Since former Knick Gerald Wilkins retired from the NBA in 2000, he hasn’t done much in terms of a “real job,” he says.
Now he’s going after a “Dream Job.”
Wilkins is one of the former players trying to win a one-year ESPN analyst contract on the latest “Dream Job.”
On last week’s first show, Wilkins probably was the best of a shaky crew that included Darryl Dawkins and J.R. Reid, among others. Wilkins is inexperienced, but confident.
“I have been on national TV all my life,” Wilkins said.
Being an analyst hasn’t really been a dream for him. Wilkins, 41, said he just happened to be offered a spot on the show.
If Wilkins wins the job, he could have the odd arrangement of analyzing his son, Damien, who is a rookie forward for the Sonics.
“Dream Job” is on at 10 p.m. Sunday on ESPN.
* ESPN is close to adding a couple of new baseball analysts. Eric Karros and Steve Stone are both on the Bristol radar. Nothing is official yet, but deals are expected soon.
* After last week’s Memo circulated, Al Michaels called us to disagree with its contents.
We had opined that Michaels didn’t seem long for the job of ABC’s lead NBA play-by-player, based on his seeming reluctance to take it in the first place, and the fact he is doing only six regular-season games – all in his home state of California.
Michaels said that, on a scale of 1 to 10, his enjoyment of the NBA is an 11. He added it was a scheduling quirk that all his regular-season games are in California.
Michaels also declared that if ABC retains the NFL, his football contract would kick in, then – if ABC and the NBA want him to continue – he is “95 percent” sure he would like to re-up his current NBA deal, which expires after next season.
* ESPN launches its new network ESPNU next month. It will compete with CSTV in the 24-hour college sports genre.
“I’m not necessarily focused on who was first,” said Burke Magnus, ESPNU’s GM. “I think it is going to be who is best at the end of the day.”
Brian Bedol, CSTV’s CEO, responded, “The ESPNU announcement is a great endorsement of the success of CSTV in the marketplace and the impact we have had on ESPN.”
ESPNU launches March 5. Original “Dream Job” winner Mike Hall will be the lead anchor on the network.
* Though they have not sent out a release yet, the Nets and YES plan on officially announcing Marv Albert as their new play-by-play man during a conference call Monday at 11 a.m.
* More “Dream Job”: Nick Anderson subs in for Dana Barros, who had to leave the show for personal reasons.
* The Nets’ WFAN postgame show will now be live from Courtside Club for home games.
