Firing Zach Lowe is ESPN’s latest poor decision, especially with regard to NBA coverage

Lowe is a beacon of NBA insight and integrity as a writer, television contributor, and podcaster.

ESPN has made more questionable personnel decisions in recent years than even the Red Sox.

Oh, yeah. It’s that grim.

Particularly when it comes to the network’s NBA coverage — and, more damningly, the obvious direction of that coverage.

I still consider it ridiculous that the network fired Jeff Van Gundy — whose self-deprecating humor and coach’s perspective worked well enough for him to be part of the call of 17 NBA Finals — back in June 2023.

That ESPN lost Doc Rivers (who ditched his gig as a de facto replacement for Van Gundy to take the Bucks’ coaching job) and JJ Redick (Rivers’s replacement, who ditched the network to join LeBron James’s staff with the Lakers) within sixth months of each other falls somewhere between comedy and karma.

But this past week’s decision to fire Zach Lowe, a beacon of NBA insight and integrity as a writer, television contributor, and podcaster, for the sake of making a budget before September ends and nothing more than that?

That’s dumber than dumping Van Gundy. And far more infuriating, not just because of the way Lowe went about his job, but because of what it signals.

When it comes to the NBA, ESPN is going all-in on the outlandish. It’s about hot takes, reality-based or not. (What happened, Perk?) It’s about debate, and I’d say real or contrived here, except that it’s always contrived. It’s about positioning Stephen A. Smith (who according to the reporting of John Ourand at Puck is seeking $25 million per year in his next contract) as part of the league, rather than as someone who covers it.

ESPN has smart, informative programming, particularly when it comes to the NFL. But in a broad sense across the network, it is paying Smith . . . and Mike Greenberg, the master of ceremonies for much of this stuff . . . and Pat McAfee millions upon millions of dollars to be overly emphatic and/or have outlandish takes, all in the name of catching a social media wave.

Its NBA coverage is suffering because of this approach, and don’t forget, it also needs to replace Adrian Wojnarowski.

And yet there’s no longer a place for Lowe, whose longstanding respect around the game is such that Kobe Bryant once invited him to his office to watch an NBA Finals game and pick his brain about the state of NBA media?

Absurd. Infuriating. And all too revealing about what ESPN really thinks of NBA fans.

Caron on Jimmy Fund, Red Sox

In 2015, longtime NESN personality Tom Caron was diagnosed with lymphoma, receiving treatments at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. So it was both fitting and an honor when Caron, along with former Red Sox fan favorite Brock Holt, was recently named one of the co-chairs of The Jimmy Fund.

“I was fortunate back in 2015 that the lymphoma was treated and taken care of very quickly,” said Caron. “But you stare into that abyss of the cancer diagnosis and you realize how incredibly scary it is for anybody. So being in a position to help is a huge honor.

“And Brock, he’s the perfect guy for this role, to be an ambassador and continue to spread the word about the Jimmy Fund. We’ve talked a lot about this and we’re both really energized to help in any way we can.”

Caron, who has been with NESN since 1995, is looking forward to his role with The Jimmy Fund come next baseball season. It would also be nice if the Red Sox could put together a playoff team for the first time since 2021, he said.

“The Boston Red Sox should be able to fix this [drought] without it being any longer than it’s already been, that’s for sure,” said Caron, noting that it would be six straight years without a playoff berth if the Red Sox hadn’t won their last game of the season in 2021 to seize a wild-card spot.

“This three-year stretch matches the longest run without a playoff spot in 30 years, and they’ve got to change this. There is reason for optimism, sure. Some young players developed this season. They are one year closer to that next generation of prospects that we’ve been watching move up.

“But I’ve got to look at what they did this year [bring in talent] and ask, ‘Was it enough?’ And it wasn’t enough, right? This wasn’t enough. It was a disappointing year. The prospects are great. Can’t wait to see what they become. But you know the saying: Parades are better than prospects. And I think we all miss parades.”

Staying home

A few readers reached out Thursday night upon turning on NESN’s Bruins broadcast only to discover that the broadcasters calling the game had more New York flavor than a slice from Sbarro.

The reason soon became obvious: NESN was using the feed of the Rangers’ broadcast on MSG Network. NESN plans to use the home broadcast again Oct. 5, when the Bruins travel to face the Capitals in their final preseason matchup.

New television play-by-play voice Judd Sirott and analyst Andy Brickley will call Tuesday’s home matchup with the Flyers. It might have made sense to send them on the road to get more reps as a tandem. But NESN doesn’t miss many shots at saving a buck.