Your Take on David Stern?

[Stevenson]

I have very mixed feeling about the commissioner.

On one hand, he is clearly a marketing wiz and has taken the league from being on a deathbed when he took over to amazing heights today. He loves the game, guards it, and I like his folksy, avuncular demeanor.

And yet. I can never stop thinking that the league he has created isn't 100% on the up and up. The star system is out of control. The refs stink and should be independent. The pro game is too boring. And I bet he's a bastard to negotiate with.

You?

 

[SnakeOiler]

Stern turned the game of basketball into a form of WWF. He sucks.

 

[The_Lillard_King]

I think Stern overall is good for the NBA.

I wonder if he sometimes put marketing in front of intergrity of the game. I agree there is a star system, but I don't think that is such a a bad thing and exists on some level in other professional sports. Personally I hate that he refs dictate the outcome of the game more than any other major professional sports, IMO. Home court means so much because it means you get the calls, which just seems wrong. Stern has treid to do something about scoring with rules constantly being tinkers or put in place to help it be a little more excting.

Anyways, I hear whta you saying, but i don't think it is a Stern thing. I think it is one the hardest and most subjective games to ref and that will always give rise to fans questioning if something is up. Add the cooked ref to the mix and I think a lot of people don't trust the system in place. But I see Stern doing the best he can with the hand he is dealt. He probably is a bastard to deal with, but he has made thousands of people rich beyond their expectations being a bastard.

 

[tlongII]

He's a pompous ass.

 

[The_Lillard_King]

He's a pompous ass.

Speaking of asses . . . the girl in your avatar . . .I would like to pomp her ass.



Come on . . . that deserves a rep . . . I need them

 

[oldguy]

I agree that he has made me wonder how close to rassling hoops has come. In fact, after the Donaghy scandal, I find myself wondering why I'm even interested any more. I guess I still think that the players can overcome sucky zebras. The day I decide that stellar play can't overcome biased reffing, I'll give up on the NBA after a 35 year run.

I hope it doesn't come to that, but it seems like it's heading that way.

Go Blazers

 

[Sheldon Shape]

Speaking of asses . . . the girl in your avatar . . .I would like to pomp her ass.



Come on . . . that deserves a rep . . . I need them

Unfortunately for her, she has herpes. Jessica Alba is a dirty dirty girl.

 

[oldmangrouch]

Corrupt, arrogant, power mad, doesn't give a hoot about the players or the fans.......but other than that, he's wonderful.

 

[Ed O]

I think he's been great for the NBA. I don't think that it's coincidence that fans in almost every major sport almost always dislike commissioners.

Ed O.

 

[jlprk]

he is clearly a marketing wiz and has taken the league from being on a deathbed when he took over to amazing heights today.

You are believing his propaganda. The league was very entertaining before he took over. The tape delays of the Finals only lasted about 2 years and ended years before he became Commissioner.

The only malaise was from Celtic and Laker fans watching Portland, Seattle, and Washington win championships. LA and Boston are the sources of the revisionist history that Stern has used to justify his rule.

 

[Stevenson]

You are believing his propaganda. The league was very entertaining before he took over. .

Disagree. It was full of drugs and thugs. Tape delay, the Kermit Washington thing, boring players, no salary cap etc.

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

I have very mixed feeling about the commissioner.

On one hand, he is clearly a marketing wiz and has taken the league from being on a deathbed when he took over to amazing heights today. He loves the game, guards it, and I like his folksy, avuncular demeanor.

And yet. I can never stop thinking that the league he has created isn't 100% on the up and up. The star system is out of control. The refs stink and should be independent. The pro game is too boring. And I bet he's a bastard to negotiate with.

You?

I agree 100%. He's dome an unbelievable job marketing the brand, but it's too slanted to suit me.

 

[Nikolokolus]

I think he's short ... yeah I said it.

 

[jlprk]

Disagree. It was full of drugs and thugs. Tape delay, the Kermit Washington thing, boring players, no salary cap etc.

Wow, I couldn't agree less. Boring players? Who? Rick Barry one year. Then Big E and Wes. Then Walton and Luke. Then Sikma and Gus. And those are just the champs. There were many other fascinating players.

What was boring was the repetition of the 80s once Stern took over. TV games never changed. Magic and Bird this year. Next year it will change. Bird and Magic. Year after that, less boring. Magic and Bird. Besides the star system, gotta have dictatorial refs. No fighting anymore. 2 fouls per minute.

Borrrring.

No salary cap? That's when you could talk about trades to find equal talents, not equal salaries. If you wanted to trade Rudy Fernandez, you didn't have to include an expiring salary to make the contracts match. You just found a player about his equal and made the trade. Simple.

Stern didn't rescue us from anything. He's a PR guy who gets writers to write his PC PR history so he can keep his $10+ million per year job. A thousand existing captains of industry could do better, but he has his writers pushing the idea that he's irreplaceable.

 

[Drttimmy]

Tough to say. But if you judge him by his competitors(other sport leagues...namely the NFL) then he's losing ground and open to replacement.

 

[Ghost Pepper]

Great! Stern is fine at marketing so he should be pres of the NBA marketing and advertising for the league. That said he knows shit about basketball, fair competition or ref accountability. In order for basketball to be a sport it must be fair so the BEST TEAM CAN WIN, not the most profitable! STERN has compromised that reality!!!!!!!

 

[mobes23]

While I was no fan of the Sonics, it sure seemed to me like he sold them down the river with the OKC stuff. I wonder if he and Clayton B. were secret lovers or something.

 

[The_Lillard_King]

Great! Stern is fine at marketing so he should be pres of the NBA marketing and advertising for the league. That said he knows shit about basketball, fair competition or ref accountability. In order for basketball to be a sport it must be fair so the BEST TEAM CAN WIN, not the most profitable! STERN has compromised that reality!!!!!!!

Who do you think is the best team in basketball this year?

Who do you think was the best team in basketball last year?

 

[LittleAlex]

Fuck Mr. Stern and the horse he rode in on.

His handling of the officiating in the NBA is a fucking disgrace.

 

[e_blazer]

Classic Napoleon complex.

 

[Ghost Pepper]

This year is actually the best year true NBA fans have and will have in hoops for a while. The reason is Stern can't star call for one team over another!!! Both LA and Boston are big market towns rich in tradition and both teams have massive star power on either side of the court. For once Stern and his posse of refs might just have to let the best team win! Had this been LA and Orlando, Lakers in 5!

I can tell ya over the last two decades since Stern has been in power, several teams have had series handed to them. Lakers, Bulls and Pistons come to mind!

 

[BGrantFan]

Shoe companies saved the NBA by marketing Magic, Bird, and ultimately Jordan.

 

[barfo]

Shoe companies saved the NBA by marketing Magic, Bird, and ultimately Jordan.

Saved it from what?

barfo

 

[DaRizzle]

Shoe companies saved the NBA by marketing Magic, Bird, and ultimately Jordan.

And on what stage did those players showcase their talents so Nike would be induced into calling them?

 

[Denny Crane]

Saved it from what?

barfo

Saved from barfo.

 

[PtldPlatypus]

And on what stage did those players showcase their talents so Nike would be induced into calling them?

The NCAA tournament.

 

[HailBlazers]

....... He's Scared Very Scared

With the ratings plummeting, dissatisfied fans, and an impending lockout, I'd say he's got much to be worried about