Charles Barkley said that his "time as a broadcaster for TNT is nearing an end." Barkley: "I love my job, I love the people I work with. My big decision is, I've got two years left on my deal. That’ll be 17 years. That’s a long time to do a job. I would rather leave too early than stay too long. And 17 years is a long time. I told [TNT's Ernie Johnson] when I took the job, I was only going to be here four years. Now 15 years later, I’m still here. I’m leaning heavily toward it, toward finishing my two years and leaving on a good note." Still, Barkley said that he "might change course and stay for an even 20 years" (SPORTINGNEWS.com, 10/27).
FOUR-LETTER WORDS: ESPN Senior VP/Production Mark Gross said that there was "no guarantee" Bill Simmons would have returned to the net's "NBA Countdown" this season if the new "Grantland Basketball Hour" did not exist. Gross: "If he was interested in coming back, we would certainly have that conversation about how he thinks the show could be better or how he should be better positioned if he thought he was not positioned the way he should be positioned." SI.com's Richard Deitsch noted when asked specifically if there was "creative or editorial tension" between Simmons and "NBA Countdown" host Sage Steele, Gross' answer "was revealing in its own way." Gross: "I don't think it was creative tension. I think it was trying to understand what everybody’s role was." Meanwhile, Deitsch wrote this is a "big year for Steele in her second season as the show’s host." Gross said, "I thought she did a good job last year; I know she will do a significantly better job this year" (SI.com, 10/26).
THE GOOD LIFE: The AP's Pat Graham wrote retirement is "definitely agreeing" with former NBAer Chauncey Billups, as it includes a "new job as an analyst for ESPN." Billups said of potentially working in a team's front office, "I've always kind of said that was one of my desires, to maybe be in a position to run a franchise at some point." As for the Nuggets asking him to come on board, possibly as a team ambassador or some other role, Billups said he has talked to Nuggets President Josh Kroenke, but "now really wasn't the time" (AP, 10/27).
WHITE MAMBA'S RETURN: ROLLING STONE's Brendan Prunty noted longtime Celtics color analyst Tommy Heinsohn "has gradually been reducing his workload each season, doing almost no games on the road" for CSN New England. So the net, which broadcasts all Celtics games, "needed a familiar, yet authoritative, voice for its road games," and former Celtic Brian Scalabrine "was the natural choice." Even though it is "not hard to look into the crystal ball and imagine a day very soon where Heinsohn is not behind the mic and Scalabrine is the new color-analyst face of the franchise, he is quick to snuff out that reality." Scalabrine "isn't trying to take Heinsohn's place in Boston and Celtics lore," and he "knows the gravity of the position that he is gently stepping into" (ROLLINGSTONE.com, 10/27).
