Excuse my venom, but the Adam Silver would be OUT OF HIS MIND if he instituted a new rule establishing a 4-point shot. That is the kind of gimmick the Harlem Globetrotters use to sell tickets, and I’d hate to think of Silver as Abe Saperstein 2.0. Thank goodness the NBA called out ESPN for making up a story “that does not exist.” Rod Thorn seemed to divulge yesterday in an interview with ESPN.com’s Henry Abbott that a 4-point shot is one
All-Star Weekend is over, and the young kids — John Wall and Kyrie Irving — stole the spotlight from their older peers by winning the Slam Dunk title and the All-Star MVP awards. The other “young” guy on prominent display was Adam SIlver, the new commissioner, whose news conference Saturday evening was both balanced and boring. We learned that Silver grew up a Knicks fan, has no plans to expand the league beyond its current 30 teams, and wants to have all
I’ve never been huge on the All-Star Game. Sure, the novelty is great. I mean, all the stars are there. But that wears off pretty quickly, and then I remember that what I really like about basketball is seeing players stand out above the rest, and that doesn’t usually happen in an all-star environment. I also like defense sometimes. Speaking of players standing out above the rest, if you haven’t seen John Wall’s dunk from last night, go do that right
With all eyes on NBA All-Star weekend, thanks in large part to the marketing vision of David Stern, the league takes this focused opportunity to make several announcements. One of which is who will be elected into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2014. [Read more…]
NEW YORK — A couple of weeks ago, we posed the rhetorical question: Where will Adam Silver be hated first? And now we have our answer: In the Eastern European country of Slovenia, and in the American city of Phoenix. Silver on Friday chose New Orleans Pelicans forward/center Anthony Davis to replace injured West All-Star Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2014 NBA All-Star Game in New Orleans. Davis, who will make his first All-Star Game appearance, is averaging 20.5
Adam Silver is in a tough spot. Silver became the NBA’s fifth commissioner on Saturday. He follows David Stern, whose 30 years as the league’s top executive likely will be unmatched by anyone in any sport. Silver begins his term without facing a major problem that needs immediate fixing or a hot-button issue that requires immediate attention. With TV contracts running through 2016, labor peace assured until at least 2017 and most of the top stars in their 20s, the NBA is
David Stern called it quits today. Over 30 years and billions of dollars later, it’s hard to deny the impact he had on the NBA. Stern grew the league to new heights. When he became commissioner in 1984, annual revenue of the league was $165 million, today it’s more than $5.5 billion. When he started, the average player salary was a mere $290,000, currently it’s $5.15 million. He had help along the way. Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant and LeBron
Saturday marks the end of one of the NBA’s most profound era’s. Not the “Jordan” era. Not the “LeBron” era. Saturday, February 1st marks the end of the “David Stern” era. [Read more…]