SupremeCommander wrote:I wish he'd retire after this year... he was the best commissioner in sports but that clearly has been far from the case the past few years

I'm not so sure about that. He was lucky enough to be there when Magic and Bird came into the league, even more lucky that Michael Jordan came in later on, and made the NBA so God**** star-driven and dependent on its few biggest stars, when MJ retired the NBA never came close to those types of numbers and ratings since. I think last year's LeBron numbers came close, but there is such a huge gap from the 90's to the 10's. His problem is he builds the entire NBA around a tiny handful of guys and most fans realize there are only a few teams that actually have a shot at winning it all.

In contrast to the NFL which seems to feature a new team almost every year, constantly churns and creates new stars, and has had popularity grow consistently every year for the past decade and every playoffs and primetime games, their own records for ratings and viewership get destroyed. One of the reasons is because NFL fans know every year their team has a legitimate shot at the spotlight.

Luckily for Stern, Jeremy Lin showed up, and if the Knicks can make themselves a top team, then he can be that crossover star, but that still doesn't fix the problems of the NBA.

The guy is a prick, but in the end, attendance is up and the league is doing very well.

Nalod wrote:So if stern goes, you think his replacement will be "better"?

The guy is a prick, but in the end, attendance is up and the league is doing very well.

I don't understand the hate. The NBA is thriving and they have a very good product. Before he took over, the NBA was down in the dumps. I know he lucked into Magic and Bird era but he knew how to run the show.

Voltron wrote:

SupremeCommander wrote:I wish he'd retire after this year... he was the best commissioner in sports but that clearly has been far from the case the past few years

I'm not so sure about that. He was lucky enough to be there when Magic and Bird came into the league, even more lucky that Michael Jordan came in later on, and made the NBA so God**** star-driven and dependent on its few biggest stars, when MJ retired the NBA never came close to those types of numbers and ratings since. I think last year's LeBron numbers came close, but there is such a huge gap from the 90's to the 10's. His problem is he builds the entire NBA around a tiny handful of guys and most fans realize there are only a few teams that actually have a shot at winning it all.

In contrast to the NFL which seems to feature a new team almost every year, constantly churns and creates new stars, and has had popularity grow consistently every year for the past decade and every playoffs and primetime games, their own records for ratings and viewership get destroyed. One of the reasons is because NFL fans know every year their team has a legitimate shot at the spotlight.

Luckily for Stern, Jeremy Lin showed up, and if the Knicks can make themselves a top team, then he can be that crossover star, but that still doesn't fix the problems of the NBA.

Al ot of the stuff you're talking about is hard to pin on Stern. There was an obvious drop off in talent after MJ and his foes retired. But, okay, let's pin it on Stern.

In spite of all that, the NBA brand went international in a big way. Part of the reason Linsanity, for example, took off, was because of Stern's international commitment. In that regard, he's exceeded the NFL.

I am not a Stern fan, especially his condescending manner. If I wer ea player I'd want to punch him. I fi were a new owner, I'd want to punch him. When it was Stern and the last group of owners, the NBA made great strides. But that era has long since passed

SupremeCommander wrote:I wish he'd retire after this year... he was the best commissioner in sports but that clearly has been far from the case the past few years

he has been awful for years now. My biggest argument, too many teams and watered down talent.

Stern presided over the addition of teams that has further watered down the talent level.