WHEN I FIRST started in broadcasting, I was called a "color commentator." My job was to break down players and teams and tell you why they were good, and to break down game matchups and tell you what to watch for and which factors will determine the outcome. Back then, we'd create a preseason top 20, attempting to tell you which teams and players will be best. Once in a while, we would be asked for a prediction, but it wasn't the dominant theme.
At some point, I became a "basketball analyst," which sounds profoundly snobbish.