFL quarterback. The Browns have truthfully been looking for their franchise quarterback since well before then. Maybe they’ve found it in Deshaun Watson.

Cardale Jones > Dak Prescott

Dak Prescott is potentially about to be extended by the Dallas Cowboys, but he’s at least a Pro Bowl level quarterback. Cowboys superfan Bayless believed that Cardale Jones of Ohio State University would be a better pick.

Lost in all of that is the fact that everyone, perhaps even Bayless, was clamoring over Paxton Lynch, who recently became the only quarterback to be benched in the NFL, CFL, USFL and finally, the XFL.

Skip Bayless’ Twitter is a bit of a cesspool of poor takes. He probably has one awful take per week, but some of them stand out. Which tweets from Skip deserve to be on this list? Let us know in the comments.

Stephen A. Smith Hilariously Falls Asleep During Aaron Rodgers Conversation

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Stephen A. Smith is someone who always tries to tell it like it is. Even if you aren’t a fan of his style, you cannot deny just how entertaining he is. Overall, he is the biggest personality over at ESPN, and he will likely be with the company until he retires. Having said that, there are a lot of topics for him to debate right now. Although the NBA is approaching playoff time, it seems like the NFL is also dominating the conversation. This is due to Aaron Rodgers and the aftermath of his latest “Darkness Retreat.”

At this point, no one knows what Rodgers is going to do. For the most part, there seem to be conflicting reports. For instance, Brandon Marshall took to Instagram where he posted a congratulatory message to Rodgers. In this message, he made it seem like Rodgers had already retired. However, the Packers QB has stated that he has yet to make a decision. Although, a decision is reportedly going to come very soon. Either way, Stephen A. is sick and tired of the charade.

Stephen A. Makes Us Laugh

On Wednesday morning, First Take was forced to talk about Rodgers and his situation. While Smith normally loves himself some Aaron Rodgers, he was absolutely annoyed with him this morning. In the clip above, Smith could be seen pretending to fall asleep in his chair. From there, he woke up from his slumber and said “I’m so sick and tired of talking about everything about Aaron Rodgers but winning.” To be fair, this is how a lot of people feel right now. The Rodgers drama has been annoying, and many fans just want him to make a decision right away.

Rodgers is a person who marches to the beat of his own drum. This means we probably won’t get a decision from him, anytime soon. Overall, this is just a truly mind-numbing story to follow. Rodgers does this to us every offseason, and it can be exhausting to keep up with. Let us know what you think he should do, in the comments below. Additionally, stay tuned to HNHH for more updates from the NFL world.

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Stephen A. Smith Delivers The Ultimate Praise To Damian Lillard

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Stephen A. Smith was like many others in the NBA world last night. Overall, we were all left mesmerized by the likes of Damian Lillard. The Portland Trail Blazers superstar came out and scored a total of 71 points against the Houston Rockets. Although the Rockets are horrible this year, it was still an impressive performance that was truly hard to believe. Now, Dame is just the eighth player in NBA history to score over 70 points in a game. At this point, one would have to assume that 80 is in range for some of these three-point shooters.

Subsequently, Dame’s greatness is being debated by various pundits right now. After all, he is known for his incredible shooting ability. Moreover, he has had plenty of games where he has gone for an obscene amount of points. His offense has carried the Blazers for years, and they will need him if they ever want to main their success. On First Take this morning, Stephen A. was especially excited about Dame’s performance. In fact, Smith came out and offered some incredible praise to the point guard.

Stephen A. Reacts

As you can see in the video clip above, Smith calls Lillard one of the greats. Additionally, Smith noted that aside from Steph Curry, Lillard truly is the best guard out there. It was some amazing praise from Smith, who has seen a lot of guys come and go throughout the league. “Damian Lillard is one of the greatest guards to have ever played in NBA history,” Smith said. “… In today’s game … tell me one guard you want, other than Steph Curry … more than Damian Lillard? I can’t think of anybody.”

At this point, you cannot understate just how good Lillard is at the game of basketball. Pundits like Stephen A. are well aware of this, and they will continue to give Dame his flowers, moving forward. Hopefully, the Blazers will finally surround Lillard with some premium talent. He is a guy who deserves to win a title, and it would be a shame if he never got it done. For Dame, the grind continues no matter what.

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Stephen A. Smith Reveals Who Faces The Most Pressure To Win An NBA Title This Year

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Stephen A. Smith is certainly one of the best personalities over at ESPN. In fact, one could make the argument that he is the best personality in all of sports media. Overall, he is known for his work on First Take. However, at this point, he should be credited with keeping ESPN afloat. He is a guest on practically all of their programs, and that will not change for a long time. After all, they are paying the man close to $10 million per year, which is a very large chunk of change.

When it comes to Smith, his expertise is definitely in the world of the NBA. Now that the NFL is done for the season, Smith has more opportunities to talk about basketball. On today’s episode of First Take, that is exactly what he did with JJ Redick and Chris Russo by his side. With All-Star done, the conversation has subsequently shifted to which team is going to win the title. Consequently, this has also led to some discourse about who is facing the most pressure. In order to make it simple, Smith created a list.

Stephen A. Concocts A New List

This top five list was based on who is facing the most pressure to come through and win an NBA title. Number five on the list was Kawhi Leonard, while number four was Nikola Jokic. Additionally, Jayson Tatum was at three, James Harden was at two, and number one was Chris Paul. Redick thought this was the perfect list for numerous reasons. Overall, Paul needs a title for his legacy, as does Harden. Moreover, Jayson Tatum needs to exercise the demons from last season’s NBA Finals. As for Jokic and Kawhi, well, one needs to live up to his MVP self, while the other hasn’t done much in Los Angeles.

