Spurs cheated NBA fans, and deservedly pay the price

[howbouthemspurs]

John Smallwood, Daily News Sports Columnist
POSTED: Sunday, December 2, 2012, 3:01 AM
I guess a $250,000 fine can be considered
"substantial sanctions."
Substantial sanctions were what NBA commissioner David Stern said he was going to deliver to the San Antonio Spurs after head coach Gregg Popovich sent star players Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker, plus key
reserve Danny Green, home to San Antonio to rest rather than play in Thursday's nationally televised game at the Miami Heat."The result here is dictated by the totality of the facts in this case," Stern said in a statement released Friday night. "The Spurs decided to maker four of their top players unavailable for an early-season game that was the team's only regular-season visit to Miami."The team also did this without informing the Heat, the media or the league office in a timely way. Under these circumstances, I have concluded that the Spurs did a disservice to the league and our fans."

Considering that Popovich didn't actually violate any official NBA policy and that what he did would probably be considered acceptable if this were mid-April instead of November, a quarter of million dollars is a healthy fine.
But in my view, the penalty wasn't harsh enough - not when you consider the dangerous precedent Popovich's actions could set for the workings of the NBA regular season and how fans could end up looking at it.

If I were Stern, I would have fined the Spurs $1 million, $250,000 for each player sent home. I would have suspended Popovich for four games, one for each player. I would have made such an example of Popovich and the Spurs that no other team would even think about doing what San Antonio did as a supposed strategic approach to the strains of the regular season.This was serious. Let's not be naïve about this, because we know that the NBA is a multibillion-dollar entertainment corporation. The success of that business is completely tied to consumers' enjoying and paying for the product - which, in this case, means games featuring the best basketball players in the world.

What the Spurs did was a direct assault on the NBA brand and the integrity of its product. If Popovich's decision is allowed to become common working policy for other elite teams, it will be as detrimental to the game as the hint of gambling or performance-enhancing drugs. Sending healthy star players home rather than put them out on the court for a game goes against all the competitive and entertainment tenets professional sports are built on.
It is a threat to the confidence that fans have in the NBA as an entertainment product.

We all understand that things like injuries can happen. We accept that buying a ticket doesn't guarantee that you'll get to see the superstar players in a matchup as advertised, but this was different. Everyone was healthy. Fans attending or watching the game on national television had reasonable expectations that they were going to see the real San Antonio Spurs against the Miami Heat - not nine guys who normally ride the bench, and who ended up losing to Miami, 105-100.

Popovich, with the OK from Spurs management, basically committed consumer fraud against Heat fans. Stern clearly understood the implications, which is why he used his broad powers as commissioner to fine the Spurs for basically breaking an unwritten rule. I've listened to several basketball analysts who defended San Antonio for making a strategic basketball move. A few former players said that they appreciated what Popovich was trying to do for his players and that having them ready for the playoffs is the most important thing. That's all fine, but they are missing the bigger point. Coaches are notorious for parroting the successful actions of others. What if other teams decide they don't want San Antonio to gain a competitive advantage and strategically begin resting their star players during the regular season to save them for later?

What if the Lakers left a healthy Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol in Los Angeles for their one visit to South Philadelphia? Wouldn't Sixers fans be justified to scream in outrage? Would you pay to see the Heat if you knew the coach didn't think enough of you to waste a healthy LeBron James and Dwyane Wade on you? What if the New York Knicks did that with Carmelo Anthony, or the Oklahoma City Thunder did it with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook? If this becomes a common practice, it's not hard to envision that certain markets might never get to see a superstar opposing player compete. It matters. Not every NBA city has a championship team to root for. In a lot of cities, the opposing team and its superstars are as big an attraction as the home team, if not bigger.

