Reunion Show: Knicks' MSG Network Trying to Land Mark Jackson, Jeff Van Gundy?
This Madison Square Garden party would take on a homecoming theme.
A report from Bob Raissman of the New York Daily News says that the New York Knicks might turn to some familiar faces for part-time analyst duty on MSG Network, namely those of Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy. Mike Breen and Walt "Clyde" Frazier are back on MSG's primary mikes for the 2023-24 season, but the latter told All Knicks that he would "cut back on road games" earlier this summer.
Jackson and Van Gundy were part of the widely-discussed lay-offs at ESPN, where they served as Breen's analysts for the biggest games on the Worldwide Leader's airwaves. That top trio had called almost every edition of the NBA Finals on ABC together since 2007, the streak only broken during Jackson's time as the Golden State Warriors' head coach.
Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
"NBA TV sources say MSGN brass is considering a few different voices to fill in for Frazier, including Jeff (Shecky) Van Gundy and Mark Jackson," Raissman's report says. "Watching both Jax and JVG, in a combo or singularly, reunite with their former ESPN partner Mike Breen, would not only be great TV but tremendous theater as well."
Knicks fans are well-versed in both Jackson and Van Gundy's Manhattan projects.
Jackson's 17-year NBA playing career began when the Knicks chose him with the 18th pick in the 1987 draft before he earned the ensuing season's Rookie of the Year Award and an All-Star berth the campaign after. The Brooklyn native and St. John's alum played his first five seasons with the Knicks before returning for one more in 2001-02.
Van Gundy spent 13 seasons on the Knicks' coaching staff (1989-2001), including the final seven as the head man in charge. To date, Van Gundy's 248 wins at the helm are third-best in Knicks history and he's the last coach to take the team to both the Eastern Conference Finals and the NBA Finals.
In the wake of the lay-offs, Breen will now be joined by longtime ESPN analyst Doris Burke and another former Knick, Doc Rivers. The newly-formed trio will likely make its regular season debut on Oct. 25 when the Knicks open their 2023-24 slate against the Boston Celtics.
