2012-13 NBA Season Thread

[The Six]

Plus, the common catcall is that the Spurs are boring. Duncan has no personality. They aren't fun to watch. Well then, who cares if their big 3 play or not? You don't like watching them, anyway!

[DustDevil61]

Let me just say that it's a good thing that David Stern is leaving in about 14 months; he's approaching Goodell-sized ego or, if not, passing it.* Not to say that he almost always comes across as the NBA's judge, jury, and executioner, but now he's threatening to fine San Antonio for not playing their "Big 3" to the game? The Spurs have been one of the most successful NBA franchises on and off the court, and Coach Popovich's strategy in resting his older starters is one of the reasons why. Strategies like that are part of the game, and that's something Stern and everyone should accept-regardless of the outcome.

And by the way...the game was competitive. It's that kind of strategy that may lead to San Antonio still being relevant 5 years from now when Duncan and Ginobli are gone and Parker is in the twilight of his career, if not already gone himself (to another team or retired).

*Overthinking things, trying to actually affect lineups, etc. As bad as Goodell is with his fines, etc., I don't think he's gone after a team for resting its stars.

EDIT:Didn't notice that Parker was only 30.

[The_Admiral]

I can't believe how many people are willfully ignoring where Stern is coming from on this. You don't have to agree, because like I said, this is not a cut and dried issue at all, but at least give him more credit than just writing him off as some crazed tyrant. People want a commissioner who is able to step outside the "representative of the owners" role and express greater concerns than that. This is your guy, for better or worse.

[NJTank]

No Stern is drunk with power, he should not tell coaches how to run his team

[ninersdd]

At least Stern's league is actually playing now......

[The_Admiral]

As for the "it's the risk you take as a fan" thing, comparing it to Week 17 of the NFL season, there's not a comparison between the final week in a season of The Try To Kill Each Other Game and a contest in the second month of a basketball season. Yes, there absolutely are risks you take as a fan with there being no guarantee that a player won't be hurt, sick, benched, suspended, traded, whatever. But "sending the starters home" goes beyond that, and while there's nothing Stern can do, practically speaking, it's at least nice for him to conjure up some sound and fury over it.

[Lights Out]

I can't believe how many people are willfully ignoring where Stern is coming from on this. You don't have to agree, because like I said, this is not a cut and dried issue at all, but at least give him more credit than just writing him off as some crazed tyrant.

He IS acting like a crazed tyrant, though. He's not a coach. He doesn't get to make the call on who plays or doesn't play because that is the coach's job.

Does Popovich get to make up rules and punish other teams' players? No, because he's not the commissioner. The inverse of that should be true as well.

I don't see where Stern is coming from. I understand the NBA is a business, but that business is based on the premise of sport. When the commissioner starts trying to control coaches' decisions, he tampers with the fundamental sport aspect of the NBA - and without that, there's no point in having the league.

People want a commissioner who is able to step outside the "representative of the owners" role and express greater concerns than that.

This is not a greater concern. It's just pure butthurt from Stern and Stern only that the stars he refuses to market to begin with didn't play in one game out of 82.

[DustDevil61]

Like I said this before, this just may be a good indicator of Stern's increasing senility and ego. It's the coach's job to determine who plays and who doesn't, and it shouldn't have any threat from the league offices, monetary or otherwise. The only risk involved should be the possibility of throwing an earlier game in order for aging stars to play in later-season games that matter.

While the Spurs lost, they only lost by 5; this wasn't a blowout. And even if it was, guess what? It's only 1 out of 82. Do you want to risk Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobli, or Tony Parker just so you can beat the Heat's Big 3 in late November on TNT, or would you rather have them around in March or April in a crucial game against the Thunder?

As for Stern, he's done a lot for the NBA, but he's had his fair share of controversy concerning the game's integrity. Superstar treatment, 2002 Western Conference Finals, fining players/coaches/other team staff (i.e., Mark Cuban) for (sometimes rightful, other times not so much) criticism of officials, and apparently arbitrary discipline like this. Why not just address (and fix) matters? I know some people blow things way out of proportion with many of these things ("The NBA is rigged!!!"), but threatening to drop the hammer on the Spurs for resting their starters seems to further perpetuate the notion that the NBA cares far more about big names than the game itself.

[The_Admiral]

I've been trying to see this from Stern's side of things, but if he really fined the Spurs $250,000, then that really is absurd. Should've been left at a strongly worded warning.

[DustDevil61]

You also have to wonder if Stern would've fine the Spurs so much (if at all) if Popovich had instead rested his starters against, say, Denver or Indiana, instead of Miami.

[pmoehrin]

You also have to wonder if Stern would've fine the Spurs so much (if at all) if Popovich had instead rested his starters against, say, Denver or Indiana, instead of Miami.

My guess would be no. In fact I'm almost certain it would be no.

This isn't about fining the Spurs so much as it is sending a message. If your thinking about giving your players a day off, you better look at the TV schedule before you do it.

As TO would say get your popcorn ready because this story is just starting. I fully expect the NBA and David Stern to be roasted and skewered over this decision for obvious reasons as they should be. Your going to fine a team that broke no rules 250K. Ok, have fun explaining that one.

If the Spurs were the only team guilty of this it would be one thing, but this game was clearly cherry picked becaue of the fact that it was on National television.

[Kramerica Industries]

Like I said this before, this just may be a good indicator of Stern's increasing senility and ego. It's the coach's job to determine who plays and who doesn't, and it shouldn't have any threat from the league offices, monetary or otherwise. The only risk involved should be the possibility of throwing an earlier game in order for aging stars to play in later-season games that matter.

