David Stern makes people like Jim Rome

They should have fired him.

 

In his defense, I might point out that the Lebron and D-Wade in the summer of 04 were not the same Lebron and D-Wade we think of today. Both were coming off their rookie years (Lebron was just a 19 year old kid at the time) in which neither were even named to the 24 man all star rosters that season. Meanwhile, those supposed "non-descript journeymen veterans" that started ahead of them on that team---Tim Duncan, Allen Iverson, Amare Stoudamire, Stephon Marbury, etc.--were current or recent all stars, and we're far more experienced and accomplished at the time.

Viewed in light of the circumstances as they existed then, the decision whether to start Lebron and Wade was nowhere near the no-brainer you suggest, and the evidence of Brown supposedly "tanking" games nowhere near as convincing. But please don't let those facts impede another classic Starman Larry Brown rant.

A better question about the 2004 team is why guys like Kobe, Shaq, Garnett, Kidd and Allen weren't on it. We sent a much weaker roster than we could've simply because our best of the best at the time chose to stay home.

 

Richard Jefferson.

 

Had at the time recently started in two straight NBA finals and was coming off a season in which his numbers were about the same as James (but on a far better team) and better than Wade's.

 

I for one remain shocked that a Larry Brown/Allen Iverson reunion wouldn't lead to immediate and historic success.

 

Yes and no. I'm not assuming everything is on the up and up, but I'm certainly not going to ask a subject that potentially could be a regular part of my beat an accusatory question with no evidence other than "grumbling."

Say it's just a rumor, not true. Now, that CEO probably and understandably has lost some trust in me, which probably hinders my future work — all because a pursued a rumor in the wrong way.

I think we have to be reasonable, and that usually means answering the questions of reasonable people, unless there is firm evidence to ask about more sensational items.

 

I both agree and disagree.

Situations like those need to be treated delicately, I agree. Perhaps it was a bad example as well. But the way the question was posed was respectful and not accusatory at all, in my humble opinion. Rome told Stern exactly why he was asking the question.

Go back and listen to the whole clip if you haven't yet. Rome gave Stern a softball question and Stern swung and fell on his ass. It's always possible Rome was trying to set him up for some kind of word trap, but unfortunately we'll never know.