David Stern Fined the San Antonio Spurs $250,000 For Gregg Popovich Coaching His Team On National Television

All, NBA Stephen Douglas November 30th. 2012, 6:21pm

Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker* did not play last night against the Miami Heat. As a result, David Stern has fined the Spurs organization $250,000. They were sent back to San Antonio while their teammates traveled to Miami to lose to the Heat, 105-100. It was San Antonio’s third game in four nights so Gregg Popovich decided to rest his stars who were coming off grueling 20-point wins over Washington and Orlando. Since this was a regular season game in the middle of an 82-game season, you wouldn’t think it was that big a deal. Well, you would be wrong! This was a showcase game against the defending champs on TNT! After warning that it was unacceptable and substantial sanctions would be coming, Stern said:

“The result here is dictated by the totality of the facts in this case,” commissioner David Stern said in a statement. “The Spurs decided to make four of their top players unavailable for an early-season game that was the team’s only regular-season visit to Miami. The team also did this without informing the Heat, the media, or the league office in a timely way. Under these circumstances, I have concluded that the Spurs did a disservice to the league and our fans.”

By sitting Duncan, Ginobili and Parker, Gregg Popovich was fucking with David Stern’s product. You do not fuck with David Stern’s product. You can rest starters at the end of the season to get ready for the playoffs. You can shut players down so your team can tank for better draft picks. You can do a lot of things – But you DO NOT sit guys who sell jerseys when the game is going to be nationally televised.

For the Spurs, this was the right move. Would it have hurt the Spurs to play their Big 3 20-minutes a piece? No, but the season is long and the Spurs have the most wins in the league. This is about the marathon and the playoffs and the big picture and not about giving Shaq the opportunity to give Tony Parker a pointlessly stupid nickname. Just look at that video up there. That’s Pop coaching his younger players who are playing instead of sitting and watching. And they had a 6-point lead with 3 minutes to go in the 4th quarter. David Stern fined the San Antonio Spurs $250,000 for that because TNT didn’t get to mention Tim Duncan during The Mentalist reruns Thursday afternoon.

*And Danny Green. I just hate mentioning him with three Hall of Famers.

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48 Responses to “David Stern Fined the San Antonio Spurs $250,000 For Gregg Popovich Coaching His Team On National Television”

