# David Stern knows where "the bodies are buried" in the NBA



## Basel (Mar 31, 2005)

> NEW YORK – Across the Staples Center locker room, the NBA’s All-Stars waited for commissioner David Stern and Players Association executive director Billy Hunter to deliver the perfunctory rah-rah remarks they regurgitate every year on the eve of the game. Only, Hunter had a different plan, unleashing an inspired soliloquy to frame the gathering storm of labor strife. And it may have just transformed the way the biggest stars in the sport see him.
> 
> The room was thick with league executives, coaches and players on the afternoon of Feb. 19, and they listened to Hunter insist he couldn’t come in good faith and tell them everything was well within the NBA. Hunter said the owners had made a crippling proposal, a long lockout loomed and these players in the room would bear the biggest financial and public relations burden of a work stoppage. And then he started to tell them he had thought long and hard about the way Oscar Robertson and Jerry West staged a protest at the 1964 All-Star Game, threatening a boycott until they had leveraged the league into the most rudimentary of medical benefits and pension contributions.
> 
> ...


http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=AqGHX.7yRX8LfPXCRWChTq68vLYF?slug=aw-wojnarowski_nba_labor_battle_looming_032111


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## JPSeraph (Dec 17, 2005)

Basel said:


> http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=AqGHX.7yRX8LfPXCRWChTq68vLYF?slug=aw-wojnarowski_nba_labor_battle_looming_032111


Thanks for posting that article. I'm probably not as sympathetic to the player's as I should be, given how bloated their salaries are compared to just a few decades ago, but I agree that it's not entirely the fault of their high salaries that the NBA has so many lousy, cap-crippled teams - because IMO, the NBA has too many teams!

I wonder where other boards members stand on this? Hard salary cap? Reduced player max contract? Go as far as the NFL in terms of salaries and caps? Or don't change a thing?


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## Seanzie (Jun 9, 2003)

What does the "I know where the bodies are buried" comment really even mean?


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## JPSeraph (Dec 17, 2005)

Seanzie said:


> What does the "I know where the bodies are buried" comment really even mean?


That he'll play dirty to get his way. Not intended for the players so much as for Billy and his colleagues. Stern's got dirt on everybody and, if necessary, he intends to leverage it against them to ensure that negotiations go 'smoothly'.

Normally, he is the league's consummate PR man, but his primary job is to ensure maximum profitability for the league and it's owners, so if a few heads have to roll this time around, he's game, because the stakes are that high.


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## ajax25 (Jul 2, 2010)

**** david stern


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## ChosenFEW (Jun 23, 2005)

if a lockout does happen I think it will last longer than the 99 lockout.


there are just so many avenues for athletes/celebs/socialites to make money that they can go a bit longer without feeling the pinch.


didn't kobe and lebron sign 100million dollar sneaker deals?.... lol there are guys in the NBA that dont even make that much money in a 10+ year career


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## ajax25 (Jul 2, 2010)

again **** David $tern


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## futuristxen (Jun 26, 2003)

David Stern is loco!

Anyways I think the players are going to win this time around. Like someone said there are other revenue streams now for players, and they've been told for two years to get ready for a long lockout. Plus we'll see in the NFL--but I think deceritifcation is the ultimate trump card on the owners, because the bulk of what american sports do is illegal outside the realms of the CBA. The draft for instance...


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## e-monk (Sep 10, 2010)

is there a revenue stream for non-stars?


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## DunkMaster (Mar 1, 2011)

+1 to hating david stern, still not sure what that quote means exactly


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## Hyperion (Dec 5, 2006)

All of these changes can't happen overnight. This is just crazy talk. They need to take a rational approach to slim down the league and see if the ship gets righted. However, I feel no sympathy for the owners when they're giving Joe Johnson, Rashard Lewis, Arenas, and Redd a combined total of $720 million dollars!


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## ajax25 (Jul 2, 2010)

no seriously you guys.......**** David Stern!!!! :soapbox:


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## Hyperion (Dec 5, 2006)

DunkMaster said:


> +1 to hating david stern, still not sure what that quote means exactly


I'm pretty sure it's literal. Don't **** with Stern or you'll wake up dead, in a hole in some field outside of the Naismith Museum. 

No, I think he is warning the players that you will have your reputation ruined faster than you can blink if you mess with Stern. I'm sure all of the players have done some stuff that they called in the NBA fix it guy to clean it up.

Stern: "You have to go to xxxxxx house to clean up a mess."
Wolf: "Sure, I'll be there in 20mins."
Stern: "Be discreet."
Wolf: "I always am."

(knock on the door, xxxxxx opens the door and Wolf walks in and sees a dead woman on the floor, bludgeoned to death)
Wolf: "Awww ****, you killed a hooker."
xxxxx: "I thought they were called escorts."
Wolf: "When they're dead they're called hookers." 

[scene]

I am sure that has played out at least a few times where the league has had to clean up messes, keep stuff out of the press. Maybe that's what Dan Gilbert was alluding to in his letter to Lebron.


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## ajax25 (Jul 2, 2010)

LOL Hyperion thats awesome!


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## JPSeraph (Dec 17, 2005)

e-monk said:


> is there a revenue stream for non-stars?


Good question. I'm guessing the average NBA player is more concerned about a potential lockout.


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## jayk009 (Aug 6, 2003)

they can play in Europe


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## ChosenFEW (Jun 23, 2005)

e-monk said:


> is there a revenue stream for non-stars?



europe?, china?, pros vs joes?

:whoknows:

unfortunately, they dont make the league run. In fact, if it was up to them they would probably cave in quicker to the NBA's demands.

no one seems to care about them.... remember, billy hunter gave that rally the troops speech at an all star event.


