ESPN needs a LeBron James-sized reboot for its NBA Finals coverage

When ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro wanted to spice up “Monday Night Football,” he reached for the stars and Mickey Mouse’s wallet. Pitaro, a die-hard New York Yankees fan, channeled his inner George Steinbrenner by signing the white whale of NFL TV, Peyton Manning, and then luring Joe Buck and Troy Aikman from Fox Sports.

They were boss moves for Disney-owned ESPN.

Pitaro gave Buck a $75 million deal and Aikman $90 million, both over five seasons, while Manning, with his Omaha Productions and his brother Eli in the fold, makes even more per year than either, although the exact figures are unknown. This season, Omaha summoned another audible by adding the legendary Bill Belichick to this fall’s MNF “ManningCast.”

The shine has returned to the production of “Monday Night Football.”

Now, during the NBA Finals, Pitaro should tear a page out of his NFL playbook. He and his right-hand man, Burke Magnus, ESPN’s content president, should woo LeBron James with a Tom Brady-esque broadcast deal that takes effect once the 39-year-old James decides to hang up his sneakers.

James’ basketball IQ is off the charts. Like Brady — who starts in the Fox NFL booth in September with a 10-year, $375 million deal — there’s no definitive way to say how good James would be in games, but part of the point is to get the broadcasts around to put in events.

James would do that, alongside play-by-play broadcaster Mike Breen. They should get him to call 20 to 25 games a season, like an NFL analyst, and elevate the level of broadcasting, especially this time of year, during the finals.

If Pitaro can’t get James, he should keep 36-year-old Stephen Curry in mind for when he’s ready to stop draining 3s. In the meantime, if TNT Sports loses its NBA TV package, Charles Barkley should – and will – be at the top of ESPN’s list.

All of this is to say that it’s time for an ESPN NBA reboot, because the coverage of the Boston Celtics’ finals against the Dallas Mavericks feels small.

For the first two games, ESPN added Josh Hart of the New York Knicks as a guest analyst. Hart is someone to admire, with his work ethic and his good reputation, but, as the kids like to say, it felt very mediocre.

If ESPN wanted to add another body for the half-hour pregame and halftime show, it would have had to reward analysts they got there, like big-name personalities Kendrick Perkins or Richard Jefferson. Both are much better every day on “NBA Today” than the neophyte Hart showed in his guest spots. At least Hart added another NBA player voice to the Finals festivities.

Before his addition, ESPN’s finals coverage included 15-year-old 3-point specialist JJ Redick as the only former player. Redick joined Doris Burke and Breen in the consistently disappointing final standings.

In the studio, there are no former players without Hart, as host Malika Andrews is joined by legendary opinion maker Michael Wilbon, former Golden State general manager Bob Myers, and the face of ESPN, Stephen A. Smith. Well, if Smith has the time.

After Game 2 on ABC, ESPN had a postgame show, but Smith was not there. He was already on his way from Boston to Miami to be in position for “First Take,” even though the program regularly airs from New York.

Smith is the network’s undisputed No. 1 star, but the games are what make it tick. Smith said earlier in the playoffs that he was hoping for a quick Eastern Conference finals so he could take some time off.

Smith is a workaholic and the center of the sports media, but if appearing on the playoff studio shows is running out of time for him, maybe, honestly, letting him jam this in between his daily TV talk debates isn’t the best choice , his thrice-weekly YouTube show, his role as ‘General Hospital’ and every other platform known to man on which he appears.

As the series moves to Dallas on Wednesday, nine-time All-Star Paul George is an upgrade in status over Hart as the guest analyst. Whether he is any good remains to be seen. During the conference finals, Chris Paul was the guest analyst and he showed some signs of potential.

Once the new TV deals are completed, ESPN is expected to have the rights to the finals for 12 years, with the final season under the current contract and the next 11 under the new one. It has sidelined the competition with a deal that will pay the league $2.6 billion a year, just shy of the $2.7 billion it hands out to the NFL per season. It seems like a smart move, as TNT Sports is committed to its NBA future for dear life.

Amazon Prime Video, which has a framework agreement with the league, already has Ian Eagle on its radar for play-by-play, according to sources briefed on their plans, and NBC, which is also on the cusp of a completed deal, will do that too. likely name Mike Tirico is No. 1. Those are strong starts that suit Breen.

While the iconic “Inside the NBA” may be in its final season at Warner Bros. Discovery goes into effect, it’s not like Barkley or Shaquille O’Neal won’t be joining, perhaps even Kenny Smith and Ernie Johnson. Amazon and NBC will compete for the biggest names.

In addition to all of this, ESPN would have to rely on other networks’ coverage of the Super Bowl and the World Series. The ESPN executive in charge of the NBA, David Roberts, should order a new graphics package for the Finals to further differentiate it from a November game. The network with the Super Bowl does this every year, although for ESPN in the NBA it’s actually even more necessary because of the plethora of games they can all blend together.

Roberts should also watch Fox’s MLB studio coverage in October with Derek Jeter, David Ortiz and Alex Rodriguez. It’s a prestige event and Fox has brought in three of the biggest players of the last generation. You don’t have to do this, but if you don’t have the names, the content must be superior. It hasn’t been at these finals.

Next, ESPN should pursue James, just like Manning. And Barkley, just like Buck and Aikman. Pitaro and company have to play like the boss again.

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(Top photo: Adam Pantozzi / NBAE via Getty Images)