# David Stern: Commisioner or Tyrant



## Tersk (Apr 9, 2004)

*AUBURN HILLS* -- David Stern is either out of control or too much in control. It's not good, either way.

He might be the most effective and successful commissioner in all of professional sports, but I am starting to suspect he's gotten drunk on his own power. His need for utter and absolute control is bordering on the maniacal.

It's one thing for the commissioner to have firm control on the business side of the game, but Stern has crossed over and is now lording over the competition side, as well. And that is a real problem.

This notion hit home as I was watching 106 free throws shot in one 40-minute summer league game in Las Vegas. Actually, it first struck me, like a hammer, during the NBA Finals.

To me, the 2006 NBA Finals were contaminated by the league. How could anybody watch those games and think otherwise? The referees directly impacted the results of at least three of those games. The star treatment of Dwyane Wade was sickening.

Stern made it clear that the league needs superstars to sell and he got tired of waiting for them to ascend on their own. So, what did he do? He decided to tweak the rules and browbeat his officials.

Wade and LeBron James are brilliant players with big personalities who would have become superstars without the league's help. But after two years of seeing defensive-oriented teams like the Pistons and Spurs in the Finals, Stern couldn't wait any longer.

If the Wade rules weren't enough to warrant an asterisk on the 2006 Finals, then the after-the-fact suspension of Mavericks Jerry Stackhouse should be. To make a postgame ruling as drastic as that, on a play that was governed correctly by the game officials without any real debate or controversy on the court, is incomprehensible.

What kind of precedent did that set? Is the league going to analyze film from every game and make after-the-fact judgments to fit whatever storyline Stern is trumpeting? Who is going to stop them?

There are no checks and balances on this. Mavericks owner Mark Cuban complains and he gets slapped with a six-figure fine. Now imagine a system where a commissioner, who is hired and put into office by the owners, has the power to fine the owners he serves.

That's how smart Stern is. He has manipulated the system to a point where he has more power than those who hired him.

So Stern says the league needs more offense, and demands that league referees change the way they call games. Which brings me back to the summer league game in Vegas. There were 96 fouls called in one 40-minute game. There were close to 60 calls on average throughout the two weeks, Granted, the 96-foul game was officiated by two NBDL refs and one young NBA ref. But on every timeout, the officials would huddle with two veteran refs who were there to monitor and mentor the young guys. And at almost every timeout, those young refs were told they were doing a great job.

They sucked the absolute life and flow out of the game -- which is what Stern's changes were designed to facilitate.

If that's the mind-set of the summer instructional league, you can only imagine what's in store for next season.

The public face of the NBA might be shiny and bright with its new constellation of stars, its sold-out arenas and rising television ratings, but the game is a mess.

The veteran officials have complained and Stern has told them, in so many words, "If you don't like it, you can go ref some other league."

Coaches have complained bitterly about the changes, and been told, "If you don't like it, you can coach in another league."

The players have complained bitterly and been told, "If you don't like it, try making as much money in some other league."

This is the arrogance with which Stern is operating.

The owners are the only ones who could band together and subdue the monster, but as long as the monster keeps raising their profit line, they will feed the beast.

What of the media, you say? Isn't it the media's job to serve as a check and balance? Yep, but even a large portion of the media is under Stern's control.

ESPN, TNT and ABC all have lucrative contracts with the NBA and thus serve the master. Most radio networks that carry NBA games are bought and paid for by NBA teams. The one unfiltered media outlet left is us -- the print media. And Stern is doing all he can to push us out of the way. Since the proliferation of cable and the Internet, we have been the low man on the media totem pole. Our access to players has shrunk continuously over the years. With so many cameras in the locker rooms now, especially during the playoffs, postgame access is basically limited to the one or two players and a coach.

Meanwhile, networks get one-on-one interviews on the court, have microphones in huddles during timeouts, etc.

There is a growing sentiment among players, coaches and officials that Stern's power has run amok. There is concern that, more than manipulating the business and image of the league, he is manipulating the game.

Sports are real human drama. That's what makes them entertaining. It's not a reality show created for television. It's not "Survivor" or "American Idol".

You cannot create heroes and manipulate storylines and expect to be taken seriously.

There is a concern that if left unchecked, the NBA will eventually have about as much integrity as the XFL or the WWE.

Is that what you really want?

Courtesy of Chris McCosky, Sports Insiders

Awesome article, IMO.


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## t1no (Jul 10, 2005)

"The veteran officials have complained and Stern has told them, in so many words, "If you don't like it, you can go ref some other league."
:curse:


Tersk said:


> Awesome article, IMO.


Agreed


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## pup2plywif (Dec 20, 2005)

t1no said:


> "The veteran officials have complained and Stern has told them, in so many words, "If you don't like it, you can go ref some other league."
> :curse:
> 
> Agreed


Great Article. Its funny how most people who dont know much about basketball are probably more likely to recognize Marc Cuban than recognize David Stern. Marc Cuban is the face of the league and David Stern is power hungry and cant have that.


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## xray (Feb 21, 2005)

Is there any such thing as a necessary tyrant? Probably not, but perhaps Stern is as close as they come. 

I heard an interview recently with the good tyrant, asking him if he was the luckiest man in the world. His answer was a slightly puffed up, "Yes". He went on to recount his ascension from a lawyer who was recruited to represent the league, to the head job, to where he is today. 

