Not the Best Afternoon for Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn
October 4, 2010Tribe Weekend Recap: Mercifully It’s Over
October 4, 2010
What was just a discussion between two parties a few weeks ago appears to be confirmed: Brian Windhorst will be leaving Cleveland’s Plain Dealer to cover the Miami Heat exclusively for ESPN and ESPN.com.
The man affectionately known as “Windy” has been a staple among Cavaliers coverage since breaking in with the Akron Beacon-Journal from 2003 to 2008, subsequently transitioning over to the PD during what was effectively the peak of the LeBron James tenure with the team. Frequently appearing on ESPN.com in the past, Windhorst had been covering James when the two-time MVP was still in high school at St. Vincent-St. Mary. Also a St. V’s alum, it is commonly said that the two men have had parallels within the basketball media universe.
Windhorst is largely considered to be among the upper echelon in NBA beat writers, being the youngest in “the game” when he started with the ABJ in 2003. Alas, said parallels will continue on to Miami where James will play for the foreseeable future after leaving Cleveland during the most recent free agency period with Windhorst there to keep his finger on the proverbial pulse.
ESPN.com will be rolling out a “Heat Index,” which will chronicle everything from the team’s practices (yes, recaps of practice) to the scene on Miami’s South Beach.
“It’s been a long-term goal to be on their NBA staff,” Windhorst told CNBC’s Darren Rovell. “I have a long history [with] LeBron, but I will cover him as a member of the Heat, not as an ex-Cav.”
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(Update: Check out Vince G’s Q&A with Brian about the subject at hand)
90 Comments
Ill bet Maverick Carter and LeBron James had something to do with ESPN hiring Windhorst, since they apparently own the network and everything. “Go get us that fat white dude from the PD, he always write fluff about LeBron”
I also heard that ESPN in in negotiations with Ines Sainz to be the Heat’s official sideline reporter, because LeBron told them he likes “that Mexican girl that doesnt wear panties”.
ESPN sucks.
Good god, some you folks need to lighten up.
Seriously all this bitter is just going to affect your health.
Good luck to Windhorst, and thanks for the excellent coverage through the years.
They do know Windy weighs 400 pounds and has a life expectancy of three more years due to diabetes-related illness, right?
@Derek #24 nailed it. Since when is a promotion selling out?
The sad part about this is I will no longer be reading his articles.
Windhorst wrote a scathing piece about LeBron in the days after “The Decision”, getting into the scandalous details of everything that lead to LeBron leaving. He also hinted that it was only the tip of the iceberg, and that there would be more details to come.
Did Windhorst ever follow up on that? Or did LRMR put him on the payroll to shut him up?
Im sure Windy is a great guy and everything, I dont blame him for taking the job, but Ill never read another one of his articles. Or anyone else who writes for ESPN for that matter.
These negative reactions are asinine! Windy got a better job, plain and simple. Who here wouldn’t make this career move? Anyone? That’s what I thought.
I wish him the best. I will miss his excellent reporting.
Two points-
1. I’ve been offered promotions before that I didn’t take on the sole basis that I knew the money wasn’t worth my integrity. It seems very hard for people to fathom these days that money and limelight don’t get buried in the coffin with you.
2. While Windhorst was a very subjective writer when it came to the Cavs, he has always been Lebrons pawn. From books to tweets to PD articles he has never left “lebrons side”…not the cavs.
T
Got cut off due to iPhone incapability with this sites comment section…
Anyways, it’s over. I mean to be reduced to debating a beat writers ethics is pretty sorry. (which is I guess what I just did above).
Go Cavs, go browns, come on tribe and bring on the 2010/2011 national Champion Ohio State Buckeyes!
I’m happy that Windhorst got the promotion and moved on. I don’t fault him for trying to better himself and his family even if it meant working for ESPN. He’s not a millionaire athlete that goes on TV, talks about himself in 3rd person for an hour and then says “I’m taking my laptop to South Beach”.
I don’t think I’ll be visiting the ESPN.com site or watch sportscenter much during basketball season. I’m already Lefraud’d out after this past summer.
I guess LeBron plans on writing another book soon.
How is #37 the only one to make a “taking his talents” joke? It took that long?
