I don't know if this was posted yet and I hope I don't get in trouble posting the whole article. I believe if David Stern continues to hammer Van Gundy and threaten him through the media, this is going to turn on him PR wise. I thought he was smarter than this. We'll see... http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs2005/columns/story?columnist=wojnarowski_adrian&id=2052992 Updated: May 4, 2005, 12:12 PM ET Do the right (or wrong) thingBy Adrian Wojnarowski Special to ESPN.com When the commissioner's threatening words were read back to Jeff Van Gundy, the Rockets' coach looked like the kid in class whose firecracker-in-the-toilet prank went too far. Suddenly, it was like hearing his name being called over the intercom, the "Uh-oh's" trailing Van Gundy all the way to the principal's office, his uneasy laughter masking that sinking feeling that the joke was on him now. Jeff Van Gundy has been in some no-win situations before, but nothing like his tangle with David Stern. Unless you're Michael Jordan, threats of investigations and deeper punishment don't disappear once David Stern calls you out. For a few hours, Van Gundy must have believed that Stu Jackson, his old coaching colleague and Westchester, N.Y., neighbor, could get him out of this mess, but it's much bigger than that now. The NBA is used to coaches angling for calls this time of year, and Stern has always allowed it – to a certain level. Van Gundy has been in the middle of these scrums for years, learning under Pat Riley and against Phil Jackson the nuances of working officials on off-days for calls in the next game. "This one, in our view, set a new low for that," Stern said. This time, an A-plus coach made a D-minus move, claiming conspiracy and routing Stern's fury into his life. Nevertheless, Van Gundy has been nothing but a solid citizen in the NBA and Stern knows this will never come to what he threatened Monday: A lifetime ban. Stern wants to use Van Gundy to send a message to the rest of the league's coaches that what Van Gundy did – insisting that an NBA referee told him the league was unjustly targeting Houston's Yao Ming because of Dallas owner Mark Cuban's complaining – can never be repeated again. Stern is the brightest of legal minds and would never go this far without a complete understanding of the powers of his office. An informal poll of NBA executives and league officials in the wake of Monday's late-night ultimatum was unanimous: As commissioner, Stern has the power to punish Van Gundy to the extreme levels of a long suspension. To think that this will ever become banishment is unrealistic. Yet, if Van Gundy stays on the Woodward and Bernstein path of protecting his Deep Throat, it will test the commissioner's power to police his sport. And the coach is guaranteed to lose, the way they all lose to Stern. Mostly, Stern is trying to get him to give up his "source," something that, for self-preservation purposes on the sidelines, Van Gundy can never do. More than that, of course, Stern is trying to get Van Gundy to say there is no source. The sooner Van Gundy does, the sooner Stern can tell America to sleep easy knowing that playoff officials have no agenda but to call these games as they see them. Van Gundy is trapped, and Stern knows it. If this whispering official does exist, and Van Gundy gives up his name, he will be known as a rat fink and a pariah among NBA referees. For him, the truth isn't an option. This isn't a reporter honoring an oath but a coach who wants to do nothing to ever jeopardize winning and losing down the line. If Van Gundy did blow the ref out, rest assured that there would be a conspiracy to make sure his Rockets never get another call. So, no, giving up the name isn't an option unless Van Gundy is no longer interested in getting a kind whistle again. Regardless whether Van Gundy concocted the league referee out of desperation, he has no choice but to say he went too far and made up the story, then bow to a possible suspension to start the 2005-06 season. Because if Van Gundy dares to play the part of martyr, protecting his source with silence, he'll be risking the unprecedented wrath of Stern. If Stern can get away with suspending Latrell Sprewell and Ron Artest for the rest of regular seasons, he can do it to a coach, who must expect to be held to a higher standard of conduct. If Van Gundy ever wants to coach in the NBA again, too, he won't be taking the commissioner to court. Stern is so ridiculously powerful that Van Gundy – or any coach, for that matter – would find himself coaching the midnight WAC game on The Deuce if he dared call Stern's bluff. When the Rockets' run is over, Van Gundy needs to take that long walk to the principal's office, wipe away that mischievous smile and confess that his conspiracy claims told to him by an official were pure fiction. He'll have to take his likely 10-game suspension and leave it at that. He has no choice, and Stern knows it. Maybe Van Gundy can still come back and beat the Mavs this spring, but rest assured, Stern will stay unbeaten on these matters. His league, his rules and his iron fist.
