SVG - The Boss

[The Truth]

Orlando Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy says he thinks Dwight Howard has shown restraint on the court this season despite picking up the league's first suspension for excessive technical fouls. Van Gundy quoted an Elias Sports Bureau statistic Monday that notes Howard has been fouled 593 times this season without any of those calls being labeled flagrant.

 

Asked if the Magic had a case to the league office about whether they feel Howard has been excessively fouled, Van Gundy said he thinks outside input doesn't carry much weight at the league office.

 

"This is the system David Stern has and his minions like it," Van Gundy said. "So that's the system you have . . . I certainly can't have an opinion because David Stern, like a lot of leaders we've seen in this world lately, don't really tolerate other people's opinion or free speech or anything. So I'm not really allowed to have an opinion."

 

"He decides and he likes the system he has."

SVG a true boss

 

comparing Stern to middle eastern dictators? boss.

[Flash]

Does he ever shut up? After Riley told him to go "spend time with his family" he's been talking shit like no other coach in the league. I used to like the guy because he got to where he is by working his way up the coaching ranks, but for a coach who's an early playoff exit away from being without a job he talks a lot of shit.

Edited March 8, 2011 by Charlie Sheen

[Guru]

He has a point.

[Lkr]

Does he ever shut up? After Riley told him to go "spend time with his family" he's been talking shit like no other coach in the league. I used to like the guy because he got to where he is by working his way up the coaching ranks, but for a coach who's an early playoff exit away from being without a job he talks a lot of shit.

Most successful coach in Magic history won't be fired at the end of this season

[Kobe24]

Why are you bashing what hes saying when its all true?

[Flash]

Most successful coach in Magic history won't be fired at the end of this season

 

 

If Dwight has his way he will be.

[Hawks Fly High]

Time to be a Magic fan HOV?

[The Truth]

Time to be a Magic fan HOV?

I already was, actually.

that was a pretty nice week.

[Makaveli]

At least he has the balls to say the truth out loud. Wouldn't be surprised, if Stern fines him like 250k.

 

http://i.timeinc.net/time/photoessays/2008/david_stern/david_stern_01.jpg

[The Truth]

Does he ever shut up? After Riley told him to go "spend time with his family" he's been talking shit like no other coach in the league. I used to like the guy because he got to where he is by working his way up the coaching ranks, but for a coach who's an early playoff exit away from being without a job he talks a lot of shit.

it's ridiculous that players and coaches in professional sports leagues aren't allowed to speak their minds without getting a fine. Stern's just greedy and wants to make money for the league. the NBA - where the first amendment doesn't happen.

[AboveLegit]

it's ridiculous that players and coaches in professional sports leagues aren't allowed to speak their minds without getting a fine. Stern's just greedy and wants to make money for the league. the NBA - where the first amendment doesn't happen.

That damn Stern, always trying to make the league more professional...how dare he.

[The Truth]

That damn Stern, always trying to make the league more professional...how dare he.

professionalism > free speech?

[Check my Stats]

That damn Stern, always trying to make the league more professional...how dare he.

 

Meh, are you really going to sit here and defend Stern?

[AboveLegit]

professionalism > free speech?

These players, coaches, executives are apart of the league and must abide by the rules. The same thing applies to schools. Stop acting as if our freedom allows us to do whatever we please.

 

Meh, are you really going to sit here and defend Stern?

I don't see why not.

[The Truth]

haha I knew this was coming - a response from Stern.

 

Stern said Van Gundy's comments stemmed from frustration with his own team, rather than with the league. "I see somebody whose team isn't performing, whose star player is suspended, who seems to be fraying," Stern said of Van Gundy. When asked if he's worried about any more comments from Van Gundy, Stern said he doesn't expect Van Gundy to speak that way again. "I would venture a guess that we're not going to be hearing from him for the rest of the season," Stern said. "I think when he stops and reads what he said, realizes what he did, he will say no more. ... I have a feeling some modicum of self-restraint will cause Stan, and the team for which he works, to rein in his aberrant behavior."

Stern Fires Back

 

lol what a bitch. I can't wait until Stern retires. he's allowed to talk all the shit he wants, but no one else.

