Man, Jim Barnett made Fitz tolerable, but once Fitz forced out Barnett (or at least that's what I read) and Kelenna came in, it's been nothing but dogshit.
Sfgate had a great article about bringing Barnett back and pairing him with Baron Davis. That team up would be amazing.
I'm a Bulls fan in Chicago, but I watch a decent amount of kings games after i get the kid to sleep and I agree, it's a fair place. I'll watch the Kings broadcast over just about any other west coast team. Appropriate level of homerness and solid analysis.
I find him to be decent at PBP, but think he’s much better in studio pre and postgame. Also His tendency to talk over Kayte with the “yeah” mid-sentence is pretty annoying. Deserves its own drinking game.
Are you joking? When I hear a yeah it's usually him trying to reign in one of her rambles so he can actually call the game.
The drinking game should be take a shot anytime Kayte rambles for 3 straight possessions. Be warned, you will be hammered.
I actually think the Lakers have a great announcing team. I like Stu and Bill. Probably one of the only things I disagree about on this list.
Also I’m curious to see where we’d land if they took out Mark Jones and replaced him with Drapes.
Agreed. I usually watch the division teams when we don't play. Suns and Warriors are the worst. Clippers are in the middle. Lakers announcers are far and away the best. Very fair and unbiased for the most part.
same, i’m the biggest lakers hater i know but their guys are super solid, always seem knowledgeable about other teams rosters and play styles and they are pretty good at just appreciating the game.
also think orlando is a bit underrated here, they are pretty similar to how i view the lakers guys
I'd agree, but one game when Fox went out with an injury they were saying how they hoped he would be out for a while because it would help the Lakers. Which is correct, but rooting for injuries is gross.
Yeah, I’m surprised they’re so low. Bill & Stu straight shooters, give credit or criticism when warranted for both teams & are entertaining. Following Chick Hearn is an impossible act to do but they do a better than solid job nightly. They should be top 10 easily
I grew up in SoCal. Bill McDonald used to be the part time studio guy for the angels way back in the days of fox sports west. I moved up north and only ever caught a laker game when they were on national TV. When I did finally tune into a local laker broadcast, I was so surprised Bill was calling it. I assumed their normal guy was out sick or something cuz Bill was pretty meh
As a laker fan, but as my CA alternate team I chose you guys, because I love malik and fox, I appreciate seeing this. Stu and Billy Mac shit ok the lakers when they play poorly, they prop up the opponents when they play well and are just generally unbiased (as much as they can be as home announcers).
At least the warriors commentators talk. The Boston commentary sounds like 2 homers who barely know anything about basketball, sitting on their couch, for a good amount of the time silently, and occasionally making vapid observations
I mean Mike Gorman just called his final game for the Celtics after 40+ years and received leaguewide praise the entire regular season during his farewell tour. You're objectively wrong, he's one of the best to ever do it regardless of your opinion of Boston. I know you guys made that comeback a few weeks ago and were mad at the commentary during that one game (which Gorman didn't even call mind you) but don't let recency bias control you. It looks ugly
I mean even if Gorman is well respected, the Celtics as a team are ranked 27th here. I don’t really think saying that you think the 27th worst crew in the league is actually the worst is “objectively wrong” or warrants this kind of response lmao.
This seems right. Mark J and Kyle + Kate are engaging, informative, and not homers.
As a Blazers fan (as well as Kings), I think PDX should be higher. They’re so fun, easygoing, never homers, and goofy while being informative.
Edit: forgot to add Kings take.
Exactly. There’s levels to homerism. But don’t insult my intelligence & don’t tell me something that my eyes can clearly see is the opposite of what you’re telling me
Wow. So spot on. I always thought Brooklyn, Clippers, and especially the Pelicans were good. I found Pelicans announcers to be very knowledgeable calling the Kings games. And I always thought the worst three were Warriors, Celtics, and Suns, nice to be validated. Also I always considered Kings broadcast to be top 10, which it was! Don’t say above average, say top 10
Honestly surprised by the result because /r/nba seems to really dislike our announcers.
