Now that Mark Jackson is taking his talents to the sideline as a coach next season (barring a lockout), will EA, the video game company, be able to revitalize their NBA Elite series? As many hoops gamers already know, Mark Jackson was one of the commentator voices for EA's NBA Elite video games along with ABC's Mike Breen and Jeff Van Gundy. PastaPadre.com, a website dedicated to sports video game coverage, wonders how Jackson's absence due to his new coach responsibilities will effect the Elite franchise given their attempt to re-tool the series for re-release in 2012. Will Jackson's absence affect the release date AND sales? Who could be a good replacement?
As a commentator, Jackson is a polarizing figure: you either love his one liners or you don't. PastaPadre believes that Jackson's pending departure means that EA will have to re-record some of his voice-overs with either Breen and Van Gundy. But without Jackson's zingers, will hardcore hoops gamers want to purchase this product? That's like the buying Street Fighter 2 and them leaving out Ryu or Ken!
You can't possibly replace him (honestly, nothing comes close to touching "Mama, there goes that man!"). But if we had to pick someone, who could carry his torch? Who is the Rodimus Prime to Jackson's Optimus Prime when it comes to color commentary (even on video games)? Reggie Miller seems like a good candidate given his goofiness. But he tends to make mistakes calling out names and facts. Chris Mullin, one of ESPN's new analysts, could be a possibility, though he's a bit green. He would be great just because of his heavy New York accent and his voice alone makes him sound like the toughest guy in the world.
Who do you think would be a good replacement?