We all know athletes want to be rock stars and rock stars want to be athletes. Right? Well did you know also that professional sports commissioners want to be owners? It's true! We really should have seen this coming two decades ago with Bud Selig and Major League Baseball, but we ignored the signs. Now we have NBA commissioner David Stern acting more like a franchise owner than CEO of multi-billion dollar corporation. For the past 3 years, since George Shinn gave up ownership, the New Orleans Hornets have been owned by the NBA; giving Stern full control over the franchise until a new owner can be found.
A new owner for the New Orleans Hornets? Ha! That's a good one Mr. Stern! You've got to be kidding me, right?
Since Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans has been a shell of a city. It's the poorest major city in the country. The Saints can remain in NOLA because their owners (the Bentsen family) have been one of the wealthiest families in Louisiana for generations; in other words, they're old money. There is no new money to be found in New Orleans besides Cash Money/Young Money Records, and I can guarantee you with a name like Young Money there won't be any "old money" in that camp.
Last week, Stern nixed a trade that would have sent the Hornets' only superstar Chris Paul to the Los Angeles Lakers because as he stated, he was "doing what's best for the Hornets." Seriously Mr. Stern? Your league has just ended a lockout that took away almost a third of the regular season. The NBA has lost a ton of casual fans. How about doing what's best for your league and consider contraction? And you can start with your beloved Hornets!
Since 1995, after the NBA added six teams over a six year time span, the league has been a watered down version of its greatest years in the 80's and early 90's. During it's hey day, every team in the league had at least one superstar or potential hall of famer. Today, I can name at least 5 teams in the Western Conference alone with not one superstar on their roster. Contraction is the best thing that can happen to the NBA since Air Jordan. Greater competition will bring greater value to the game.
So now is the time to make up your mind Mr. Stern. Are you the commissioner or a franchise owner? You can't have both. You never seen McDonald's founder Ray Kroc, flipping burgers at a local franchise...and there's reason for that.
