Tag Archives: david stern

Stern Sendoff

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This is going to be short for me. I have pieces to write about more important things.

I am not the outgoing NBA commissioner’s biggest fan. I have called him biased and questioned his podium presence. (Which, if you’re commissioner, are two things you should have in check: you shouldn’t be biased and you should have good podium presence.)

David Stern comes off as snide in public, and I think he showed favoritism in a job that begs for the polar opposite. What he did for the NBA during the “Dream Team” era was good. But I grew up with a very different National Basketball Association. I grew up with a basketball league where the commissioner comes off as a dictator-like Bond villain. Where the commissioner of the league runs a team and proceeds to veto a trade between two teams. Where that trade has conceivably affected the landscape of the league today.

A picture is worth a thousand words. In this case a video is worth a million.

“Back to Work” Inspires Hope for Seattle’s NBA Future

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Chris Hansen’s NBA team, or team of people trying to bring the NBA back to Seattle, are back to work according to their Twitter feed.

 

 

Expansion is looking more and more like an option. Well, it kind of has to be unless you want to count on Sacramento’s arena folding by 2017, in which case the NBA can arrange a sale to a new ownership group who would move the team out of California’s capitol. Meaning that unless another city comes along, not completely out of left field, but close, Seattle would be looked at as a front runner.

So there is that option, or Seattle could twiddle its collective thumbs until Franchise X in City Y runs into a brick wall out of nowhere.

I like expansion better.

Expansion probably isn’t going to happen this offseason, unless Hansen and friends have been in a huddle with Stern and his many cronies discussing it recently. Even then, there is the issue of the draft. Or drafts. The expansion draft would have to happen, and the normal NBA draft. Which, if Seattle got a team this year, their front office would go into the draft completely blind, not having done a whole lot of homework.

So, maybe the Sonics come back next year. I can wait. At least it’s not 2017.

Sweet NBA Dreams Are Made of This – 25 Thoughts on the Recent Decision By the NBA BOG

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I’m going way back with this one. Call it the way-back machine, time machine, vault, whatever. Point is that I’m dropping a Eurhythmics reference. In the title-referenced song, these lyrics are used-

“Some of them want to use you…Some of them want to abuse you.”

The first part (“Some of them want to use you”) obviously refers to the “incumbent” overlord-like NBA Commissioner David Stern, showed all the grace of a saucy, filter-less seven-year-old at the podium; I’ll get to that later. True or not, you could conceivably put together the pieces supporting the fact that Seattle was used to keep the Kings in Sacramento. In his poorly prosed press conference, Stern talked a lot about “advantage to the incumbent.” Which, if that was the case all along, the Seattle group probably should have deserved a heads up that it was really Sacramento’s team to lose.

The second part (“Some of them want to abuse you”) refers again to Stern, who for some reason, seems not to like Seattle.

Now, on to my 25 thoughts on the matter:

