2014-15 NBA Sternless Season...

[Kingspoint]

I say "Sternless" season, because I am so glad he's gone. Could care less that he's increased revenue and made the Owners and Players richer. Ticket prices are atrocious, most of the Arenas are half-empty, he screwed the City of Seattle, the referees make it look like WWE, and he's inspired a brand of basketball that isn't enjoyable to watch (iso).


That said, I love basketball, and will wait it out like White Sox and Red Sox fans, until things change. In the meantime, I'll enjoy teams that play the way I like to see basketball played...San Antonio and Indiana (and Portland for the first 1/3rd of the season last year, until they stopped playing Defense).

I look forward to seeing the direction that Adam Silver takes the league.



- - - Updated - - -

From Rotoworld w/ Rotoworld comments:

The Pacers reportedly offered Roy Hibbert, Chris Copeland, and some cash for Goran Dragic.

The move makes sense for Indiana after likely losing Paul George for the entire 2014-15 season, but Phoenix probably couldn't contain their laughter. Dragic added that Phoenix is not interested in taking the deal. As of right now, it appears that nothing is imminent.

Source: ekipa24.si

[Slyder]

I say "Sternless" season, because I am so glad he's gone. Could care less that he's increased revenue and made the Owners and Players richer. Ticket prices are atrocious, most of the Arenas are half-empty, he screwed the City of Seattle, the referees make it look like WWE, and he's inspired a brand of basketball that isn't enjoyable to watch (iso).


That said, I love basketball, and will wait it out like White Sox and Red Sox fans, until things change. In the meantime, I'll enjoy teams that play the way I like to see basketball played...San Antonio and Indiana (and Portland for the first 1/3rd of the season last year, until they stopped playing Defense).

I look forward to seeing the direction that Adam Silver takes the league.



- - - Updated - - -

From Rotoworld w/ Rotoworld comments:

The Pacers reportedly offered Roy Hibbert, Chris Copeland, and some cash for Goran Dragic.

The move makes sense for Indiana after likely losing Paul George for the entire 2014-15 season, but Phoenix probably couldn't contain their laughter. Dragic added that Phoenix is not interested in taking the deal. As of right now, it appears that nothing is imminent.

Source: ekipa24.si

I was impressed with what Silver did at the draft for the Baylor player who's career was ended upon a medical condition. That took class and Stern (I don't think) would have never done anything like that.

[dubc47834]

2013-2014 was a Sternless season also!

[Kingspoint]

2013-2014 was a Sternless season also!

He stepped down January 1st (or the trading deadline, but it was mid-way through the season).

[Kingspoint]

As expected....

From Rotoworld w/ Rotoworld comments:


The Pacers have been awarded a disabled player exception worth more than $5 million, the result of Paul George's devastating leg injury.

Indiana still isn't expected to offer more than $1.6 million to any player, including Shawn Marion, since they're unwilling to enter the luxury tax. The receipt of the disabled player exception does not guarantee that George's season is over, but the Pacers don't expect him to play in 2014-15. According to the NBA's Collective Bargaining Agreement, the exception means that doctors found it "substantially more likely than not" that George won't play through June 15 of next year.

Source: Bob Kravitz on Twitter

[Kingspoint]

From Rotoworld w/ Rotoworld comments:

The NBA's experiment with an extended All-Star break will be used in the 2014-15 season.

The minimum break for teams will be eight days while some teams will have even more time off. The schedule has usually been just about every team will play on the Wednesday, four teams will play on the Thursday before the weekend, and teams will return to action on either the following Tuesday or Wednesday.

Source: Adrian Wojnarowski on Twitter

[improbus]

Everyone has been impressed by Silver's actions so far, but I would argue that he has had a bunch of PR softballs lobbed at him to start his tenure. Getting rid of the racist owner no one wants around? That wasn't exactly a hard stance. I'm not saying the PROCESS was easy, but he had little real choice in the matter.

Every commissioner slowly morphs into "Evil Leader of Sport/Puppet of Owners/Incompetent Nimwit". It happened to Stern. It happened to Goddell. It happened to Selig. It happened to Bettman. It will happen to Silver. He was the one who absolutely and ruthlessly hammered the players in the last labor negotiation. His time will come.

