Orlovsky heading to NFL booth with ESPN’s No. 2 team
G-Leader Daniels may be what knicks need to jump-start PG spot
THE NFL TV free-agency carousel keeps turning, and Dan Orlovsky will join Steve Levy and Louis Riddick Jr. in ESPN’s No. 2 NFL TV booth, The Post has learned.
ESPN declined comment.
The position is significant because, while ESPN has signed Joe Buck and Troy Aikman as its No. 1 team, Levy and Riddick will call a handful of games this year and around five per season beginning in 2023. Levy and Riddick also received contract extensions, cementing them on NFL games.
Orlovsky was pursued by Fox Sports, according to sources, where he would have fronted a fiveday-a-week NFL show and done some games on Sundays, though he was not a candidate for the top jobs, according to sources. Kevin Burkhardt has replaced Buck as Fox’s No. 1 game-caller, while Greg Olsen is the leading candidate to be his partner, with Tom Brady’s arrival as an analyst to be determined.
Instead of moving, Orlovsky will remain an ESPN workhorse, appearing on “NFL Live,” “First Take” and “Get Up!” while continuing to call college football games, and now the NFL.
Orlovsky, 38, essentially will be replacing Brian Griese, who teamed with Levy and Riddick on the No. 1 “Monday Night Football” team the past two years. With his contract up, Griese left to be the 49ers’ quarterbacks coach.
An NFL quarterback for more than a decade, Orlovsky made
12 starts in his career. He was most famous for running out of the back of the end zone in 2008 during his first career start for the Lions. A Connecticut native and standout quarterback at UConn, he joined Bristol, Conn.-based ESPN in 2018 after he gained some acclaim breaking down plays on social media.
The first game with the crew of Levy, Riddick and Orlovsky will be the second week of the season. “Monday Night Football” has a doubleheader that week, and Buck and Aikman are expected to call the Titans-Bills game on ESPN.
Levy, Riddick and Orlovsky would be on the VikingsEagles game on ABC.
Smith was pretty vocal in saying he was the one who thought Max Kellerman should no longer be on “First Take.” Smith said he favored a rotating group of debaters. The goal of these debate shows is attention, which has increased as folks such as Chris “Mad Dog” Russo, JJ Redick and, this week, Timberwolves guard Patrick Beverley, have joined.
Beverley, who has been anointed a future star NBA television analyst, has roasted the Suns’ Chris Paul all week. You normally don’t see that from current players, but Beverley has always been outspoken. He understands the game and has played it perfectly this week. With Kellerman gone, host Molly Qerim has also shown more personality, at times, and entertainingly telling Smith to simmer down. Smith was pretty outspoken that he wanted “First Take” to be undisputedly his show, and the way these programs are judged — by ratings (up 22 percent as compared to last year) and social noise — it has worked.
➤ Clicker Book Club: The new book “Hebrew Hammer” by Joseph Wancho, is about Al Rosen, who was an All-Star third baseman and MVP with Cleveland, primarily in the 1950s. He later went on run teams, including the Yankees, and was named an Executive of the Year. He was, as the title indicates, Jewish. Papa Clicker, my dad, Herb Marchand, said this interesting biography deserves 4.15 out of 5 clickers. amarchand@ nypost.com
CHICAGO — Is Dyson Daniels a point guard?
As NBA personnel men gathered inside Wintrust Arena on Wednesday for the first day of draft combine workouts and measurements, a big question they had regarding Daniels, a fascinating lottery prospect, is whether or not he could be considered a point guard.
Born and raised in Australia, Daniels, 19, came to the United States to play for the G-League Ignite, an entry in the G-League that serves as an alternative to college ball. Daniels spurned a chance to play in the Australian professional league (NBL), feeling the Ignite was better NBA exposure.
Though Daniels is listed at 6-foot-8, G-League head coach Jason Hart saw him as a floor general. And that’s what Daniels did this season. The Knicks will select 11th in the June 23 draft, and the defense-minded Daniels is one of their considerations because he still might be on the board. The Knicks have attended Ignite practices.
“I wanted to show NBA people he was a point guard,’’ Hart told The Post during Wednesday’s workouts. “So now when he gets drafted, they can put him at another position, but I think he’s a point guard because he can guard them. And he’s a natural pass-first type guy. So I played him at point guard. That’s what he looked to me. I was a point guard. And he had the same qualities point guards have. He just happened to be 6-7 [Daniels measured 6-7 ¹/2 in shoes Wednesday].
“He’s very cerebral and makes the right, smart, basic play,’’ added Hart, who played at Syracuse and in the NBA with eight teams. “In basketball it’s equivalent to hitting a lot of singles. He’s always on base.’’
Though it sounds like a broken record going on 25 years, the Knicks need a playmaking point guard. There weren’t many of those who shined as NBA prospects during the NCAA season.
In his year with the Ignite, Daniels played 26 games — averaged 12.0 points, 5.1 assists, 7.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals. He shot 46.3 percent overall, but just 30.3 percent from 3-point range.
During drills, Daniels posted a 2.95 shuttle run time that would have been tops at last year’s combine.
“He’s a young player with a lot of wisdom and know-how,’’ Hart said. “That’s why a lot of NBA teams are intrigued by him. He knows how to do a lot of things to make a successful team. With his size, skill set and being an elite defender, he has the upside where his offense will catch up.’’
Indeed, his 3-point shooting will need polishing.
“He doesn’t have a messed-up form. He just needs reps. It’s not too many NBA players can come in shooting the 3 elite, even those who shot them well in college. Corey Kispert [the former Gonzaga star now with the Wizards] didn’t shoot it well, and he’s a shooter,” Hart said. “[Daniels] just needs reps and time. When that develops, it will open up his game even more.
“He’s very intriguing,’’ Hart added. “Because he can a do a little bit of everything. And he’s a nice kid. So that’s attractive.’’
Daniels’ father, Ricky, played at North Carolina State and played professionally in Australia. The son grew up in the rural town of Bendigo, Australia. And he’s proud to be from Down Under, where he attended high school at the NBA Global Academy in Melbourne.
Quiet at first, Daniels opened up as the season went on, according to Hart.
“That’s what he takes pride in — that he’s from Australia,’’
Hart said. “He doesn’t try to act like he’s from here. It’s comfortable to be who you are.
“His talent and desire to become a really good player is evident and that’s why he came here to take that challenge.’’
The Ignite are based in Walnut, Calif., but play their home games at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. So Daniels is used to the bright lights. Sources said he loves New York and spent a few days in Manhattan after the Ignite faced the Long Island Nets.
“I don’t worry about him getting in trouble because he was in Vegas,’’ Hart said. “Vegas is a lot going on. I feel he’s a top-10 pick, but anywhere 1-to-30 is good.’’
“He’s got feel, skill and sneaky athleticism,’’ one scout said.
The Ignite could have five players drafted, including a mid-to-late first-round prospect, “3-and-D’’ type MarJon Beauchamp. He’d be a possibility if the Knicks trade back.
Hart is hoping five Ignite players get drafted. There were three last year, including Jalen Green and Jonathan Kuminga.
“That would be eight draft picks in two years — more than any college,’’ Hart said.