I let my guard down for one minute…
So it’s OK for a writer to leave Cleveland b/c of ambition but not a basketball player? Face it, Ohio. There’s no logical basis for your LeBron hate. It’s purely emotional. Which is fine. If Wade had left the Heat, I’d hate him too. But only b/c he wasn’t on my team anymore, not because I’d be sitting on some moral high ground.
Good for him – he got a promotion to the big leagues.
Every single person posting here bashing would have done the same thing. You’re going to turn down your dream job (and assuming more cash) just to say you are committed to the ABJ?
LMAO.
Easy to take a shot at him since it doesn’t apply to you.
“Yeah, nobody can blame him for moving on to greener pastures. But just like the athletes he covers, he should have kept his mouth shut about staying witht he Cavs next year. If you are going to make statements about staying somewhere, don’t be surprised if people get mad when you go back on your word.”
This
Exactly, 5KMD. I don’t resent him for taking a more money, but I resent the fact that he said he was going to stay. Just like LBJ, Windhorst built his image and his bank account on personal coverage and organizational loyalty. He was a fan and a reporter; people seemingly liked Windhorst because he had accurate information, but also because she shared his personal opinions and gave a more subjective angle. He reacted personally to LBJ’s departure and wrote about how it was more nuanced and sketchy than the fans were lead to believe.
And just like LBJ, Windhorst is a hypocrite. I don’t care if you leave a lowly Cleveland newspaper for a mega corporation – getting a promotion and receiving more money is great – just don’t pretend like you give a shit about the team that you are covering, and don’t say that you are going to stay when, in fact, you are going to leave (to cover the player that you ripped for leaving).
Hooray, Windhorst sold out to ESPN. Good Riddance.
c’mon guys – bottom line is he’s taking a new job with a more stable company.
Newspapers are a dying industry. you think the PD will pay him what he deserves to cover a 30-40 win team? no, they wont.
@ben #61. I tried a joke way up with #5, but it was admittedly flat. Anyway, do not let your heart be troubled or your faith be shaken. We’re on it!
Crappy crapsticks! We cant even keep reporters in this town!!
I feel the same way about this as I did about Z leaving. They both handled it far better than a certain other ex-Cav… but I’m still disappointed by the whole “Have to leave Cleveland to make it big or win anything” stigma. Having the destination be South Beach… all these people following LeBron.. makes it worse, makes it seem from an outsiders point of view that the problem is Cleveland. And I hate that.
But, in this specific case.. newspapers are dying, and EPSN is big bucks and prestige as much as we hate ’em. Good for Brian, happy for him as person and career man. As a CLE sports fan, disappointed and aggravated.
Cant blame the man for taking a much much larger paycheck….
But i echo the sentiments of those who feel he should keep his mouth shut about staying with CPD…
Fwindy.com – you lie to Cleveland Fans and we HATE YOU, PERIOD…
SCOTT IN MIAMI YOU ARE AN IDIOT…
ESPN is the top floor for all sports journalists, so I don’t fault him for wanting to be at the top. What sucks is that there is basically no competition for ESPN out there. I wish everyday there was another sports network that I could watch. Maybe this was all a ploy by ESPN to keep windhorst’s mouth shut. He has covered Lebron since high school and clearly knows more about lebron, and any potential sordid stories, than any other journalist out there. I’m not saying he isn’t deserving of this promotion, but with all the other people covering the heat this year is there really a need for windhorst to be there? LeBum/Espn hired him to keep his mouth shut and protect what’s left of LeBum’s image.
I can understand why he took the job. If I was in the same place to move from the dying industry of newspapers up to the big leagues of espn, I would too. That being said it doesn’t mean that I respect his decision. It feels a lot like he is selling out, building the hype machine, and taking a job that’s beneath him. If it were me, I would’ve tried to continue the same level of coverage for the cavs, but not everyone is the same. I wish him the best and I’ll miss his work. I always loved his work for the cavs, but there is no way I’ll ever read his heat index articles.
really, do we have to review this? not to feed the trolls, but..
lebron:
took less money in salary
damaged his brand by 8 figures (tanked his Q rating)
left team with highest winning pct two years in a row
windy:
took more money
gained more opportunities to add supplemental income
left print media which has been bleeding talent for over a decade
not seeing the comparisons.
A dude who physically can’t play basketball, writing about it.
