SI.com's Richard Deitsch wrote he believes the vacancy at "First Take" is ESPN's Max Kellerman's "if he wants it." Deitsch: "What I don’t know is whether he wants to uproot his life in L.A. -- he has three kids -- to move back to where he’s from (East Coast). If I were his agent, I’d advise him to pass." Stephen A. Smith "has made it clear that the next incarnation of First Take will be his show" and the person who gets the Skip Bayless chair "will be below Smith on the marquee" (SI.com, 6/22).
THE "TRUTH" MATTERS: In Boston, Chad Finn noted Clippers F Paul Pierce joined ESPN's coverage of the Cavaliers-Warriors NBA Finals "as a studio analyst for all seven games." At halftime of Game 1, Sage Steele introduced Pierce, who then "rigidly read some bland talking points off a sheet of notes he held up in front of him." But Pierce was "noticeably more relaxed during Game 2." He was "smiling easily and talking animatedly, and his insights became sharper." Maybe he "broke out a cliché or two," but watching Pierce "deliver his comment was compelling, and he looked comfortable." Pierce, who has played in nine Game 7s in his career, "was at his best before and at halftime" of the series finale Sunday night. It was "impressive to watch how much Pierce improved from game-to-game during the Finals" (BOSTON.com, 6/22).
FINDING A CONNECTION: In Miami, Nancy Dahlberg notes Bvddy, an iOS app that "enables sports players to connect with sports partners, announced that it has closed" $1.5M in seed capital "to expand into new cities." The funding is led by the Latin American IDC Group and Xoom VP Bobby Aitkenhead. Bvddy (formerly called SportsBuddy, which launched in January '15) "features proprietary Smart Matching algorithms that learn about players over time ... to constantly provide the most accurate matches." Bvddy Founder & CEO Pedro Ast said that expansion plans "include Bvddy’s launch on Android," as well as in S.F., L.A and other major U.S. cities this year (MIAMI HERALD, 6/23).