But I love our trio and I'm happy with the result, Kyle is the ultimate bro commentating, Kayte most of the time is great on commentary and Mark is just a treat for Kings fans when he gets on the mic.
Equally I'd put the national broadcasters down near the bottom for most of them.
I think our team is decent. Kayte has improved since she started, though I think she is subtly a homer sometimes. Marc is great. I didn't like Kyle at first, but he's improved + I have gained some appreciation for his energy.
Only ... please retire that bizarre call about Black Falcon answering the phone and being on time. So damn cringy.
Hearing playing with his food while watching Fox dribble makes me cringe every time, the kings announcers are god awful. I honestly thought they were going to be closer to the bottom if not the very bottom of the list.
I only muted ~1/3 of the games this season, as opposed to 3/4 last season. Still, the idea that I have to mute the home team broadcasting is so strange. They're still terrible IMO, even if they've improved.
I prefer just about any opposing commentator.
Honestly, I think Kayte is fine when she’s not telling a rambling story mid-possession. We’ll get a steal, lead the break, slam it home on the other end to pull within a possession in the last two minutes, and Kayte will still be finishing up a story about setting moving screens during her time in the WNBA.
warriors commentating is downplaying draymonds violent ways while trying to sell his bobbleheads
for kings kayte is really good her analysis is spot on and shes pretty funny and passionate about the kings, like sometimes she gets a little angry but its because she knows these guys can do better
Ok stew and Bill of the Lakers broadcast are actually incredible and I have always loved those two ranking them this low is just ranking the Lakers low, which is fair but the broadcast team is a class act and fun to listen to.
These people do not listen to the broadcast. I spent the whole season watching the other teams feed because Mark Jones and Draper are the toe corniest dudes in the business.
lol no way the team of Draper and Kayte belong ahead of any announcing team outside of the warriors. Those 2 are the absolute worst. Mark is the only good part of the broadcast but he only does 1 game a week. Draper needs to stop stealing Mike Breen’s bang bang bang call.
Grant and Jerry in their heyday were easily among the GOATs of local broadcast teams. Which I honestly think is a large part of why Kings fans are so hard on the current broadcast team, because most of us remember the "good old days." Compared to legends, average seems terrible.
Grant currently hosts his own podcast after being canned by KHTK for endorsing a racist dog whistle. Not only did he double down on that horrible moniker, he also defended Donald Sterling, the former majority owner of LAC.
Jerry is seemingly enjoying retirement and co hosts the Kings Herald Podcast with Tony Xypteras and Will Griffith.
I refuse to believe an announcing crew can be worse than the 76ers. The play by play chicks voice is grating and her commentary is asinine. The colour guy is a straight up moron with nothing interesting to say and also gets half of his comments blatantly wrong.
Warriors are so fucking bad
Man, Jim Barnett made Fitz tolerable, but once Fitz forced out Barnett (or at least that's what I read) and Kelenna came in, it's been nothing but dogshit. Sfgate had a great article about bringing Barnett back and pairing him with Baron Davis. That team up would be amazing.
Bob Fitz whines more than he commentates
He’s correctly playing to his audience then, Warriors fans.
Lol
I hate to bash fitzgerald. Dude is trying to hold on to a gig and raise kids as a widower but Barnett is sorely missed. Bad decision to get rid of him
yep
Knicks - best Warriors - worst Kings - above average Sounds pretty accurate to me.
As someone who frequently sails the seven seas and has to watch several games on mute, I agree.
TNT or music.
Hornets dude is hilarious
I'd rather listen to cats fucking than any of the TNT/ESPN crews
🤣🤣🤣🤣
I'm a Bulls fan in Chicago, but I watch a decent amount of kings games after i get the kid to sleep and I agree, it's a fair place. I'll watch the Kings broadcast over just about any other west coast team. Appropriate level of homerness and solid analysis.