I’ve moved on.
What exactly made him a great beat writer? As the LeBron era winded down he was decent at best. Dude didn’t even break the story that Lebron was leaving.
good riddance, im sure the ladies will love that rockin bod on south beach……..
sell out
Congrats to Windy for the career move. Given the opportunity it’s understandable. At the same time, I ran a compete.com analysis and was kind of surprised by the results:
Site visits per month for the last month (links show yearly trends):
espn.com 166k
plaindealer.com 100k
waitingnextyear.com 83k (good work guys, unique visits up 8% this year)
sportingnews.com 1.7m
si.com 821k
Looks like the self proclaimed leader really isn’t the leader when it comes to the web. TSN generates about 10x the traffic. Just some food for thought as people are anointing this a slam dunk.
I always liked reading Windhorst’s columns although the amount of content since the Cavs lost to the Celtics has been shockingly light.
I mean do any of us even know what the heck happenend? Bits and pieces here and there. LeBron wanted Mike Brown fired last year? when did we know that?
Once again the BIG LOSER in EVERYTHING was Cleveland fans.
Does anybody think this is pretty disgusting? ESPN’s lebron-lovefest has been sick enough already, but now they are bringing a lebron-friendly journalist just to cover his team? Wow, talk about a load of garbage
One more reason not to watch anything espn. Stopped watching them at end of playoffs, ‘practice coverage’, ‘heat index’..what a joke.
Best of luck Windy. Although I feel the absolutely brutal heat and humidity down there will be rough on him. Its hot and humid 9 months a year there.
Windy did what most of us would do, take more money when its offered. However, we have every right to dispise the move. I tweeted him good luck and thanked him for all his years of providing insite. Afterwards, I hit the ‘unfollow’ button. I no longer follow Windy on Twitter just like i do not read any articles related to lbj. If you want to get back at someone, pay them no attention. Do not buy the products they endorse or read the articles they write. I hate sprite, have not bought anything nike in several years and have not been to espn.com in several months. Its your choice people.
Best of luck to Windy. The malcontents on here ripping Windhorst just don’t get it. If any of us got a job offer that paid more money (and I’m guessing in Windy’s case, ESPN probably pays a lot better than the CPD), every single one of us would take it.
To compare his decision to Lebron’s is idiotic. Lebron didn’t make more money to jump to Miami; he screwed Cleveland and took LESS money. Unless someone can prove Windhorst is taking a pay cut just to move to South Beach, then I say best of luck to him.
Boy.. it’s sad to read some of these comments where people do think that you take a job that offers better money period. Folks, there are MANY people who would take less money to stay home and do something we deem of more value.
I’d be interested to see the age of some of these posters. I don’t mean it as an insult, but it definitely seems to be a generational thing where kids now thing making the last bottom dollar is the only thing that matters.
None of that is being said to rip on BW… I think it’s a bad move, but the best to him.
@85. It’s not about money – it is about integrity and hypocrisy. Both LBJ and Windy pretended to be something that they are not, and both intentionally mislead people about their plans and purported loyalty. In Windy’s case, he pretended to be a fan when he probably should have just been a reporter.
Whether you agree with Windy or not, it is clear he is “selling out.” Selling out, by definition, means you take more money to do something that you enjoy/believe in less. This happens all of the time. I did it a few years ago so I could provide for my family. So I won’t judge Windy for doing it…. BUT I will judge him for being a hypocrite. His writings over the last few years made it clear that he looked down on the idea of “selling out.” Now he is doing it with gusto. He can rightfully be called a hypocrite on those terms.
What stings about this move is that the organization that gave us “The Decision” has taken away from us the best beat writer in the industry.
I don’t blame Windy in the slightest, it just feels like another punch to the stomach courtesy of the WWL.
After all the comments made by Brian at the end of the season and during the free agency period, this is very disappointing. ESPN.com knew it had to somehow mend the fences with LeBron after they pissed him off during the Vegas situation, so they are using Brian as a pawn to get what they want. Another Jim Gray as far as I’m concerned. Yes it is his choice to leave, but it shows his integrity as a reporter, as he is going against his statements by jumping on Lebron’s shirt tails and being used by ESPN as a pawn. Hope you like chess Brian because you are and will continue to get played by ESPN. See ya, you bum!!