Stephen A and Larry B

So I've seen two episodes of Stephen A Smith's new show, Quite Frankly and it is okay. One of the reasons Smith got so big was his outrageousness and his no nonsense opinions.

The two interviews I've seen so far have been with Allen Iverson and Larry Brown, two of Smith's contacts from his days in Philly. Both have had very interesting interviews and I've loved watching both. However, I felt like Smith didn't ask any really tough questions because these guys where his boys, his friends. The toughest question in the Larry Brown show was from the audience ("Coach, how can you assure a Knick fan that you will be here for the entire length of your contract?").

Smith has been very subdued so far in the inteviews and, in my opinon, has been kissing these their ass. With Brown he didn't really challenge Brown on the whole Pistons firing. Brown kept saying he wanted to be back and that he was fired. Smith brought up the Knicks quote ("coaching New York would be a dream job") and the Cleveland debacle but Brown just brushed them off. When asked about the Cleveland thing, Brown said that he had recieved permission to talk to the Cavs from the Detroit management.

That may be true, but it's not the point. Detroit was concerned that Brown had been looking elsewhere, and his quote about New York didn't help. So when Cleveland called during the playoffs, Detroit gave him permission to talk to them to see how much he really wanted to stay in Detroit. If he talked to the Cavs (WHILE THE PISTONS WERE STILL IN THE PLAYOFFS) then he was looking to leave, if he had told the Cavs wait until the season is done or, I dunno, NO THANK YOU, then he wanted to stay. But the Pistons offered him a test and Brown failed.

Brown handled the situation wrong. When asked about the Knicks job, Brown should have said, "as long as I'm coaching the Pistons, I have no interest in any other job," or something to that effect. And when the Cavs came calling, he should've said no or at least wait until the season was over.

Smith's show could be alright, if Stephen A steps it up. The interviews last a long time, which in Allen Iverson's and Larry Brown's case is a good thing, because these guys are interesting and don't give interviews all the time. But once he runs out of his big name Philly contacts, how good will the show be? Can he continue to get A list guests? We shall see.