Rockets announcer Matt Thomas should call NBA 2K tournament

With the NBA set to have their NBA 2K tournament this Friday, here’s why the league should call up Houston Rockets play-by-play analyst Matt Thomas to call the games.

The Houston Rockets haven’t played a game since March 10th, as the sports world has been shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19). This has left us all scrambling for a potential replacement in the interim, which is challenging considering we don’t necessarily know how long that interim period will be.

Many have turned to classic games, either on YouTube, ESPN, or NBA TV, while others have turned to more recent footage of Rockets games. We’ve also seen national sports shows get cancelled, which makes sense considering how there’s very little sports news to share opinions about, outside of the NFL free agency period which came and went.

We’ve even seen ESPN air sports movies on the network, which goes to show the desperation of the times we’re in now. With ESPN being forced to dig deep in the well for ideas, and NBA fans being destitute for any semblance of basketball, the two parties combined for a grand idea: a players-only NBA 2K tournament.

Yahoo Sources: NBA to launch players-only NBA 2K Tournament scheduled for Friday and will be broadcast on major netowork. https://t.co/6m39JZETjx pic.twitter.com/a0apwYqDmQ

— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) March 31, 2020

It was initially announced that there would be a representative from each team, but it was later confirmed that there would be 16 players, and the Houston Rockets wouldn’t have a player participant. The Rockets could possibly be selected as the team of choice by one of the 16 players, but we don’t know that yet, as the players haven’t been forced to pick their teams yet.

Regardless of whether the Rockets are selected by one of the 16 contestants, there’s a way the tournament could instantly become more entertaining: have Houston Rockets announcer Matt Thomas call the games. Thomas covers the Rockets for Sports Radio 790, which is the official Rockets radio station, and he calls all the road games on the radio and is the PA announcer for the home games as well.

If you’ve ever heard the Matt Thomas show, you know how entertaining and informed him and his counterpart Ross Villarreal are, as the tandem is without question one of the better radio duos in the Houston market. As it pertains to the NBA 2K tournament, Thomas recently did the play-by-play on an NBA 2K20 game between the Houston Rockets and the Los Angeles Lakers, and it’s safe to say, he’d nail the job if offered.

Don’t just take my word, take a look and listen for yourself.

Our @SportsMT misses the @HoustonRockets so much, he had to get in some play-by-play reps on @NBA2K. #OneMission pic.twitter.com/cIEOvndHPY

— SportsTalk 790 (@SportsTalk790) March 27, 2020

Having Thomas do the play-by-play would make the tournament even more interesting, which is something the four-letter network could really use these days. Not only that, it would also help reel in better ratings, and give a much more authentic feel to the tournament.

Thomas has a wealth of experience doing the announcing, as he first began his career during the 1993-94 season, so he’s certainly more than qualified. He’s proven himself to be one of the better announcers in the league, and his previous 2K samples should have been an open audition for the Ronnie 2K, who runs the NBA 2K series.

It would be simply amazing if we were able to see this, as Thomas could even do the PA announcing on the NBA 2K video game, based on the example below.

Our @SportsMT misses the @HoustonRockets so much, he had to get in some PA reps on @NBA2K. #OneMission pic.twitter.com/LbECSMeHBw

— SportsTalk 790 (@SportsTalk790) March 27, 2020

Granted, it’s wishful thinking, as we know this won’t happen, but it doesn’t mean we can’t at least have hope. It’s something that should really warrant consideration, as it’ll add more intrigue, entertainment, and realism to the tourney, which is enough reason alone.

We also don’t know how much of an audience the tournament will draw as currently slated, and Thomas would instantly make this a success.