Larry Brown stated that he "knew" what those calls were like from refs, why do they insist that JVG is making this claim up?
There is another option... The mole goes public, clears Gundy, gets fired and makes a million dollars off a book deal on the dirty NBA
At the end of the day, Stern still has the same problem...horrible refereeing. How many years in a row can we have multiple, significant playoff games being called so outrageously horrible as to decide the path of the championship? The chip that JVG does have on his shoulder is that if what he says is true, then its true. That is to say, nothing can change that now...it may be hard to prove one way or another, but if true, JVG can play hardball, because if he gets "expelled" then there is nothing holding him back from divulging all. What's more, though I'm sure he likes coaching, he would automatically rise to the top of the list in regards to getting back to tv work.
I say Yao & Tmac pays the mole to go public. Chip in 500 large each, that ought to cover it. We need to go ballastic on Stern.
Because no matter how far or deep this thing goes, Stern and crew will have to deny it until the day they die. There is obviously some politics behind the scenes and whether or not this thing about Yao is true, I think everyone will agree that officiating of NBA games is CRAP!! Stern can have his little power struggle, but the truth is that the league is in bad shape. Ratings have never been lower, stars are demanding trades left and right, there is talk about a lockout this summer. And Stern is still blaming everyone else but himself. F$&# David Stern!! That's all I got to say and if anyone sees his ASS in Houston, they should say the same thing. Except the fact that Stern would never show up to the game.
What if the mole has the evidence to support what JVG said? Is there anyone in this world who can punish Stein?
I think he meant he knew what the calls from Stern/league office (the "you're in trouble" calls) were like.
Awsome. I had a similar thought. JVG has millions to lose. A ref has much less to lose. JVG could just pay-off the ref to come forward. This way JVG doesn't look like a rat and the ref would get compensated for losing his job. I just don't see JVG giving in. Even if he does, he'll do it in a manor that everybody knows the admission is a farce. Kinda like when somebody admits, "Well, I appologize that so-and-so was offended by my comments."
He will have to show up for the all-star game next year. Can you imagine if Stern were to suspend Van Gundy for the year the reception he will get at the all-star game.
No ****. Get off your knees and wipe your mouth Adrian, you're done now. Personally I don't see how Stern could truly pursue further punishment, given the total lack of public support he's got on this issue. It's not at all the same as suspending Artest and Sprewell. JVG should stand his ground.
As much as I cheered JVG's comments, they were also worrisome. If it were Stan saying the same thing about the way Shaq's officiated I don't think it would have had the same impact on Stern. Yao has a separate importance to the league - not just the hundreds of millions of Chinese basketball fans - but Yao's appeal as an intelligent good guy in a league with a lot of idiot thugs. The truth is that the officiating of Yao is terrible, but Stern can't afford to have the world believe that they've conspired to keep Yao from dominating. So the benefit is (as Feigan said) the NBA will no doubt review the way Yao's reffed, but the bad news is JVG's comments are a little open to interpretation. Him saying an official told him officials would be "targeting Yao" implies a lot more than Cuban's complaint about moving screens. JVG, I think, did that deliberately. So Stern is flipped out, and I think he had to, but I was surprised by the tone of his comments. It was like he had a bleeding ulcer and couldn't spin any of JVG's comments. I do think he'll take further action, and I don't think JVG can fight any further. '94 was monumental, '95 was frikkin' spiritual, but I think I'd be willing to give up everything I own for us to run the table and see Stern hand JVG the O'Brien trophy at center court at the TC, and then suspend him. I know Les would have to fake illness or something but it's just such a happy thought.
