NBC HAS REASON TO GIVE THANKS: A NEW "NBA ON NBC" TEAM

          Bob Costas and Isiah Thomas were named by NBC as its
     No. 1 NBA broadcast team.  Greg Gumbel will remain the No. 2
     play-by-play man, teaming with Bill Walton and Steve Jones. 
     Former No. 1 NBA analyst Matt Guokas will join Tom Hammond
     and Dan Issel on the No. 3 team.  Hannah Storm will replace
     Costas in the NBC studio (Mult., 11/26).  Costas and Thomas
     will call their first game on Christmas Day in Chicago for
     the Heat-Bulls (N.Y. TIMES, 11/26).  In N.Y., Richard
     Sandomir writes that Thomas, in addition to his analyst
     duties, "will contribute taped reports on sports business"
     to CNBC as part of an overall $750,000-a-year contract (N.Y.
     TIMES, 11/26).  In Toronto, The SUN, STAR and GLOBE & MAIL
     each reported Thomas' deal to be worth $600,000-a-year for
     two years (THE DAILY).  In S.F., Susan Slusser has Thomas
     with a two-year deal "reportedly worth $2 million per year"
     (S.F. CHRONICLE, 11/26).  USA TODAY's Rudy Martzke puts the
     deal at "about $600,000 annually" (USA TODAY, 11/26).