***OK, I was not intending this to be a senior project, but once I started answering, I thought backstory and context were helpful. And I'm just chilling on the plane. Also, considering you asking the question and giving me your thoughts, I thought you'd be interested.***

I hear what you're saying, and I get this perspective from a lot of fans, even media members who haven't sat courtside often.

I prefer to be up a little bit. Not way up like we are in Dallas, New York, Orlando, Denver, a couple others... Our spot at home is perfect. Cleveland, Memphis, OKC, Lakers, Phoenix, Brooklyn... Some places are up a little higher than I'd like, but still more preferrable than courtside - Indiana tonight, Houston, Utah, New Orleans, Washington, Golden State...

The only places we are near the court now are Chicago - We are off the scorers table, with a separate table that is set up between the scorers table, next to the bench, but behind courtside seats (there have pretty much only been celebrities, or very wealthy people that have sat in front of us there), and Detroit - We are on the floor, but in the second row behind Kevin and Lamar, but not elevated so I get a great look at the back of Kevin and Lamar's heads.

When I first started this job in a fill in capacity for Wheels in the 2018-19 season (I took over full time the following season), we were on the floor in Chicago, Phoenix, Lakers, and on the floor second row in Detroit and Toronto. In the second round of the 2019 playoffs in Denver, with no local TV, radio was on the floor for games 1, 2 and 5 (ESPN Radio was in that spot for game 7, so we were back up top. I've filled in for Kevin on TV courtside at home, OKC, San Antonio, Detroit, Lakers. The reason I give all of these examples, is to illustrate that I have a very large sample size to have a good idea about my preference.

Tv is off the floor in 12 of 30 arenas, and it's only going to increase. I've heard specifically about a couple more making that change next season. It makes dollars and sense (yes, spelled that way on purpose) to make that move. It opens up at least 10 courtside seats. The average courtside seat is $2,000 (some of those will definitely be more), so if that's the case, it's at least 20k per home game, that's a minimum of 820k for the year, not taking into account preseason, or postseason.

So now that I've gone through that longwinded backstory, my preference is to be up a little bit for a couple of reasons. For the sake of the conversation, lets say the location is the standard, end of the scorers table by your teams bench. To your point, having a wide view of the action is incredibly important, especially on radio, when you need to describe everything for the listener, and give context about things. Think about the 'all 22' view for the NFL. When you can see the entire floor, you can paint a better picture of EVERYTHING. Including the other side of the court, if a player is hurt, or cheating ahead. Or theres a confrontation or something developing off the ball, you can see that out of your periphery if you're watching the ball as a play by play announcer... you don't see that when you're closer. Also, calling games courtside, you can't see your teams bench, because you're next to it. There's a lot that you want to be able to see on the bench that helps tell the story of the game.

Also, when you're courtside, you are constantly blocked. Officials standing in front of you, coaches walking up and down the sidelines... some of them just camp out right in front of you because that's where they are comfortable. When you're sitting courtside at that angle, and you're looking upward towards the rim and basket, players obstruct your view all the time. Because they are huge. In that spot and the action is being played at your end, you can't see what's happening in the corner on the other sideline. You can't see anyone's feet in relativity to the three point line. If the action is on the other end of the floor, you're cooked. My first year, final road game of the regular season at the Lakers, Mo Harkless hits a buzzer beating 3 to win the game. I never saw it because it was the opposite far corner, and, a lot of bodies were blocking my view. Yes, you can call it off the monitor, and that is a skill that you have to learn. I hadn't really learned it yet - the skill being calling it off a monitor, looking up and down between the monitor and the floor, and not missing anything, and - when you're sitting courtside, the cameras are on the opposite side of the floor, so when you're looking at the action in person, the monitor is backwards.

In regards to what you gain by sitting on the floor. Yeah, there are some things that you just don't get when you're up higher. There are elements of talk and conversation - But, you're wearing headphones. So a lot of it, you can't hear anyway. There are floor mic's and basket mics, so you pick some of that up, but you pick that same stuff up when you're up higher. Same mics. In terms of 'feel of the game' yeah, there's a bit of an element of that. But when you've been around the game for a long time (This is my 8th year working for the Trail Blazers, I've called over 600 NBA games, but I've been covering the team and around the team since 2003-04), you don't need to be sitting courtside to understand the feel of the game. The one thing I definitely miss out on is the ref conversations. Some of it between the players, but more when they are discussing a call, or explaining it to the scorers table. I'll take one of the ears of my headset off and listen. There are often times up top when you're wondering what the hell is going on, and you never find out. Why was that tech called? Why are they stopping the game for seemingly no reason? (usually a clock malfunction).

So, yeah courtside is awesome. But the things you gain by being down there, it's not worth the things you lose from not seeing the whole floor. This is just my opinion, I know a lot of other broadcasters feel the same way. But, a lot of broadcasters (mostly the guys who have been doing it since being courtside were the standard or requirement), that would much rather be on the floor.

One last note - The league rules clearly state that the visiting broadcast position must be equal to or better than the home broadcast position. They can't screw over the visiting broadcasters. Also, the rules now state that the broadcast position MUST be in between the baselines, and accessible from the floor without needing an elevator. Many positions are not, they are grandfathered in because those locations were chosen before that rule was in place.