Then the question came to me- where IS he today? :raised_ey I think the article touched on the point I wanted to make, that the owners are suffering for prosperity. Fire Stern, and lose the fire - the drive - that has spread the fame of this sport to a global market. Fire Stern, and they lose an ally who has a nasty habit of making them feel cramped in their penthouse.

But they do have a nice penthouse, and they know it.


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## StackAttack (Mar 15, 2006)

Good read.

Wait till Pain reads it though


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## Roscoe Sheed (Jun 19, 2006)

Yes, very good article. McCoskey doesn't pull any punches.


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## The Future7 (Feb 24, 2005)

Nice article. I cant wait to see the first few games next season to see how the refs really will be calling the games.


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## da1nonly (May 8, 2006)

Nice article. Agree 100%


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## xray (Feb 21, 2005)

I gave my full opinion, and no one comments?


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## edwardcyh (Dec 13, 2005)

bray1967 said:


> I gave my full opinion, and no one comments?


I agree. They do have nice penthouses, while the poor fans are stuck with the magazine. :biggrin:


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## da1nonly (May 8, 2006)

bray1967 said:


> I gave my full opinion, and no one comments?


Sorry, dont like reading long posts. I think I understand it


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## Saint Baller (May 3, 2006)

This is the best read I have read in a longggg time


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## xray (Feb 21, 2005)

da1nonly said:


> Sorry, dont like reading long posts. I think I understand it


Ok.

(Short enough? :kiss: )


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## edwardcyh (Dec 13, 2005)

bray1967 said:


> Ok.
> 
> (Short enough? :kiss: )


So much love....


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## Seed (Jun 29, 2005)

In 5 years I think Stern will be replaced, right now so long as globalization takes place stopping that flow would hurt the NBA for a while


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## xray (Feb 21, 2005)

Seed said:


> In 5 years I think Stern will be replaced, right now so long as globalization takes place stopping that flow would hurt the NBA for a while


Unless he's replaced by: Cuban. 

Think Stern would wish him well? :clown:


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## edwardcyh (Dec 13, 2005)

We were talking about the globalization of NBA, and here is something...

*Stern: China 'most important and largest market' outside U.S. * 
Aug. 6, 2006
CBS SportsLine.com wire reports 

GUANGZHOU, China -- How's this for a snapshot of globalization?

Next season, about 100 of the NBA's 450 players -- nearly one in four -- will be from outside the United States. 

And even NBA commissioner David Stern, an architect of the league's push into international markets, is startled at how fast the rest of the world has come along. 

"I'm surprised at the number of elite athletes from around the world who are in the NBA as of 2006," Stern said Sunday during an interview in Guangzhou, China, where the U.S. national team is playing a series of warmup games leading to this month's world championships in Japan. 

Boosted by the popularity of Chinese center Yao Ming of the Houston Rockets, the NBA's China business is growing by 30 percent each year, Stern said. The league's China operations already include three offices with about 50 staff and is destined to grow. 

"My guess is we'll double it in size by the Beijing Olympics" in 2008, Stern said. "The China market is our most important and largest market outside the United States." 

The rise of foreign talent has diminished the dominance the Americans held when their top pros first started playing in international competition. It's a far cry from the days when the Dream Team surged through the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. 

That has put the U.S. players under new pressure, Stern said. 

"To recognize that if you don't stay at the top of your game you're going to get knocked off your perch: It's all very good from a competitive perspective," Stern said. 

The U.S. team competing in Guangzhou includes LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Carmelo Anthony of the Denver Nuggets and Shane Battier of the Rockets. 

Stern declined to give a dollar figure for the NBA's China revenues, saying the league's total foreign business is tiny compared with the U.S. operations. 

"It's just going to continue to grow," Stern said, referring to the China business. "It's a very still substantially untapped market for us." 

Stern said the NBA will increase its marketing partners in China, sell more merchandise and expand its presence online, possibly offering live streaming of NBA games or downloads of archived games.

He said he also expects the number of Chinese TV stations showing NBA games to double to 50 during the next decade. 

The league is also working closely with Beijing's Olympic organizers to make basketball a "very successful part of the Beijing Olympics," Stern said. 

The NBA has long emphasized expansion in China, where basketball is exploding in popularity among the younger generation. The NBA launched a Chinese-language edition of its official magazine Hoops in 1999 and opened its Beijing office three years later. 

In 2004, it played its first exhibition games in China. Stern said more games were planned for China next year, but it wasn't decided whether they'd be preseason games or league games. 

Stern said teams were scouting for more Chinese talent, with 19-year-old Yi Jiannian, a 7-foot-2 center on the national team, generating the most buzz. 

"My guess and bet is that (Yao) is the first and there will be many more Yao Mings over the next decade," Stern said. "It just stands to reason." 

Stern said the league will continue pushing into new markets abroad, with exhibition games planned this year for a handful of nations from Russia to Mexico, as well as games between teams from the NBA and the European leagues. 

New initiatives are also planned for India, Eastern and Western Europe, South America and eventually Africa, Stern said. 

He said he'd dropped the idea of setting up foreign NBA franchises, saying there were different business plans for each region. He insisted, however, the league would not neglect its core American business. 

"So we're on the one hand, trying to assure that the NBA remains successful in the United States, while at the next step develop infrastructure on a global basis to take advantage of the opportunities," Stern said. "China is clearly priority No. 1." 

AP NEWS
The Associated Press News Service

http://www.sportsline.com/nba/story/9588448/1


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