Chill Out, NBA
This press release came across my screen, last week, from the NBA: “Atlanta Hawks owner Michael Gearon has been fined $25,000 for public comments made in violation of the NBA’s anti-tampering rules, it was announced today by Joel Litvin, NBA President of League and Basketball Operations.
“Gearon’s comments appeared in the Atlanta Journal Constitution on May 19.”
A few days previously, the league announced it had fined Dallas owner Mark Cuban $100,000 for comments he made about LeBron James, which violated the league’s anti-tampering rules. The same day Phoenix president Steve Kerr was fined $10,000 for comments on James.
Tampering schmampering. It’s harsh to expect management to say “No comment” every time the name LeBron James is raised. Everyone knows which teams want to sign him, and which have the means to do so.
Then there are the fines for criticizing officials: Dwight Howard, Erick Dampier, Rasheed Wallace, Stan Van Gundy, Matt Barnes, Phil Jackson (twice) and Kevin Garnett.
All since the first of April.
I’m not one who believes players and coaches should never, ever be censured. But the NBA is a publicity hog that would love to be the lead sports story every day. At the same time, it only wants a certain type of story.
What it wants is a lot of uninteresting stories, if you ask me.
When Jackson or Garnett criticizes a ref, I think it’s interesting. When either of them says, “We play them one game at a time,” it’s not.
It’s a stretch to expect players and coaches to go from the heat of competition to the interview room and rein in all their emotions. A comment or two about the officials shouldn’t immediately result in a fine. I figure let them talk for awhile. If they continue in following days, then issue a warning. Then the league can step in.
If a coach can criticize an opposing player for flopping or playing dirty — as Phil Jackson did about John Stockton back in the 1990s — then commenting on officials shouldn’t be such a big deal. They’re grown-ups. Besides, it’s not like they don’t already know who the players and coaches are that don’t like them.
As for damaging an officials’ reputation, you have to ask: What reputation? They’re refs.