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Game Over For Bob Ortegel

DToTheJ

DToTheJ

Mysteriously absent from his job as color commentator for Dallas Mavericks games on ESPN 103.3 since January 27, for "personal reasons," ESPN has announced that Ortegel will no longer be calling Mavs games:
http://dallas.sbnation.com/2011/2/8/1982991/mavericks-color-commentator-bob-ortegal-has-been-fired

Ortegel confirmed that he was given other options to remain with the organization, including working as the color commentator on the ESPN 103.3 radio broadcasts. "After some serious thought and discussion, I declined," he said.

Ortegel will be replaced by Derek Harper for all games at American Airlines Center, while Brad Davis, who currently is a color analyst for Mavs games on the TV side, will be calling all road games alongside Chuck Cooperstein.
 
Its correct to a certain point. Ortegel was the Mavericks TV analyst and Brad Davis is the radio analyst/Developmental coach.
 
DToTheJ said:
http://www.nba.com/mavericks/broadcasters/mavs_announcers.html

This season, Bob Ortegel will provide his 20+ years of experience as a color analyst to the radio broadcast with Chuck Cooperstein, who enters his third season as the play-by-play voice of the team on ESPN 103.3 FM.

I reckon they're going to have to update that part of the website now...
Click to expand...

Yeah that was about 2 or 3 years ago when the Mavericks switched the TV and Radio analysts. They never updated that part of the website when the put Ortegel back on TV and Davis back on radio.
 
Just my opinion, but for awhile now, Ortegel simply did not know what he was talking about or stated the obvious over and over.

Ortegel has been away from coaching too long. He had not coached for more than 30 years and never on the professional level.

This is way overdue.

Tony
 
Ortegel was fine as an analyst. But he and Skin were like oil and water and it just didn't work.

Cuban decided to get younger at that position, and that was that.
 
It's pretty evident that Cuban just didn't prefer Ortegel's style. He pushed Bob to radio a few years back but gave in to the fans that wanted him back on TV. Look at the moves that he made. He pushed Ticket famed Mark Followill to TV pbp as quickly as possibe and added Skin on last year. Even though Bob brought a lot of wisdom and history to the group, his sometimes corkiness got in the way of Followill's and Skin's back and forths. He just didn't fit with them. It was like Grandpa trying to hang with the teenage grandkids. Cuban wants to cater to the younger hip crowd and Bob just didn't add to that. Even though I didn't like the way it was done, it eventually had to happen. I hope he reconsiders to go to radio. Him and Coop we be a great team.

So ironic that Ortegal and Lewin got released for basically the opposite reasons. Maybe they should have looked in to trade. :D
 
To be clear, Ortegal obviously knows basketball.

How well he knows professional basketball has always been a question with me. Other than broadcasting, he has been away from coaching for more than 30 years as I mentioned before. Perhaps he did some scouting after his tenure at Drake University ended. Many college coaches do. I don't know.

After Nelson left, Ortegal still would often comment before an inbound that the Mavs "will have to push the ball". It seemed his mantra. And more often than not, the PG simply walked the ball up the court.

To his credit, I never saw Ortegal as a "homer", on the other hand, although he did not make a habit of it as Bill Walton did (and the reason Walton was fired), Ortegal would comment when he thought things were going wrong.

Twenty-three years is a long run.

Tony
 
Cuban wants to cater to the younger hip crowd and Bob just didn't add to that.
Click to expand...

Reminds me of when Cuban canned Kevin McCarthy and replaced him with "Humble" Billy Hayes.
It seemed like McCarthy went into such a funk after that, that it eventually cost
him his show on KLIF.

Walterjoe
 
walterjoe said:
Cuban wants to cater to the younger hip crowd and Bob just didn't add to that.
Click to expand...

Reminds me of when Cuban canned Kevin McCarthy and replaced him with "Humble" Billy Hayes.
It seemed like McCarthy went into such a funk after that, that it eventually cost
him his show on KLIF.

Walterjoe
Click to expand...

Perhaps.

But it is more likely that McCarthy's panic attacks were caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain for which he had no control.

The "funk" or depression he may have felt was probably over inability of doctors to find the right medication to control his symptoms.

Finally, continuing to work under the circumstances is a testament to McCarthy's courage and tenacity.

Tony
 
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