 

I would venture a guess that we're not going to be hearing from him for the rest of the season.

who are you, the godfather?

 

I have a feeling some modicum of self-restraint will cause Stan, and the team for which he works, to rein in his aberrant behavior.

ok, psychologist Stern.

 

I'm going to engage in private discussions at this point with this franchise.

It didn't bother me, personally.

More B/S

 

it didn't bother you? then why have 'private discussions' with the owners?

 

Whatever the pressures are that Stan is feeling, that he fell to whatever position he's in to say something like this, it made me sad.

it's called speaking the truth, Stern. I know you don't like that concept, but people do it sometimes.

 

and AL - I have no idea what you're talking about. I've never heard of a school in America where there's no free speech.

[Clutch]

and he is tellin miami to stop whining?

 

everybody is in the same league..shutup and play, adjust to the rules or get another job

[AboveLegit]

and AL - I have no idea what you're talking about. I've never heard of a school in America where there's no free speech.

It's limited, kids aren't allowed to just say whatever they please in classrooms, that's what I'm getting at.

 

I seriously don't understand all the hate surrounding him. He has done a lot for this league, and really has made basketball very popular around the world. He has globalized the game, and instituted new rules that have, for the most part, made the game more exciting/better. He is not a bad commissioner at all, and he has done great things for basketball in the last 22+ years.

[The Truth]

and he is tellin miami to stop whining?

 

everybody is in the same league..shutup and play, adjust to the rules or get another job

so where do you draw the line? when do you say enough is enough? if Stern decides to take money from the players and requires them to suck his dick, do you just say, 'rules are rules?'

 

if you continue to give power to Stern (no free speech, age limit, dress code, can't argue fouls), he'll continue to take it; that's why we have a constitution and a bill of rights.

 

this man had the audacity to institute a new game ball into the league without first consulting the players, he doesn't even let them argue fouls anymore, and now he wants to rollback their salaries. he's a greedy, arrogant, self-centered bastard who needs to step down.

[AboveLegit]

so where do you draw the line? when do you say enough is enough? if Stern decides to take money from the players and requires them to suck his dick, do you just say, 'rules are rules?'

He's taking money from these players in order to penalize them, it's not like he's taking it and going on a shopping spree at the mall..

 

if you continue to give power to Stern (no free speech, age limit, dress code, can't argue fouls), he'll continue to take it; that's why we have a constitution and a bill of rights.

The age limit was a great idea, the dress code makes the league more professional and respectable, and arguing fouls is useless, because it gets you no where.

 

this man had the audacity to institute a new game ball into the league without first consulting the players, he doesn't even let them argue fouls anymore, and now he wants to rollback their salaries. he's a greedy, arrogant, self-centered bastard who needs to step down.

If you're going to attempt to criticize every move he has made, then at least know what you're talking about. He admitted his mistake regarding the game ball, and apologized, so don't act as if he was selfish and was only looking out for himself.

 

How many times have you seen players argue a call, and in turn, the refs agree and overturn the initial call? Very rarely. The fact that Stern is attempting to make the league more respectable is a great thing for the NBA moving forward.

 

And way to single out Stern and point out that he's the only one in favor of rollbacks. You really are pulling things out of your ass.

 

Stern is arrogant and self centered? He's the one who cleared up the drug issues that were prevalent in the league before he became commissioner, the league's revenue has skyrocketed, and he had a hand in creating the WNBA. Yeah, he's definitely self centered...

[The Truth]

He's taking money from these players in order to penalize them, it's not like he's taking it and going on a shopping spree at the mall..

you never directly answered the question, and your response is irrelevant nonetheless. what he does with the money has nothing to do with the issue at hand, which is depriving players and coaches of their first amendment right to free speech.

 

The age limit was a great idea, the dress code makes the league more professional and respectable, and arguing fouls is useless, because it gets you no where.

lol w/e bro. do you disagree with even one of Stern's policies?