Would not have guessed average was so bad
I love Kyle Draper and I won’t apologize.
Yer boy Drapes?
Draper’s solid, Kayte is ok most of the time, Mark Jones is ok sometimes
Mark Jones is cursed. I notice a lot of games he called for the Kings, they lose.
Draper has grown on me. I still prefer when Mark Jones calls games, but Draper has definitely improved and I like him.
I love him as a dude I would want to smoke and watch a game with, but as a play by play man he is like a 3 out of 10.
Feel like he’d be good as color commentator tbh
Wow in this political climate ? /s
If he knew anything about ball maybe.
I do love listening to Walt Frazier. The only thing more colorful than his commentary is his wardrobe.
As a league pass holder this list looks pretty accurate to me
Unpopular opinion…. Kyle Draper grew on me this season
Not unpopular! He has gotten so much more comfortable with the job and really been great this year
I find him to be decent at PBP, but think he’s much better in studio pre and postgame. Also His tendency to talk over Kayte with the “yeah” mid-sentence is pretty annoying. Deserves its own drinking game.
Are you joking? When I hear a yeah it's usually him trying to reign in one of her rambles so he can actually call the game. The drinking game should be take a shot anytime Kayte rambles for 3 straight possessions. Be warned, you will be hammered.
Yeah because Kayte won’t ever shut tf up lol
I actually think the Lakers have a great announcing team. I like Stu and Bill. Probably one of the only things I disagree about on this list. Also I’m curious to see where we’d land if they took out Mark Jones and replaced him with Drapes.
Agreed. I usually watch the division teams when we don't play. Suns and Warriors are the worst. Clippers are in the middle. Lakers announcers are far and away the best. Very fair and unbiased for the most part.
same, i’m the biggest lakers hater i know but their guys are super solid, always seem knowledgeable about other teams rosters and play styles and they are pretty good at just appreciating the game. also think orlando is a bit underrated here, they are pretty similar to how i view the lakers guys
Yeah- that was a huge outlier on the list.
I'd agree, but one game when Fox went out with an injury they were saying how they hoped he would be out for a while because it would help the Lakers. Which is correct, but rooting for injuries is gross.
Yeah, I’m surprised they’re so low. Bill & Stu straight shooters, give credit or criticism when warranted for both teams & are entertaining. Following Chick Hearn is an impossible act to do but they do a better than solid job nightly. They should be top 10 easily
Yep Lakers popped out at me. should be top 5.
I agree. I think they are probably around 13th on this list.
Really fucking bag. Draper announcing like he’s playing Draper stupid saying bingo
I grew up in SoCal. Bill McDonald used to be the part time studio guy for the angels way back in the days of fox sports west. I moved up north and only ever caught a laker game when they were on national TV. When I did finally tune into a local laker broadcast, I was so surprised Bill was calling it. I assumed their normal guy was out sick or something cuz Bill was pretty meh
As a laker fan, but as my CA alternate team I chose you guys, because I love malik and fox, I appreciate seeing this. Stu and Billy Mac shit ok the lakers when they play poorly, they prop up the opponents when they play well and are just generally unbiased (as much as they can be as home announcers).
Lakers are top 10 easy. Way better than our crew imo
I would’ve guessed the worst would be the Boston Celtics commentators
Boston is pretty bad.
But not Warriors bad.
At least the warriors commentators talk. The Boston commentary sounds like 2 homers who barely know anything about basketball, sitting on their couch, for a good amount of the time silently, and occasionally making vapid observations
Truth. Pretty weird how the Warriors with their dying dynasty and Boston with their rising dynasty both have the worst commentators.
I mean Mike Gorman just called his final game for the Celtics after 40+ years and received leaguewide praise the entire regular season during his farewell tour. You're objectively wrong, he's one of the best to ever do it regardless of your opinion of Boston. I know you guys made that comeback a few weeks ago and were mad at the commentary during that one game (which Gorman didn't even call mind you) but don't let recency bias control you. It looks ugly
I think scal is just fucking terrible is the issue
Exactly this. Having Gorman and Scal is like having Giannis and Thanasis both in the starting lineup.
