Known for their lists, Forbes magazine just published one that has me scratching my head. The list has nothing to do with sports or basketball, but I know most of you will be just as surprised as I am when you see who # 10 is.
Forbes Magazine: America’s Top Pundits
1. Roger Ebert
2. Bill Maher
3. Bill O’Reilly
4. Al Franken
5. Geraldo Rivera
6. Rosie O’Donnell
7. Leonard Maltin
8. Greta Van Susteren
9. Lou Dobbs
10. Bill Walton
No. 10: Bill Walton
Sports
Appeal points (out of 100): 65
Awareness level: 31%
Total points: 19.9
Public describes him as: Confident, Experienced, Good Energy
Highly rated pundits don’t lack for confidence, an issue Walton doesn’t have to worry about. Given his stature as a former basketball great, NBA fans take to Walton’s willingness to pull no punches when it comes to criticizing players and teams. His enthusiasm for the game is also infectious.
I will start with this, I have to agree that Bill is Confident, Experienced, with Good Energy. He defiantly brings enthusiasm to the game. And the last thing that you would say about Mr. Walton is that he’s lacking confidence, in fact he has so much that he would probably make the the Forbes Richest List if he sold some off piece by piece.
What this doesn’t tell us is Bill’s need to go off on incessant rants about the state of the coffee growers in Colombia when your favorite team just ties the score in a critical playoff game. Nor does it list all of his ridiculous comments, that I guess actually bring enjoyment to some, but really just have most people wondering if he actually just said “Dwyane Wade, it’s as if Michelangelo sculpted it in a dream, he’s just so cut, and his posture, the rack upstairs with those shoulders, so broad.”
Take him or leave him, Bill is Bill. He will always rub people the wrong way but I guess the list just shows that some actually do take Bill’s statements to heart when he tells us that, “Greg Ostertag is one of the top centers on this planet!”. I just don’t want to be around those people.
Do we blame Forbes for this one or the American Public?
FORBES DEFINITELY LOSES SOOOO MUCH CREDIBILITY.
BILL WALTON!!!?????
I guess some blame for both Nat,gosh it’s enough to give a person a permanent rash!
This is one of your JOKE posts right? It’s got to be Right?
Bill Walton?
OH MY
Hey guys, someone has just posted a poll regarding to Bill O’Reilly. link:
http://www.pollsb.com/polls/poll/2474/bill-o-reilly-is-surprised-that-a-restaurant-owned-by-black-people-feels-the-same-as-any-other-in-new-york
natalie u need to grow up, these immature rants about bill walton are getting old.
bill walton is awesome.. he is an nba legend and he brings such great energy and passion in his broadcasts. he LOVES the game of basketball and you can tell, its infectious. He brings excitment to the telecasts and unlike all the other announcers out there .. he is not afraid to openly criticize players or praise them! Id love to meet bill walton and just thank him for being true to himself and being a great person and announcer.
incase you guys didnt know bill walton is one of the greatest humanitarians this country has. Not to mention he is one of the nicest people ever. I remember years ago during the playoffs when the pistons were playing the raptors.. bill walton attended the game for his love it live tour.. and unlike all the other celebrities who sit by themselves courtside or next to an entourage.. BILL WAS SITTING in THE LOWER BOWL about halfway up with the FANS!!! he never turned down 1 autograph and not to mention he talked and conversed with the fans, cause he is one of them!!! he is a hero to us all.
bill we love you and keep being you!!!
your fan always,
robbie
Robbie,
I don’t think Natalie is actually bashing Bills character and nobody is saying he’s not a good guy but I can’t stand listening to the guy call a game no matter what team I am watching. Don’t tell me his comments arent out there either. Did you watch a game of the FIBA America’s….Bill was brutal.
You like him that’s your opinion, a lot of us don’t but if you call this an immature rant you have to get out more.
This my friend is the cold hard truth
Bill is a Droner and has statistics of shit nobody gives a shit about.
He and the writer of that article are both smoking from same crack pipe
Kevin K.. I watched EVERY second of every game of the FIBA tourny… What a pleasure it was to have bill announcing.
I think Robbie is smoking on that crack pipe too.
Cool man, grow up.
Bill Walton cracks me up. I would much rather listen to him than Hubie Brown or Marv Albert’s ass. At least he attempts to think outside the box. Somtimes his metaphores are a little ill timed, but i think that is what happens after touring with the Grateful Dead. It is entirely possible Bill may have taken one too many doses of LSD.
i will not watch a game if bill walton is one of the announcers, i can’t stand him that much.
A pleasure to have Bill announcing?? UGH!! If I wanted a bunch of “fun facts” about other countries maybe it would have been a pleasure to have him announcing (I doubt it though) If i wanted that I would have been watching TLC or the Discovery channel. I was watching the FIBA games because I love basketball — Bill Walton’s love of the sound of his own voice made it much less pleasant for me. The man talks just to hear himself talk. I guess some people like that sort of thing… I am not one of those people but apparently robbie is. We all have our own opinion and are free to express that opinion. To some, Bill may be a hero — to me he will always be a the chairman of the board. (the AA board!) I think Natalie’s post was fair considering the subject matter. She was a lot nicer than I would have been.
