King Stern's response to Stan Van Gundy

[Chris]

I have no problem with this.  Van Gundy's statements were beyond over the line, and detrimental to the league.  He basically accused Stern of being a dictator. 

Sterns comments about it seemed very reasonable really.

First off, I think he is absolutely right that when Van Gundy sees his words in print, he will be embarrassed...and if not, the Magic owners will make it clear to him that he should be. 

I agree. I think that Stern has actually shown a lot of restraint. Guys have been fined and suspended for a lot less. I like SVG, but it was overboard what he said.

Overboard?  Perhaps.  But the absolute truth.

I'm guessing that there's some behind-the-scenes stuff going on there...ALA the Jordan gambling thing....No way VanGundy got off scot-free for those comments.

Whether it is the truth or not is irrevalent though.  You just can't throw your employer under the bus like that. 

[Celtics4ever]

Van Gundy is right though.  If I had tickets to see Howard I would be jacked if I could not watch him because Stern has a rule about technicals.  It should be a cash fine not games bottom line that way only the player is punished.   They can make all these rules they want.  If they want the players to respect the refs, have them call the games better.  Respect is earned not mandated.

Sometimes all Stern is missing is the mustache as being a dictator  as far as I am concerned.

[GreenEnvy]

I'll admit Stern had something to do with the globalization of the game, but it's possibly at an all-time low in popularity since Jordan left.

Bottom line, he is now hurting the game.

Stupid rule after stupid remark, 30 years is long enough.

[Sizzlack]

Van Gundy is right though.  If I had tickets to see Howard I would be jacked if I could not watch him because Stern has a rule about technicals.  It should be a cash fine not games bottom line that way only the player is punished.   They can make all these rules they want.  If they want the players to respect the refs, have them call the games better.  Respect is earned not mandated.

Sometimes all Stern is missing is the mustache as being a dictator  as far as I am concerned.

Absolutely. Stern has proven time and time again, he has no care whatsoever for what the fans want, only what brings in the most of their money.

Czar Stern is ruining the NBA one publicity stunted dunk competition at a time.

[Chris]

Van Gundy is right though.  If I had tickets to see Howard I would be jacked if I could not watch him because Stern has a rule about technicals.  It should be a cash fine not games bottom line that way only the player is punished.   They can make all these rules they want.  If they want the players to respect the refs, have them call the games better.  Respect is earned not mandated.

Sometimes all Stern is missing is the mustache as being a dictator  as far as I am concerned.

Well, the rule about technicals is not Sterns.  I believe it is part of the collective bargaining agreement, and has to be agreed upon by the players association.

[Junkyard Dawg]

Quote from: Finkelskyhook on Today at 04:47:17 pm
Quote from: footey on Today at 04:40:48 pm
Quote from: Chris on Today at 03:42:30 pm
I have no problem with this.  Van Gundy's statements were beyond over the line, and detrimental to the league.  He basically accused Stern of being a dictator.

Sterns comments about it seemed very reasonable really.

First off, I think he is absolutely right that when Van Gundy sees his words in print, he will be embarrassed...and if not, the Magic owners will make it clear to him that he should be.



I agree. I think that Stern has actually shown a lot of restraint. Guys have been fined and suspended for a lot less. I like SVG, but it was overboard what he said.

Overboard?  Perhaps.  But the absolute truth.

I'm guessing that there's some behind-the-scenes stuff going on there...ALA the Jordan gambling thing....No way VanGundy got off scot-free for those comments.

Whether it is the truth or not is irrevalent though.  You just can't throw your employer under the bus like that.

So what can you do, then?  Say, perhaps hypothetically, there is a commissioner of a major sports league whose cronies were all the referees of this league.  Who at worst directs the referees to call important games favorably for a particular team and at least, reassures said referees that no matter how poorly they call a game and how much they let their emotions interfere with their officiating, their jobs are safe?  Say that this league has in some ways grown and expanded under his reign, but in many ways this commissioner also runs his league as a dictatorship?  What can be done?  Middle East-style uprising?

Sometimes I think the above view is conspiracy theory nonsense, and sometimes I listen to the man talk and I think it could not be too far off...

[Chris]

Quote from: Finkelskyhook on Today at 04:47:17 pm
Quote from: footey on Today at 04:40:48 pm
Quote from: Chris on Today at 03:42:30 pm
I have no problem with this.  Van Gundy's statements were beyond over the line, and detrimental to the league.  He basically accused Stern of being a dictator.

Sterns comments about it seemed very reasonable really.

First off, I think he is absolutely right that when Van Gundy sees his words in print, he will be embarrassed...and if not, the Magic owners will make it clear to him that he should be.



I agree. I think that Stern has actually shown a lot of restraint. Guys have been fined and suspended for a lot less. I like SVG, but it was overboard what he said.

Overboard?  Perhaps.  But the absolute truth.

I'm guessing that there's some behind-the-scenes stuff going on there...ALA the Jordan gambling thing....No way VanGundy got off scot-free for those comments.

Whether it is the truth or not is irrevalent though.  You just can't throw your employer under the bus like that.