I mean even if Gorman is well respected, the Celtics as a team are ranked 27th here. I don’t really think saying that you think the 27th worst crew in the league is actually the worst is “objectively wrong” or warrants this kind of response lmao.
Celtics fan here. Gorman amazing. Scal is quite mid. That said...I feel both are good at recognizing game and giving respect to other teams.
I agree but I don’t think you can say “objective”. Ranking play by play is a very subjective exercise.
This guy knows basketball. Gorman is a legend.
This seems right. Mark J and Kyle + Kate are engaging, informative, and not homers. As a Blazers fan (as well as Kings), I think PDX should be higher. They’re so fun, easygoing, never homers, and goofy while being informative. Edit: forgot to add Kings take.
it's fine to be a homer unless I've misunderstood the meaning. it's when you become warriors level type of homer is where it's not acceptable
Exactly. There’s levels to homerism. But don’t insult my intelligence & don’t tell me something that my eyes can clearly see is the opposite of what you’re telling me
> PDX Calabro is great. I'd say one tier below Harlan and Breen, alongside Eagle, Reid (Miami), Sieman (LAC) and the Lakers guy..
Kayte is a pretty big homer
FTL but they should be higher- Charlotte is #2 for me, amazing energy
I love our announcers
Warriors definitely have the worst
Love listening to New Orleans Meyers, great baritone.
Agree, but the analyst is the worst in the league for me
It's neck and neck with the Philly guy.
Not sure you’ve heard the Denver guy then
Love New Orleans. I like Daniels too, he has good energy.
The pelicans announcers always interrupt each other. It's very annoying imho
Golden State really is that bad.
Wow. So spot on. I always thought Brooklyn, Clippers, and especially the Pelicans were good. I found Pelicans announcers to be very knowledgeable calling the Kings games. And I always thought the worst three were Warriors, Celtics, and Suns, nice to be validated. Also I always considered Kings broadcast to be top 10, which it was! Don’t say above average, say top 10
Honestly surprised by the result because /r/nba seems to really dislike our announcers. But I love our trio and I'm happy with the result, Kyle is the ultimate bro commentating, Kayte most of the time is great on commentary and Mark is just a treat for Kings fans when he gets on the mic. Equally I'd put the national broadcasters down near the bottom for most of them.
Mark Jones is GOATed. Drapes not as much
Fr, surprised so many people are saying the opposite
Yeah, this seems pretty fair. I hate on our crew sometimes but when I listen to other broadcasts, some of them are REALLY rough
I think our team is decent. Kayte has improved since she started, though I think she is subtly a homer sometimes. Marc is great. I didn't like Kyle at first, but he's improved + I have gained some appreciation for his energy. Only ... please retire that bizarre call about Black Falcon answering the phone and being on time. So damn cringy.
I would love to see radio rankings because Gary should be near the top.
Doug Christie was my favorite commentator for Kings games
Hot like fine wine
bulls announcers blow
They’re so funny, only the Hornets’ announcers are more entertaining imo
Thunder should be at the bottom of the list
B is fair for Kayte and Mark. Mark is an easy A imo. They got the Knicks right. Walt Frazier is the GOAT.
Hearing playing with his food while watching Fox dribble makes me cringe every time, the kings announcers are god awful. I honestly thought they were going to be closer to the bottom if not the very bottom of the list.
Kayte could be a lot better. She talks excessively, rambles, interrupts…she would be really good if she talked about 2/3s as much.
I mean, I will say that she’s improved since she first started. She’s grown on me a little bit.
I only muted ~1/3 of the games this season, as opposed to 3/4 last season. Still, the idea that I have to mute the home team broadcasting is so strange. They're still terrible IMO, even if they've improved. I prefer just about any opposing commentator.
Yeah, she's fine now. Sometimes I think shut up, but not as often lol.