If coaches started resting stars multiple times during a season for strategic purposes, it will disintegrate the NBA product. If fans believe that they can be purposefully deprived from seeing the top players perform as part of a planned strategy, the whole thing will begin to crumble. I'll be the first to acknowledgethat there is some hypocrisy in my position. It is common practice for NBA teams to sit star players at the end of a regular season when playoff positions are set and teams are gearing up for postseason runs. That is an accepted practice in virtually every sport. When this same issue was brought up late in last season, NBA deputy commissioner and Stern's named-replacement, Adam Silver, said the "strategic resting of particular players on particular nights is within the discretion of the team."

But nobody in the NBA anticipated that any coach would employ such a tactic 16 games into an 82-game schedule.
Nobody contemplated the idea that this could become a strategic practice to be used several times throughout the course of a regular season. Even though it is difficult to clarify how, there is a difference between sitting a game in Game 80 than sitting him in Game 8. It's just one of those gut-feeling things when you know something is wrong.

I applaud the fact that, with the $250,000 fine, Stern sent a strong message of disapproval for what the Spurs did.
I'm just not sure that it was severe enough to stop Popovich from doing it again or to stop another coach from following his lead. The NBA cannot allow this to become a common practice, not if it was to keep the consumer confidence of its fan base. What Popovich and the Spurs did was dangerous for the business of the NBA. Stern should have spanked them harder, because sometimes business has to take precedent over the game.
http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/john_smallwood/20121202_John_Smallwood__Spurs_cheated_NBA_fans__a nd_deservedly_pay_the_price.html

Somebody's panties is in a bunch! I hope he understands that 90% of people don't agree with any of this bullshit! Pop did the right thing.

[Darkwaters]

The guy is a moron. While the NBA is a business, the head coach is worried with X's and O's. If you do away with that aspect then you become the WWE. For a league that already has had too many run-ins with "tampering" and "big market favoritism" you would think people would realize how foolishly David Stern acted, not only about this one incident, but repeatedly in the last several seasons.

[TDMVPDPOY]

nba and integrity dont belong in the same sentence...

[jiggy_55]

What a complete retard.. And your 90% comment is an understatement, more like 98-99% would disagree..

[BillMc]

Among the many things wrong with Mr. Smallwood's article is that Danny Green is not a reserve and EVERYBODY saw this resting coming.

[BillMc]

What jilts NBA fans more? Seeing TD in a random game in November or out with an injury for multiple games in April? Lack of rest equals higher frequency of injury especially for older players.

[gee]

What a stupid fkn article. how do so many sports journalists have such poor insight on what they write about?? they literally dont care how bad they do their job, and this dick uses such false grandiose passion to try to cover up his lack of knowledge / vision / understanding.
Get this shit off my computer.

[ChuckD]

Pure attention grab. Some people don't write all that well, so they have to take the unpopular/ridiculous position to get any attention at all.

[Obstructed_View]

:lol Knicks fan.

[milkyway21]

"We all understand that things like injuries can happen. We accept that buying a ticket doesn't guarantee that you'll get to see the superstar players in a matchup as advertised, but this was different. Everyone was healthy. Fans attending or watching the game on national television had reasonable expectations that they were going to see the real San Antonio Spurs against the Miami Heat - not nine guys who normally ride the bench, and who ended up losing to Miami, 105-100. "

this guy is just so unhappy and it turned out that those nine guys who normally ride the bench could ACTUALLY beat the defending champs..forgot to mention it was Allen, new recruit, not a part of the 2012 Heat championship team who saved their asses & was instrumental in beating the Spurs bench-warmers...

what a clown..

[elemento]

lol John SMALLCOCKKnick fan still butthurt @ 99

[wildbill2u]

I suppose he'd be happy if Pop had used the old 'injury' excuse like most coaches when they want to rest a player. What will be cool is when Pop does it again.

[Boomersgold]

As Pop would say 'there's the Fan's perspective' and then there's 'the coach's perspective'.