1
Babar 2.0 Says:
November 30th, 2012 at 6:27 PM
Pop should send the league, media, and opposing team a memo today for a road game in March that will be missed by these three guys.
2
QueeferSutherland Says:
November 30th, 2012 at 6:27 PM
I cannot believe the Spurs will pay this. If I’m Pop, I send Stern a picture of my dick in the envelope where the $250,000 should be. What’s he going to do if they don’t pay? He and Goddell need to go get fucked somewhere. Tired of these power-crazed commissioners throwing their weight around like anyone gives a shit about them.
3
stynga Says:
November 30th, 2012 at 6:34 PM
+1 Queefer.
This move is the latest in a long line of BOGUS moves by Stern
4
T.E. Says:
November 30th, 2012 at 6:36 PM
Q: How the hell do you have the balls to tell the best coach of the last 10 years how to coach HIS OWN TEAM?
A: Use the same balls you use to openly fix playoff games, I guess.
5
QueeferSutherland Says:
November 30th, 2012 at 6:38 PM
I was serious: what happens if the Spurs don’t pay? Can’t imagine the players association would lose this case.
6
rockchalk101 Says:
November 30th, 2012 at 6:38 PM
If I’m Pop and or the owner of the Spurs I send Stern a letter saying “We’ll pay you when you start fining teams $250,000 every time an owner puts a bullshit product on the court like the Wizards.”
7
sctrojans Says:
November 30th, 2012 at 6:40 PM
Not a Popovich issue. He acted with his owner’s consent. This is a typical Stern scare tactic to discourage teams from doing this in the future. Peter Holt ought to throw a fit. I’m curious how much pressure Stern was under from other owners to take this action.
8
Eric T0upal aka BrawnyTom Says:
November 30th, 2012 at 6:41 PM
Queefer, the Spurs org was fined, not Pop. It’ll probably be deducted from league revenue or some shit.
9
sctrojans Says:
November 30th, 2012 at 6:41 PM
I was serious: what happens if the Spurs don’t pay? Can’t imagine the players association would lose this case.
Players association is only tangentially involved. This is an ownership issue.
10
Eric T0upal aka BrawnyTom Says:
November 30th, 2012 at 6:42 PM
FWIW, Holt is the League’s Board of Governors Chair.
11
sctrojans Says:
November 30th, 2012 at 6:44 PM
FWIW, Holt is the League’s Board of Governors Chair.
Exactly. Leads me to believe Stern was put under pressure to do this.
12
Eric T0upal aka BrawnyTom Says:
November 30th, 2012 at 6:46 PM
Exactly. Leads me to believe Stern was put under pressure to do this.
No way, this is all Stern’s ego being offended. The other owner’s could give two shits about this since most of them will be benching guys at the end of the year to rest for playoffs or tank for lottery.
13
ihavetosignin Says:
November 30th, 2012 at 6:47 PM
the Spurs should pay the fine with pennies
14
stynga Says:
November 30th, 2012 at 6:48 PM
they only lost by 5. That should render the whole argument invalid in hindsight, right?
15
VladimirCrouton Says:
November 30th, 2012 at 6:48 PM
Sweet league.
16
sctrojans Says:
November 30th, 2012 at 6:50 PM
No way, this is all Stern’s ego being offended. The other owner’s could give two shits about this since most of them will be benching guys at the end of the year to rest for playoffs or tank for lottery.
Could be viewed by many owners as a dangerous precedent, considering it was one of the marquee games of the season. A confluence of ownership television fear and a slight kick in the ass from TNT seem the most likely scenario to me.
17
Niger, Please. Says:
November 30th, 2012 at 6:50 PM
Greg Popovich’s job is to lead the Spurs to a championship. David Stern’s job is to make the NBA a quality, entertaining product. They were both just doing their jobs. As a fan I want to see the best players play. I won’t pay to watch Hill and Splitter, I will pay to watch Parker and Duncan.
You people have an irrational hatred of David Stern.
18
MeandWillieMcGee Says:
November 30th, 2012 at 6:52 PM
This is about the marathon and the playoffs and the big picture and not about giving Shaq the opportunity to give Tony Parker a pointlessly stupid nickname.
False. This is a business.You can be 100% competition-focused when you don’t have to worry about money. If Pop had said he was planning this weeks ago, he doesn’t make the Heat, the league, etc. look stupid for marketing a game featuring the Spurs stars. Stern would have been annoyed regardless, but I think the last-second surprise is what brought this on. And rightfully so. Don’t make your business partners look like dummies.
19
Curtis the Close talker Says:
November 30th, 2012 at 6:54 PM
And Danny Green.
What I don’t get about this whole thing is why this guy needs a rest day. Before last year, the only time he got off the bench was to dance battle lebron.
20
VladimirCrouton Says:
November 30th, 2012 at 6:55 PM
You people have an irrational hatred of David Stern.
