This should be the best of times for Stephen A. Smith. As the NBA Finals approaches, his role in ESPN/ABC's coverage expands significantly. He is its face and voice.
Smith is coming off a major coup with the "First Take" episode featuring the much-watched interview with Earvin Johnson. During the spot, Magic spilled sour grape juice all over his departure as Lakers president. And if he didn't already have enough ESPN exposure, we have heard the Faculty is making SAS the point-man on its May 28th NBA Finals special where he will work with Magic, Michael Wilbon and Doc Rivers.
Still, when he's working on ESPN-98.7, Smith is taking deep breaths and instead of whiffing the sweet smell of success he's smelling raw sewage. Much of this is about colleagues who have been critical of the Johnson interview. Some of their Twinkie Munch theories are based on SAS being friends with the Hall of Famer, something Smith has stated publicly many times.
The in-house critiques of the interview were brought to Smith's attention by a caller to his radio show. Smith said Johnson knows he made some bad moves with the Lakers, but his work ethic should never be questioned.
"Neither should mine," Smith said on the air. Yet Smith says ESPN has its share of Rob Pelinkas spreading dirt on him.
"I'm insulted everyday by people inside this company, not just outside," Smith said on the air. "I'm not a liability, I'm an asset. I can point to a number of people who are liabilities but I never will. ... But make no mistake about it, I'm in a position to eat people alive any day I want to. But they know I won't. It's not the professional thing to do. That's why they keep this nonsense alive."
An NBA media source said it's not uncommon to hear others involved in ESPN's NBA coverage "chirping about" Smith. "It's apparent some of his on-air colleagues are jealous of him," the source said.
Smith, on the air, said they have no room to talk because not enough people at ESPN are working hard.
"Their definition of working is talking about other people so they can look relevant," Smith said. "There are people who think gossip is production, who never generate ratings. But when they are on vacation, they still want to talk about what they deserve while most people are working."
Smith would go on to talk about this subject a second day on his radio show, saying some "people in the company" are wondering why he has "his own" radio and TV shows and asked why ESPN "hasn't hired a foil" to work with him on the radio show? Smith offered a simple answer: "No one out works me."
So, what's going on here? A lot of it has to do with some of the media saying Johnson didn't work hard (allegedly GM Pelinka was stirring that pot) at the job of being Lakers prez, which Smith saw as a racial stereotype with no basis in fact and something he has experienced too. And with the Finals and a marquee free agent signing period approaching, the competition between all ESPN NBA snoops is ramped up and amplified.
ESPN has made Stephen A. Smith the man. And that title makes you a target of friend and foe alike. It's silly. But it's true.
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