GO PISTONS!!!!
this is off topic…but natalie, did you get a thing in the mail that has your tickets and they came in a box of the 50th yr anniversary box? I thought it was very nice and thoughtful of the palace to give us that. I was sooo excited to get it =]
ps- happy b-day, chauncey!
I have absolutely no problem with Walton on the microphone. He’s wildly entertaining, a total character. “Throw it down big man, throw it down!” I’d much rather listen to him, than to a bland play-by-play broadcast with no enthusiasm, strictly reporting what we can already see on the tv.
I meant no harm Robbie, I am sure he’s a good guy I just can’t stand listening to him call a game.
🙁 no Box yet….Should I wait by the door?
^^yes….if you are a hugeee pistons fan (which i know you are), you are going to be blown away on what is inside the box =]
it’s not just tickets, it’s other things, too.
I live in west bloomfield, so i don’t know, maybe it comes to different times depending on where you live.
Holy crap. Robbie are you drinking the Bill Walton koolaid or what? Or are you actually Bill Walton or that overrated son of his? Bill Walton is one of the greatest humantarians?? Come on. Do you know ALL the humanitarians? There has to be better ones. Really I am kidding about that. He may be one of the best players that have played in the NBA but he is the single most annoying announcer today. I agree with you Nat. And with the rest of the sane people that read this blog. Bill Walton needs to go get a job selling real estate or something. He seems to have quite a handle on the countries around the world. He might be really good at it. And Robbie part of being a blogger is stating your opinion. And having fun with it. I don’t think Nat has evil intentions with what she says. She doesn’t want to see him wiped off the face of the earth. Just off the air. Stop defending this guy. It’s not worth the time spent defending him.
Well, I got to say that Hubie Brown is worse than Bill Walton but Walton is horrible. That just shows what I think of Hubie Brown. My dad was at a Pistons playoff game this past year and he saw Greg Kelser watching the game and my dad said that he missed his announcing and he was so much better than Walton and Brown. Greg Kelser just laughed. I’m sure he agreed with us!
Oh, and one more thing, Happy Birthday Chauncey. We all love you!
Geraldo Rivera and BIll O’ Riley…I’m still scratching my head. I think these guys sit in the office and make this up…lol.
Glad I’m not a subscriber.
HAHA!! and i thought i was the only one who thought bill walton was a crackpot.
i remember watching a game and he was describing how a shot was a 3 pointer, with the replay showing it was clearly a 2 (think heels not even touching the line).
anyways, i’m glad i did not subscribe to that swill of a magazine. rivera, maher, o’reilly, and walton are all crap.
bill is my favorite commentator. his rants and digressions are so much more interesting and entertaining than boring corporate tools like bob costas, who just say the same crappy phrases again and again. good announcers are personalities, like bill, or walt frazier, chick hearn or bill schonely. as he said recently, “basketball is the greatest celebration of life.”
Robbie, your bitch, your a total bitch, and anon 1:24, good call. total bitch. Robbie, i think your a cavs fan. NO, i dont think, you are bitch. Fuck u
OH MY GOD, this is totally off the subject, but my feelings are really hurt right now, No one on NEED4SHEED seemed to notice that today (Sept.25th) is Chauncey’s 31st birthday, my heart is broken because you guys did give my pookie any birthday wishes, where’s the love for Chauncey? I think that I’m gonna have to go to my room and take some kind of medicine to ease my pain!!!!
2 or 3 people did wish him happy birthday in the comments 🙂
happy 31st Chauncey!
Yeah lots of people on this blog wished Chauncey a happy BD and in the forum too, not to mention this is need4sheed so prob overall there are more Sheed fans than Chauncey, just sayin. Anyways, Happy Birthday Chauncey…
Bill Walton is annoying and his analogies and statistics are irrelevant. Doesn’t mean he’s a bad guy, just that he gets on some people’s nerves.
Also, Rosie O’donnell is on the list so its not like the list is based on intellegence or popularity.
Well, they have Bill O’Reilly at #3, so what’s public opinion really worth? I mean, that’s a guy who bought off a sexual harrassment charge ;p
I’m not a fan of Bill Walton, either, but I don’t subscribe to Forbes 🙂
And Robbie, insulting the creator of the Need4Sheed site over her opinion of Bill Walton is ridiculous. Would you rather everything on a *fan* site is strictly news without any editorial slant? If I wanted boring news, I’d stick to RealGM.com. Need4Sheed is where I get my Piston’s fix 🙂 I wouldn’t have it any other way, and I’m very grateful Natalie has taken the time and effort to express her dedication and appreciation of the Pistons!
