As you probably heard, NBC is making a bid to take the NBA away from Turner Sports. After over 20 years without it, NBC can return to the sports forefront after losing the NHL to Turner a couple of years ago. With the NFL still in tow, NBC can become the most-see place for sports on regular TV.
Here are four things that the Peacock can do to make the Association reasonable to watch.
ONE. CONTINUE INSIDE THE NBA
I don't care how you do it, but Inside The NBA needs to continue at some capacity. It is the best pregame and post game show about the NBA. If you have to buyout the contracts of Ernie, Chuck, Kenny and Shaq, then do it. Either that or listen to Stephen A. fanboy over the Knicks, Kendrick Perkins mumbling about something and Malika reporting how you threw up on your bed after too much to drink. This should be a no-brainer.
2. FIND ANNOUNCERS THAT CONNECT WITH THE AUDIENCE
In the mid-90's, the NBA on NBC thrived because of the men calling the crucial games. When you have a roster of Marv Albert, Bob Costas, Dick Enberg (RIP), Mike Fratello, Snapper Jones (RIP), Matt Guokas and even Bill Walton, you know you have the creme a la creme of sports announcing. Two names come to mind is Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson. ESPN's loss could be NBC's gain here. Finding a good crew to tell the story in the basketball action is paramount to NBC's return to the game.
3. SPARE THE COMPETITION
I realize that ABC/ESPN and the other networks that cover the NBA need ratings to survive and put food on the table. However, the NBA is in dire straits. It is a league of launching bricks and no inside game. To some, this is unwatchable. Not that hard to go into the paint if you're 7'1 275 lbs. Anyways, NBC is probably going to go all-out if they purchase the league's broadcast. It wouldn't hurt to team up and help the viewer with great entertainment in NBA basketball......hopefully, without the unlimited number of bricks.
(Side note: The League Pass is a reasonable price, don't ever change that.)
And the fourth thing that NBC needs to make the NBA great is......
BRING BACK ROUNDBALL ROCK!
Don't alter it, make something jazzy or anything like that, we want the classic NBA on NBC theme. The song that enters your head and makes you happy. It brings back memories of Sunday mornings getting ready for the marquee matchups for that day. Even if you think John Tesh is boring, this is his masterpiece. So, I beg of you, this is also a no-brainer.
I realize that NBC will not do any of these ideas, but it was a pipe dream.
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