  1. David Stern showed very poor podium presence. Of all the things in the world that David Stern could have said to open his press conference, he went with, “This is going to be short for me. I have a game to get to in Oklahoma City.” REALLY??? I have many problems with this; one is that the OKC reference is exceedingly poor taste. I wasn’t kidding about a rude, mouth running seven-year-old having the same amount of grace at the podium. That dig was filled with so much bad taste it makes the six-week-old liver at the back of your fridge seem like it will actually taste good.
  2. Stern needs to learn to be present. Taking aside the fact that he slammed Seattle with the opening dig, did he really need to say that? Even if it was a playoff game in Boston, Tanzania or a polar ice cap, you be present. You are in charge of the league. Acting like you’re half asleep and saying, “I don’t even know where I am” (paraphrasing). Pull it together. I would have said, “pull it together, buddy” just because it sounds better, but David Stern is clearly no buddy of mine.
  3.  If you have to rush off to a playoff game, why did you schedule the meeting for today in the first place? If you want to go see a playoff game, then don’t schedule the Board of Governors meeting during the playoffs. Simple as that.
  4. The NBA made the wrong decision.
  5. The NBA made the wrong decision.
  6. The NBA made the wrong decision.
  7. And… the NBA made the wrong decision. Is Sacramento a better market? Does dirt look appetizing to eat? All jokes and jabs aside, I do think that Sacramento is a good NBA town, just not as good as Seattle would have been/was/will be.
  8. Seattle also has, and will have, a much better market if you strictly look at it from a standpoint of number of big-name companies with headquarters or large offices in each city. In one corner you have Seattle with powerhouses such as Microsoft, Amazon, Starbucks (should they chose to get back in bed with the league,) REI, Boeing, Alaska Airlines, Nordstrom, etc. In the other corner you have Sacramento with… wait, was that a tumble weed? (points somewhere off to far left.)
  9. On the bright side of things, I just stopped writing momentarily to see the Memphis Grizzlies move on to the Western Conference Finals. If you live under a rock, that means the OKC Raiders lost and were eliminated from the playoffs. Ah, little victories.
  10. Also, I would like to personally commend the eight NBA owners who made the right vote. Seattle appreciates it.
  11. Here’s a joke, David Stern walks into a bar in Seattle… oh wait, that will never happen.
  12. Another small positive from Wednesday, the Mariners dropped a twelve spot on the Yankees. At least we still have the M’s.
  13. I also want to thank the Sacramento fans who weren’t complete ____________(your choice-y swear word in plural form here.) Sacramento wanted to keep their team; you can’t hold that against them. The bad apples that started ripping Seattle on everything from the Mariners to Macklemore showed the same poor taste as Stern.
  14. In a less cynical statement, I hope the Kings do well in Sacramento. It would be horrible for everyone if the Kings went back to their ways of tanking in attendance. Worst case scenario, Sacramento struggles after a honeymoon period, but still keeps their team, and the NBA doesn’t admit its’ obvious mistake. But, like I said, I hope Sacramento justifies the NBA’s decision to stick with them.
  15. Adam Silver may one day win the “Biggest Hero in Seattle Sports History” Award simply based on default. While it would be amazing to get an NBA team during the rest of Stern’s rather stern tenure, it probably isn’t going to happen. Stern himself has served for nearly 30 years, meaning, even if Silver lasts half that long, we will probably get a team during his tenure. Thus he wins the aforementioned “Biggest Hero in Seattle Sports History” Award. Seriously, he’d get more votes than the following:  Felix Hernandez, Mike Holmgren, Shaun Alexander… Take back what I said, he would get second in the award voting, the winner would be Chris Hansen.
  16. We in Seattle have now joined a very hallowed fraternity of sports cities. We’re the 31st or 33rd league city. The city without a team that makes you go, “well, they deserve a team more than at least a third of the league, if not more, why don’t they have a team already?” Yes, people actually say all that. Current members of the club include Los Angeles of no-NFL fame. Montreal of baseball fame, Quebec City in the NHL and well, us. Cleveland , formerly of no- NFL fame, used to live at the fraternity house, but it has since backed its bags and left.
  17. Was this really smart for the NBA? The NBA is a money-driven league. Rather than being driven by people named David and Adam, the league is run by folks named Benjamin, Andrew and Abraham. The league is run by money.  Which is why it is confusing to see the league go with an inferior offer, purely from a monetary stand point. Seattle is a fantastic market, and truth be told, probably has better NBA fans than half the league.
  18. To continue the rant on the incumbent NBA commissioner, anyone else think it was wrong for him to wear a purple tie to the Warriors/Spurs playoff game the night before the vote? I know that he has to look impartial to the two teams. So that rules out the colors, black, white, silver, blue, yellow, orange (the Warriors former color). He probably shouldn’t have worn any Sonics/Kings colors like he did, so that rules out green, gold, yellow (again,) purple, etc. Red is still available! Wear that colored tie and at least try to look impartial. Yes, I just critiqued Stern’s tie choice… but when it clearly looks like he’s being partial in a situation when he is required to be impartial, someone has to call him on it.
  19. Another joke, Clay Bennett walks into a bar in Seattle… also, never happening.
  20. Also, if the NBA truly wants to come back to Seattle one day, during the press conference after the Sacramento decision was made, shouldn’t the league have treated Seattle with more respect? The league should have done everything to say, “We’re going with Sacramento on this one, but we very much would like to go back to Seattle.” What happens if you are so rude to Seattle that Seattle doesn’t want you back? What happens if team X falls into financial disarray and you need to move them? Who’s going to step up and be a good market? Anaheim? No, too close to LA, the Lakers and Clips would throw a hissy fit at the notion. Las Vegas? Probably not, the whole allure of Vegas mixed with a professional sports team seems like the wrong idea. Virginia Beach? Their efforts to get the NBA are in the infant stages at this point. How about Vancouver? They would be good, but they are still at square one in terms of everything. So what if no new buyer is found? Does the league do what it did with the Hornets? Does the league want to do that? What if no buyer was found and the team folded? It seems like the league has something against 31 teams, as if it’s a negative. If 31 teams is a negative, then 29 is apocalyptic-negative.
  21. This topic has been broached by many a reporter, but shouldn’t the NBA have been willing to give Seattle more time to do anything to improve their bid, or even just give them more time to be fair? I thought it seemed unfair to give Sacramento countless number of breaks when they clearly weren’t ready, and then when Sacramento was ready, Seattle’s neck got slammed to the guillotine and that’s that. Seems a bit unfair. “Sacto” as some people affectionately call it, got too much leeway in terms of extending deadlines.
  22. What happens to Gary Payton’s jersey? Or Shawn Kemp’s? Are these numbers retired in Seattle or are they mothballed? These numbers need to be retired properly in Seattle. Especially with Payton getting into the Hall of Fame this year.
  23. “Some of them want to use you.” It did feel like Seattle got used. I talked about this earlier, if Sacramento was always getting the team, why play Seattle and not be completely honest about it?
  24. I alluded to it earlier, but from the outside, it seems like Stern really doesn’t like Seattle. Maybe he didn’t like all the backlash after the Sonics left. Who knows, but this seems despicable.
  25. I also want to point out one other thing. The city of Sacramento is very lucky to have Kevin Johnson as their mayor. I think had Sacramento had any other mayor who had zero ties to the NBA then we might have the Sonics back.

