It was a bad breakup, and Tina Cervasio is still feeling the pain.

Cervasio was let go by MSG Network as the sideline reporter for the Knicks after the 2014-15 season, and she was let down rather harshly. The network didn’t renew her contract, which expired last July 1, and the broadcasting veteran said she didn’t find out until the last minute.

After she covered the draft on June 25, when Phil Jackson selected Kristaps Porzingis with the No. 4 overall pick, Cervasio said she started learning Latvian words to speak to Porzingis in his native tongue. When she woke up the next day to go to the press conference with Jackson and the Knicks draft picks, she was told she was out of a job.

“Good thing I didn’t go because I would have got the phone call that I was not being renewed while I was sitting there at the press conference,” Cervasio told CBS Radio’s play.it with Jake Brown and Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson on Thursday.

“I got home at 2 a.m. from [the draft in] Brooklyn,” she said. “Eight hours later, I’m out of a job. I must have watched those interviews 15,000 times. It wasn’t those interviews. It was management that had come in when I was in an existing contract and they wanted their own people.”

Cervasio was replaced this past season by Rebecca Haarlow, who had worked at Fox Sports Net, NFL Network and Big Ten Network.

“I was just told my contract was not renewed and all this crap about change and direction and the reporter’s job with the Knicks is going to have a new role and different roles,” Cervasio said. “So I really thought maybe they were going to go really young and really hot. Or an analyst. I was like, ‘Hey, if I’m replaced by Greg Anthony’ — because he wasn’t working at the time [and a] former Knick analyst — I was like, ‘OK, I get it.’ I would have these up and down moments. Twenty-four hours later, I was livid.”

Cervasio said she reached out to Mike Breen, the television play-by-play voice, because she thought they had good chemistry. She stayed on to work Red Bulls broadcasts on MSG, but only a freelance basis.

Straight BS, you replace her with the most unattractive, dull, boring, no energy, wack asss reporter..

GustavBahler wrote:MSG has been especially cold blooded when it comes to letting people go. If Cervasio was replaced by a young hottie with no experience I would agree with her that she was "Norvilled". Cant blame Tina for being upset if this is how it went down. I get the feeling there is more to this story.

There is all ways 2 sides, it's just the replacement sucks big time. I'm pretty sure harlow was a inside pick, probably a favor to some one..

EnySpree wrote:Business is business. She is a contract worker. Her contact was up... they wanted to go in a different direction. Sucks for Tina and we all love her, but nothing to see here. She's still on msg doing red Bulls. I saw her myself. There's always a shot to come back. Can't burn bridges. Everything doesn't need to have a negative dramatic tone.

No one would care if her replacement wasn't so underwhelming. It's one thing to go watch League Pass only to realize that almost every NBA team out there has better point guard play than us. It's another thing when I'm watching friggin' Timberwolves games and thinking how big of an upgrade their sideline chick would be over ours. That's the final straw

Also, I'd guess her contract spells out that MSG can change her assignments at will. My daughter just signed her first contract with a network affiliate and its very one sided. They own her. My cousin is an entertainment lawyer and we recently discussed various types of contracts and they are usually as such, until you get into leverage situation where your services are desired by more than one party and then you can start to negotiate otherwise. Im going to guess that Tina was a not a hot commodity outside the New York area. No doubt she is talented and upset losing that assignment!!!
For her, it might have been the apex of her career. I see in her photo's she has lost weight over time and perhaps that cute curvy girl from Queens look has left her with it.
To me Tina was "regional". She had a "New Yawk" flavor. Haarlow is more polished. perhaps MSG felt like they wanted to look and sound more generic as the broadcasts go out over the country. Im just guessing. Media is a tough gig and can be cruel.

matt wrote:Tina seemed to be an actual Knick fan since she was from NJ. Also one time I saw Tina one time on the Path from Hoboken to the city. Down with Rebecca

Yes, she is "Of the people". That is a very appealing aspect.

BigDaddyG wrote:

EnySpree wrote:Business is business. She is a contract worker. Her contact was up... they wanted to go in a different direction. Sucks for Tina and we all love her, but nothing to see here. She's still on msg doing red Bulls. I saw her myself. There's always a shot to come back. Can't burn bridges. Everything doesn't need to have a negative dramatic tone.

No one would care if her replacement wasn't so underwhelming. It's one thing to go watch League Pass only to realize that almost every NBA team out there has better point guard play than us. It's another thing when I'm watching friggin' Timberwolves games and thinking how big of an upgrade their sideline chick would be over ours. That's the final straw

Exactly. Even Tina herself said, if they replaced her with Greg Anthony or another more credentialed basketball analyst, that's one thing.

I know we had our gamethread post-win "Tina looks gorgeous tonight" meme... so I do feel a little bad if they just wanted a "hotter sideline chick". I reckon they don't have to pay Harlow as much as they paid Tina either. But it's a shame, because Tina did have that tri-state swagger, her sideline work was solidly perceptive and to the point.

You are missed Tina!

WaltLongmire wrote:Liked Tina, and wanted to feel good about Haarlow...

But Haarlow, for me, has one of the most awkward looks as an interviewer that I have ever seen. I just find her to have a disquieting presence, for some reason.

Another example of the "girl next door" getting kicked out of the door for a colorless blonde with zero personality.

same