Addition, subtraction for NBA studio shows
ESPN announced Monday that analyst Bill Walton would not return to the cable network though he has one year left on his contract, and NBA TV announced that two-time NBA champion Brent Barry is becoming a studio analyst for the NBA GameTime show on Monday nights. Barry will join host Andre Aldridge and analyst Eric Snow. Among Barry's NBA stops was the Los Angeles Clippers (where he did not win an NBA championship).
NBA TV will take the court for its first week of Tuesday Fan Night with the Lakers @ Thunder match-up, as voted upon by fans on NBA.com. The game will air tomorrow at 5 p.m. with host Ernie Johnson and analysts Chris Webber and Kevin McHale on-hand for studio coverage beginning at 4:30 p.m.
Walton missed portions of the last two season after undergoing surgeries to correct back problems. In a statement released by ESPN, Walton said: "As I return after a grueling multi-year, life-threatening, life-changing ordeal with back problems, it is time to dedicate the rest of my life to service."
There are so many NBA voices on the air now -- too many it seems sometimes. Whom to listen to? For me, it's been Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith on TNT because they're funny, opinionated and informed. Not every game of an almost 10-month season (including playoffs) is important, and they get that. NBA TV seems to have corralled every ex-player with a good suit and an opinion, but standouts? Can't find any yet.
And ESPN just seems to have everybody who can spell NBA on its various shows. Standouts? Um, uh, not anymore. Because Walton was it
Was he a goofball sometimes? Absolutely. But Walton never tried to be cool and trendy. He substituted strong opinions and boundless enthusiasm. He truly loved what he was doing, and his love of the game showed. When I'd call him about something college-related (he was, after all, a rather talented center for UCLA), the conversation would always somehow amble to the (in his mind) superiority of the NBA brand of basketball. It wasn't just a sales pitch. It was Walton's passion. He will be missed.
Still too many voices. But not the right one to lose.
-- Diane Pucin
Photo: Bill Walton. Credit: Garrett Elwood, Getty Images.
