On Sunday's "NBA on NBC," Hannah Storm led a round-
table discussion on the Sprewell ruling. NBC's Bob Costas:
"I think the way that this has been framed has been largely
misleading. ... It's inaccurate to say that this shows you
can strangle your coach and get away with it. How did he
get away with it? ... Even though the league did not get
everything it wanted, a large portion of some very severe
discipline was upheld and this now establishes a benchmark
to work from for David Stern." Costas added, "If the league
had not gone relatively easy on the Dennis Rodmans and the
Nick Van Exels ... there would have been more precedent to
make this kind of judgement stand" ("NBA on NBC," 3/8).
OWNERS UNITED? In Denver, Mike Monroe wrote the "irony"
in the NBPA claiming victory in the Sprewell ruling is the
"increased likelihood of ownership solidarity" to reopen the
CBA (DENVER POST, 3/8). In Chicago, Sam Smith wrote that
owners "are feeling an even greater loss of power from this
decision and from the actions of several players who forced
trades and then refused to report to their new teams"
(CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 3/8). In Boston, Peter May reported that
the NBA Board of Governors is scheduled to meet March 23 in
Dallas and "expects to vote" on whether to reopen the CBA.
Celtics Chair Paul Gaston is reportedly one of a "handful"
of owners "opposed to reopening," but May wrote that Stern
"wants the agreement reopened," and has a "key ally" in Cavs
Owner Gordon Gund, "in charge of an important committee, and
thus will probably get his way" (BOSTON GLOBE, 3/8).
SPREWELL NOTES: In Chicago, Lacy Banks wrote "insiders"
say that Stern "probably" will replace Feerick as the league
arbitrator (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 3/8)....In San Jose, Jesse
Barkin listed selected excerpts from testimony taken at the
Sprewell hearings (MERCURY NEWS, 3/8)....Suns Chair Jerry
Colangelo, asked if he'd be interested in Sprewell: "I'm not
interested in taking on any situation, regardless of the
talent level, where there are some real questions about
whether that individual has his life under control. Life is
too short for that" (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 3/7). In Detroit,
Terry Foster wrote, "Sprewell is enticing. He is tempting.
But so is the devil" (DETROIT NEWS, 3/8)
