Under normal circumstances, the unveiling of ESPN’s new lead NBA broadcast team would be celebrated to the hilt.
Doris Burke will become the first woman to serve as a TV game analyst for a championship in one of the four major U.S. leagues. Chicago native Doc Rivers will return to broadcasting, which he excelled at between playing and coaching careers. And Mike Breen will begin his 19th season as the network’s lead NBA play-by-play voice.
But the party was muted by the backdrop of layoffs that touched ESPN’s previous top team. The network dismissed analysts Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson, who called 15 NBA Finals with Breen. Van Gundy’s ouster, in particular, didn’t sit well with many viewers who appreciated his candor, especially when it came to criticizing game officials.
“It’s been a difficult time,” David Roberts, ESPN’s head of event and studio production, said on a conference call this week. “We have nothing but the utmost respect and appreciation for the contributions of both Jeff and Mark.
“We have to make sure that we continue to present the top-notch quality product that’s been the case with our NBA coverage throughout the term of our contracts with the NBA, and we feel very confident that in Doc Rivers, Doris Burke with Mike Breen, we will continue to carry that tradition.”
There’s no doubt that the new trio will prove to be worthy of the No. 1 team. Burke, who already was the first woman to be an NBA Finals game analyst when she appeared on ESPN Radio, excels at breaking down the game in detail. Rivers will offer fresh insights coming right off the bench, and he’s as personable as they come. Plus, Breen and Burke have worked together many times.
But the changes were necessitated by a shifting media landscape where cord-cutting is decreasing carriage-fee revenue, forcing ESPN to cut costs. It’s creating confusion among viewers who see, for example, ESPN give incoming host Pat McAfee a huge contract while other talent is shown the door. Burke and Rivers received multiyear deals.
“The totality of the layoffs or talent impacted covered more than just the NBA,” Robert explained. “So at the end of the day, it’s a matter of what’s the dollar amount. The required dollars impacted or personnel impacted were met. It doesn’t mean that we’re not going to operate the business to the max to put the best quality product on the air, and that’s exactly what happened.”
Some theorized that the NBA grew weary of Van Gundy bemoaning the officiating and made that clear to ESPN. And with the sides set for talks about the league’s next media-rights deal and other suitors lining up, it was believed that the network acquiesced. Roberts said that wasn’t true.
“I need to emphasize that they were not involved in the decision-making process,” he said. “I know that some folks gave that opinion on the air, at least I read it somewhere. That wasn’t the case.
“But their feedback and their input is part of a partnership, and so we respect that. But certainly, the decisions made come from within, and like any good partnership, they’re aware of what’s going on and they offer their input, and that input is respected.”
ESPN clearly is planning to keep the NBA in its inventory. In addition to its new lead crew, the network announced a No. 2 team with play-by-play voice Ryan Ruocco and analysts JJ Redick and Richard Jefferson. Jefferson, who also appears on “NBA Today,” received a multiyear extension.
“The one thing you have to do in this business is always have succession planning, and in that team, you have the potential making of a succession plan,” Roberts said. “Might be 10 years away, but I think it’s important that there is a clear, established No. 2 team, and I feel real good about where we are.”
ESPN also hired former Warriors president and general manager Bob Myers, who built four NBA championship teams, as a studio and game analyst, and named the talented Malika Andrews the host of all NBA studio shows on ESPN and ABC. That means she’s replacing “NBA Countdown” host Mike Greenberg, who occasionally appears on his own radio show on ESPN 1000.
The best news is the return of 89-year-old Hubie Brown. The legendary coach and analyst will be on the mic for his 20th season at ESPN and 50th working in the NBA.
Remote patrol
If you don’t want to miss any Illinois or Northwestern football games this season, prepare to subscribe to Peacock. College football insider Brett McMurphy reported that NBC’s streaming service will exclusively carry Illinois-Maryland at 11 a.m. Oct. 14 and Iowa-Northwestern at 2:30 p.m. Nov. 4.