[Gospursel]

one of the issues with this argument is that it assumes NBA fans are a monolyth of people who watch the game because of the biggest stars. Sure, I understand that a lot of people tune in to see the big names, but a lot of people don't tune in for that reason. Sometimes I pay the closest attention in garbage time to see new talent develop. What about the thousands of fans who watch the game because its a team sport? What about the the people who feel they have a team to follow in the league that isn't all about 2-3 guys but approaches the sport as a team sport? If there is a team in the NBA that carries these kinds of fans its the Spurs, and there will be more of those kinds of fans tuning in because of Pop's decision and overall approach. There are plenty of teams and superstars that stern and this jerk don't have to worry. If you want to broaden the appeal of the NBA, broaden the philosophies of the game represented therein.

[Old School 44]

I haven't seen one negative response against Pop from anyone in the NBA coaching fraternity.
Wouldn't it be great if the coaches got together in support of Pop and held out one star player for a game on the same day. Stern's head would explode.

[Mark in Austin]

Pure attention grab. Some people don't write all that well, so they have to take the unpopular/ridiculous position to get any attention at all.

+1

[rascal]

I agree with this guy. The Spurs should not have sit their players, it was nothing more than a power move by Pop against the NBA and the Spurs should have been hit hard by fines and suspensions. I doubt the Spurs were even all that tired that they could not play at a high level in the game.

[rascal]

one of the issues with this argument is that it assumes NBA fans are a monolyth of people who watch the game because of the biggest stars. Sure, I understand that a lot of people tune in to see the big names, but a lot of people don't tune in for that reason. Sometimes I pay the closest attention in garbage time to see new talent develop. What about the thousands of fans who watch the game because its a team sport? What about the the people who feel they have a team to follow in the league that isn't all about 2-3 guys but approaches the sport as a team sport? If there is a team in the NBA that carries these kinds of fans its the Spurs, and there will be more of those kinds of fans tuning in because of Pop's decision and overall approach. There are plenty of teams and superstars that stern and this jerk don't have to worry. If you want to broaden the appeal of the NBA, broaden the philosophies of the game represented therein.

The stars are the biggest draws as to why the fans watch. Pop was punting the game away by sending the players home. It was surprising the Spurs stayed close but it didn't matter in the end because they did not have the go to star who could make the big play down the stretch of the game. Barkley even called it before the game ended, the Spurs did not have a closer on the court.

[DBMethos]

Just butthurt over having the name Smallwood, tbh.

[pjjrfan]

I think Cuban had an excellent point, scheduling of the games by the league is "stupid" and that is the point that Pop is making and that the rest of the league looks at when they voice their support of Pop. Pop has been vocal about this for a long long time, and the integrity of the sport is not helped by scheduling game where a leg weary team goes into an arena where a well rested team is waiting. That's a major reason why good teams get routed on the last game of a long road trip by poor or mediocre teams.

[Darkwaters]

Pure attention grab. Some people don't write all that well, so they have to take the unpopular/ridiculous position to get any attention at all.

Isn't that Stephen A. Smith's modus operandi?

[BanditHiro]

Pure attention grab. Some people don't write all that well, so they have to take the unpopular/ridiculous position to get any attention at all.




I agree with this guy. The Spurs should not have sit their players, it was nothing more than a power move by Pop against the NBA and the Spurs should have been hit hard by fines and suspensions. I doubt the Spurs were even all that tired that they could not play at a high level in the game.

[McGusto55]

Crap..

[weebo]

I think Cuban had an excellent point, scheduling of the games by the league is "stupid" and that is the point that Pop is making and that the rest of the league looks at when they voice their support of Pop. Pop has been vocal about this for a long long time, and the integrity of the sport is not helped by scheduling game where a leg weary team goes into an arena where a well rested team is waiting. That's a major reason why good teams get routed on the last game of a long road trip by poor or mediocre teams.


Stern and his cronies rigged this game to embarrass a road weary Spurs team against the defending champs on national t.v. Props to coach Pop for giving stern a big FU.

