ABC/ESPN changes NBA coverage

[Pistons < Spurs]

Michael Heistand
USA TODAY
Oct. 22, 2006 06:30 PM

ABC/ESPN will announce a wide-ranging overhaul of its NBA coverage, which starts Nov. 1. It includes new faces, roster cuts and a new No. 1 analyst.

ABC/ESPN's coverage of the NBA hasn't matched the panache of TNT - which deploys established stars such as Charles Barkley and Doug Collins as the league's other national TV carrier. But at least the Disney outlets aren't standing pat in what Norby Williamson, ESPN executive vice president, calls a "big turnover." On tap:

- Mark Jackson becomes ABC's lead analyst, replacing Hubie Brown. He'll team with Mike Breen, who last season became the network's lead NBA play-by-play announcer when Al Michaels left to work NFL games at NBC.


Jackson, who played with seven teams in a 17-year NBA career before retiring in 2004, was a bright spot among the analysts used in ABC's studio show last year. ABC will drop one of those analysts, Scottie Pippen.

Jackson, like Fox NFL announcer Joe Buck, will assume a rare double duty. ABC's pregame show will move out of the studio and air from the game site. Jackson, like Buck on Fox's NFL games, will appear on the pregame, then announce the game action.

Williamson says the ABC pregame show will be more focused on being on-site hype for the game itself rather than a gabfest about overall NBA issues: "Look at our Monday Night Football' model; that's philosophically what we're thinking about."

- Brown still gets a pretty big role. He'll become ESPN's lead NBA analyst, teaming with Breen, and also work with Mike Tirico as ABC's backup team on regionalized coverage or doubleheaders.

What's with Tirico? It's understandable that ESPN's "Monday Night Football "announcer can find time to join ESPN's NBA coverage for its Nov. 9 start. But this guy must run on batteries: The Detroit Tigers season-ticket holder flew from Dallas, where he prepped for Monday night's New York Giants-Cowboys game, to the St. Louis Cardinals' win in Detroit on Saturday, then flew back Sunday. Like he doesn't see enough sports.

Brown might yet return to the top to work ABC's NBA Finals in a three-man booth with Breen and Jackson. Says ESPN's Williamson: "We'll make some decisions when we get to the playoffs."

- Jon Barry, who ended a 14-year NBA career in retiring from Houston last season, will team with Bill Walton and Tirico on ESPN games. Barry, son of Hall of Famer Rick Barry, replaces Steve Jones. Jones played with Walton at Portland three decades ago and called games with him at ABC and, earlier, on NBC - serving as a sensible guy and the perfect foil for Walton's sometimes otherworldly sensibilities.

Williamson calls Jones, a longtime Trail Blazers announcer, "a true professional and great human being." But he also notes Barry is especially "relevant, having just retired."

- Other new faces who'll pop up all over ESPN's various outlets and shows but aren't expected to call games include ex-NBA players Jamal Mashburn, Allan Houston and Kiki Vandeweghe.

Out: Paul Silas and B.J. Armstrong.

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/1022nbatv-ON.html

[Bob Lanier]

Mark Jackson ... 'll team with Mike Breen
:smchode: :shootme

[THE SIXTH MAN]

Watching b-ball on ABC/ESPN = :sleep :sleep :sleep

The only good commentator in MY opinion is Mike Tirico.

[nobodi_home]

Letting ABC get its paws on the NBA was a terrible mistake. It's ok with me. I don't have any stock in any of this crap, so if their fortunes go down, doesn't pinch my pocket. Go look at the tapes of the NBA playoffs in the mid 90's when NBC was doing things. Then compare to this moronic ABC. Sure good to know the teams don't care that there are pretty much no over-the-air NBA games broadcast now. Just for cable and satellite users. Great, eh? What about the millions of adjustable rate mortgages that will be bumping up 4 percentage points come January? Does the NBA and the teams think these people will still be subscribing to satellite or cable TV to watch ball games when EVICTION NOTICES are served on them? Will they take out a subscription for Directv or Comcast cable for their car? ha ha ha, what a bunch of stupid fuckers run this business these days. The number of people viewing NBA games this year via electronic means will be down drastically, and thanks in large part because the NBA (NoBrain BAsketball Assholes) Assn thought taking NBA bcsts away from over-the-air was such a great idea. Boo hoo hoo.

[HeatOwnzNba]

I really Hate Hubie Brown.

[Brutalis]

When they fire Bill Walton is when they will be worth 2 pennies instead of one dirty one.........................

[T Park]

Mark Jackson...

Good god.

[1Parker1]

Brown still gets a pretty big role. He'll become ESPN's lead NBA analyst, teaming with Breen, and also work with Mike Tirico as ABC's backup team on regionalized coverage or doubleheaders.


Why the F$#! do they insist on keeping Hubie Brown around? Grrrr...just thinking about all those games last year I was forced to watch with him as commentator irks me. They wonder why NBA Finals ratings are so low...they only have to look so far. :rolleyes

[1Parker1]

Oh and Mark Jackson is not much of an improvement over Hubie. I remember watching the NBA pregame shows with him...he's dull and talks like he's about to burst out in tears in any minute. :pctoss

[Bob Lanier]

Hubie isn't bad. Rarely does he say anything interesting, but he takes the proper attitude to his job and is easy to tune out - unlike, say, Jackson's brash exaggeration or Breen's supercilious snideness.

Of course, this is the same organization that thought it would be a good idea to make Al "So this is what Canadian football looks like" Michaels their lead announcer for a few years, too. Bill Walton has been the one redeeming feature of their NBA coverage since the inception.

[Medvedenko]

I always liked Hubie, don't know why, maybe all those games I watched him with Dick Stockton. He's like the Toxic Avenger, he's ugly but he gets results.

[Extra Stout]

It's really quite astounding to compare ESPN productions to what NBC does, i.e. NBA or SNF/MNF. NBC's presentation is so much better at drumming up interest, at providing context, at knowing just the right fact or insight to present at the right moment, at having the camera angle ready that gives just the right perspective on what is happening.

They clearly put a lot more preparation and work into their broadcasts than "The Worldwide Leader" does.

I give ESPN credit on college football and on MLB. They do well on their studio shows (and in the case of College Gameday, on-campus shows), but even there, their game broadcasts are somewhat lacking. Compare what CBS does with SEC games to ESPN/ABC Big XII/Big 10 broadcasts.

ESPN beats FOX on MLB simply because FOX has fallen so far. Tim McCarver has gone from curmudgeonly to senile, and Jeanne Zelasko has been rendered into an on-air strumpet.

[StylisticS]

Does anybody besides me like Brad Nessler? I don't know why they do not use much of him. I thought he did pretty good in the 03 Finals. They need to make him the lead commentator for College Football as well.

[LilMissSPURfect]

Bring Back Sean!

[baseline bum]

Mike Breen is a great play by play guy, and I'm glad Michaels is done in favor of him. Never heard Jackson do color, but Hubie is past his prime.

[Trainwreck2100]

Bring back the laser peacock

[Spurminator]

Good move replacing BJ Armstrong. Watching him do analysis was like watching a high schooler bomb a book report. Jon Barry could be an interesting addition.

[Joepa]

Glad they dropped Pippen. That dude had no on-camera presence. Just awful.

[Obstructed_View]

Hubie brown, has tremendous strenth.