The NBA doesn’t want anyone talking about the lockout. They have threatened $1 million fines for any contact with players or public comments that aren’t filtered through Der Kommissar himself.
It has gotten so bad, that the Portland Trailblazers almost got whacked for the word “yeah.“
“There’s a line in the sand that the NBA has drawn for everybody, but nobody knows exactly where the line is,” one NBA team employee says. “Everybody is scared, not wanting to be the first to be hit with a fine.”
Witness a recent interview with Trail Blazers acting General Manager Chad Buchanan. When it was observed that it’s too bad there is no summer league scheduled, Buchanan replied, “Yeah.”
Shortly thereafter, the league threatened Buchanan with a $1 million fine, according to one source. Insanity.
If the bar on four-letter word fines starts at $1 million for “yeah,” then Kevin Garnett better watch out once basketball comes back.
To show you how bad the gag order is, we here at Crossover Chronicles have obtained exclusive video of Commissioner Stern at his most recent owners meeting.
Chilling.
Honestly, this has gone way too far. Soon, executives will run from cameras and microphones crying and screaming. What happens if Rich Cho walks by a Charlotte-area newsstand and glances at a SLAM Magazine? Does that count as player contact in David Stern’s absurd world? Why does Stern want so much silence? What is he so afraid of?
This is Stern’s attempt to break the union. It’s his attempt to wrest control of the league from the players’ hands. Any utterance that may be thrown back at his face and used against him in negotiations will not be tolerated. Not only that, the punishments will be swift and harsh. If “yeah” almost got a seven-figure fine, then the threshold for handing those fines out is very, VERY low. I feel bad for those struggling to breath under Stern’s grip.
