This season will "be the last" that CSN Mid-Atlantic Wizards broadcaster Phil Chenier "serves as the team’s primary game analyst," according to Dan Steinberg of the WASHINGTON POST. No replacement has "yet been named, although the network has identified a handful of candidates and expects to audition them during the offseason." This "isn’t your run-of-the-mill broadcasting transaction; it’s a seismic change involving the only full-time color television analyst in Wizards franchise history." Chenier began calling the franchise's games in '84 for Home Team Sports when the team was the Bullets, staying on "through 33 seasons." Chenier "became a friendly constant" for Wizards fans through "decades of mostly disappointment." However, with Chenier’s contract set to expire this summer, CSN execs "decided they should seek a fresh voice, although the decision didn’t become public until this week." Working with Monumental Sports & Entertainment, which owns the Wizards, they "created a new job for Chenier spanning multiple organizations." Chenier said, "At some point, in some kind of way, this was gonna come to an end. I’m glad it’s not because I’m dying or something. It’s a company decision, and they were gracious enough to have me stay around and do some other things to stay involved. Everybody has to come to the realization that all good things must end." Chenier "came to represent the best of the Wizards fan base: good humor, no pretense and an utter love for the game of basketball." Steinberg: "I can’t imagine turning on a Wizards broadcast and not hearing his voice" (WASHINGTON POST, 4/7).
STAPLE FOR FANS: In DC, Todd Dybas writes Chenier "entrenched his name and commentary with the franchise and fans." Chenier is the "only full-time analyst in Wizards history." The move has "predictably produced a large amount of grumbling across social media and surprise among those who have been around the team." Wizards players have "often spoke highly of Chenier, and they respect his opinion since he was a skilled NBA player himself, not to mention perpetually pleasant to be around" (WASHINGTON TIMES, 4/7). The POST's Steinberg writes many Wizards fans "reacted with surprise and sadness" (WASHINGTON POST, 4/7). In DC, Andy Pollin writes under the header, "Before He Became An Esteemed Broadcaster, Phil Chenier Was One Heckuva Player" (WASHINGTON POST, 4/7).