Him and the owners had a prime opportunity to fix the league last year and they FAILED. A Franchise Tag and no guaranteed contracts makes the NBA a million times better.
21
Eric T0upal aka BrawnyTom Says:
November 30th, 2012 at 6:56 PM
Greg Popovich’s job is to lead the Spurs to a championship. David Stern’s job is to make the NBA a quality, entertaining product. They were both just doing their jobs. As a fan I want to see the best players play. I won’t pay to watch Hill and Splitter, I will pay to watch Parker and Duncan.
Couple of things:
1) Hill plays for the Pacers
2) People in Miami buy tickets to see Lebron/Wade
3) If Stern cared about quality he would spread out the games more, not have a 4 road games in 5 nights schedule.
4) This is hardly the first time this has happened with any team. Check out the line ups in April for lottery teams every year since it has started.
22
knifeyspoony Says:
November 30th, 2012 at 6:58 PM
David Stern’s job is to make the NBA a quality, entertaining product.
last night’s game wasn’t decided til the final minute.
As a fan I want to see the best players play. I won’t pay to watch Hill and Splitter, I will pay to watch Parker and Duncan.
actually I’m guessing TNT and the fans paid to see LeBron and Wade. most people don’t give a shit about the Spurs, a consistently good team that super genius David Stern can’t seem to sell to people.
23
sctrojans Says:
November 30th, 2012 at 6:59 PM
Him and the owners had a prime opportunity to fix the league last year and they FAILED. A Franchise Tag and no guaranteed contracts makes the NBA a million times better.
There’s that pesky little issue called the player’s association
24
VladimirCrouton Says:
November 30th, 2012 at 7:00 PM
There’s that pesky little issue called the player’s association
Suck my dick.
signed
Gary Bettman
25
T.E. Says:
November 30th, 2012 at 7:01 PM
You people have an irrational hatred of David Stern.
It’s not irrational at all. He rules the league (in a shady way, I might add) with an iron fist and is a smug little asshole about it.
26
sctrojans Says:
November 30th, 2012 at 7:03 PM
most people don’t give a shit about the Spurs, a consistently good team that super genius David Stern can’t seem to sell to people.
The beauty of the Spurs goes over the head of casual NBA fans. Tough to educate them to such a degree. Many people who consider themselves close followers of the league fail to understand a great deal of it’s nuance.
27
A.P. Says:
November 30th, 2012 at 7:12 PM
if stern had his way, there wouldn’t be an NBA team in San Antonio
28
VladimirCrouton Says:
November 30th, 2012 at 7:17 PM
I’ve said this many times. I’m confident that Gary Bettman is a mole for the NBA. He should be tried for treason and executed.
29
knifeyspoony Says:
November 30th, 2012 at 7:18 PM
if stern had his way, there wouldn’t be an NBA team in San Antonio
you just know he was shitting bricks when they went up 2-0 on OKC last year.
30
Niger, Please. Says:
November 30th, 2012 at 7:22 PM
1) Hill plays for the Pacers
Woops, yeah Gary Neal. Same player basically.
Pop could have benched the players against the shitty Wizards in a game no one wanted to watch. Instead he did it for a nationally televised game against the defending Champs. The NBA is in the entertainment business, and David Stern is sending the message to coaches that the people will be entertained by Superstard, not scrubs.
The fine isn’t just about the one game, its purpose is to prevent other teams from pulling this stunt in the future. Read between the lines.
31
VladimirCrouton Says:
November 30th, 2012 at 7:23 PM
The fine isn’t just about the one game, its purpose is to prevent other teams from pulling this stunt in the future. Read between the lines.
Why does he not do anything about teams intentionally tanking then?
32
Eric T0upal aka BrawnyTom Says:
November 30th, 2012 at 7:30 PM
The fine isn’t just about the one game, its purpose is to prevent other teams from pulling this stunt in the future. Read between the lines.
Disagree. If he cared about the quality on TNT, he would decompress the schedule so coaches wouldn’t have to do this. This fine is all about Stern’s delicate ego getting offended and the resulting tantrum.
33
Stephen Douglas Says:
November 30th, 2012 at 7:37 PM
If Pop had said he was planning this weeks ago, he doesn’t make the Heat, the league, etc. look stupid for marketing a game featuring the Spurs stars.
Schedule is set almost year in advance.
34
ol' scrappy grinder Says:
November 30th, 2012 at 7:38 PM
Disagree. If he cared about the quality on TNT, he would decompress the schedule so coaches wouldn’t have to do this.
Have to? Pop could have put a couple of them in dress clothes, or played them less minutes. He didn’t HAVE to send them to Club Med.
35
jdeeser5 Says:
