David Stern - Chump, Coward, or Idiot? Pick one...

You have got to be kidding me...

Stern Aware, but did not act - "I just read this on ESPN.com:
There was speculation Thomas would be penalized for his comments to Anthony. Stern acknowledged hearing about it, but said he relied only on "definitive information" when handing out punishments."

What's with Stern letting the Knicks off easy? What more "definitive information" does he need than to see Isiah Thomas warn the Nuggets: "I wouldn't go near the basket... wouldn't be a good idea"? What is he waiting for that's more clear than a visible threat 91 seconds before that threat was carried out? Is Stern really that anti-player that he's not going to take out the kingpin who ordered the hard foul in the first place?

Of course, Thomas and the Knicks claim that "I wouldn't go near the basket" simply meant that Zeke would have shown some class if he were playing. But then why wouldn't it be a good idea, which is what he followed it up with? Was he concerned that the gods of good sportsmanship would race down and smite the Nuggets for their poor display? Of course not. This is simply more spin on the Knicks' part.

More Damning Evidence

Something I didn't mention in last night's initial post about the threat was that Thomas had Mardy Collins on the court again in a blowout, just one night after committing a late-game flagrant. If Zeke really didn't want Collins to become a hit-goon, then a) why did he not correct Collins' behavior or at least b) why did he put Collins in the same exact situation 24 hours later? If Thomas didn't explicitly instruct Collins and the Knicks to flagrantly foul any Nuggets player going to the paint (though it looks like he probably did), at least his instructions were implicit by not solving the situation that arose 24 hours earlier. And how come it took Mardy Collins less than 45 seconds after entering the game for the first time to commit the hard foul? Also, don't forget that just a few weeks ago, Thomas clearly yelled to his players to "break [Bruce Bowen's] feet. Sounds like a hit-goon to me. Boo.

Also, it appears that Zeke's excuse that the Nuggets had their starters on the floor doesn't seem very solid either. At the 2:01 mark, before Collins was put in the game, the Knicks had Stephon Marbury (starter, 33 minutes per game), Jared Jeffries (starter, 28 mpg), Channing Frye (starter, 23 mpg), David Lee (former starter, 27 mpg), and Nate Robinson (key role player, 20 mpg) on the court. That's not exactly emptying your bench, Zeke. So it doesn't seem as bad when the Nuggets had four starters on the court when the Knicks had three and two key role players.

Edit: Adding up the minutes per game of the players who were on the court at the 2:01 mark, the Knicks had a total of 132 mpg on the court, compared to the Nuggets' total of 156 mpg. When you consider that the Knicks have a significantly deeper bench, and therefore everyone sees less minutes, it looks even more like both teams were still competing.

Furthermore, are the Knicks going to do anything about hot-headed Nate Robinson? They've stood by for the last year as he's willing to attack just about anyone. Of course, Robinson will claim - and the Knicks will back him - that he was simply defending a teammate. Unfortunately, that doesn't fly as an explanation. If he was so gung-ho about defending his teammates, why has he physically attacked two of them in the past year - Malik Rose and Jerome James? The "team unity" explanation pales in comparison to the "tough guy looking for a fight" explanation. If the Knicks cared about Robinson as a person, then there will be an extended suspension until he seeks out professional to help him overcome his anger issues.

The further I step away from this incident and take the long view, it appears the Knicks as an organization hold more and more responsibility - especially Isiah Thomas, who's running the circus. If David Stern won't hold him accountable, and Jim Dolan won't hold him accountable, is he invincible? I mean, the players are taking their punishment. What's so special about Isiah Thomas?

So, is Stern a chump? Does Zeke Thomas have him buffaloed somehow, or perhaps Knicks owner Dolan?

Is Stern a coward? Is he afraid to take on Isiah Thomas?

Is David Stern an idiot? Has he no idea what precedent he has set?

Witnesses on the scene, with verification from the MSG Network clip, attested that Thomas warned Carmelo Anthony about repercussions should he go to the hole. Mardy Collins had, just about 24 hours earlier, committed a flagrant foul against a Pacer late in a game the Pacers were winning easily and here was Collins, late of thug-factory Temple, in the game again...is there any doubt what took place? Thomas wanted to hurt a Nugget player and his bonus was seeing the top two Nuggets scorers get suspended. In the ultra-competitive West this could cost the Nuggets a playoff berth.

Now coaches know how to get a competitive advantage. Find a player on your roster with inferior talent and scruples and sic him on a rival's top player. If all goes well, the rival will have one of his best guys suspended and all you lose is the end-of-the-bench guy. Heck, with David Stern in charge, one of your thugs might get less time than the poor guy that gets attacked in the first place... witness that Mardy Collins is only suspended for six games while the guy he attacked, J R Smith, gets ten!!!!!!

If Jim Dolan has any scruples and common sense, he will now fire Zeke Thomas for cause and no self-respecting organization will ever hire the punk again. New Yorkers are too smart to be fooled, as you can see here.

Now that David Stern has demonstrated his lack of leadership and wisdom (and in spades!), will Jim Dolan do the right thing and throw Zeke Thomas out on his butt? The world of NBA fans is watching and waiting...and we are NOT happy!