The New Orleans Pelicans jumped in head first to revitalizing broadcasts of games played previously this season. The rest of the league should follow.
Since the day our collective societal functions came to a screeching halt due to the breakout of the Coronavirus, we’ve all been starving for basketball. Networks are using game replays galore while scrambling for talking points on the regularly scheduled debate shows. This isn’t an easy time for any of us in the sports industry.
Those in the media have to get creative to provide content worth reading, listening to or watching. The New Orleans Pelicans and Fox Sports New Orleans are at the cutting edge of it all.
Starting March 18, local Fox affiliate started running replays of some of the top performances by the Pels this season, beginning with the Pels’ 132-127 home win over the LA Clippers. The rebroadcast of these games was a good idea in itself, especially at the level New Orleans was playing. It’s difficult to abruptly stop a season and not watch a team that was playing at such a high level.
Just over three weeks later on April 9, the network made a big step — of which the rest of the league should follow — adding Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations and beloved member of the front office, David Griffin to the broadcast.
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While Joel Meyers and Antonio Daniels provided regular commentary as they did in the original broadcast, Griffin added in his analysis as well. With a live-feed into Griffin’s home, the broadcast allowed the Pel’s executive to ask producers to replay certain parts of the game, bringing focus to what he knew and recognized as being big moments.
Following the broadcast, Griff was able to add in his final thoughts and beliefs about the current state of the franchise. “We have a team that is sort of on the precipice of being very good and is just scratching the surface of what we’re capable of,” Griffin said. “We’re optimistic – if we’re able to restart in any form or fashion – that we’re going to be a team that is one to be reckoned with.”
In the succeeding rebroadcasts, Trajan Langdon, the New Orleans Pelicans general manager and Swin Cash, vice president of basketball operations and team development have joined in to give their analysis of previous matchups the Pels have taken on. Langdon broke down a 117-110 overtime win over the Detroit Pistons on January 13 and Cash dissected a 123-108 home win over the Boston Celtics on January 26. The franchise and network have plans to add players like Zion Williamson to these broadcasts in the future.
The rest of the league and the bigger networks should take notes.
The question is, how can it be improved upon?