 

You Think You Know Heartbreak Sacramento, You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet

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Some Sacramento Kings fans like to point out that here in Seattle we have the Mariners, Seahawks and Sounders.

Yes, they say, you’ll surely be fine; you have baseball, football and soccer. And you have UW. “You should be giving us a break.”

This piece also says that “few cities know heartbreak like Sacramento.”

Sacramento may know a little heartbreak, but we know its tendencies much better.

Sacramento also likes to remind everyone of the uncertainty and ever-present-nervousness that nearly resulted in a move to Anaheim.

Yes, it’s true, Kings fans have lived in fear of losing their team for a very long time, and I feel for them in that regard, but to ask for a break from Seattle?

The difference is that while Sacramento has been in a struggle to try and keep their team, they have had a team. A product on the court. We haven’t had that product.

It’s one thing for the Sacramento fans to believe that they can comprehend the disaster of losing a tem, especially when they have teetered on the edge of it. It’s another thing to understand it when it has happened to you.

I have nothing against Sacramento fans. I applaud them for making a strong effort to try to retain their team.  Kings fans would have a reaction similar to mine if roles were reversed. Let me try to put it this way:

As a town without an NBA franchise it’s hard to give a break to a town that already has one.

Just saying.

Some Extra Perspective on the Kings/Seattle Situation

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Now that Sacramento has put in a bid to buy the Kings from the Maloofs, unless you haven’t had your mind, inbox or Google search feed/email alerts filled with it, here’s more perspective on the move.

(Disclaimer: I don’t for a minute pretend to understand the legalese of the matter.

If It’s Already Sold, Why are You Trying to Buy It? Continue reading →

Well Known Piece: Spite: Why Again, is the Sonics’ History in OKC?

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(Here’s a piece I wrote where I talk about the Sonics’ illustrious history and why it belongs to the people in the largest city of a certain Midwestern state. Again for all you twitter folks out there this would call for a #NOKC. Anyways, I wrote it last June on my other site knowhitter.com, thought you might like to check it out.)

(Also if you like what you read here you can check out my other site where this was originally posted, knowhitter.com.)

 

Oh yeah, spite. That’s the answer, or at least that’s my take on it. You see, not only have we (Seattle) lost our team, but in a matter of years the Raiders are in the NBA Finals. So, not only does that irk me (that’s the PG version), but I should also point out that all of the Sonics’ history is owned by Clay Bennett and his “posse”.

So, assuming you’re still following along after that painfully short lead-in, here is my perception:  spite. Yes, spite. Why else would you want to take a team’s history? When Seattle gets a team back (looking at you Stern), I don’t want that team’s history. That’s their history; they accomplished it, and they deserve to have it.

Say your team is gone along with its history. Say you’ve had some Hall of Fame worthy players as well. Now let’s say that those players’ jerseys were never retired and that the history, as stated, is owned by somebody else. Welcome to our world readers who aren’t Northwesterners and/or Sonics fans. Gary Payton’s jersey was never retired, and the ability to retire it now lies in the hands of Clay Bennett. And that’s what bugs me. Bennett isn’t going to retire the Glove’s jersey. Even if he did, GP has said he doesn’t want it retired in OKC. So basically, the jersey is useless in OKC’s hands. And that’s what bugs me. They know that they weren’t going to do anything with the jerseys of guys like Payton and Kemp, not to mention the 1979 NBA Championship Trophy. But they own the history nonetheless. Which seems spiteful to me.

You’ll notice that I don’t refer to OKC as their actual nickname, and more accurately call them the Raiders. They are in fact just that, Raiders, who took the team and the history.

A quick side slant at Bennett and Stern here. Stern named Bennett the head of the NBA Relocation Committee. That might be the worst hiring since the Knicks brought in Isaiah Thomas. Or maybe even worse.

Another  thing that is bothersome (again, being PG rated here) is that every time I watch the NBA playoffs, they throw out stats like “OKC’s first playoff (put accomplishment here) in over 15 or 20 years.” That’s also a load of bahooey (again PG), because it wasn’t OKC. It was the Sonics.

And just to clear things up, I’ve got no ill will towards the Thunder players or coaches. Most of them weren’t in Seattle, but the people I do have a problem with are Bennett and his “posse”.

And Stern.