In reviewing the '99-2000 NBA season, Commissioner
David Stern told members of the media yesterday, "I know a
lot of time has been spent talking about no-shows and
television ratings and the like, but from where we're
sitting, going into yet another year of a long-term
collective bargaining agreement, a collective bargaining
agreement with our referees, two more years to go under a
television contract and a variety of new techniques and
means for connecting with our fans and making sure that we
continue to grow the sport of basketball, both domestically
and globally, we're feeling pretty good about it."
LOWEST REGULAR SEASON RATING: Stern: "It looks like, as
a regular-season matter, we'll have at least our lowest
regular season rating in a long, long time. We don't like
that, but that's just the reality of what's happening in
television." But Stern said, "Advertiser sales are strong."
DEVELOPING THE YOUNG: Stern added that he has always
been a proponent of a developmental league, which is
scheduled to launch in 2001: "I've always been a believer
that in small cities around the country, with buildings that
were then being built and are increasingly being built,
whether it's a new building that was just approved in
Manchester, N.H. or a building that just went online in
Wilkes Barre, PA. There are a lot of them, and all of those
types of cities, what I call the small U.S. city, ... those
are places where people know players who have become
identified. They're All-Americans, ... who in many cases
are going off in Europe, not having made the NBA, who are
maybe even leaving basketball. There is a real opportunity
here to do something that I would call grassroots, in terms
of developing the sport around the country further, and to
create a pool of players that we could use for some more
dynamic international development." Stern: "This is not
going to be a league where players play in it for 10 years.
This is going to be a league of young people making both
career and life decisions over a period of time" (NBA).
RAY OF HOPE? Stern addressed the Hornets' pursuit of a
new arena and said talk of the team relocating is premature:
"I think it's not time yet for the histrionics. Let's give
it some time" (NBA). Stern, on Hornets co-Owner Ray
Wooldridge's plan for the city and state to fully fund a
$220M arena, which "drew anger from" several city officials:
"I guess one way to look at it is zero (contribution) is a
good place to start. But I don't think that's where it's
going to end up" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 4/13).
SKEPTICS: In Toronto, Craig Daniels writes, "More than
at any time I can remember, yesterday's conference had the
feel of an organization suddenly trying harder, suddenly
trying to generate press, to get people talking about the
NBA. ... It could well be that the measures the league has
taken recently will keep the cash flowing. It also could be
that the sky is starting to fall" (TORONTO SUN, 4/13). In
Portland, Geoffrey Arnold wrote, "Here's a suggestion:
Shorten the regular season. ... Fans don't seem to care much
about the regular season, particularly meaningless games
near the end of the season. ... The league could cut the
season down to 60 games [from 82] and put an emphasis on
geographic and historic rivalries" (OREGONIAN, 4/12).
