Surprise NBA name emerging as option to replace Jeff Van Gundy at ESPN?
Feb 5, 2016; Dallas, TX, USA; ESPN NBA analyst Jeff Van Gundy watches the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the San Antonio Spurs at the American Airlines Center. The Spurs defeat the Mavericks 116-90. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Jeff Van Gundy might end up being replaced by a fellow member of the NBA coaching fraternity.
Andrew Marchand and Ryan Glasspiegel of the New York Post reported over the weekend that longtime NBA head coach Doc Rivers could be an option to succeed Van Gundy at ESPN. The report mentions Rivers being very close with ESPN announcer Mike Breen (and that Rivers’ salary demands may be offset by what the Philadelphia 76ers still owe Rivers after firing him).
Van Gundy, a mainstay in the ESPN NBA broadcast booth for over a decade-and-a-half, was among the roughly 20 personalities included in ESPN’s new round of big-name layoffs.
It would be a shock if the 61-year-old Rivers made his way to ESPN to replace Van Gundy. He is one of the best-known coaches in the game and has coached in every single NBA season since 1999. But it may be something for him to consider now that there are no NBA head coaching vacancies left.
Rivers also has some experience in the booth, having called games for ABC during the 2004 playoffs when he was in between jobs (after getting fired by the Orlando Magic and before getting hired by the Boston Celtics). One very memorable Rivers moment came when he called Derek Fisher’s famous 0.4-second buzzer beater in the Los Angeles Lakers-San Antonio Spurs series.
Of course, Rivers’ notoriously hoarse voice might not exactly be the best fit for game broadcasts. ESPN is also considering a number of prominent in-house candidates to succeed Van Gundy.
