I’m a big Jeff Van Gundy fan. Unpredictable and outspoken, he definitely is on the short list for best sports TV analyst.

So I’m not pleased that with the biggest games of the NBA season finally here, ESPN/ABC is turning its excellent combo of Van Gundy and Mike Breen into a three-man set-up by adding Mark Jackson.

ESPN welcomed their one-time analyst and now former Golden State coach back into the fold last weekend. They promptly stuck him on the No. 1 team with Van Gundy and Breen and will keep him there for the remainder of the playoffs.

The trio worked well together for five years before Jackson stepped over the line to coach the Warriors in 2011. Van Gundy, though, has since flourished as a solo analyst act with Breen as his foil.

While listening to the Indiana-Miami game Sunday, I found myself wanting more Van Gundy and less Jackson. That’s not a knock against Jackson, who is very good. It’s just that now is not the time for Van Gundy to be sharing his minutes.

If ESPN wanted to add Jackson to the mix immediately, the studio show would have been a better fit.

Also, interesting to note that Jackson signed a multi-year deal with ESPN. Putting Jackson on the No. 1 team for the playoffs could have been a preemptive strike from TNT snagging him as a replacement for Steve Kerr.

For more on Jackson returning to ESPN, here’s Richard Deitsch at SI.com.

And Bob Raissman of the New York Daily News.