NBA Commissioner David Stern yesterday discussed a
variety of issues on ESPN's "Up Close" and FSN's "The Last
Word." Stern, on the league's TV ratings: "We're running
into a situation, as all sports are -- 'Monday Night
Football', [the] NCAA -- people have too many other options,
and we're all ... collectively fighting these sliding
ratings. The big question is not whether your ratings go
down, it's really can you keep them from going too far
down." Stern, on Wizards President of Basketball Operations
Michael Jordan: "I know that there are a lot of people
rooting against Michael." On national nets picking up
Raptors games because of F Vince Carter: "NBC and TNT and
TBS do their research, and they understand what games the
fans want to see and try to program accordingly. ... After a
million people in a 24-hour period downloaded Vince Carter's
winning slam dunk from NBA.com, then it was pretty clear
that people had begun to know who this guy was and they
would like to see him" ("Up Close," 5/10). Stern, when
asked if the league was trying to "anoint" Carter or Lakers
G Kobe Bryant as "the next" Jordan: "The short answer is no.
... The reality is that NBC decides who the fans get to see.
Which games get the best ratings? Vince Carter and Toronto
and Kobe and the Lakers happen to do that." Stern added,
"You don't anoint somebody. They play their way to the
position" ("The Last Word," FSN, 5/10).
DEVELOPING YOUNG TALENT: Stern, on whether the planned
NBA developmental league will affect the CBA: "We're not
going into the same region as the CBA, we're going to go
someplace else. We'd love to perhaps talk to the CBA, we
are having ongoing discussions, but our failure to bring
those to a successful conclusion doesn't stop us from
bringing ... basketball to second-tier cities" ("Up Close,"
ESPN, 5/10). In St. Louis, Bernie Miklasz, on an NBA
developmental league: "It's about time. ... If a kid wants
to have a pro career out of high school, it's his choice.
There's nothing wrong with choosing that path. If a kid
isn't academically inclined, why go through the motions in
the classroom for a few semesters until declaring for the
NBA draft?" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 5/11).
NOT BRUSHING THE ISSUE ASIDE: Stern said of the
decision to airbrush 76ers G Allen Iverson's tattoos off
photos in a recent issue of Hoop magazine: "That was a dumb
thing that we did. I didn't have anything to do with it,
but I take responsibility for it. ... They're our players,
they're our guys, whatever they are, and let's go with them.
To me, it's a question of fashion. ... As long as they play
the game according to the rules, if that's what they want to
wear, it's OK with me" (ESPN, 5/10).
THERE'S NO I IN TEAM: In S.F., C.W. Nevius writes under
the header, "NBA Can Improve Its Product": "Here's an
offbeat thought: Maybe we've done enough with the
individuals and should start focusing on something else
[such as the team]" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 5/11).
