The NBA on Friday rescinded the $100,000 fines it
levied last week against the Raptors and Sonics for their
coaches' refusal to wear microphones during last Sunday's
Raptors-Sonics game on NBC (Mult., 3/18). In N.Y., Mike
Wise reported that with the fines, the league "continued to
backpedal from a policy that had been strongly criticized by
players and coaches." NBA Senior VP/Communications Brian
McIntyre said, "We want to focus on the future and start
fresh" (N.Y. TIMES, 3/18). NBA Deputy Commissioner Russ
Granik said, "We have agreed to sit down with the coaches
association at the end of the season to discuss a variety of
issues relating to television production and media access"
(Tacoma NEWS-TRIBUNE, 3/18). National Basketball Coaches
Association (NBCA) Exec Dir Michael Goldberg said, "In
hindsight, the league recognizes that it made a big mistake.
They didn't have their finger on the pulse of the coaches
for this one" (OREGONIAN, 3/19). Sonics coach Paul Westphal
said, "Everybody makes mistakes. And I think that the
policy that they tried to implement wasn't as well thought
out as things usually are with the NBA. And when they
realized that, they rectified it" (SEATTLE TIMES, 3/18).
NBPA NOT PLEASED: NBPA Dir of PR Dan Wasserman told the
SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL's Liz Mullen that the NBPA is
"unhappy" with the plan to replace the coaches' mics with a
boom mic and the union "was considering its options last
week." Wasserman: "It's trading less access to the coaches
in return for more access to the players. ... The players
are not lab rats for the NBA to probe and poke with their
technology toys" (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 3/20 issue). In
N.Y., Mike Wise wrote that the players "feel as if they have
been left out of the negotiations" and that the matter "has
essentially been put to bed because the coaches have been
satiated" (N.Y. TIMES, 3/19). Also in N.Y., Mitch Lawrence
wrote that the NBPA "has been considering filing an unfair
labor practice charge with" the NLRB "or going to court to
get an injunction" against the boom mike. Lawrence: "Just a
pathetic situation for Stern" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 3/19).
CONFLICT FOR GOLDBERG? In N.Y., Mike Wise reported that
the NBCA's Goldberg "appears to have a conflict of interest
on his hands," as his N.Y.-based National Media Group (NMG)
"counts" on the NBA "for part of its livelihood." But
Goldberg said that "most" of his company's NBA business "is
related to the marketing and sponsorship surrounding the
coaches." Goldberg: "I'm not beholden to the N.B.A. for
anything. My first loyalty is to the coaches." But Wise
cited records that show that NMG is "responsible" for
Schick's and IBM's sponsorship deals with the NBA. Goldberg
acknowledged the NBCA is "not totally on the same page" as
the NBPA "because of the players union status." But he
added: "I've been in contact with the players association on
this issue. They know: I work for the coaches." Goldberg
said that NBA execs "plan to meet with the coaches after the
season to address their marketing needs" (N.Y. TIMES, 3/19).
NATIONAL REAX: In Portland, Geoffrey Arnold wrote that
in micing the coaches, "at least in terms of generating news
and publicity, the league has succeeded, but not the way it
had hoped" (Portland OREGONIAN, 3/19). In Toronto, Robert
MacLeod wrote that the NBA "has saved some face" by
repealing the $100,000 fines (Toronto GLOBE & MAIL, 3/18).
In Orlando, Larry Guest: "There's only one word to be
applied to ... Stern's mandate to mike his coaches during
network telecasts: Desperate." One "veteran" NBA coach:
"Just another of David's follies" (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 3/19).
ESPN's John Feinstein: "Nobody wins on this whole thing.
What a joke. ... It just shows how desperate the NBA and
David Stern is" ("The Sports Reporters," ESPN, 3/19). In
N.Y., Alan Schwarz noted the refusal of coaches to wear the
devices and wrote, "Rather than embrace what the media can
do for them, they fear what it can do to them" (N.Y. TIMES,
3/19). But in Chicago, Sam Smith wrote, "I wonder what the
big deal is. It's not like this is some great innovation.
... [For coaches] there's a price to pay for working in the
big-time entertainment business, where TV revenue produces
astronomical compensation" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 3/19).