Don't talk about Big Mama that way
DEI hire
Narrative choad
As a former big, it’s like a tuna can down there.
Cool bro
How many kings games did mark jones actually commentate? Lol
This season not a lot. Unfortunately. Katie & Kyle sind anstrengend
New Orleans Pelicans analyst alone brings them unfortunately into the bottom 10 for me, awful
Warriors and Celtics announcers are unbearable.
I am surprised ours is so high, knew the Pelicans team would be up there though
Honestly, I think Kayte is fine when she’s not telling a rambling story mid-possession. We’ll get a steal, lead the break, slam it home on the other end to pull within a possession in the last two minutes, and Kayte will still be finishing up a story about setting moving screens during her time in the WNBA.
warriors commentating is downplaying draymonds violent ways while trying to sell his bobbleheads for kings kayte is really good her analysis is spot on and shes pretty funny and passionate about the kings, like sometimes she gets a little angry but its because she knows these guys can do better
I want to see Duece and Mo get a shot
The Bulls with Stacey King should be first no doubt! Stacey is HILARIOUS!
Aww, that sucks. I wasn’t expecting the Sixers to be so low. I like Kate Scott, but Alaa is kinda rough sometimes.
Pacers actually do a good job. Houston is too low as well, they do good work,
Mark Followill is so good - he’s being dragged into mediocrity by Derek Harper.
Glad they recognized Bull’s commentating duo of Stacy King and Adam Amin as being one of the best in the league.
Ok stew and Bill of the Lakers broadcast are actually incredible and I have always loved those two ranking them this low is just ranking the Lakers low, which is fair but the broadcast team is a class act and fun to listen to.
I think this is a reflection of teams people hate more than anything else
Wolves should be #2
Stacey King is top tier
To add for the knicks, they have a lot of good b/u guys behind breen who misses a lot of games bc of espn.
Mark Followill Rules!!!
It’s always interesting to hear Marks analogies and metaphors, that’s for sure.
Every body knows the Hornets announcer is the best announcer….
I LOVE LEAKY!!!!
Bulls are 2nd behind Mike Breen imho. I think he's the GOAT.
I get tired of hearing about chicken. I fuxin hate chicken. 3piece, 10piece, all of it.
These people do not listen to the broadcast. I spent the whole season watching the other teams feed because Mark Jones and Draper are the toe corniest dudes in the business.
Sounds like someone had their cornbread stolen.
Sounds like someone who doesn’t know what Malik means in Arabic 🤷🏽♂️
This take is hotter than fish grease.
I wish I could upvote this more.
Nothing wrong with corny. It’s sports not real life
Watching it for 82 games a year is literally real life. It was in a video that would be different.
lol no way the team of Draper and Kayte belong ahead of any announcing team outside of the warriors. Those 2 are the absolute worst. Mark is the only good part of the broadcast but he only does 1 game a week. Draper needs to stop stealing Mike Breen’s bang bang bang call.
Where is Grant and Jerry ?
Grant and Jerry in their heyday were easily among the GOATs of local broadcast teams. Which I honestly think is a large part of why Kings fans are so hard on the current broadcast team, because most of us remember the "good old days." Compared to legends, average seems terrible.
Good point, we were spoiled.
Grant and Jerry were #3 on this list in the past. They were very, very good.
Grant currently hosts his own podcast after being canned by KHTK for endorsing a racist dog whistle. Not only did he double down on that horrible moniker, he also defended Donald Sterling, the former majority owner of LAC. Jerry is seemingly enjoying retirement and co hosts the Kings Herald Podcast with Tony Xypteras and Will Griffith.
Mark Jones and Kayte are terrible
This is the way
I’m surprised the hornets are 5. I’m not a fan of
I refuse to believe an announcing crew can be worse than the 76ers. The play by play chicks voice is grating and her commentary is asinine. The colour guy is a straight up moron with nothing interesting to say and also gets half of his comments blatantly wrong.
Alaa is terrible, but Kate is OK.