Interesting quote about David Stern

[Finkelskyhook]

True about PED's.  However, I don't see PED's as the problems themselves, I see the farce that baseball went through as the true embarrassment. Everyone knew that it was going on, but Selig ignored it.  At least with basketball, if it's going on, it's pretty well hidden.  

By addressing it with an corrupt insider political hack with a ridiculously covert conflict of interest, Selig essentially ignored the problem himself.  But like Stern, why address a problem that doesn't exist?  Attendance keeps going up.  Revenues keep going up.  The NBA game has become a joke via it's officiating but people keep watching and attending...If it ain't broke, don't fix it.  Stern and Selig are being smart businesspeople.

Did you watch the FIBA tourney? The officiating is no better there.

We are dealing with human limitations. The problem isn't the refs. It is the unreasonable expectations of fans.

I don't need to watch a pickup game to see the obvious in the NBA.

As a fan, I'd sort of like to see the games called evenly for everybody...Like the Bird years and previous to that. 

The way they officiate the messiah is so grossly contrived....Nothing human about that. When the messiah can take 3-4-5 steps without a dribble and it's not called???... Not much about missing Pierce's upfake/charge is human either...Nash's palming Wade's palming etc.  Or trained officials not being able to see Shaq's snowshoes shuffling and his pivot foot changing most times when he has the ball.   We're not dealing with human limitatations, Guava.  The officials are way too good to miss the same calls again and again.  They're missing them on purpose...I'm guessing from a directive.  Like I said....If it ain't broke, don't fix it.  Attendance up.  Revenues up?  Why address anything?

[guava_wrench]

I would debate the Stern being a good commissioner argument -- yeah the NBA has expanded it's market into other countries and definitely become more popular under his TWENTY SIX years in office. 

But the Donaghy thing might be the biggest scam perpetrated on American sports fans (more-so than PEDs in football and baseball) in recent history.  And you can choose to believe Donnaghy or not regarding how involved the NBA front office/higher ups are in influencing the outcome of games, but you have to admit Stern's constant ad-nauseum response "he's a bum, he's a criminal, he has no credibility" is ridiculously suspicious.

And yeah Bball might be the toughest sport to ref, but you have got to be kidding me with some of the goons that are allowed to call games in this league.  Joey Crawford???  He should be institutionalized for the stuff he pulls during games!  And what about the guy that stared down Doc rivers into getting a T that time? 

Yeah the league has become more popular under Stern's watch, it's almost as popular as Barnum and Bailey's or WWE.. sorry man I love the C's but David Stern is the worst.

Regarding Crawford, do you watch baseball? Have you seen how umpires at times bait managers to push them over the edge?

[GreenFaith1819]

I Love Joey Crawford:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOygTd1NWCM

Thanks for the memories, Joey C!

[Kuberski33]

Stern gets a passing grade...but he is no honor role commish.

Have to agree with this.  75% of the teams have ZERO chance of winning a title and too many have no chance of even making the playoffs.  There's something wrong with that system and to me, that's on Stern.

[Eeyore III]

$tern care$ about one thing and one thing only.  Gue$$ what?

The officiating will always $tink in the NBA because officiating is a co$t center: making it better would co$t money, without increa$ing revenue.

The FIBA officiating was better in that the sportsmanship aspect of the games was much better than in the NBA: less posturing and hostility, except from the USA team.     The calls could be inaccurate, but the tenor of most of the games was much better than in the WWF/NBA. 

[Junkyard Dawg]

Regarding Crawford, do you watch baseball? Have you seen how umpires at times bait managers to push them over the edge?

OK if you want to say 'because it's done in baseball, then it's ok for basketball' which I don't necessarily agree with.

But the stuff that joey crawford has done, calling phantom fouls on guys that were nowhere near the basketball at the time (camby last year), the above call on tim duncan, whatever other youtube clips you can pull up of him, he is a maniac!!!  this is not just a ref making bad calls, this is a guy who for YEARS has made things up on live television for the world to see, and has influenced the outcome of games because of it.  and he is allowed to ref some of the most important games of the season!  