November 30th, 2012 at 7:46 PM
Pop is getting paid to coach and make these decisions. The owner had no problem. GM had no problem. Stern needs to be bent over and feel what spur is really like. Dickhead.
36
sctrojans Says:
November 30th, 2012 at 7:49 PM
if stern had his way, there wouldn’t be an NBA team in San Antonio
The NBA has been incredibly pro-small market. It really doesn’t make all that much sense for San Antonio to have a team.
37
sctrojans Says:
November 30th, 2012 at 7:51 PM
Disagree. If he cared about the quality on TNT, he would decompress the schedule so coaches wouldn’t have to do this.
Have to? Pop could have put a couple of them in dress clothes, or played them less minutes. He didn’t HAVE to send them to Club Med.
All rationale short of money, the only thing that matters, points to a 75ish game season.
38
sctrojans Says:
November 30th, 2012 at 7:55 PM
Why does he not do anything about teams intentionally tanking then?
I’d like to see this of course, but how could he? The crux of tanking is teams sitting players with exaggerated/fake injuries. This would incite a whinefest from the player’s association and coaches alike.
39
MeandWillieMcGee Says:
November 30th, 2012 at 7:56 PM
Schedule is set almost year in advance.
Not sure what that has to do with it. Teams and nets run promos, PR, etc. in weeks/days leading up to game. Makes them look stupid if it centers on great Spurs team, then Spurs pull the rug out the day of game.
40
resolutedefense Says:
November 30th, 2012 at 9:35 PM
All this really confirms is the NBA season is at least 10 games too long.
41
A.P. Says:
November 30th, 2012 at 10:37 PM
Stern is just grasping at straws. Last year, miami and boston played the last week of the season and the following players didnt play: LBJ, wade, bosh, garnett, pierce, rondo, allen. Thats just as big a joke/ripoff
42
Chief Says:
December 1st, 2012 at 12:11 AM
I’m curious how much pressure Stern was under from other owners to take this action.
Stern said there would be sanctions just hours after it was found out. I doubt owners from other teams had already heard about this, got upset, and put pressure on Stern in that short of time when they’re busy with their own teams.
43
Benjamin Franklin Rodriguez has the highest WAR evah! Says:
December 1st, 2012 at 12:20 AM
Stern looked like a dumbass when he released that statement before the game last night. Instead of backing away from his irrational statement he chose to hide behind the vague “best interest of the game” argument. As if Pop’s reasoning of best interest of his team wasn’t valid enough. He should have thought about the best interest of the game back in 97 when he suspended half of the Knicks squad over games 6-7, and decided the outcome of the series against the Heat.
44
Chief Says:
December 1st, 2012 at 12:39 AM
He should have thought about the best interest of the game back in 97 when he suspended half of the Knicks squad over games 6-7, and decided the outcome of the series against the Heat.
Nobody ever said Darrell isn’t one to hold a grudge.
45
Ty_Webb Says:
December 1st, 2012 at 12:42 AM
Stern looked like a dumbass when he released that statement before the game last night. Instead of backing away from his irrational statement he chose to hide behind the vague “best interest of the game” argument. As if Pop’s reasoning of best interest of his team wasn’t valid enough. He should have thought about the best interest of the game back in 97 when he suspended half of the Knicks squad over games 6-7, and decided the outcome of the series against the Heat.
~~Napoleon~~ Stern Complex
46
resolutedefense Says:
December 1st, 2012 at 12:46 AM
I was watching an old Law & Order from I think 2003 or 2004 earlier today and one of the lines was about how Knicks fans were still talking about the ’97 series against the Heat. But in all seriousness Stern is a joke.
47
RexCarlos Says:
December 1st, 2012 at 3:16 AM
4 games in 5 days. The teams are Toronto, Washington, Orlando and Miami. Guaranteed win, guaranteed win, guaranteed win, not a guarantee even with the starters. Miami also happened to be the final game. Move makes total sense, and the spurs are serially underappreciated from a casual fan’s perspective so who cares that the starters aren’t playing? All the spurs play fundamentally sound and is an awesome watch for anybody who wants to see an offense run extremely well with each player knowing his role.
48
Remember the Bibliomaine Says:
December 1st, 2012 at 8:41 AM
Stern ought to thank Popovich for playing his big 3 in those games in Toronto, Washington and Orlando. Those teams can’t draw flies to a game unless an A List team is in town. Miami gets a crowd with or without Duncan on the floor.
This was a TV issue. Someone give me the head to head ratings on the Thursday night Falcons-Saints vs Heat-Spurs.