 

If you're going to attempt to criticize every move he has made, then at least know what you're talking about. He admitted his mistake regarding the game ball, and apologized, so don't act as if he was selfish and was only looking out for himself.

but he was only looking out for himself. if he wasn't, he would have at least gotten the player's permission before introducing the new ball. if you want the players to play with a new ball, it's common sense to get their permission or at least let them test it out first. instead, he did it without informing them and it backfired completely. that was a big blunder on his part and it's undebatable.

 

How many times have you seen players argue a call, and in turn, the refs agree and overturn the initial call? Very rarely. The fact that Stern is attempting to make the league more respectable is a great thing for the NBA moving forward.

that's not the point. players aren't even allowed to express emotion on the court anymore without suffering a consequence.

 

And way to single out Stern and point out that he's the only one in favor of rollbacks. You really are pulling things out of your ass.

I never said he was the only one in favor of rollbacks, and no, I'm pulling nothing out of my ass.

he wants rollbacks in player contracts and that's a fact. nothing I said was untrue.

 

Stern is arrogant and self centered? He's the one who cleared up the drug issues that were prevalent in the league before he became commissioner, the league's revenue has skyrocketed, and he had a hand in creating the WNBA. Yeah, he's definitely self centered...

well yeah, I'd hope he'd be able to do a couple good things in 20 years.

[AboveLegit]

you never directly answered the question, and your response is irrelevant nonetheless. what he does with the money has nothing to do with the issue at hand, which is depriving players and coaches of their first amendment right to free speech.

You obviously still don't get it. If you are apart of the NBA, you understand the fact that there are rules in the league, and you're expected to follow it. It's as simple as that.

 

 

lol w/e bro. do you disagree with even one of Stern's policies?

There's nothing I particularly hate, everything he has implemented is justified. I don't hate on him like you do for no apparent reason.

 

but he was only looking out for himself. if he wasn't, he would have at least gotten the player's permission before introducing the new ball. if you want the players to play with a new ball, it's common sense to get their permission or at least let them test it out first. instead, he did it without informing them and it backfired completely. that was a big blunder on his part and it's undebatable.

Is he the one playing basketball? No, so why would he be looking out for himself? It's obvious he thought the ball was a positive change, and that it had more grip than the previous one.

 

And once again you're proving to everyone that you're pulling things out of your ass. What you didn't know is that he did test out the ball in the Dleague and it was used during all star weekend. And he even made a few NBA legends to test out the ball to see if they thought it would be appropriate.

 

that's not the point. players aren't even allowed to express emotion on the court anymore without suffering a consequence.

You were once a Heat fan, you of all people should know the refs still allow players the opportunity to argue calls and show emotion. LeBron does it almost every time he doesn't get a foul call with his drive to the basket.

 

I never said he was the only one in favor of rollbacks, and no, I'm pulling nothing out of my ass.

he wants rollbacks in player contracts and that's a fact. nothing I said was untrue.

He's doing it because the league is losing money. Is that his fault? Isn't it his job to resolve these issues? Do you have a better idea?

[The Truth]

You obviously still don't get it. If you are apart of the NBA, you understand the fact that there are rules in the league, and you're expected to follow it. It's as simple as that.

understood; my question is this - if you were a player and he wanted to rollback your contract, would you fight back or just let him do it?

 

There's nothing I particularly hate, everything he has implemented is justified. I don't hate on him like you do for no apparent reason.

no apparent reason? it's as if you don't even read my posts. I've already listed like five different things he's instituted that have made me hate him.

 

Is he the one playing basketball? No, so why would he be looking out for himself? It's obvious he thought the ball was a positive change, and that it had more grip than the previous one.

money. Stern profits off the sale of league merchandise. the more the NBA sells, the more he gets. so, a new ball would have fattened his pockets for sure, had it been embraced by the players.

 

And once again you're proving to everyone that you're pulling things out of your ass. What you didn't know is that he did test out the ball in the Dleague and it was used during all star weekend. And he even made a few NBA legends to test out the ball to see if they thought it would be appropriate.

but the actual players hated it and it didn't even last a month. that was an epic fail no doubt.

 

You were once a Heat fan, you of all people should know the refs still allow players the opportunity to argue calls and show emotion. LeBron does it almost every time he doesn't get a foul call with his drive to the basket.

he just says something to refs, if anything. no one's allowed to throw up their arms or make certain gestures with getting called for the technical.

