Watch: Mark Cuban rips ESPN analyst Skip Bayless on air

(CBS News) ESPN on-air pundit Skip Bayless has been called many things. Vikings punter Chris Kluwe called him "uninformed." Charles Barkley? He called Bayless "ridiculous." As for Kevin Durant, he branded Bayless "sickening."

And those adjectives are some of the kinder observations.

Now we can add Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban to the list of people not fond of the ESPN analyst's particular brand of "analysis."

On ESPN's First Take on Friday, Cuban laid into Bayless' penchant for "generalizations" and disregard for basic facts.

When Bayless (who has been a huge critic of LeBron James in the past) suggested that the Miami Heat won the NBA title because they "played harder," Cuban had a simple response: "That is the most ridiculous thing any sportswriter has ever said."

Cuban took particular umbrage when Bayless said that James, a three-time MVP and newly crowned NBA champ, cared what the ESPN analyst had to say about him. Said Cuban: "This is a Skip Bayless special. 'He lost last year because he was paying attention to Skip Bayless. He won this year because he stopped paying attention to Skip Bayless.'"

[sylviandark]

Skip Bayless is entertaining and a joy to listen to. If anyone has a problem with him they should avoid watching when he's on. It's like how liberals constantly complain about conservative commentators while conservatives rarely have anything to say about liberal commentators. At the end of the day most sports commentators repeat popular rhetoric and offer nothing of any insight nor do they show any personal opinions or beliefs. This is similar to the liberal commentators and it's why MSNBC has such awful ratings.

Humans are subjective beings. We feel emotions and ideas resonate within us. People are interested in honesty and expression. Who wants to listen to Magic Johnson continuously smile and praise everyone from the ballboy to the cheerleaders? He's about as interesting as a little girl giggling at a clown. Bayless is Bayless. His style is a brave one and he puts himself out there. We live in a nation of politically correct cowards. Bayless's sports commentary is an example of the freedom and passion the United States was built on.

[mlaughter35]

Really? You believe your line that "It's like how liberals constantly complain about conservative commentators while conservatives rarely have anything to say about liberal commentators"?

Turn on Fox News, any show, and if you don't hear one (assuming you are mentally/ideologically capable of hearing one) within in five minutes, I'll send you $100.

[mlaughter35]

Really? You believe your BS that "It's like how liberals constantly complain about conservative commentators while conservatives rarely have anything to say about liberal commentators"?

Turn on Fox News, any show, and if you don't hear one (assuming you are mentally/ideologically capable of hearing one) within in five minutes, I'll send you $100.

You might want to stick to sports...


Well, there your (il)logic is over simplified. MJ actually does break down plays. I guess, again, you just hear what you already know. That makes you really smart!

People on sports shows disagree all the time. That's part of it. It's not that Cuban or anyone else criticized Bayless because they think that Bayless is not PC and that is a problem. That has nothing to do with anything. Drop your obsession and pick up a book that's not written by one of your Fox heroes (i.e., something at least at a high school reading level) and challenge yourself. Good lord. To compare Bayless's commentary to the "freedom and passion the US was built on" is too much hyperbole for a sensible person. Stop seeing evil commies and wolves under every nook and cranny.

[understandingconcept]

mark Cuban is a smart mouth punk.

[Jaylah54100]

I wish I had Skip Bayless in my basement. The amount of hot-air he spews would be more then enough to heat my home and keep my water tank piping hot, even in the worst midwest winter.

[87lwrdr]

The thing about most sports journalist's is THEY generally are able to speak their piece, rant and rave and say whatever they want, about whomever they want and those people don't get their say on the same level as the journalist. To me that's a one way street in only one persons favor. I believe the vast majority of those sports journalists only have the job because they have their noses buried so far up someones rear end who is much, much further up the food chain.

[Truth_Bee_Told]

Kind of like you on this message board.

[JavMD]

I truly don't give a rats behind on what either of them say. However, i would consider the sports journalist opinion more than Cuban, I see Mark as merely rich and arrogant. Skip has to 'earn' a living just like a majority of us do. (And as far as my loggin, its like Javelin as in an American Motors Corporation automobile and MD as in Mark Donohue, famous race car driver.)

[croshirts]

Because Mark Cuban has not "earned" a living? Must have inherited all that money.

[Truth_Bee_Told]

JavMD...Cuban might be a Jerk, but he "earned" his way into being a self-made billionaire who has run a very successful basketball team. I'd say he probably is qualified to comment on the NBA.