Stern's Capitulation?

[ElNono]

And that is EXACTLY what he didn't want. He's gone to great lengths to discredit anyone who has ever spoken negatively of the referees, or the review process. Stern has said openly that the ex-referees who have spoken up were less than competent and disgruntled, to try and deflect any damage from their comments. He's not about to give ANY credibility to anyone who he thinks even MIGHT acknowledge any past mistakes.

This is David Stern you're talking about. This guy has been in power for 24 years. You don't survive that long by being transparent or fair. He's the definition of power and politics.

[mrspurs]

whats gonna happen when a ref makes a bad call?.......drop and give me 50?

[ShoogarBear]

Well, I think the General is likely to seek out his own basketball experts -- likely some new voices -- and use those to implement. I don't think General Johnson will be sitting by his computer late at night trying to figure out which officials should call which playoff games or anything like that.

I also think there might be some advantage to the perception that the fraternity isn't being run by the same cadre of individuals that have always run it. It might create some more accountability for on-court handling of games and players and might instill some consequences for enforcing old grudges, favoring particular teams, or other sorts of misconduct.

It's the Kenesaw Mountain Landis approach, scaled-down. Take someone with impeccable credentials and give him some degree of autonomy. We won't know how it will actually work until the details are up and running, but it's actually not a bad idea.

[GSH]

This is David Stern you're talking about. This guy has been in power for 24 years. You don't survive that long by being transparent or fair. He's the definition of power and politics.

I understand who Stern is. He isn't known for considering right or wrong, but what is expedient for the league. I honestly can't disagree with a lot of the moves he has made in the past from a business perspective, even though I sometimes found them distasteful.

I just can't believe that he thinks this is going away easily this time. It isn't. But then again, maybe I overestimate the average fan, and he is totally right.

[FromWayDowntown]

I don't know if you said it intentionally or not, but you said it. There might be some advantage to "the perception". Stern doesn't hire this guy because he is the best person to straighten out problems with the referees. He is the guy to help further the idea that nothing is wrong, and nothing ever has been wrong.

I think my posts have allowed for that possibility in discussing the league's action. I think there is an immediate perception problem that the league is trying to solve and it remains to be seen whether this is an effort to put a band-aid on that problem or a surgical procedure aimed at eliminating the perception. If it's the latter, it's a good move for the league. If it's the former, Stern is probably just deluding himself.

Like I've said elsewhere in this thread, I'm curious to know what this move does for Stu Jackson's involvement with NBA officiating and whether this is just putting another level of bureaucracy between the commissioner and those who supervise the officials. Honestly, I'll be disappointed if Stu is reporting directly to General Johnson -- I think that would be more likely to be the band-aid approach. The move really only makes sense if General Johnson is allowed to decide for himself how the officiating side of the business will be run and who will report to him about those matters.

I hate to be negative but, damn. He was in charge of reconstruction in Iraq, and the aftermath of Katrina. And while he can't be held personally responsible for all of the waste and corruption that occurred, he didn't stand up and take direct action to straighten it out either. Instead, he went to great lengths to tell everyone why everything possible had been done to run a clean show. My best friend on the planet is an engineer who regularly has to work with the ACOE. His response was, "God help the NBA."

I am inclined to give this some time without prejudgment, but that isn't particularly reassuring.

And don't start quoting positive comments by Cuban and the Maloof brothers. Those guys know how much they have to lose if the public starts thinking of the NBA like the WWF. Above everything else, they're businessmen.

Not sure if you're talking to me here or not, but I'm not aware of any public comment by either Cuban or the Maloofs (or any other owner, for that matter).

I've defended Stern in the past, but him for this one. He needed someone with basketball knowledge, and who wouldn't back down. Someone who would spit in his eye, if necessary. This is all about perception and politics.

Like I see, I'm going to wait and see on this. It seems that at worst we get the status quo -- at best, there are real and significant changes that make the game better. If it is all about perception, that fact will become known soon enough and the criticisms that have existed for the last few years will continue.

[GSH]

Not sure if you're talking to me here or not, but I'm not aware of any public comment by either Cuban or the Maloofs (or any other owner, for that matter).

Sorry... wasn't talking directly to you. Just anticipating some of the rebuttals. Cuban already made a public statement today that he thinks this was the perfect hire. (I didn't go dig up a link, but it's there.)

I haven't seen anything from the Maloof brothers about it, but I expect to. They responded publicly to Donoghy's claim that the series with the Lakers was fixed, and said that it was just a very, very bad night for the refs. We all know that they don't believe it, but they would be cutting their own throats by saying that the game isn't always legit.

Like it or not, the position requires some specialized knowledge. No matter what skills the General brings, it would take way too long for him to get up to speed on the fine points of officiating in the NBA. And this particular general isn't known for excercising autonomy. Stern isn't stupid enough to believe that he has the tools to fix any of the tangible problems.