[improbus]

I actually think that Stern left the league in great shape. The game is as attractive as it has ever been (including the mythical '80's). I have a reason to watch 25 teams. It has a very likable stable of superstars/great players (James, Durant, Bryant, Rose, Paul, Griffin, Westbrook, George, Curry, Anthony Davis).

[Kingspoint]

Durant, Rose, Bryant, Westbrook, Griffin, Harden and Paul all make me want to puke. Not all Commissioners are bad. I loved Larry O'Brien.

[Kingspoint]

I have no idea what Silver is going to be like. I agree that he hasn't done anything that stands out so far.

When the refereeing stops looking like WWE, then I'll be satisfied.

[improbus]

Durant, Rose, Bryant, Westbrook, Griffin, Harden and Paul all make me want to puke. Not all Commissioners are bad. I loved Larry O'Brien.

My favorite commissioners tend not to make TV deals that get their Finals games put on tape delay.

[Kingspoint]

My favorite commissioners tend not to make TV deals that get their Finals games put on tape delay.

That was the nature of sports back then.

Had a person of his caliber and integrity taken over for him instead of the weasely, slimeball Stern, the NBA product would be much better and arenas wouldn't be half empty every game as they have been for the last 15 years.

[Kingspoint]

I get to start my season with home games of:

OKC
GSW
CLE
DAL

That's a great first-four. I'll sell the LeBron tickets (there's a lot of idiots willing to pay $400 a piece for them). Love going Opening Night, but I'm likely to sell the OKC tickets, too, as there are a lot of band-wagon jumpers who'll pay stupid money to see Durant. Should get $300 a piece for those. That will help offset the costs for the year.

There's a terrible stretch in December where Portland plays 9 of 11 on the road and 10 of 13 on the road w/ games vs IND, SA(2), OKC, CHI, and HOU. The season ends with @ OKC, @ DAL, and @ GSW over the last four games. That's brutal. Our GM needed to fight harder for a better schedule than that. But, then, they haven't done well at fighting for a quality schedule for over 15 years. For 25 years it was a family-friendly schedule, but no consideration at all is made towards families and kids anymore,...in Portland. Sunday starts are 6:00 at night. That's just careless and stupid.

Indiana hosts Cleveland twice in February on Friday nights. What a relief it is to play in the East the entire season. Even without George 54 wins is still an easy target.

[improbus]

That was the nature of sports back then.

Had a person of his caliber and integrity taken over for him instead of the weasely, slimeball Stern, the NBA product would be much better and arenas wouldn't be half empty every game as they have been for the last 15 years.

It sounds alot like you just want the 77 Blazers back. I can't blame you there.

[Kingspoint]

Things are going to change internally.....possibly.

From Rotoworld w/ Rotoworld comments:

An attorney for former Clippers owner Donald Sterling suggested that the departure of Hawks owner Bruce Levenson due to a racially-insensitive email is "just the beginning."

The lawyer, Bobby Samini, went on to say: "There's not a single owner in the league who doesn't have an email, a conversation, a conference-call comment, that by this standard that's been established by [NBA Commissioner] Adam Silver, wouldn't completely taint them." Sterling has employed a team of investigators and lawyers to dig up dirt on other NBA executives and owners, and they're still "very active" according to Samini, so unfortunately this story may not end with Sterling, Levenson and embattled Hawks GM Danny Ferry.

Source: USA Today


More details have surfaced about Danny Ferry's controversial comments surrounding the Hawks' recruitment of Luol Deng.

In a transcript obtained by Yahoo!Sports, Ferry was extremely critical of Deng's personality in the locker room and with the media. "For example, he can come out and be an unnamed source for a story and two days later come out and say, 'That absolutely was not me. I can't believe someone said that," Ferry said on a conference call with ownership. He also downplayed the positive affect Deng has in a close locker room. "Good guy in Chicago. They will tell you he was good for their culture, but not a culture setter. He played hard and all those things, but he was very worried about his bobble-head being the last one given away that year, or there was not enough stuff of him in the [team] store … kind of a complex guy." These comments, along with racially insensitive remarks about Deng's African heritage, have landed Ferry in hot water, and could cost him his job.

Source: Adrian Wojnarowski