Via The 700 Level, the Philadelphia Inquirer has announced that well-respected NBA scribe David Aldridge will be leaving the paper to focus on the television side of his career. Aldridge is one of the best -- hell, maybe the best print NBA columnist. He's always fair, fresh and insightful.Aldridge's current TV gig is with TNT, where he does courtside reporting (and some occasional taped work) for NBA on TNT and Inside the NBA. If you'll remember, a few months ago the league announced a deal in which Turner Sports (which owns TNT) would take over operation of NBA TV at the start of next season, and current TNT personalities would appear on NBA TV. The big coup at the time seemed to be Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Ernie Johnson, along with iconic Marv Albert.
But -- and this is speculation -- Aldridge is a minor star already from his previous work with ESPN (who inexplicably let him go a few years back -- ostensibly in order to cater to the Stephen A. Smith market). D.A. would make a great lead reporter on NBA TV, in the vein of Rich Eisen on The NFL Network. It'll be interesting to see how Turner plans on using Aldridge after apparently prying him away from the Inquirer and expanding the usable broadcast time.
