ESPN Reportedly Set to Make Doris Burke, Doc Rivers Lead NBA Analysts

Also in Traina Thoughts: Steph Curry’s memories of Kobe Bryant; Aaron Rodgers vs. Sean Patyon; must-see training camp catch; and more.

1. ESPN’s dismissal of longtime NBA analyst Jeff Van Gundy keeps getting weirder.

The New York Post's Andrew Marchand reported Monday that ESPN is expected to go with a new lead NBA booth of Mike Breen, Doris Burke and Doc Rivers.

I fully expect this to be a very good booth because Rivers was an excellent analyst when he did TV, and Burke is outstanding.

But something still doesn’t add up when it comes to Van Gundy. The threesome of Breen, Van Gundy and Mark Jackson worked together for nearly 20 years. Van Gundy was widely regarded as the best NBA game analyst on television. Why break up a known commodity for something new?

Obviously, ESPN underwent massive layoffs and shed a ton of salary. The network can always use that an excuse for why it cut ties with Van Gundy. I don’t buy it, though.

There have been rumblings that the NBA wasn’t happy with Van Gundy being so outspoken, and the league made that known to ESPN.

What’s even more curious than that was this line in Marchand’s column: “Van Gundy was a victim of ESPN’s talent layoffs. While Van Gundy was one of the best game analysts in sports, top ESPN executives were wary of his desire to coach again.”

First off, why not just deal with Van Gundy leaving ESPN to coach again when it happens since no one knows whether it will happen? Why the preemptive strike?

Second, and more important, you can absolutely take it to the bank that Rivers wants to coach again. He was in the mix for the Suns job this season. So this logic makes no sense.

I’d be shocked if Rivers lasts at ESPN for more than two seasons. Maybe three, tops.

2. When I last left you Friday, I told you about Steph Curry's great appearance on Hot Ones, where he shared some Kobe Bryant stories. Curry referenced two on-court incidents he had with Kobe, and The Ringer’s Kevin O'Connor unearthed those clips.

I dug up the videos from Stephen Curry’s stories about Kobe Bryant https://t.co/Ciyf8FJl2B pic.twitter.com/oteAi6cKX6

— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) July 27, 2023

3. Aaron Rodgers has been in New Jersey for, like, two months, but he's got the Tony Soprano routine down pretty good after defending Jets offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett and saying Sean Payton needs to keep his coach’s name “out of his mouth.”

Aaron Rodgers unloads on Sean Payton: "I thought it was way out of line, inappropriate, and I think he needs to keep my coach's name out of his mouth."

Rodgers also suggests Payton's comments were a way of providing an excuse in case Denver can't improve. pic.twitter.com/L7FCMtBIKs

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) July 30, 2023

While it’s admirable that Rodgers would defend his friend, and while Payton was out of line ripping Hackett publicly, let's make sure we don't rewrite history. Hackett WAS responsible for one of the worst coaching jobs in NFL history last season.

4. This was an amazing one-handed grab by Giants safety Jason Pinnock during Sunday’s practice. This is also a good time for give some free advice to social media teams in all sports: When a great, must-see play like this happens, please do not just give us a slo-mo replay clip with no sound. We need the clip in real time. We need to hear the reaction to the play. So always give us two versions: the play in real time and a slo-mo clip. Thank you.

One-handed INT 🔥 pic.twitter.com/owJgiELMjX

— New York Giants (@Giants) July 30, 2023

5. We haven’t had a good Jim Ross dub in a while, so it was great to see this clip over the weekend.

6. I dropped two podcasts last week for your listening pleasure. One podcast features an interview with longtime sports columnist Bob Kravitz, who was laid off from The Athletic last month and then wrote a scathing takedown of the company. Among Kravitz’s revelations was that The Athletic told him he had to generate 395 subscriptions in a three-month period while he was recovering from quadruple bypass surgery.

He expounded on the claims he made in his column while also revealing many other things about working at The Athletic. He also talked about why he wrote the piece and whether he regretted it. He also shared his opinions on the state of sports media.

You can listen to the podcast below or download it on Apple, Spotify and Google or watch it on YouTube.

WWE superstar Cody Rhodes also stopped by SI Media With Jimmy Traina last week.

Some of the topics covered include the new documentary about his life, his WrestleMania loss to Roman Reigns, a possible story line with Triple H, his midlife crisis, fast-food talk, why he loves suits, why he won’t show his feet, his rule for joining TikTok and much more.

You can listen to the podcast below or download it on Apple, Spotify and Google or watch it on YouTube.

7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: Some creative genius has given us a look at what Seinfeld would’ve looked like with the Sopranos ending.

Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out SI Media With Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Google. You can also follow Jimmy on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.