New NBA Commissioner Adam Silver took the reigns of the league over the time period of the all-star weekend. Across the league, ticket sales are up, TV deals have hit obscenely high figures and merchandise sales continue to climb. The NBA has also established itself as the most internationally popular of the “Big Four” American sports (MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL).
In a lot of ways, it would appear former commissioner David Stern’s message to his protégé is simple: don’t screw this up.
But there have been compelling cases made that Stern has been holding the league back more than he has been propelling it to its newfound heights.
In a passionate and informative article, ESPN’s Jason Whitlock pointed to the basketball hoops in every American driveway as proof that the NBA has fallen short of its potential popularity.
The 2011 lockout, coupled with Stern’s controversial block of the Chris Paul trade between the New Orleans Hornets and Los Angeles Lakers in the same year, were also signs that the league needed a fresh start.
Bill Haber / AP Photo:
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver speaks at a news conference before the skills competition at the NBA All-Star basketball weekend, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2014, in New Orleans.
And so, in comes Silver, a former league lawyer who has long been the right-hand-man of Stern. While it remains to be seen how effective he will be in the long haul, early signs show that Silver will be taking a different approach to running the league than his predecessor.
Under Silver’s watch, the NBA has explored out-of-the-box- ideas like expanding the floor size or creating a four-point shot. While it remains doubtful that any of these ideas will ever gain any traction, Silver has demonstrated that he isn’t afraid to shake things up and exhaust all options for improving the league.
It’s hard to believe league advisors would have felt comfortable introducing these ideas to Stern, who was notoriously set in his ways and allegedly prone to angry tirades.
Silver has also shown more transparency, something he has said he would stress for months now. A couple weeks ago a Bleacher Report article revealed that Silver has been sending teams regular reports that detail mistakes by the referees.
Dallas Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban, who has long been a vocal critic of Stern’s, told the Bleacher Report, “There’s been more changes in 15 days, or whatever it is [since Silver took over], than I saw in 14 years.”
The transparency is an important improvement, but it also represents a key difference between Stern and Silver’s leadership styles. Stern would rule with fear, at one point drawing the astonishment of players and owners alike when, according to Yahoo Sports, he proclaimed, “I know where the bodies are buried,” during an intense debate during the aforementioned lockout.
Stern was referring to league secrets that could be damaging to people in the room, but he was also asserting his superiority. It’s not a stretch to call Stern’s relationship with players and owners contentious. Things were going to go the way he wanted them to.
Silver seems to be working with the league, acknowledging flaws within the system and taking input from everyone while trying to find ways to improve it. Only time will tell, but early signs indicate the NBA is in good hands with its new commissioner.
Zach Winn can be contacted at zwinn@keene-equinox.com