David Stern makes people like Jim Rome

A pissing match may not pull out new information. But it makes for a colorful soundbyte that gets people to pay attention to you. And in the entertainment world, that's what it is all about.

 

Who even knew Rome still had a show?

 

Probably the point of the original question.

 

The people who pay him $30 mil/year know.

 

The 200-some-odd program directors who put him on their radio stations, too.

 

Rome deserves what he gets. Assclown.

 

"Commissioner, there have been voices through the years making accusations that the lottery is rigged. Do you think the fact that the entire process is done outside of the public eye has contributed to this, and is there a good reason why the entire event could not be televised, much the way state lotteries are?"

 

You mean . . .

 

Regardless of the doucheyness of the question or how it was presented, Stern needs to realize he's not in a position to act like a victim of entertainment journalism. There are some serious questions about the objectivity of the NBA and whether there are fixes in place. Between questionable reffing and the convenient fact that certain teams just happen to catch certain breaks, there is a negative perception out there.
Those who don't like Rome, pass it off as a stunt and Rome being Rome.
Others see this as a way overblown response. Stern can not like the question all he wants, but answer the question with some BS like "The lottery is done fairly and teams are drawn completely randomly. I hear those allegations from media outlets, but they're absolutely false and there is no truth to it."

 

I've heard them on the radio together and there is usually a bit of give and take on both sides. Rome asks him when the plug will be pulled on the WNBA, Stern asks him when he's going to shave his goatee...
Maybe Stern was just having a bad day and tired of the question, but post-Donaghey he can't act like the integrity of the NBA is unquestionable. There is a reason they now publicize which officials are working which games in advance now.
Hell, the reason the started the lottery was to give teams less of an incentive for tanking for players like Ewing, Duncan and Sampson.

 

Stern can answer idiotic questions like that however he wants because he knows he's near the end of a run as NBA commissioner that has been so successful that it would probably take him eating a live baby on national television for the owners to remove him from his job.

Rome's line of questioning was nothing more than grandstanding. He knows damn well he's not going to get Stern to admit to the lottery being rigged, which means he's asking a question he already knows the answer to, which means it's not a legitimate interview question. As for the tinfoil hat brigade that believes the draft lottery is rigged, take a moment to think about how many people would have to be complicit in this kind of conspiracy and what the odds are that one of them wouldn't either slip up or spill the beans. These accusations have been going on since the Knicks got Ewing in 1985. Twenty-seven years later, this crime ring still hasn't been busted up. Stern must be the wiliest criminal mastermind of all-time.