While the Spurs lost, they only lost by 5; this wasn't a blowout. And even if it was, guess what? It's only 1 out of 82. Do you want to risk Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobli, or Tony Parker just so you can beat the Heat's Big 3 in late November on TNT, or would you rather have them around in March or April in a crucial game against the Thunder?

As for Stern, he's done a lot for the NBA, but he's had his fair share of controversy concerning the game's integrity. Superstar treatment, 2002 Western Conference Finals, fining players/coaches/other team staff (i.e., Mark Cuban) for (sometimes rightful, other times not so much) criticism of officials, and apparently arbitrary discapline like this. Why not just address (and fix) matters? I know some people blow things way out of proportion with many of these things ("The NBA is rigged!!!"), but threatening to drop the hammer on the Spurs for resting their starters seems to further perpetuate the notion that the NBA cares far more about big names than the game itself.

You can also add in the Jason Kidd/Mavericks trade in 2008 when the NBA specifically made Jerry Stackhouse ineligible to be traded because of comments he made about his certain-return to Dallas after the Nets would buy him out.

Jerry Stackhouse is a moron, which is nothing more than common knowledge. But there was no rule (at the time) that made it illegal for Stackhouse to return to Dallas afterwards.

[ninersdd]

You also have to wonder if Stern would've fine the Spurs so much (if at all) if Popovich had instead rested his starters against, say, Denver or Indiana, instead of Miami.

My guess would be no. In fact I'm almost certain it would be no.

This isn't about fining the Spurs so much as it is sending a message. If your thinking about giving your players a day off, you better look at the TV schedule before you do it.

As TO would say get your popcorn ready because this story is just starting. I fully expect the NBA and David Stern to be roasted and skewered over this decision for obvious reasons as they should be. Your going to fine a team that broke no rules 250K. Ok, have fun explaining that one.

If the Spurs were the only team guilty of this it would be one thing, but this game was clearly cherry picked becaue of the fact that it was on National television.

Another thing is that, while it is a marquee matchup (SA-MIA), its doesn't mean all that much since its a cross conference game. He was saving them to play Memphis who is a division rival, and is doing really well so far.

Also, this is off topic, but here is some weird Joey Crawford from earlier in the week:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZx_jcE8TIo

[Lights Out]

Stern should be taken to court over that fine. That's outrageous. The Spurs did not break any rules no matter how much anyone wants to wring their hands over "the integrity of the game" (funny how "integrity" isn't that big a concern when refs are betting on games, though). I'd like to see Stern try to define what "top players" are in a court of law. What a scumbag.

[Lights Out]

By the way, the most disturbing part of this fine is that it's just another "eff you" in a long-running pattern of "eff yous" from Stern to the Spurs:

Back in the Spurs' glory days, it was one disrespectful act after another out of Stern.

The Spurs don't forget how the NBA's vice president of operations, Stu Jackson, directly called Bruce Bowen to warn him about how he was playing defense and threaten him with future punishments. Jackson didn't show the respect of reaching out to Spurs officials before communicating with Bowen, but bypassed them and got into the heads of one of their most important players. Phil Jackson himself couldn't have orchestrated it better on behalf of the Lakers' Western Conference championship chances.

They don't forget how one of Stern's top public-relations officials went out of her way to try to dissuade an NBA team owner from hiring a well-regarded Spurs executive as general manager. And they don't forget that once that executive got the job, she went out of her way to try to undermine his operation.

They don't forget how Stern wanted to infiltrate the inner sanctum of the Spurs with TV cameras and microphones, with the kind of phony, superficial behind-the-scenes access that went against how the franchise conducted its basketball business and kept its edge. The Spurs have been a model of efficiency and innovation that has been an immense resource for the operations of small- and big-market franchises, but the commissioner can't leverage that on TNT with Ernie, Kenny and Charles.

They don't forget how Stern stood by as USA Basketball director Jerry Colangelo publicly embarrassed Popovich. Colangelo went out of his way to insist his close friend Mike Krzyzewski was chosen as Olympic coach because, in part: "I think [Popovich] had a bad taste in his mouth regarding his most recent experiences with USA Basketball, some bitterness, and that came out in my conversation with him. He seemed burned out by it. … He just wasn't as enthusiastic as Mike."

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nba--david-stern-stumbles-again-in-his-failed-culture-war-against-the-spurs-194828970.html

If you still don't think the league is biased for and against certain teams, think again. There's also some juicy stuff in Woj's article about Stern and the Lakers and Knicks.

[ninersdd]

The one time the league was pro-Spurs was when they suspended Amare and Diaw for barely leaving the bench. Stern loves to be hypocritical, like during the playoffs last year when he fined the Pacers coach for saying that the Heat dive a lot, then admitting there is a diving problem in the league.

I would love to see the Spurs protest this if they can. Being that he is Stern's handpicked successor, I wonder if Pierre McGuire's cousin Adam Silver will be any different then him a's commish.

[The_Admiral]

By the way, the most disturbing part of this fine is that it's just another "eff you" in a long-running pattern of "eff yous" from Stern to the Spurs

This was an eff-you from Popovich to the NBA. Of course Stern would speak up.

Also, consider the effect on gambling.

[rams80]

By the way, the most disturbing part of this fine is that it's just another "eff you" in a long-running pattern of "eff yous" from Stern to the Spurs

This was an eff-you from Popovich to the NBA. Of course Stern would speak up.

Also, consider the effect on gambling.

What degenerate bets on early season NBA games? (Besides Jordan, anyway)

[Lights Out]

The one time the league was pro-Spurs was when they suspended Amare and Diaw for barely leaving the bench.

Even then, I'm pretty sure that same game was what got Horry suspended for two games because Nash flopped.

[Kramerica Industries]

I hope that's sarcasm.

Degenerates bet on anything and everything regardless of what time of year it is. Especially a high-profile game such as Spurs-Heat.