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## Kneejoh (Dec 21, 2004)

**** David Stern


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## JonMatrix (Apr 8, 2003)

Hyperion said:


> (knock on the door, xxxxxx opens the door and Wolf walks in and sees a dead woman on the floor, bludgeoned to death)
> Wolf: "Awww ****, you killed a hooker."
> xxxxx: "I thought they were called escorts."
> Wolf: "When they're dead they're called hookers."
> ...


lol @ the Archer reference

I'm sure these executive guys all have dirt on each other, especially the guys that work in the offices who used to be players.

And these owners are whiners, they're the guys that are handing out 120 million dollars to Joe Johnson, 80 million to Rudy Gay, and 40 million to Charlie Villanueva.


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## futuristxen (Jun 26, 2003)

ChosenFEW said:


> europe?, china?, pros vs joes?
> 
> :whoknows:
> 
> ...


That's doubtful since most of the proposals right now would hurt them more than the stars. Stuff like limiting contract length to four years. Getting rid of the MLE and LLE. Rolling back salaries by 15 percent across the board.

These things all directly affect the rank and file more than they do the Lebron James/Kobe Bryants of the world. You think Lebron would mind being a free agent every four years? And he makes so much money off the court, that a 15 percent roll back of his NBA salary is probably not even a drop in the bucket for him.

Or another thing on the board is contraction. You think if the Hornets are contracted, CP3 is sweating it?

Reason he gave the speech to the stars is because the Stars are the ones most likely to cave in to a BS deal.


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## edabomb (Feb 12, 2005)

**** David Stern


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## Kneejoh (Dec 21, 2004)

**** David Stern and his Shadyness. How he still hasn't been exposed is unbelievable.


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## Hyperion (Dec 5, 2006)

e-monk said:


> is there a revenue stream for non-stars?


Some get local commercials but for the most part, they play and they get paid. If they are under contract during the lockout, they cannot go to another league. The only way they can jump ship is to disband the union and then go play elsewhere.


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## JPSeraph (Dec 17, 2005)

futuristxen said:


> That's doubtful since most of the proposals right now would hurt them more than the stars. Stuff like limiting contract length to four years. Getting rid of the MLE and LLE. Rolling back salaries by 15 percent across the board.
> 
> These things all directly affect the rank and file more than they do the Lebron James/Kobe Bryants of the world. You think Lebron would mind being a free agent every four years? And he makes so much money off the court, that a 15 percent roll back of his NBA salary is probably not even a drop in the bucket for him.
> 
> ...


Yup, pretty much says it all.


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## Bogg (May 4, 2009)

ChosenFEW said:


> europe?, china?, pros vs joes?
> 
> :whoknows:
> 
> ...


The problem with that line of thought, though, is that the players union is a one-man, one-vote operation. Even though Kobe and Lebron "make the league run", they have no more official power in the union than Rasual Butler and Ryan Gomes. Sure, they carry some clout as a result of their much higher profile, but the stars are the ones more likely to be sold out by the rest of the union in negotiations.


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## LA68 (Apr 3, 2004)

I think its funny most on this thread favor the players LOL. As if they are angels !

Practically every team has a bad contract. I don't mean injuries, I mean lazy good for nothings. Guys whos money is spent before they even receive it. Gambled away, drunk away, smoked away. The system has to change. How many teams just traded bad deal for other bad deals this year alone?

The economy goes up and down. There are no guarantees yet, that's what players want. Every union cries about management being rich as if there's something wrong with that. 

What Hunter did was rude and out of place. He took this to another level and Stern is gonna show him how many levels this can get down to. You don't threaten the men who sign your checks.* The owners would make money if there's no season, the players would not. Remember that !*


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## Tragedy (Dec 9, 2002)

LA, your view is so simplistic it's funny.

What's happening is that owners hire GMs who then screw other GMs and owners by offering ridiculous contracts to players who aren't deserving of them. The player isn't to blame for accepting a contract that is above their true value, but right at the market value that other GMs have created in this NBA. If someone offered you millions of dollars more than you're worth are you turning it down? I don't think so.

What the owners want is a system where they are safeguarded against losses. That's not real business. Funny how socialism and welfare is only good when the benefits go UP and not DOWN.

They want to cut player's salaries, years, introduce non guaranteed contracts, franchising, and take even more money off the top for operational costs. But you cannot foresee all operational costs years in the future so they'll overshoot. Where do you think the money will go?

There are things the players should concede. The raises they get should be conceded to a degree. Keep raises for minimum to moderate contracts and eliminate them for max contracts. Reduce max years works too. But what players do with their money and if they're deserving of contracts OFFERED to them really has no place in the discussion.

Funny that you say there are no guarantees but you ignore that NBA salaries come from income tied to the NBA product. 

Sure the owners sign the checks, but really that's just a technicality. You can replace ownership easily without missing a beat on the court. Owners don't really affect the game if they don't mind spending the money. Maybe steps should be taken where owners in small markets don't have to over extend themselves to compete with franchises who are spending way above the luxury tax amount, but never forget that while the owners sign the checks, it's still the players who make the product what it is, not the owners.


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## Hyperion (Dec 5, 2006)

It's funny. The owners are blaming the players for the market share. Hey, Milwaukee is not as wealthy as Los Angeles. It will never be as wealthy as Los Angeles. No matter how many games they win, LA will make more money that Milwaukee. I'm talking about the Clippers, not the Lakers. there needs to be a revenue sharing and a harder salary cap through limiting the number of Bird exceptions a team can utilize. Then limit the salary increases from an unsustainable amount of 10%/year instead of the actual growth of ~3% a year. If they were to sign a player to contract worth a percentage of the cap instead of a dollar amount, then they would be able to more effectively sign players.


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## ajax25 (Jul 2, 2010)

**** David Stern!


sorry thats just fun to say


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