Chris “Mad Dog” Russo was not a huge fan of the list, claiming Kevin Durant needed to be at the top. However, as Smith pointed out, Durant has won two Finals MVPs and two rings. With that in mind, there isn’t really much pressure on him at all. Let us know what you think of Smith’s take, in the comments below. Additionally, stay tuned to HNHH for the latest news and updates from around the basketball world.

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Stephen A. Smith Hits LeBron James With A Ton Of Pressure

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Stephen A. Smith, just like many other pundits this season, has been forced to talk a lot about the Los Angeles Lakers. Overall, the Lakers have not been a particularly good team. However, they possess the likes of LeBron James, so they are a hot topic of conversation. Moreover, they made some big moves at the trade deadline, and there is an expectation that they will be a lot better toward the playoffs. That said, if the Lakers do miss the playoffs, then they will be clowned for eternity. It also doesn’t help that this would be their second year in a row missing the postseason.

Now that the All-Star Game has passed us by, there are only a few more days left in the All-Star break. Ultimately, this has given Anthony Davis, LeBron, and his teammates plenty of time to rest. For Stephen A., however, their return will be filled with a lot of expectations. As Smith explains, the pressure is on right now for the Lakers. In fact, Smith believes this could damage LeBron’s legacy if they cannot find a way to get into the show.

Stephen A. Gets Honest

“You’re LeBron James, and you’re Anthony Davis, and you’re healthy enough to be on the court. You don’t make the playoffs? That’s quite embarrassing,” Smith said. It is hard to disagree with this assessment. However, it needs to be stated that LeBron and AD cannot do it all. Furthermore, this roster was not well constructed at the start of the year. This put the team in a hole for a very long time. Ultimately, LeBron has been doing everything he can to make this work. It will now be up to everyone else to play their role and give the Lakers some sort of success.

With 23 games left, the Lakers will need to win at least 15 of those games to make it into the playoffs. If they cannot get that done, then LeBron will be out of the postseason, yet again. It will be interesting to see how he plays knowing his legacy could very well take a hit. Stay tuned to HNHH for more news from around the sports world.

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Stephen A. Smith Claims LeBron Killed The Dunk Contest

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Stephen A. Smith is one of the more opinionated people in the sports world. Overall, this is exactly why he is so popular. He is someone who knows how to get people riled up with his opinions, and he has been on his game for years. Although he may be controversial, ESPN loves having him on board. He brings ratings to the station, and at this point, he carries the entire network on his back. It is a hard job, although someone has to do it.

Throughout this season, Stephen A. and his various co-hosts have had to talk a whole lot about LeBron James. LeBron and the Lakers are 13th in the Western Conference, however, they are always the center of NBA discourse. Overall, this has proven to be exhausting for most fans. However, it appears as though Smith loves talking about the purple and gold. They are a team filled with storylines, and LeBron is definitely a contributor to all of that.

Stephen A. Berates LeBron

Over the weekend, the NBA had its infamous All-Star weekend. This included the dunk contest in which Mac McClung was the victor. For many, his win was amazing. However, for others, it was a sign of how stars no longer want to do the dunk contest. Consequently, Smith decided to use this opportunity to go off on the King. In the video clip above, Stephen A. said that he feels like LeBron ruined the dunk contest. This is because superstars used to always participate in the event. Although, James never did, and because of his lead-by-example attitude, other stars followed suit. Simply put, Smith is blaming the free will of others on an innocuous decision by LeBron. While some may agree with Smith, it feels like a bit of a stretch.

Superstar players are more than welcome to participate, regardless of LeBron. Moreover, using LeBron as a blueprint for not joining the dunk contest is incredibly weak. If you want to find a reason for the poor turnout, look at the judges who come in with massive biases. Let us know if you agree with Smith, down in the comments section below.

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Stephen A. Smith Puts Immense Pressure On Devin Booker

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Stephen A. Smith has watched a lot of basketball throughout his life and career. Overall, basketball is the sport he is fondest of. That said, he is constantly giving his opinion on hot topics pertaining to the game. For the most part, his opinion in the basketball community is respected. Although there are definitely some people out there who feel the opposite. After all, Smith is a pundit who never played the game at a high level. Consequently, there are going to be people who are skeptical of whatever he has to say.

Recently, a hot topic of debate has been none other than the Phoenix Suns. The team just picked up the likes of Kevin Durant in a trade that completely shook up the entire NBA. Moving forward, the Suns are seen as title favorites. Although, they will need everyone to fire on all cylinders to make this happen. In the eyes of Stephen A. Smith, there is one player who is more important than the rest. Interestingly enough, this player is not named Kevin Durant.

Stephen A. Speaks

In the video clip above, Smith can be seen putting all of the pressure on none other than Devin Booker. As Stephen A. explains, Booker proved himself to be an MVP-caliber player last season. However, it was Booker who began to fall short in the playoffs. That said, Smith wants to see Booker play championship ball in the postseason. Smith knows Chris Paul and Kevin Durant will be ready. Regardless, if the Suns want any chance of capturing a title, Stephen A. believes it will be on the shoulders of Booker.

The Suns are a team built to win an NBA title. If they cannot get that done with Durant on the roster, then it will be seen as an abject failure. That said, there is pressure all across the board for this team. KD wants to cement his legacy while Chris Paul wants that first title. Only time will tell whether or not they can get it done. In the meantime, give us your thoughts on Stephen A.’s hot take, down in the comments below.

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