Stern's Retirement Countdown/Opportunity
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by Dbiderman
If ever there was a chance to make lemonade out of lemons, David Stern's got it right here.
Stern has precided over the NBA through good times and bad. He welcomed Jordan, Bird and Magic to the league and watched it rise to prominence. Finals games used to be on tape delay for christ's sake. People are complaining about playoff ratings nowadays, but pre-Stern, playoff games weren't even shown live. The international growth that has turned the league into a commerical-appeal monster doesn't hurt the Commish's resume either.
Now he's got his hands dirty. The ref scandal is kicking his butt worse than the coke problem in the 80's and any fights in the Palace. But he's got to see this thing for what it is.
Assuming Donaghy is an isolated case and this isn't a widespread betting ring, Stern can extinguish this ONE rogue outlaw (how cool is the word rogue, by the way) and setup all sorts of new and improved refereeing standards. Refs in the NBA might get the worst critical treatment of all leagues, but officials aren't great in any big sporting organizations.
If Stern corrects the problem and spends the next couple of years revolutionizing referee rules and regulations, he could turn the pile of coal that landed on his welcome mat into a fat diamond that even Kobe Bryant's wife would be impressed by.
Then, like Jordan after his shot against the Jazz, Stern could retire --- I'm consciously ignoring Jordan's days on the Wizards here. Speculation has been stirring for a year or so as to when Stern's reign will end, and this would be the perfect opportunity.
The last thing on his accomplishments list as NBA commish would be slamming Donaghy, clearing all betting scandal questions, and finally, bringing light to new refereeing tactics. What those are, I don't know, but Stern is pretty smart... he can figure it out.
