Gregg Popovich and David Stern Were Both Wrong

By virtue of his tenure and success, San Antonio Spurs Head Coach, Gregg Popovich, has earned the respect of NBA insiders and fans. I am among them, and nothing I write about here really diminishes my admiration for the guy.

By now it's the talk of the sports world, that is, his radical decision to give a handful of stars a game off last week. Doubly amazing is NBA Commissioner David Stern's staggering $250,000 fine of the Spurs.

(image credit)

I think both were wrong

Yeah, I heard the rationale behind Pop's decision:  An unusually heavy schedule.  Aging stars.  Coach's prerogative.  But professional basketball is about putting your best players on the court (unless they're otherwise unable to play), and about professional athletes playing and putting in their best effort throughout the contest (regardless of who's winning or losing). 

Coach Pop breached an important sports value.

If I were a member of the Miami Heat, who missed competing with the likes of Tim Duncan last week, I'd feel disrespected by the Spurs.  I'd be terribly disappointed if I were a fan, coming to the American Airlines Arena and paying premium fees to see two of the best star-loaded teams in the NBA.

I wonder how Heat star LeBron James actually felt.  I wonder, too, how Tim Duncan et al. felt, for that matter, about not playing.  

In turn, the Commissioner's penalty was overly heavy-handed.  Almost draconian, in my eyes.

I won't squabble about the amount per se, but more about the seemingly authoritarian way he delivered the decision. Here's former Orlando Magic Head Coach, Stan Van Gundy, speaking about Stern's leadership, as quoted by SI writer Chris Mannix:

"And if you are a true leader in David Stern's position, then lead. Take the moral high ground and get out and persuade people. Lead on the issue. David Stern is not able to do that because, especially among the coaches, he has not built that kind of trust or shown them that kind of respect. What he is stuck with is bully tactics, a my way or the highway approach, and that's just not going to work in this case."

The NBA coaches can, of course, speak to this much better than many of us.  But if Van Gundy's claim is true, then it girds my sentiments about the man behind the hefty fine. 

(image credit)

Surely there was a better way

Pop could've tempered his aging stars' minutes, perhaps more than he already had, before their game off.   Maybe he had done this already, too, but we could've tempered practice time as well or given them practice off.  

If there is evidence to believe that the Spurs got the unfair treatment with the scheduling, then that is a different matter altogether.  Their management could've arranged a private meeting with the Commissioner to address and resolve it.  

On Stern's part, a similarly private discussion, and more concerted investigation of the matter, would've been better.  It remained his privilege to dole out such reprimand on things deemed not in the best interest of the NBA.  But to Van Gundy's point, it would've shown better leadership on his part.  

Otherwise this incident left a triple loss in its wake:  for the Spurs, the NBA, and the fans.  

Thank you for reading, and let me know what you think!

Ron Villejo, PhD