David Stern: Modern Day Plantation Owner?

It is no secret that I am no big fan of David Stern. A New Yorker, raised in a Jewish family in Teaneck, who went on to Rutgers, then law school at Columbia. He became a legal counsel for the NBA in the 70's and by February 1, 1984, he became the Commissioner of the league.

I give this abbreviated resume of Stern's to show that there is a disconnect here. A man, who has never even played basketball should not be running the professional league of basketball! Not for almost 30 years!!!

I have seen the tell-tale signs that the league has outgrown him through the years. During the Jordan era, I remember it was a bit of a controversy at first when the Bulls began wearing their shorts a little longer. Now it's standard around the league. Then the issue was braids, then tattooes, then jeans, and so on. Times have changed. The NBA is no longer an all-white, boring organization of pickup players. The NBA boasts some of the most freakishly athletic players in the world. The games are often tantalizing and sometimes jaw dropping. And here you have this "old guy" running it, who can't even relate to them on a basic level because he's never even been an athlete.

Now the lockout looms. Preseason is gone. We're moving into the first month of the season being lost, and he is working against the players he is supposed to lead, more than ever. Playing off of public scrutiny and prejudices to victimize himself, then hoping to rebuild that taint if an agreement is reached. This is clearly not someone who should be over a league of professional basketball players.

So, on his HBO show, Bryant Gumbel decided to point that out. He referred to Stern as a "...modern plantation owner...." The words were harsh, shocking even, to some. But, was Gumbel right?

Playoff Memories

So, as I am enjoying this time of year probably for the twentieth time of my life, I decide to peruse the websites for rhetoric on this weekend's games. All of the main sites (ESPN, SI, Yahoo, NBA) pretty much have the same stories and highlights. However, I ventured onto Page 2 hoping to catch a good story from Scoop, and came across Page 2's homage to their favorite playoff moments.

I smiled, inwardly knowing that somewhere on this list would be a Jordan moment. Considering that Jordan dominated almost an entire decade in NBA history, I prepared for some stories that I could share in. I was surprised when I read Jemele Hill's commentary on her most memorable moment. It was the 1987 Eastern Conference playoffs when Boston beat Detroit off of the Larry Bird steal of Isiah Thomas's inbound pass. Jemele bitterly recounted how she has hated anything Celtics ever since.



I can understand that as well. I too, have teams that I historically just don't like. But, the last statement in her paragraph left a bad taste in my mouth. She said:

"(Oh, and for the record, my 1A favorite NBA playoff moment was when the Pistons refused to shake the Bulls' hands after being dethroned in the '91 conference finals. You say classless, I say awesome.)"

Now, I know a lot of sports enthusiasts such as myself and I don't know anyone who can agree with that statement. In the '91 Eastern Conference Finals, when the Pistons walked off that floor by not even saying goodbye, thanks for a great series, good luck or anything, that clearly went down as one of the worst sports moments in history. It was certainly the most classless in NBA history and that is her fave? Jemele, so much bitterness can kill a person! To this day Isiah Thomas can kick rocks in my book, which he literally can do now considering that he's unemployed and any GM would be out of their mind to hire him at this point. The fact that she could take such an enormous act of sore loserness as "awesome," is just blaphemous. As many times as the Bulls lost to the Pistons prior to that year, Jordan always showed class and sportsmanship, which is why his legacy surpasses so many of his counterparts. I had to embed that moment for all who don't know.



And since we are on the subject of these nostalgic moments, I will offer one of my favorite moments in playoff history. It is no secret that I can't stand Cleveland. We'll just chalk it up to the whole city. It doesn't matter if we're talking Cavaliers, Browns, Indians - Cleveland sucks in my book and they always will. Being a die-hard Bulls fan, there are just too many bad memories to let it ride. From the fight between Danny Ferry and Michael Jordan to the collage of cheap shots from Brad Daugherty and Gugliotta. I can't stand Cleveland!

So, as you can probably guess, my favorite playoff moment was when Michael put them in last-minute shot infamy with what has been dubbed as "The Shot Part 2." We always see the first time he lit them up during the 1989 regular season, when he shot over Craig Ehlo and won the game. But that second shot that took place in the '93 playoffs was oh so sweet. I prayed for moments like this. I was a young high-schooler, a sophomore in fact, and the laugh that I got from this moment just made my decade. Check it out!



I hope you enjoyed my playoff memories, and please don't hesitate to leave a few of your own.