[ChuckD]

The stars are the biggest draws as to why the fans watch. Pop was punting the game away by sending the players home. It was surprising the Spurs stayed close but it didn't matter in the end because they did not have the go to star who could make the big play down the stretch of the game. Barkley even called it before the game ended, the Spurs did not have a closer on the court.

If that's the case, then the average TNT fan got to see every star that network promotes in their promos: LeBron, Bosh, and Wade all played.

[Drz]

I don't get why the league didn't say "Hey, there were no rules in place for this and it had been totally fine before, but now, we don't like it. So IN THE FUTURE, you'll be fined if you do this."

Makes too much perfect sense I guess?

[KaiRMD1]

I really thought the NBA was a sport, man was I wrong. I guess that's why I know who the finals match ups are before I know the Wrestlemania main events are

[will_spurs]

I don't get why the league didn't say "Hey, there were no rules in place for this and it had been totally fine before, but now, we don't like it. So IN THE FUTURE, you'll be fined if you do this."

Makes too much perfect sense I guess?

Because other teams won't be fined if they do it in the future, as they weren't fined when they did it in the past.

I fully believe the league was trying to set up the Spurs with this game, Pop sent them a big FU and Stern flexed his muscles.

[Kidd K]

Because other teams won't be fined if they do it in the future, as they weren't fined when they did it in the past.

I fully believe the league was trying to set up the Spurs with this game, Pop sent them a big FU and Stern flexed his muscles.

I agree about the game seeming like a "set up loss", but I'm not 100% on it being an "FU" to the league. I think it's more a matter of, "well obviously we're handicapped this game, so fuck it, let's just chalk it up as a loss and get our bench some time and use the game as a glorified practice". Pretty damn good practice imo too. The Austin Toros nearly beat the NBA champs in a legit game.

What kills me is, that sorta thing should've been celebrated as an amazing underdog performance. Some type of shit you'd see in a movie. Like in Major League: Back to the Minors, where the minor league baseball team plays the big league Twins team and wins. Instead, Stern shits on it because it isn't what he wanted. Fuck him tbh. Can't wait for him to retire.

[DMC]

This game was to be a passing of the torch, so to speak, an exit of the Tim Duncan/SA Spurs era of low ratings and glaringly absent Spurs players in NBA, TNT and ESPN promos and the entrance of champions who are also popular and sell things. The league that built itself around two franchises going head to head for decades didn't readily welcome in other participants. Now you have a 4 time champion SA Spurs who, by reading the article, you would think would be featured on major sports outlets in NY and LA, but they aren't. Even league promos don't often feature them, oh you might see Tim's face in the back of some promo just as a token appearance. Joe Johnson gets more play and we know he's been ruling the league for years.

The ESPN power rankings front page photo had the usual suspects but no Spurs players, even when the Spurs were number 1 in the rankings. If it's about promotion of the best players, someone else isn't holding up their end of the deal. However, it's not about promoting the best players. It's about promoting the most popular players (which seems redundant) and it shouldn't even be about individual talent anyhow. Basketball is a team sport and that's never been practiced more than in San Antonio with the Spurs franchise. I can understand media outlets focusing on individuals, but the NBA should focus on teams. They don't unless your team is the Lakers. The NBA is going the way of reality TV, with focus more on drama than on the competition of the game. They are being helped along by media outlets who also want ratings. Instead of offering great basketball and the media reporting it, the NBA is becoming a puppet to the media; the cart is now in front of the horse. Stern opens his mouth to the media before any consultation with the league office or the Spurs office, then Pop gets a front page ESPN layout and article that even 4 rings couldn't get him. He would have been 2nd or 3rd story had they won the ring last year, just behind Howard's decision and Lamar Odom's reality TV show.

This is something many Spurs fans (especially here) don't even raise an eyebrow about, but then when suddenly the league commissioner pretends the Spurs big 3 are prime time TV at it's finest, the obvious should be stated.

But it's not about what Pop did. It's about who he did it to. He did it to TNT, Lebron James and DWade, three of the biggest money makers for the league.

