The Los Angeles Clippers are officially searching for a new color commentator. Chauncey Billups, the man who paired together with Bryan Sieman for the 2019-2020 season, has formally accepted a job as a lead assistant coach for the franchise. With an empty chair in the broadcast booth, is Corey Maggette next in line?
With the search officially on, many people believe that Maggette is one of the favorites to land the position. He received great overall reviews when he stepped in for Billups throughout the year. This meant a lot to Maggette as well, since this is the franchise he excelled for during his playing days. At the very least, he will be on the shortlist, but the more everything is looked at, he could have an inside edge to landing the job.
Corey Maggette and the Vacant Los Angeles Clippers Color Commentator Position
Excelling in a Part-Time Role
While Billups was the full-time analyst for the Clippers this past season, he also had several other assignments throughout the year working national television games and in the studio for ESPN. The demands of a schedule meant that the Clippers needed a part-time analyst to step in when needed.
Corey Maggette and Mike Fratello landed the job last year, but it was the former who received the majority of the reps. He received outstanding reviews when on the broadcast, and he is a young enough former player that he can still relate to the game closely.
Fratello has experience, as he served as the color commentator for the Los Angeles Clippers in the early 1990s. He also worked for NBC and TNT during his long career, but the one drawback to him being a full-time option is that he does not call Los Angeles home. This is why many view him only as a substitute at this point in his career. There is a chance he does not even want the actual full-time job.
Corey Maggette and the Other Candidates
With the success of the Los Angeles Clippers and the location of the franchise, there will be other candidates vying for this job as well. Some people love the idea of looking at former players only, and there will probably be some competition coming from Maggette’s contemporaries. One advantage he will have over any candidate is that he is not only familiar with the franchise, but familiar with the broadcast booth.
Perhaps the most likely person to contest Maggette for the spot is Don McLean. However, it is not clear what his status is for the PAC-12 Network, and whether he would want to leave that situation. He was a contender for a spot last year, but they ultimately did not want him part-time without a stronger commitment. With a full-time spot open, there may be some consideration there, but he seems happy with the PAC-12 Network as well.
Bridging the Different Eras of Los Angeles Clippers Basketball
The Los Angeles Clippers do not have the same type of history as some of the other franchises. Corey Maggette is one of the longest-tenured players in team history. He also had a very successful career, as he logged 512 games with the franchise. That puts him fifth all-time, and fans old and new are very much aware of what he brings to the table.
Another thing that helps him in some ways is that this current team seems like a perfect fit for the type of player Maggette was during his career. He might not be quite as tall as the stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, but he was capable of doing a little bit of everything on the court. Being able to break down these two players and bring insight to the game is certainly a selling point. Teams love keeping jobs within the franchise as well, as it usually tends to be a fan favorite.
Maggette was not one of the people to go to the NBA bubble in 2020, but he still utilizes that time to perhaps make a case for him as a prepared color commentator. He started breaking down certain parts of the game to explain things to people better online. By putting together some videos and explaining while keeping everything engaging, this could be a preview of what he is capable of in a more prominent role. It was just one example of him taking a role as a teacher and educated a little more seriously.
Staying Involved
Even if Maggette does not end up landing this current opening, it seems like he is progressing as a color commentator every single year. Now that he has a few years under his belt, Maggette has shown that he is someone who could have a lengthy career as a media personality. He seems more focused on being informative rather than trying to be provocative, which tends to lead to commentary roles instead of being in the studio. He remains loyal to the Los Angeles Clippers, but there will be plenty of other opportunities coming his way if they end up passing on him.
For now, the Clippers are still in the middle of figuring out who plays what role going into next season. Billups has been eyeing opportunities to get into coaching, and whoever lands the color commentary job will have the task of judging some of the decisions made each night by the former color commentator. That is the challenging part of being an analyst on television.
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