November 16th 2023.
Former New York Knicks point guard Mark Jackson has been blocked from calling games on MSG Network this season. According to the NY Post, Jackson was slated to occasionally fill in for longtime commentator Clyde Frazier, reuniting him with Mike Breen, who worked with Jackson for years on ESPN.
However, Knicks’ upper management, led by Team President Leon Rose, blocked the arrangement due to a dispute between Jackson and Darren Erman, a current Knicks assistant coach. Erman was an assistant with the Golden State Warriors when Jackson was the head coach in 2014. That year, Jackson fired Erman for allegedly violating company policy after discovering he secretly recorded conversations between the team’s coaches and players.
An MSG Networks spokesperson told The Post, “We weren’t able to work something out this season.” Jackson was not expected to make extra money as he was being paid an offset of the money that ESPN still owed him and was slated to call all five games on the Knicks’ current road trip.
Jackson responded to the news in a social media post, saying he turned the job down because the conditions and timing were not ideal. He said in the post, “More than a week ago, I turned the job down due to the fact that it wasn’t the ideal conditions, and it wasn’t the ideal time for me.”
Neither Jackson nor the Knicks have commented on the situation. TV and radio broadcasters are permitted to travel with the team and stay in the same hotel, according to the outlet. However, Rose, who had the final say, wouldn’t allow Jackson on the team charter, in its hotel, or on the team bus. Gus Johnson has instead been calling the games, including Thursday night’s 116-114 win against the Atlanta Hawks.
It appears that the long-time disagreement between Jackson and Erman has stopped the former Knicks point guard from calling games on MSG Network. Despite the history, Jackson could have been an ideal addition to reunite with Breen, making for an interesting broadcast. For now, it looks like Jackson won’t be part of the Knicks games anytime soon.
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