 

He's doing it because the league is losing money. Is that his fault? Isn't it his job to resolve these issues? Do you have a better idea?

not taking money from the players who've already signed their contracts would be a good start. I think there should be a hard cap with the cap the slightly increased from where it is now, if that's what you mean by better ideas.

[Dr. Feelgood]

I'm gonna have to side with AL and Stern on this one (as far as all the good things Stern has done for the league, not what he said to SVG). I think the recent changes to the league have been a great idea. And I'm pretty sure the league looks at every technical foul that's called by the refs to see if it was justified, hence why Howard, Amare, and others have had techs taken back.

 

I like that the NBA has become more professional with the changes. As a player, you've got to adjust to the rules of the game. That'd be like if Real all of a sudden put back the word censors and didn't allow bashing of members at all. If you did that, you'd get punished and learn from it. You'd have to adjust to the new rules. It's really not that big of a deal, players will adjust and you'll keep watching the game.

 

I used to hate Stern a couple years back but I think he's been a damn good commish for the NBA. He's done so much for the league and for the most part, it's paid off and made the game better.

[bigdog17k]

http://myespn.go.com/s/conversations/show/story/6202323

 

Lmao at Stern proving the SVG theory... should have kept his mouth shut.

[The Truth]

I'm gonna have to side with AL and Stern on this one (as far as all the good things Stern has done for the league, not what he said to SVG). I think the recent changes to the league have been a great idea. And I'm pretty sure the league looks at every technical foul that's called by the refs to see if it was justified, hence why Howard, Amare, and others have had techs taken back.

that was the whole point of this topic. -_-

 

I like that the NBA has become more professional with the changes. As a player, you've got to adjust to the rules of the game. That'd be like if Real all of a sudden put back the word censors and didn't allow bashing of members at all. If you did that, you'd get punished and learn from it. You'd have to adjust to the new rules. It's really not that big of a deal, players will adjust and you'll keep watching the game.

that's all I ever hear from people anymore. 'it's not that big a deal,' 'get over it,' 'dude, who cares?'

 

obviously, there has to be some rules. this is a game, after all. however, players have the right to fight against what they don't like. the league has a players union - they should use it. you can't forget the fans make the league and without the players, there's no fans. no one's ever paid admission to see Stern - they want to see the athletes. this league would stay in existence with or without Stern; the same can't be said about the players.

 

if Stern is going to require these guys to talk with the media, they should at least be able to say what they want. if you support Stern in that regard, you don't support our right to free speech. in the words of JFK, 'man was born to be free and independent.' by fining his employees for their comments, Stern is depriving them their first amendment right to free speech. I didn't want to make this political, but I honestly think some of you would wipe your ass with the constitution if there was no toilet paper at home.

 

I've asked the question twice in this thread and still, no one answered: if you were a player and Stern wanted to rollback your contract, would you let him? I'm assuming most of you would play his game. you'd wear suits to the games, you'd bite your tongue when you wanted to express something controversial, you'd let him take some of your money, and you'd never question even a single one of his policies. all the while, he'd be smiling the grin of greed in your face, and you'd smile back. I guess that's where we differ.

 

this country was built upon the ideals of freedom. the very first amendment to our constitution protects our right to speak our minds. I'd say the constitution trumps NBA regulations. if I was a player dealing with this oppression, I'd most definitely fight for my rights. I'd get involved with the players union and do everything I could to help overturn Stern's fascist policies. with the dress code and the fines he levies players and coaches for controversial comments, he'd depriving them their rights to freedom of speech and expression.

 

of course, Stern knows most of these players come from poverty and low income families. he knows they won't rebel against the league so long as they're getting fat paychecks. in turn, he creates ridiculous rules and issues absurd fines. he does all this while facing very little scrutiny or criticism. why should Stern possess more power than the players? he's just one man, and he's taking advantage of the true cash cows of this league. the players are the ones who should hold the power.

 

I used to hate Stern a couple years back but I think he's been a damn good commish for the NBA. He's done so much for the league and for the most part, it's paid off and made the game better.

80's and 90's ball kicks the living shit out of today's game.