Nicely done, Natalie. I don’t need to hear about DWade’s “rack” again 🙂
I’m a huge pistons fan and sheed fan, and fan of this site… but sorry i must say, bill walton is one of my favourite commentators as he is such a pundit… he’s extreme, but that’s what makes him entertaining… there’s no one out there really like him, there’s a place for him in my opnion
half the guys on that list are much bigger idiots than Walton.
Forbes hasnt lost much credibility. At least not as much as NEED4SHEED lost when it went all RACIST on us with the “white men cant dance” post.
Firstly, Bill Walton really is a tool. We all know that- and even though his commentary is pretty humorous (you have to laugh about it, because if you take him seriously, he’ll drive you nuts).
Need4sheed, however has not lost any credibility or adheared any racism from the “white men can’t dance” post. I am a white man, and it’s true most of us can’t dance. Get over it- there’s nothing racist about it. Just like Bill Walton, it’s just something to laugh about and move on.
~Richie~
lol Some of you guys are hilarious. I love how people get all offended like Bill Walton is a close personal friend of theirs. The people who think he is the best commentator in the business are either not Pistons fans or they don’t get the privilege of listening to Blaha and Kelser do their thing. It’s fun, informative, and uh…relevant.
I just saw Mark Cuban’s asscheek on Dancing With the *cough* Stars. There’s something I never needed to see. Damnit, he didn’t fall on his face…
You guys obviously have NO sense of humor! Walton is hilarious. I watch games I would never care about, BECAUSE Walton is announcing. Sure, everything he says is completely over the top and ridiculous, but that’s what makes it fun.
Like other people have said, I can watch the game myself, you don’t need to tell me all the obvious things like “he shouldn’t have made that pass”, when someone throws the ball out of bounds. I like my Walton’s!
“That was the WORST in bounds pass in the HISTORY of the LA Clippers franchise!”
“It’s not what Yao Ming can learn from the rest of the world, it’s what the rest of the world can learn from Yao Ming!”
And I couldn’t help to laugh when he rambled about the chief exports of Venezuela and how the current standing of their national GDP. I mean, what else would you talk about during the 4th quarter of a 50 pt. blowout?
WALTON!
Man forget Bill Walton, I mean GERALDO RIVERA? I still haven’t forgiven the Pistons for playing the way they did in Cleveland and putting a smile on this guys face. Isn’t this the same guy who drew out troops location on television? If the Pistons don’t crush the Cavs every game in the regular and postseason (if necessary) And I have to see him ever smile again I will be angry.
As to Bill Walton, yeah pretty annoying but he sometimes says things that make sense. Like in the FIBA tournament he praised Tayshaun and Chauncey but he brought up two VERY good points
1. How Tayshaun is good at the intagables but as a veteran he needs to start putting up more numbers
2 How when Chauncey came in for Jason kidd the game kinda stalled. Which is what bothers me about Chauncey, so much stopping and only passing on the perimiter.
But hey lets see how this next season changes
This just in… Bill Walton — still an asshole!!
LOL!!!!
GO PISTONS!!!!
robbie are you any relation to that freak who is all over the internet bawling about everybody picking on Brittany Spears by any chance?
“they’re having a great time down there!”
-bill walton about argentina and their national dance, the tango
Bill Walton is an absolute joke of a commentator. I couldn’t be more on the same page with you, Natalie. His homoerotic commentary of D-Wade’s body and his outlandish claims are too much. He’s so over the top, my friends and I will just repeat Bill Walton quotes ad nauseum, so entertainment is the only thing his comments are good for. Here are a few of our favorites:
“What is Jason Kidd could shoot?”
“Paul Silas is the greatest bowler in the NBA”
“Jason Kidd has beautiful green eyes”
“Arvydas Sabonis is the greatest 6th man in the history of the game”
“What is Luke Walton thinking?”
“Throw it down, big man!”
Sports is a form of entertainment and Bill Walton is easily the most entertaining commentator in basketball history. Most other color commentators bore us with things that we already know. If you need an NBA analyst to tell you what’s going on in the game then you are not a basketball fan.
travis,
that was the funniest things i have ever heard.
go you
Go PISTONS!!!!!!!***********
Thanks Ahmed. I disagree with you Mr/Mrs. Anonymous. There’s always something you can learn about the game. A good commentator makes a huge difference. Hubie Brown may be old, but he knows what he’s talking about and he makes basketball even more edifying to people who love it.
Let’s take another “basketball pundit”: Charles Barkley. A lot of people hate on Charles, but I think he’s the best commentator out there. His comments are thoughtful and to the point, and he’s no-nonsense. Bill Walton is a conceited, underachieving John Wooden by-product who likes to hear himself talk. He is entertaining, but he is garbage to listen to during a game you care about, a la Pistons nationally televised games.
Also, thumbs down to Walton and Tirico for commentating the FIBA games from New York. ESPN is a bunch of hosers and posers.