Should Pop have been fined? Maybe, but he should have been given that ultimatum at the beginning of the season, or even during the extended lockout last season. The league has time to appoint a committee to study flops but not time to inform franchises of the fine lines of resting players?

It's going to get very interesting come April.

[howbouthemspurs]

Stern needs to retire now! All the bullshit is building up on him. The majority of the people disagrees with his latest stunt and they also disagree with almost everything he does lately. How is he is going to fine a team that play and operate with the highest of standards for something that is a legal practice anyway? Very shady. It makes you question everything he has done in the past. I really believe he has tried really herd in the last 5 years to keep the Spurs from reaching the Finals. Hes all about marketing and money and the league has failed the Spurs when it comes to marketability. The Spurs are the model franchise for all sports but for some reason they are not even as marketable as the Denver Nuggets. That is a shame! The Spurs has the greatest power forward of all time in Tim Duncan and two of the most engaging and creative players in Ginobili and Parker. Just because they dont go out and get a million endorsement deals, beat there wives, shit on their fans, get caught with drugs, fight on or off the court, or scream and beat their chest after every dunk or layup, somehow they are not marketable. The NBA tries so hard to get the next Jordan, Kobe or Lebron that they quit caring about the ones who deserve the attention as well. Fuck Stern!

[HI-FI]

This game was to be a passing of the torch, so to speak, an exit of the Tim Duncan/SA Spurs era of low ratings and glaringly absent Spurs players in NBA, TNT and ESPN promos and the entrance of champions who are also popular and sell things. The league that built itself around two franchises going head to head for decades didn't readily welcome in other participants. Now you have a 4 time champion SA Spurs who, by reading the article, you would think would be featured on major sports outlets in NY and LA, but they aren't. Even league promos don't often feature them, oh you might see Tim's face in the back of some promo just as a token appearance. Joe Johnson gets more play and we know he's been ruling the league for years.

The ESPN power rankings front page photo had the usual suspects but no Spurs players, even when the Spurs were number 1 in the rankings. If it's about promotion of the best players, someone else isn't holding up their end of the deal. However, it's not about promoting the best players. It's about promoting the most popular players (which seems redundant) and it shouldn't even be about individual talent anyhow. Basketball is a team sport and that's never been practiced more than in San Antonio with the Spurs franchise. I can understand media outlets focusing on individuals, but the NBA should focus on teams. They don't unless your team is the Lakers. The NBA is going the way of reality TV, with focus more on drama than on the competition of the game. They are being helped along by media outlets who also want ratings. Instead of offering great basketball and the media reporting it, the NBA is becoming a puppet to the media; the cart is now in front of the horse. Stern opens his mouth to the media before any consultation with the league office or the Spurs office, then Pop gets a front page ESPN layout and article that even 4 rings couldn't get him. He would have been 2nd or 3rd story had they won the ring last year, just behind Howard's decision and Lamar Odom's reality TV show.

This is something many Spurs fans (especially here) don't even raise an eyebrow about, but then when suddenly the league commissioner pretends the Spurs big 3 are prime time TV at it's finest, the obvious should be stated.

But it's not about what Pop did. It's about who he did it to. He did it to TNT, Lebron James and DWade, three of the biggest money makers for the league.

Should Pop have been fined? Maybe, but he should have been given that ultimatum at the beginning of the season, or even during the extended lockout last season. The league has time to appoint a committee to study flops but not time to inform franchises of the fine lines of resting players?

It's going to get very interesting come April.

pretty solid overall take.


if Stern has one gift, it's the same gift that Jerry Jones has, is they know how to create a circus and trainwreck for casual viewers. They definitely live by the old adage, "bad publicity is still good publicity" or whatever the saying goes. So this is why both Jerry and Stern don't create good teams or products, but they know how to draw in viewers to stupid drama.

Which is why Stern loves him some Lakers. What's better than a circus than having actual celebrity douchebags watching, since our culture is obsessed with celebs, reality TV etc...

