Privately, Stern is not questioning whether JVG's story is accurate -- he KNOWS it is. This stuff was posted on the NBA officials' website, for any official to see. They weren't told to "unjustly target" Yao, as the ESPN article says; they were told to watch for those moving screens. The problem is that they were told to watch for Yao Ming's moving screens, and that's where the notion of unfairness comes in. Had they been told to watch for moving screens in general, that's another matter. What gets under Stern's skin on this matter is that JVG did something in public that is supposed to be done in private. You don't question the *integrity* of the officiating. Certain calls, sure. Assert that a crew had a bad night, okay. But to say that the league is conspiring to hurt a particular player is a no-no. The bad thing about all of this is that by making those loud statements in public, Stern has painted himself into a corner. He'll have to continue to be a harda$$ so that the league doesn't see a crack in the armor. My guess is that after the playoffs, JVG will withdraw his statement publicly -- not saying that he made it up, but just saying, "I withdraw that statement. I never should have said what I said." And he'll still catch a 5-10 game suspension. Then everyone can walk away with their dignity -- except the NBA itself.
I think it is funny that ESPN is taking this pro-Stern position (contract with the league) while Fox Sports (contracts with each team) is taking the opposite view
I say, $uck it. If Stern really wants to screw with JVG, then how important is it to him to stay a NBA coach? He can always coach elsewhere: college, CHINA (they'd love the guy to death right now... teach'em some defense while you're at it), Europe. I say he just returns to be a guest commentator on TNT or TBS during the playoffs, just to piss off Stern.
totally agree. i'm sure jvg has developed passion and stuff for this team of his..but if i were jvg and stern wants to be a little b!@#$, i'd be like f!@# you.
Chairman Mao from China would punish Stern in HELL. BTW: Could Rocks Co. and Team Yao pull some strings, and help JVG.
Can you guys imagine the kind of public outcry and outrage from fans all over the world if JVG is ban?
i hate how stern thinks the nba is solely his. there have been commishes before him and will be after. i wish we could just get rid of his dictatorship and start over.
This is the f'king company line @ ESPN. F'king Jim Rome opened with the same **** in his Monday morning monologue. I turned it off after 3 seconds. F'k Disney, ABC and ESPN.
screw the mole going out to public and screwing himself over. best thing to do? get a hardcopy of all this evidence and "leak" it out to the media. no one knows who the ref is, this proves jvg is RIGHT, and everyone will be on david stern's a$$.
Guys, think about this for a second: why is everyone here seems to fear and hate that sorry little fat b*stard of a dictator yet could not offer any solution about it. Some poster a few posts ahead got it right, the freaking NBA has been unwatchable for quite awhile now. Attendance is at an all time low, fans are leaving left and right just like the MLB. NASCAR is kicking their asses right now. The solution seems very obvious, DOUCHEBAG STERN will have zero power if there aren't any fans left. I say boycott the F**KER! don't watch another NBA game, don't buy any of the freaking merchandise, save your money for a worthwhile cause. For me it has been real easy, except for my beloved ROX games, I hadn't really watched any NBA game for a long time, this incident just puts the final nail in the coffin, trust me guys, it's a lot easier than you think , one last time F**K YOU STERN, YOU YELLOW BELLY LYING SACK OF DOO DOO!
Stern thinks because he used to be a lawyer he knows the details of what he can and cannot do. But he forgets a few things: 1. Like Micahj1 said in another post, if Stern banishes JVG from the league whose to say Van Gundy will continue to keep his mouth shut? There could be radio shows, tv interviews, book deals, etc. You name it. America listened to a crackpot like Jose Canseco, so why not Van Gundy? And most fans know that some players gets calls going their way *ahemJordancough* all the time so it's not like a shocker if this taboo of say that stars getting star treatment turns out to be truthful. 2. Banning JVG won't be the smartest thing to do. Why? Because lets face it: You run the NBA and you're supposedly telling the refs how to officiate. A coach claims that this is happening. What would you do? Wouldn't you try to pull a great PR move by saying that you will calmly and thoroughly investigate and say anything and everything possible to make it seem like the COACH is a crackpot and not yourself? Well Stern didn't take this road. He basically showed the inner tyrant that he is. $100K fine, threats of banishment and further implications, etc. Why go to such lengths just to shut up a coach and get a name to the mole?....unless there's something to it. If Stern was as smart as he claims he is, he wouldn't have had a panick attack and overreacted like this. 3. What he does with Van Gundy will have a domino effect for sure. I'm not even talking about how coaches will be afraid to voice their opinion either. I'm talking about fans becoming so jaded with the NBA that attendance will continue to fall and the popularity of the league will basically go kaput. How? Well if you have two of the best players in the league and can't win anything because Stern controls the tables, what chances do you have winning if you're the Hawks or the Hornets or even a team like Detroit? Stern will coddle and baby his prizefighters (i.e. Duncan, LeBron, Shaq, etc) because they bring in the bottom line--ratings and merchandise. Yao will probably never in that realm of status with Stern. Why not? Sure Yao is a great ambassador to the game and could help expand the NBA globally. But to Stern Yao's probably just a catalyst. He could care less about Yao after his global domination...er....expansion happens. Basically, if you don't have a Duncan or LeBron or even to an extent Kobe, you're screwed.
Where is the NBA and Stern without the fans? WE hold the power! After the season perhaps we can network with other fan sites, win their support and "take it to the man!" He will back off if fans start putting pressure on; if he doesn't, he is deluded. The fans rule in this industry. Stern and his boys are where they are because we buy tickets and their NBA junk. Some of you have contacts with the media. Some of you work for the advertisers. Some work for the coporations who buy advertising. Stern is NOT ABOVE THE BUSINESS OF THE LEAGUE. We can make him sweat. What do you say? We can create a "movement" if we want to.
Actually, attendance set a new record just this year. This is not the issue. This is a tough call, but I don't see how you could side against JVG in this particular situation. It's gonna be fine, Stern is full of it, no suspension will happen.
I never liked JVG and was glad I moved from Houston the year he became coach. I felt sorry for you guys but I guess you had no choice but to support your given team and coach. Cmon guys we used to HATE the Kicks and Ewing and JVG, remember?!?!? JVG is still an idiot in my book. Good move JVG! He deserves whatever the King says and you guys are the ones who suffer.
Guess you moved to Dallas, huh? BTW, JVG will be the one who suffers the consequences, not the Rockets and its fans. We will only benefit from this as our future games will be under spotlight and the zebras will have to exercise care when calling our games to show their "professionalism". I just feel sorry for JVG, he's only trying to protect his players.
There should be no cause for objections for directives coming down from the 'head referee' on how games are called. That is what the season-long self-policing system is supposed to generate: directives on improving the refereeing of games. However, the unfairness, if I'm reading this correctly, arise from what prompted the edict now? Cuban's wailings? Are referees in the playoffs open to persuasion from owners? Can owners tailor their objections based on who their opponents are in the playoffs?
What has really puzzled me is the number of media people who have dismissed Van Gundy's comments. They write about bad reffing all the time, then when someone who has a great deal of credibility in the NBA comes up with a specific accusation, instead of digging, they all jump to the conclusion Van Gundy went too far or has no proof. How about doing a little reporting? I mean, it's bad enough that the only show that calls people on their BS is the Daily Show. Does it have to be the same for sports?
