CBS May Make Switch in NBA Telecast Team--Albert for Stockton

Play-by-play announcer Dick Stockton may be working his last National Basketball Assn. championship series for CBS.

Sources in Los Angeles and New York told The Times Monday that CBS has talked with NBC sportscaster Marv Albert about becoming its No. 1 NBA play-by-play announcer next season.

Albert, besides working for NBC, is also the television play-by-play announcer for the New York Knicks.

Stockton’s contract with CBS expires in a few months.

CBS Sports President Neal Pilson, reached at his home in New York Monday night, said he had no comment.

Ted Shaker, CBS Sports’ executive producer, in Los Angeles for Game 1 of the Laker-Boston series tonight, denied that there have been talks with Albert.

“Dick Stockton is our man on the NBA and hopefully will be for a long time,” Shaker said.

Said Albert: “I really can’t comment. I will tell you that I am very happy with my situation at NBC.”

Albert is in his 20th season with the Knicks. He is also the radio voice of the New York Rangers.

Albert and Stockton attended Syracuse University together and are good friends.

CBS talked with Albert five or six years ago about becoming its top man on the NBA telecasts, but Albert was unable to get out of his contract with NBC. At that time, he also worked for New York’s WNBC as a sports anchor.

The New York source said CBS is not particularly unhappy with Stockton and that he very well could be back on pro basketball next season. The source also said the talks with Albert have been only “exploratory” in nature.

The source said commentator Tom Heinsohn probably will be back.

There has been talk about Julius Erving joining the CBS team, but he would be brought along slowly, the source said.

Backup commentators Billy Cunningham and Hubie Brown have received favorable reviews for their work during the playoffs.

Stockton has retained Beverly Hills agent Ed Hookstratten to represent him. “We will sit down with Neal Pilson in a couple of weeks and hopefully work out a new deal,” Hookstratten said.

Stockton was first hired by CBS in 1967. In 1971, he left CBS and went to WBZ-TV in Boston as the station’s sports director and also announced Celtic games for two years.

In 1975, he became a Red Sox announcer for WSBK-TV in Boston and then, in 1976, worked for NBC for two years before returning to CBS.

It has been reported Stockton might return to NBC. “There is interest in Stockton,” Hookstratten said. But an NBC source said his network has not had any talks with Hookstratten or Stockton.

Stockton also announces pro football for CBS and is a regular on the “Sports Saturday” and “Sports Sunday” anthology shows.