Stern discusses state of NBA
On the night Derrick Rose publicly accepted the MVP award in his third NBA season, no one should be thinking about whether he’ll ever leave the Bulls for greener pastures, the way certain other superstars have done.
For the record, though, Commissioner David Stern is not in favor of implementing an NFL-style “franchise” tag that would tie players to their current teams and prevent them from hitting free-agency.
“If a player is free to leave after seven years, he’s free to leave,” Stern said during a visit with reporters before Wednesday’s Game 2. “I don’t think we’re going to negotiate a deal where a player has to spend his entire career with one team. There are owners that disagree on that subject, but I don’t agree with them. It’s ultimately up to the Board of Governors to decide. It hasn’t hurt us that much this year, has it?”
Stern was referring to record television ratings in the wake of LeBron James and Chris Bosh joining forces in Miami.
Losing proposition:When discussing the NBA#146;s ongoing labor negotiations, Commissioner David Stern stated some alarming numbers regarding how much money the league has lost.He placed the losses at $340 million last season, $370 the year before that, and estimated this year#146;s bath will drop to around $300 million.Then Stern strategically mentioned how in the current labor agreement, 57 percent of revenues go to player salaries.#147;It#146;s a very good deal for the players and it#146;s not a very good deal for the owners,#148; Stern said. #147;That#146;s just the way it is. No teams are in dire straits. Our ownership group is strong, so they know how to fund losses. They#146;ve been doing it for a while, although we#146;d rather not have that any more.#148;More on the MVP:Among the leftovers from the MVP news conference was Derrick Rose being asked what he thought about the endless #147;MVP#148; chants he heard this season, including at most road arenas.#147;There#146;s nothing like being on that line and hearing that, especially when I#146;m from here,#148; he said. #147;It makes you play harder.#148;Regarding his prophetic comment on the eve of training camp when he asked, #147;Why can#146;t I be MVP?#148; Rose#146;s older brother Reggie thought the idea came from an Adidas commercial he filmed.Rose said he didn#146;t ask anyone whether that would be a smart thing to say. At the time, it#146;s likely few people believed the MVP award was even possible this season.#147;It just popped out,#148; Rose said. #147;I felt I put a lot of work in my game. I sacrificed and dedicated my whole summer to basketball. It#146;s paying off for me now.#148;Sharing the wealth:David Stern#146;s other point of emphasis during his commissioner#146;s chat was more revenue sharing. The small-market teams are suffering most the economic losses.#147;We#146;re going to come out of this, we think, with affair deal where 30 teams have the opportunity to compete and get some return on their investment,#148; he said. #147;It#146;s a simple goal. Not as easy to achieve, but a simple goal.#147;(We want) every team#146;s fans know that over a period of time, they have the opportunity to compete. It#146;s going to be a combination of luck and management, not about #145;They can#146;t afford it.#146; That#146;s what we#146;re aiming for.#148;