Interesting quote about David Stern

[butterbeanlove]

Just came across this quote from a story about game six of the 1984 finals.

http://lexnihilnovi.blogspot.com/2010/08/larry-v-magic-game-13-part-2.html

Bird was also upset with first-year NBA Comr. David Stern. "Stern told a fan that the NBA needed a seven-game series because the league needed the money," Bird said. "When the commissioner makes a statement like that to a fan, you know it's going to be tough. Things are going to happen. He's a man, and he'll live up to it. He may say he said it in jest. But I'm out there trying to make a living and win a championship."

I will never be able to fully enjoy the NBA as long as that guy is in the corner office.

[moiso]

He'd be more careful saying that stuff nowadays.

[footey]

Net net, David Stern has been a great commissioner. The NBA has grown dramatically under his watch.

[footey]

Net net, David Stern has been a great commissioner. The NBA has grown dramatically under his watch.

[Jon]

I tend to agree with footey.  And while I haven't always been his biggest fan, he's certainly better than Selig, who ignored the performance enhancing drug problem, refused for years to update the game through instant replay, etc., and still hasn't managed to fix the huge economic gap in baseball that manages to make sure 1/2-2/3 of the teams in the league have no legitimate shot at making the playoffs each year. 

And he's better than whatever clowns have run the NHL and made sure it went from the #4 sport in America to perhaps the 7th or 8th. 

[guava_wrench]

Just came across this quote from a story about game six of the 1984 finals.

http://lexnihilnovi.blogspot.com/2010/08/larry-v-magic-game-13-part-2.html

Bird was also upset with first-year NBA Comr. David Stern. "Stern told a fan that the NBA needed a seven-game series because the league needed the money," Bird said. "When the commissioner makes a statement like that to a fan, you know it's going to be tough. Things are going to happen. He's a man, and he'll live up to it. He may say he said it in jest. But I'm out there trying to make a living and win a championship."

I will never be able to fully enjoy the NBA as long as that guy is in the corner office.

I like that Stern quote. It is funny, honest, and it telling us something we would have suspected anyway.

[moiso]

I agree with footey too.  I think Stern is awesome.  He is usually fair, and I really like how he disiplines- the penalties are abslolute with no appealing.  Yes, the refs can be bad, but Stern always tries to do whats best for the league.  I also agree with the fines for saying things detrimental to the league.

[Assassin70]

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

[Finkelskyhook]

I agree with footey too.  I think Stern is awesome.  He is usually fair, and I really like how he disiplines- the penalties are abslolute with no appealing.  Yes, the refs can be bad, but Stern always tries to do whats best for the league.  I also agree with the fines for saying things detrimental to the league.

I agree to a point.  The league has grown and for the most part, attendance speaks for itself.

Having said that, obvious star-call officiating and preferential player treatment, etc has turned the on-court quality and most importantly, legitimacy of the games into a parody of what the NBA was pre-Stern.

[D Dub]

I tend to agree with footey.  And while I haven't always been his biggest fan, he's certainly better than Selig, who ignored the performance enhancing drug problem, refused for years to update the game through instant replay, etc., and still hasn't managed to fix the huge economic gap in baseball that manages to make sure 1/2-2/3 of the teams in the league have no legitimate shot at making the playoffs each year. 

And he's better than whatever clowns have run the NHL and made sure it went from the #4 sport in America to perhaps the 7th or 8th. 

Two things to point out. 
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.
2) Despite the inadequete salary structure, you've had teams like Detroit and Tampa Bay competing for titles in recent years, and this year other small market towns like Minnesota, San Diego & Cinncinati all in the mix.  You could argue that the MLB actually has more parody than the NBA when you consider that 12 of the last 20 titles have gone to LA, Chicago or Boston. 
 

[Jon]

I tend to agree with footey.  And while I haven't always been his biggest fan, he's certainly better than Selig, who ignored the performance enhancing drug problem, refused for years to update the game through instant replay, etc., and still hasn't managed to fix the huge economic gap in baseball that manages to make sure 1/2-2/3 of the teams in the league have no legitimate shot at making the playoffs each year. 

And he's better than whatever clowns have run the NHL and made sure it went from the #4 sport in America to perhaps the 7th or 8th. 

Two things to point out. 
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.
2) Despite the inadequete salary structure, you've had teams like Detroit and Tampa Bay competing for titles in recent years, and this year other small market towns like Minnesota, San Diego & Cinncinati all in the mix.  You could argue that the MLB actually has more parody than the NBA when you consider that 12 of the last 20 titles have gone to LA, Chicago or Boston. 
 

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. 

As for parity, the problem with basketball is that it's a superstar's league.  So if you don't have a one of the best players (or find a way to get 3-4 of the top 25), you don't have a shot.  But that's more based on luck (see the Spurs winning the lottery the year David Robinson was hurt in the year Tim Duncan was coming out) than on money.   

In baseball, salary is a problem.  The Tigers have the 6th highest salary in baseball, so I don't know where you're going there.  But in general, you're right, teams get lucky every one in a while.  However, it's still not fair.  The Yankees and Red Sox will be contenders EVERY year (I mean it took the Sox the worst injury luck of any team in recent memory to be where they are now, and they still would be in first place in other divisions), while other teams are lucky to be in contention 2 out of every 10 years. 

[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.

[guava_wrench]

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.

[guava_wrench]

I tend to agree with footey.  And while I haven't always been his biggest fan, he's certainly better than Selig, who ignored the performance enhancing drug problem, refused for years to update the game through instant replay, etc., and still hasn't managed to fix the huge economic gap in baseball that manages to make sure 1/2-2/3 of the teams in the league have no legitimate shot at making the playoffs each year. 

And he's better than whatever clowns have run the NHL and made sure it went from the #4 sport in America to perhaps the 7th or 8th. 

Two things to point out. 
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.
2) Despite the inadequete salary structure, you've had teams like Detroit and Tampa Bay competing for titles in recent years, and this year other small market towns like Minnesota, San Diego & Cinncinati all in the mix.  You could argue that the MLB actually has more parody than the NBA when you consider that 12 of the last 20 titles have gone to LA, Chicago or Boston. 
 

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. 

As for parity, the problem with basketball is that it's a superstar's league.  So if you don't have a one of the best players (or find a way to get 3-4 of the top 25), you don't have a shot.  But that's more based on luck (see the Spurs winning the lottery the year David Robinson was hurt in the year Tim Duncan was coming out) than on money.   

In baseball, salary is a problem.  The Tigers have the 6th highest salary in baseball, so I don't know where you're going there.  But in general, you're right, teams get lucky every one in a while.  However, it's still not fair.  The Yankees and Red Sox will be contenders EVERY year (I mean it took the Sox the worst injury luck of any team in recent memory to be where they are now, and they still would be in first place in other divisions), while other teams are lucky to be in contention 2 out of every 10 years. 

I may be in the minority, but I think that baseball is fine with bigger markets being able to buy more success. Aren't the teams that get the most support from a larger fanbase more deserving of success?

This isn't quite the case in basketball where there is more revenue sharing, but there are still teams that have more to spend. I have no problem with the teams that are better supported having a better chance at assembling a better team through free agency, so long as there is a mechanism (like exclusive rights through the draft) to help smaller market teams break a potential feedback loop of sucking.

Btw, every division leader has a better record than the Red Sox.

[Junkyard Dawg]

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.