And while he is the most outlandish example, my only point is that there are other refs who have done just as ridiculous things, only maybe one or two times.  But they don't ever have to worry about being "disciplined" by the league, or losing their jobs.  And so this reflects on Stern.

[nba is the worst]

Regarding Crawford, do you watch baseball? Have you seen how umpires at times bait managers to push them over the edge?

OK if you want to say 'because it's done in baseball, then it's ok for basketball' which I don't necessarily agree with.

But the stuff that joey crawford has done, calling phantom fouls on guys that were nowhere near the basketball at the time (camby last year), the above call on tim duncan, whatever other youtube clips you can pull up of him, he is a maniac!!!  this is not just a ref making bad calls, this is a guy who for YEARS has made things up on live television for the world to see, and has influenced the outcome of games because of it.  and he is allowed to ref some of the most important games of the season!  

And while he is the most outlandish example, my only point is that there are other refs who have done just as ridiculous things, only maybe one or two times.  But they don't ever have to worry about being "disciplined" by the league, or losing their jobs.  And so this reflects on Stern.

I agree - and Joey/Stern have been at it FOREVER - as the video of the Bulls over the Cavs game 6, as well as the ALLTIME free throw records of the Wade parade in game 5 of the 2006 Finals (fta's, Heat 49 (Wade 25), Mavs 24) and game 2 of the '08 finals (fta's Celtics 38 (Powe 13 in 15 minutes), Lakers 10 in 240 minutes - although it was DAN Crawford and Ken Mauer in that one) prove...

[LilRip]

1) The NBA is STILL ingnoring PED's.  Look no further than the league's biggest stars: Lebron, DHoward, Dwayne Wade - heck even Rondo; all sporting WWE-like physiques.  Stern, to some extent, has also turned a blind eye to PED's.
 

correct me if i'm wrong but i never really thought steroids were that big of a problem in the NBA. I mean, don't steroids usually make guys really big and bulky? kinda like Batista or Triple H? But those NBA athletes mentioned, other than being muscular, are also pretty graceful. Basketball is a fast game, what with all the direction changes and running and jumping they do. besides...



don't look as juiced up as


or




- LilRip

[fairweatherfan]

1) The NBA is STILL ingnoring PED's.  Look no further than the league's biggest stars: Lebron, DHoward, Dwayne Wade - heck even Rondo; all sporting WWE-like physiques.  Stern, to some extent, has also turned a blind eye to PED's.
 

correct me if i'm wrong but i never really thought steroids were that big of a problem in the NBA. I mean, don't steroids usually make guys really big and bulky? kinda like Batista or Triple H? But those NBA athletes mentioned, other than being muscular, are also pretty graceful. Basketball is a fast game, what with all the direction changes and running and jumping they do.

Steroids can make you bulky, but it depends on the specific variety, the doses that are taken, and how you cycle.  WWE guys would likely be taking much larger doses and cycling differently than an NBA player might.  For comparison, here's Don MacLean, the first NBA player to test positive for steroids (in background):



I can't find a pic of the year he tested positive, but he wasn't significantly bigger than this.

But steroids are probably a red herring; if NBA guys are on anything it's likely to be human growth hormone, which dodges some of the nastier side effects of steroids (but has some of its own), and more importantly is a lot harder to test for. 

[manl_lui]

As a fan, I hate David Stern's guts...somehow i think he is behind most of the rigged games...

In a business point of view, he is an excellent commissioner, he increased the number of teams in the NBA, enhanced the drug test and also made the dress code rule...

Under him, the NBA went international and gained more fans worldwide and bringing in more foreign players.

[Finkelskyhook]

As a fan, I hate David Stern's guts...somehow i think he is behind most of the rigged games...

In a business point of view, he is an excellent commissioner, he increased the number of teams in the NBA, enhanced the drug test and also made the dress code rule...

Under him, the NBA went international and gained more fans worldwide and bringing in more foreign players.

exactly