So what can you do, then?  Say, perhaps hypothetically, there is a commissioner of a major sports league whose cronies were all the referees of this league.  Who at worst directs the referees to call important games favorably for a particular team and at least, reassures said referees that no matter how poorly they call a game and how much they let their emotions interfere with their officiating, their jobs are safe?  Say that this league has in some ways grown and expanded under his reign, but in many ways this commissioner also runs his league as a dictatorship?  What can be done?  Middle East-style uprising?

Sometimes I think the above view is conspiracy theory nonsense, and sometimes I listen to the man talk and I think it could not be too far off...

Simple.  Speak with the owners, and the leagues board of governors, who can simply fire Stern.

The problem is, in their eyes, Stern is doing a good job.  The league has grown under Stern, and is getting more and more popular. 

Stern is not a dictator.  He answers to his bosses as well, and if he were making decisions they did not agree with, he would be gone. 

[Adelaide Celt]

So Stern assumed his role in 1984... and he's still there?

Way too long for an old geezer like him to be in such a position. Would be great to see him gone but I fear any potential replacement could well be even worse.

I was getting upset over the "old geezer" comment, so I looked Stern up, and he is FOUR YEARS OLDER THAN I, so all is forgiven!    

Phew! Sorry mate! Didn't realize he was 68, thought he had to have been early/mid 70's!

[Adelaide Celt]

I'll admit Stern had something to do with the globalization of the game, but it's possibly at an all-time low in popularity since Jordan left.

Spot on there. Can only speak for my own country/state of course but the NBA's current media profile is a stark contrast and long way from it's glory days.

[RebusRankin]

Stern is a dictator.

For the sake of discussion, do you credit Stern for the success the NBA has become or did he become commish at the right time in 1984 when you had Bird/Magic in their primes, Jordan joining the league and a rise in cable tv both in the number of homes and channels?

[Andy Jick]

I will give Stern credit for saving the NBA 30+ years ago.  When Larry and Magic fell into his lap it was a dream too good to be true.  Basketball was a dying game (professionally) and was probably close to shutting down.  So Stern deserves some credit...

But I think that Stern is now driving the game into the ground.  The product is watered down: has expanded to too many teams, does not need to go European (like he wants to), has substituted athleticism for basketball IQ, and has created a hip-hop culture that a lot of people cannot resonate with (I wasn't sure what I was witnessing during the latest all-star weekend).

He needs to shut up and let the game take care of itself...  These verbal battles don't need to play out in the public eye, but rather behind closed doors.  Stern has no need to remind everyone that he's the top-dog of the NBA.  That's his position and he doesn't need do these types of things because they only make him look silly and arrogant (of which we all know he possesses that latter quality quite well)...

[droponov]

Trash-talking with a mob boss tone. Stern is really unique.

He's right though, SVG was out of line and needs to shut-up. Get his team focused on the playoffs.

[Prof. Clutch]

My earliest basketball memories are of watching the Celtics teams of the late 1980's, and I think many of us who remember the way the game was played from that era and before can be a little disenchanted with the way the league has evolved.

Under Sterns watch it has certainly become a less rugged, more gentrified league to appeal to a wider audience.  Stern has done good things and bad things, but I understand at least why he has tried to shape things the way he has.

Either way, I'm just as big a fan of basketball and the Celtics now as I was in the late 80's, so he must be doing something right. 

[Casperian]

It's very easy to get on Stern, but why don't people praise him for growing the NBA for the many years that he was commissioner. The NBA has grown exponentially since he came aboard, both in the US, as well as internationally. Nothing is perfect, but things are the same for every team.

I watch the Clippers, and Blake Griffin frequently gets fouled hard (near-flagrant), as well...So he is hardly alone, as I'm sure it happens to others too. If SVG had a problem with the hard fouls, he knows that he could have taken this to the commissioner privately.

I hear this argument all the time, and while I see the overall growth of the league, I don´t know how much of this is due to Stern.

I mean, almost every sport in the world has grown over the last 20 years. A sport like mixed martial-arts, for example, didn´t even exist in 1990 (not in the current form), and look where it´s now. I don´t live in a basketball country, but coverage and accessibility haven´t changed one bit over the last 15 years. In fact, if it wasn´t for the internet, I´d say the overall coverage became worse.

It may be different in other countries, I don´t know, but the NBA is doing a pretty bad job here in terms of bringing the kids to the game. Games run late at night, but there´s not even footage of the games a day later. Games are only on pay-per-view, compared to many other sports on free TV.

Many of my friends (around 30 years old) who followed the NBA when they were teenagers don´t watch it anymore simply because the necessary information like results, boxscores and league tables are not easily available, they´d have to put work in to get them. It´s easier to simply turn the TV on and watch a soccer game in the euro league.

So, as a basketball fan in europe, I have no idea why Stern has this reputation as the man who made the sport global. Where I sit, it looks like the NBA was never less relevant here than it is now. I think MJ being widely considered as the greatest athlete in any sport during the 90ies played a big part in the league´s rise, and I´d say Nike had more to do with it than Stern. Of course, there could be good reasons to support him, and I´m simply not aware of them. If so, I´d love to hear them.

[birdwatcher]

I respect a coach who dares to call 'em like he sees 'em. I also think Stern handled it well by not fining him. It's refreshing to see him allow an obviously frustrated coach air out his concerns without reprimand.