HOOPSWORLD | Basketball News & NBA Rumors

NBA Commissioner David Stern addressed the media on Wednesday evening in New Orleans and touched on a number of topics including the Hornets’ potential name change, Kobe Bryant’s pursuit of 30,000 points and the $250,000 fine against the San Antonio Spurs for resting their stars.

Being in New Orleans, the Hornets’ decision to change their team name to the Pelicans was something that Stern discussed early and often. Tom Benson, who was awarded the franchise in April, owned a minor league baseball team named the Pelicans and he has retained ownership of the trademarks. However, there was some question over whether the NBA would allow the name change, especially since the Pelicans nickname generated a negative reaction from media and fans when the news leaked.

While Benson and the franchise will still have to undergo a lengthy approval process to make the name change official, Stern made it clear that he has no problem with the Hornets becoming the Pelicans.

“If it works for them, it works for me,” Stern said. “I don’t have any objections to anything that the Hornets want to do name-wise because I’m sure it’ll be sensible. … I’m sure whatever it is, it’ll be good. If [Pelicans] is what it is, that’s fine. … I think everything sounds good. I think Lakers, have you seen any lakes in Los Angeles? There’s the same amount of lakes in L.A. as there is jazz in Utah, or grizzlies in Memphis. I’m out of that business. Whatever works for a team works for me.”

“Everyone seems to know about this thing other than me,” Stern added with a smile. “My guess is that there’s going to be some sort of formal application in the next couple of months and we’ll see where it goes from there. … There are lots of things that have to be filed. In fact, I do know that the Hornets filed to protect five names, trademark protection. They have to apply to us, they have to pay certain fees, there’s a timing schedule, but I think the Hornets may have a friend in the league office that may help expedite the process when they decide on a name. I don’t remember his name, but I’m pretty sure it’ll happen faster than those big old meanies at the NBA say it’ll happen.”

Stern and the NBA owned the Hornets up until Benson purchased the team. After checking in with the franchise this week, he’s pleased with the progress that the organization has made in recent months.

“I visited with the Hornets’ entire staff today, along with ownership, and we’re very pleased on behalf of the NBA to see what they’re doing out there,” Stern said. “At the Saints’ practice facility, they’re building a headquarters to house the Hornets’ staff, they’re building a new practice facility for the Hornets and they’re using both organizations to help the other. We couldn’t be happier.

“They’re a young team and obviously two of their youngest and best players are injured as we speak, but they’ve got lots of cap room, they’ve got their draft picks, they have a stable situation with Dell [Demps’] extension and they have one of the best young coaches in the league, who guarantees you, Monty [Williams] does, that his team is going to come out and compete every single night. That’s the statement that they’re making to the city and I think it’s great.”

Stern also said he wouldn’t mind if the Charlotte Bobcats once again became the Charlotte Hornets.

“I’m very differential to teams, as you know,” Stern said. “If Charlotte wanted to ultimately change their name back to the Hornets that would be okay with me.”

Stern witnessed history tonight in New Orleans, even though he didn’t plan his trip to coincide with Kobe Bryant’s pursuit of 30,000 points. Bryant became  just the fifth player in NBA history to score 30,000 career points, joining Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan and Karl Malone. Bryant needed just 13 points against the Hornets to become the youngest player to surpass 30,000 points. Stern praised Bryant and labeled him one of the greatest players in NBA history.

“You think he’s going to score 13 points?” Stern joked. “I want to shake his hand. I think Kobe is, as a talent and a competitor, up there on the pedestal with Michael Jordan. He’s one of the greatest.”

“Kobe had an extraordinary run, playing at the highest level for so long, with the championships to prove it,” Stern later added. “In a league that is extremely competitive, Kobe and the Lakers have been an important part of the league and I wish them well, for this season and beyond.”

Stern was also asked about the Lakers’ cable deal, which is reportedly worth $3 billion over 20 years.

“It’s one component of the Lakers’ income that gets accounted for when they make a payment into the revenue sharing pool, so there’s more money to be shared,” Stern said. “The combination of that and the tax tend to act as something of a brake on team spending.”

Stern also used the press conference to defend the controversial $250,000 fine against the San Antonio Spurs for resting Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker and Danny Green during a nationally televised game against the Miami HEAT.

“Well, at the April 2010 meeting on the agenda was the subject of teams resting otherwise healthy players at the end of the season,” Stern explained. “There were many views expressed, I sort of took it as that and I said it, although in the first instance that’s for the team to decide, or coach to decide, obviously under the power that I have to deal with conduct detrimental to the league I retain the right to deal with that. The owners understood that and remembered that.

“In the case of San Antonio, they didn’t just come to town and rest healthy players, they sent a 26-year-old and 30-year-old plus Manu and Timmy home virtually under the cover of darkness or light of day, however you do it, without notifying as our rules require for injury and illness. Maybe it’s my mistake not to think injury and illness when you’re secreting someone away should also include deciding to move them out. So in all other circumstances, I thought if we didn’t do something this time there would never be a reason to do it. Only visit to Miami, practically the first month of the season, notifying nobody and sending home young and healthy players, it merited rebut and I did it. And this was a team decision. This is not me and Pop. Pop is a great coach, Hall of Fame coach. This decision was made by the entire senior management and ownership of the San Antonio Spurs and I felt that they were doing what they perceived was their job and I was doing what I perceived as my job and that’s what happens.”

If the Spurs had notified Stern, would they have been fined?

“The beauty of that is I don’t know,” Stern said. “It depends. I said it’s the totality of the circumstances. I would suggest to you if we had been notified it wouldn’t have happened. So maybe from their perspective they did the right thing, but not from mine.”

Stern was also asked how small-market teams could compete in today’s NBA.

“I don’t have any concerns about small markets under the new CBA,” Stern said. “I think when the tax penalties come in next year, where teams that pay an extra $30 million, for example, might have to pay another $84 million in taxes, lose their right to the mid-level exception, lose their right to sign-and-trade, you will see a substantially modified behavior. Actually, we began to see it this year when Chicago, a ‘large market,’ passed on matching Omer Asik because they don’t want to deal with the $45-million-dollar impact in taxes in the third year. Then New York declined to match Houston’s offer to Jeremy Lin, and Oklahoma City decided to trade James Harden rather than deal with the tax consequences of a max contract, so we’re seeing early green shoots and it’s going to get more profound. I think, together with revenue sharing, it’s going to allow low-grossing teams to compete with high-grossing teams. New Orleans is going to be a profitable team, and the ultimate irony is that you would call it a small market because it’s one of our smallest markets, but they’re going to contribute to revenue sharing.”

This is one of the final press conferences that Stern will hold. After all, he has just 14 months left before he retires and Adam Silver becomes the next commissioner of the NBA. What does Stern plan to do once Silver takes over?

“The league is in great shape, I have presented to the owners a successor who will have been with the league for 22 years and knows more about many subjects that I do, and the game will continue to grow on a global basis. It’s been a great run.”

“I’m going to enjoy the next 14 months,” Stern said, “and then wait until I start my blog.”