Will David Stern be the Doom of the League?

In an effort to give NBA fans "what we want", NBA commissioner David Stern is tightening up the referees' calling of the game, especially in their distribution of technical fouls. First, it was two technical fouls result in an automatic ejection. That was a reasonable implementation. 16 technical fouls in total result in a one-game suspension and every technical foul after that results in another suspension without pay. Some argue that this went a bit overboard, but I think that this punishment is well-warranted to keep some of the more emotional players like Rasheed Wallace and Kevin Garnett in their place. But now, the commissioner has introduced to this new NBA season that any reaction towards a referee's call is subject to a technical foul. And when I say reaction, I don't mean an overreaction, I really mean any kind of reaction - staring, talking, looking away, looking confused, walking away, etc. And this preseason has been the league's test of Stern's new rule. It's been awful to say the least.

I could pile this post with a number of YouTube videos from absurd technical fouls given to Jermaine O'Neal, Grant Hill, and Kevin Garnett. But I think one of the most ridiculous ones comes from a recent Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors exhibition game. Take a look at what warrants a technical foul in our league now:

Stern justifies his new rule by saying he's aiding the desires of the fans, assuming we want faster and more controlled games. Not only is this wrong, but this just shows how detached Stern is from the players and fans that make up the NBA. As a fan, I don't necessarily enjoy it when players argue with a referee's decision, but I understand why players do it. The game gets intense and frustrating, and some players let their emotions run amuck at times (check 3:00 mark). But I will certainly begin to have some problems with Stern's new rule if the Kobe Bryants, LeBron James's, and Dwayne Wades (who happen to be the more emotional ones because as the star, you tend to be more invested in the game) get ejected or suspended for racking up inexcusable technical fouls. And I'm sure I'm not alone - Adrian Wojnarowski, of Yahoo! Sports, writes that "on a list of 100 desires of the NBA fan, enacting this edict probably falls somewhere in the top 150."

But I wonder if Stern is having this rule implemented just for the preseason, where games don't matter as much. Is he just setting a precedent for this upcoming NBA season that is in for many emotional games that will produce many Rasheed Wallace-like moments? Imagine when the ultra-physical Eastern Conference champion, Boston Celtics face a new-look Miami Heat that has come into championship contention since this offseason. It's going to be a bloodbath, and players will be T'd up. But what happens when emotional players like LeBron James, Kevin Garnett, and Rajon Rondo begin to get ejected because of these new stringent rules?

Will the rules get more lax as the season progresses, but this preseason is just setting the bar high so players learn early to tone down the arguing, the overreacting, etc.? If it is, Stern just may be a genius because according to Lakers coach Phil Jackson, who's been in the league longer than anyone can remember, players learn and will adjust. I'm not sure what Stern's motives are. I'm not sure if he thought all of this through, but if games continue to be called like how these preseason games are being called, the NBA will lose fans and money, during a time when the league desperately cannot. The 2011-2012 season is not guaranteed, and if the league starts losing money now, a lockout is dangerously close, as the league and its players will be fighting harder than ever for a larger portion of the league's revenue.

David Stern, it's very risky to make such a radical change at such a sensitive point in the league's history. He better to learn to adjust if his new rules don't follow through as planned.


- Leather Head