Stern Defends NBA Image, Weighs In On Sonics' Relocation
 |
Stern Discusses NBA Image, Other Issues
With Media Prior To Suns-Trail Blazers Game |
NBA Commissioner David Stern “answered questions for more than 18 minutes on a wide array of topics" last night prior to the Suns-Trail Blazers game at the Rose Garden, according to Joe Freeman of the Portland OREGONIAN. Stern, when asked why he thinks the league “continues to have an image issue,” said: “We’re very happy. Our players images are improving.” Referring to a recent ESPN The Magazine poll, he added: “We have a much more sophisticated analysis than walking up to somebody as ESPN The Magazine does and say, 'Which one of these sports would you say the following about?' ... We're having a great year, so ESPN decided that what you should do if you're a magazine is you write an article going into All-Star (weekend) about how terrible things are. Maybe it's because (the game) was on TNT.” Stern discussed Seattle’s relocation situation, saying: “The [Washington] state legislature said we understand that the tax that is funding baseball and football is expiring, but we're not going to extend it for the benefit of basketball, and in fact you guys ... are paying your players too much and we'd rather give it to the University of Washington or somebody.” Stern, when asked how he would feel about losing the Seattle market": “Not good. We've been there for 41 years. It's been a great market. I guess the question would be: How do the city council and the state legislature feel?” Stern added he is “not going to make any prediction or threats” about the possibility of an NBA team returning to Seattle.
OTHER ISSUES: Stern said of the possible changes to the league’s playoff seeding system: “We will be considering something. But it's a very hard subject. I don't think, my narrow-minded view is, if you have an unbalanced schedule then you don't take teams out of the West and put them in the East unless you decided to go to a balanced schedule where everyone plays everyone the same amount of times. … There may be something to be considered about either the re-seeding, subject to what we would have to do with TV, which means we would have to have teams sit longer, and then you guys would kill us for that.” Stern said of European expansion: “I've set a timeframe of a decade because I don't think it's going to happen tomorrow. … I see a time where there will be NBA-style arenas capable of that. Is that enough? No. We have to make sure the fan affection for our sport is worthy, that they really care enough about it. And that the revenue structure gets to be to the point that it can support an NBA team” (OREGONLIVE.com, 3/4).
|
Related Stories By Company
|
Related Stories By Sport
|
EA Planning To Take Ad Sales In-House
March 11, 2010 :
SportsBusiness Daily
Clippers Fire Mike Dunleavy As GM
March 10, 2010 :
SportsBusiness Daily
NHLPA Discusses Extending Current CBA
March 9, 2010 :
SportsBusiness Daily
Newark Eyes NBA Team Once Nets Leave
March 8, 2010 :
SportsBusiness Daily
Heisley Discusses State Of The Grizzlies
March 8, 2010 :
SportsBusiness Daily
|
CBS Ad Spending For Men's BBall Tourney
March 17, 2010 :
SportsBusiness Daily
Jordan Officially Named Bobcats Owner
March 17, 2010 :
SportsBusiness Daily
Ford Center Renovations Altered
March 17, 2010 :
SportsBusiness Daily
CBS Faces Restrictions With NCAA Broadcast
March 17, 2010 :
SportsBusiness Daily
LifeLock Sponsors Mercury Practice Shirts
March 16, 2010 :
SportsBusiness Daily
|
|
