NBA Commissioner David Stern last night in Phoenix prior to the Spurs-Suns game "patted the league's back on the work that the new CBA has done," according to Paul Coro of the ARIZONA REPUBLIC. Stern said, "We think the collective-bargaining agreement is already beginning to work in a big way. We've got teams who are concerned about their expenditures because they don't want to be taxpayers with the higher tax. As we watch baseball, we see 10-year contracts and nine-year contracts. Those players would only get four-year contracts in our sport, so that we've aligned pay with performance in an important way." Stern "cited the Lakers' trade-deadline moves," the Mavericks' offseason moves and F David West's two-year contract with the Pacers as "indicators of how high-payroll teams have been affected by how the new CBA will institute a greater luxury-tax penalty" in '13. Stern also "lauded the league's TV ratings," including a 30% bump on NBA TV, and said that the NBA will "take a 'robust' look at goaltending rules." Deputy Commissioner & COO Adam Silver added that there has been "no increase in injuries with a compacted schedule" (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 3/28).
NOT MY PROBLEM: NBCSPORTS.com's Brett Pollakoff notes Stern last night "took some playful shots at the NCAA when the topic of these so-called 'one and done' players came up." Stern "essentially put the onus on the schools for making sure the players keep their ends of the bargain where classes and scholarships are concerned." He said, "They could actually require the players to go to classes. Or they could get the players to agree that they stay in school, and ask for their scholarship money back if they didn’t fulfill their promises." But Stern was "largely light-hearted in his suggestions, and talked bigger picture about young players whose primary goal is to secure a place in the NBA." He said, "Years ago, I said to the NCAA, I’ve got a great idea. We’ll insure a select group of basketball players. And that will make them more likely to stay in school, because they won’t feel the loss of a big contract. ... The NCAA I think took it to a committee, that takes it to a census, that took it to a conference, then they have a congress and they came back to me and they said, well, it will only work under our rules if we do that for all sports. And I said, I don’t think that’ll work." Stern and Silver were "careful to point out that they have an excellent relationship" with NCAA President Mark Emmert. But Pollakoff writes it is "clear that Stern believes the 'one and done' problem is an NCAA-only issue" (NBCSPORTS.com, 3/28).
JERSEY ADS: In Ft. Worth, Dwain Price notes the NBA is "pondering the idea of placing ads on the jerseys of every player from the 30 teams," and Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban believes that it is an idea "whose time has come." Cuban: "I've been trying to tell (the NBA). If someone wants to give us $10 million, I'll make it happen." He added, "If the amount's enough, David [Stern] will jump up and down. He's not going to do it for $200,000 from Power Balance, but if somebody offers us $25 million, it's done." Mavericks F Dirk Nowitzki said, "We all understand the NBA, by now, is one of the biggest businesses in the world. And if that's a business decision, I don't think it's a bad one." Cuban said that he "doesn't expect the jerseys to be dominated by ads the way NASCAR drivers' fire suits are." But he added, "If there are three people offering us $25 million each, they can put it wherever they damn well please" (FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 3/28).
