David Stern Is A Joke

The more I think of how David Stern is running the NBA, the more I think he is turning the NBA into a laughingstock. This guy has simply got to go to ensure the viability of the NBA as a sports league. I mean this is getting completely out of hand. Most of us understand what Stern is trying to do, but he is going about it the wrong way.

Now you might think that the picture posted is a bit extreme and that Stern isn't that bad, but just consider the case of the San Antonio Spurs. That team (which is the league's most successful since 1999) keeps getting screwed by the commish. Their most recent offense was sitting older players during a brutal road stretch. The team had a 6 game road trip and was in its final game in that trip. They had to play several in a row and needed to rest a few guys, including the 36 year old Tim Duncan.

Let's not forget either that Gregg Popovich kind of knows what he is doing. The guy has 4 NBA Titles to his credit and has kept the Spurs the class of the NBA despite his franchise player being 36 years old. Don't you think Pop knows best when his guys need a rest. Especially the older players like Duncan and Ginobili. Instead, Stern interjected saying the Spurs were going against the interest of the league and the paying fans. Do we really think the folks in Miami care about Duncan playing? Maybe a few of them, but the overwhelming majority of them were thrilled to see a great game, that the hometown Heat won. In fact the 105-100 game is one of the best games so far in this young season. Perhaps, Stern should thank Pop for making it close, but no a punishment came down instead.

A punishment to the tune of a $250,000 fine. Are you kidding me? A fine for resting old players the NBA is setting a horrible standard here. You notice how despite this happening routinely in every sport, the Spurs are the 1st team in any sport to be fined for this action. I guess because they are the Spurs and Stern hates that the non-marquee team keeps looking great.

Maybe that's why he keeps letting Joey Crawford ref Spurs playoff games. The same Joey Crawford that gave Tim Duncan 2 technicals in one game when he was sitting on the bench. The same Joey Crawford that was outed by convict Tim Donaghy as having a vendetta against Tim Duncan. You see Donaghy passed this information off to bookies so that they could bet against the Spurs when Crawford was ref. It just so happens that every series the Spurs have been knocked out of recently, Joey Crawford has been the ref. Pretty interesting.

If that isn't enough, just consider that Crawford and Donaghy were allowed to ref at any point in the league. Crawford still is allowed to ref. If you don't think he is that bad, click on his name in the tab and watch some videos of him as ref.

Side Note: The Spurs may still win a title before Stern or Crawford retire because they are the best team. However, I guarantee that the season that Stern steps aside, the San Antonio Spurs will be NBA Champions.

David Stern is a complete joke. Many people think the NBA is fixed. I agree that certain series seem fixed. If he really wants to help the NBA and make it as successful as the MLB, then he will stop giving off the impression that the league is fixed. Fix that and it will have much greater benefit than who is on the teams. Clean games with good officiating will appeal to the masses. When fans feel their team is cheated, it drives people away.

-Noland