Spurs are really the antithesis of that. Holt and Pop seem, imo, to be about building something that can run as efficient as possible, which makes so much sense from a business and basketball perspective. Our focus on the game and being professionals seems to fly in the face of what Stern is trying to market. And I hate to say it, but our finals ratings seem to be pushing his point.

Now you could argue that if Stern wasn't a ringleader of a circus, he'd do a better job promoting teams like the Spurs. that's what Woj was arguing, that the failure of our marketability rests more on Stern.

As for me, I do think this was an FU by Pop, so in that sense I could see why the Napeleonic Stern got butthurt about it. But once again, Stern goes for the ridiculous drama angle by going overboard. He's created so many issues and paradoxes with this fine, and I think Pop knew that, which is why everyone is laughing at Stern for it. But as much as I despise Stern, he probably figures as long as people are talking, it's good for his vision of the league, similar to Jones.

[DMC]

Pop plays the long game. He'll bide his time to see what develops. He's not worried.

[Tuddy]

Didn't violate any policy but he should be fined more. A-grade journalism

[therealtruth]

It's going to get very interesting come April.

Nothing is going to change in April. Stern made it clear that the fact it was early in the season was a factor. I get the feeling he's never really liked it in April but tolerated it since playoffs are so close.

[DMC]

Nothing is going to change in April. Stern made it clear that the fact it was early in the season was a factor. I get the feeling he's never really liked it in April but tolerated it since playoffs are so close.

Same fans pay in April. The only difference is that matchups aren't marquee like they are this time of year.

Stern is playing a dangerous game. He should use that opportunity to set and define boundaries instead of just ad hoc fine slinging to appease TV execs.

[pgardn]

The NBA under Stern has valued "personalities", dunks, bling, and general excess. The NBA product gets very tired because there are so many teams most of which play horrible Team basketball. Whats left? Individuals and their excesses.
This is not a league that values TEAM or quality of product. It values the shallow show and quantity of product. It does not work anymore. The Celtics and Showtime Lakers who actually played Team basketball with star quality are gone. The Spurs are a Team without players who thrive on excesses given to individuals.

Which is why I love watching these Spurs. It would be even better with a 50 game season and only 4 teams from each conf. making the playoffs. But because of the shallow nature the league is built on, we get hyped excess in every way. Pop is not resting people with a 50 game season... and a real chance of not making the playoffs until we have actually accomplished the task.
Stern is old and tuned in to old ways. Goodbye and thank you. Now go and eat 80 giant bowls of lettuce. And pretend it tastes wonderful. Thank the chef, tell him its the best food you have ever eaten until the next bowl. Its the Stern NBA way.

[99 Problems]

When I go to a home game for my team in whatever sport I follow I could not give a shite about who the other team plays or leaves home. Show me a single Miami fan that has lost sleep over the big 3 and DG not being present.

[temujin]

The "disservice" to the NBA as a sport, and not as a mere business, is done any time Joey Crawford and Bill Kennedy set their feet on a basketball court.
Notably in playoffs.
Stern wanted Durant and James in the finals. He got what he wanted.
Period.
The "disservice" to the league as a sport, and not a mere business, is done anytime a Gasol ends up in LA for nothing, a Howard ends up in LA, again for essentially nothing, a Paul ends up, once and for all in LA, for a bit more than nothing plus a miraculous draft the following year.

Now the Stern guy is bringing it to a whole new level: a coach/franchise can be fined even he/it did not break any rule.

There are two questions which are relevant here.
What did this "journalist" write, when all the above mentioned facts happened?
Is he on the NBA payroll -which would be fine with me- or is he a complete idiot?

[DapDaGenius]

I'd pay someone to choke that ass-clown, John Smallwood.....

http://www.smthop.com/images/sprewell01.jpg

............it was a joke man.

http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS_4ZfREBvtHSqnCiXzsTgx5HhAFIRG7 HduhIGCw7_aBg8HSGUuVsJ5EL7d4A