How many games do you figure David Stern threatened to suspend Stan Van Gundy should he dare again to publicly joust with the commissioner regarding referees’ alleged mistreatment and failure to protect Dwight Howard, or any other taboo (see below) subject?
I’m guessing plenty, without pay, plus a $1 million fine of the Magic if owner Rich DeVos can’t control his crotchety coach.
We’ll see soon enough if that gag rule also applies to Jeff Van Gundy and whether ABC/ESPN will be held in contempt should he choose to defend his older brother, free speech and coaches’ rights to wear uncolored shirts.
As for me, I’m all for drowning out millionaire noisemakers like Stan Van Gundy, whose tactic is so transparent in this case, I expect Charles Barkley and Stephen A. Smith even caught on.
Then again, not a chance!
Van Gundy’s see-through strategy was to make amends with his team’s centerfold, whom he recently insinuated was dumber than a stump for not knowing an intentional, late-game foul rule . . . as if Howard is going to look to save his job or that of general manager Otis Smith, should Orlando be prematurely eliminated from the playoffs.
Late last week, Van Gundy informed/confirmed he has been ordered not to make any additional comments on this hot topic or any other matters pertaining to league policy. Already he’s sounding smarter. But I’ll be shocked if he puts up with being forbidden to act the fluent fool too much longer.
Nothing seems to turn on Van Gundy more than negative attention. If there’s none out there to pursue and feast on, then he’ll simply stir some up. So, if his hogtied-tongue isn’t freed soon, don’t be surprised if he refuses to take another dirty dollar from DeVos, quits Stern’s suppressed fraternity and gets his own talk show . . . or takes a seat at the rotund table alongside Sir Charles.
If Van Gundy weren’t such a perpetual — and pedigreed — whiner, I’d be tempted to pretend to praise him for sucking up to his meal ticket.
Problem is, there’s nothing the guy won’t moan about, legit or laughable. Remember this one? “I actually feel sorry for people who have nothing to do on Christmas Day other than watch an NBA game.”
As for the leader of the league, you’d think with all the unsolved management-labor issues, Stern would be a bit more inclined to focus on staying open for business past July 1 rather than shutting Van Gundy’s trap . . . if it weren’t for Van Gundy’s cockamamie comparison of Stern to odious world leaders.
Admittedly, I love lobbing low blows as much as the next mouse-keteer. Nevertheless, crassly placing Stern in the same sewing circle as deposed dictators and those currently crushing rebellions is just plain pathetic.
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Considering there was so much dead weight to sift through before last night’s copy deadline, invariably, many a deserving guilty party is going to get snubbed. Since we can’t go wrong by patronizing the local businesses, let’s start with Sunday night’s repulsive regurgitation presented by the Knicks.
After Camp Cablevision boss James Dolan hit up long-suffering schnooks for an average 49 percent price hike beginning next season, his team went out and gave an effort far below that amount against the skidding Pacers, minus leading scorer Danny Granger.
Indiana, the NBA’s third-worst shooting outfit, showed up at the Garden a loser in six straight (10 of 13) and banged the scoreboard loudly for 57 percent in cruising to a 106-93 victory.
This is what happens when the Knicks are disinterested on defense and it’s happening more and more — an explicit indictment on Mike D’Antoni‘s slipshod approach to security and to hold both stars and fringe players answerable.
No play exemplified the team’s casual attitude and lack of accountability more than Tyler Hansbrough‘s uncontested dunk with 1:45 showing on the game clock. The Knicks had closed to within 11 moments before on a conventional 3-point play by Carmelo Anthony when the Pacers’ powerful, fleet forward took the ball from the top of the key to paydirt without being breathed on, much less touched.
Neither Amar’e Stoudemire nor Shawne Williams made a false move toward Hansbrough, who had a game-high 29 points and eight rebounds. Amar’e pointed at Shawne, as if it were his fault, and Williams waved him off. They continued to debate liability all the way up court and at the other end.
Insulting our intelligence, the Knicks announcer, making no mention of the on-going verbal friction, remarked, “Amar’e probably didn’t want to pick up his fifth foul.”
Fifth foul? The game was almost over! The Pacers led 101-88 with 105 seconds to go.
This is what happens also when Chauncey Billups and Toney Douglas expend 15 rounds from long range and 14 of ’em are blanks. As a team, the Knicks were 7-30.
Column contributor Heywood Gould contends real coaches take great players to The Finals. He can think of just one mediocre coach (whose name I refuse to mention because it’s not so) who ever won a championship. “That is why the Knicks will never win with D’Antoni. His teams go as far as coach-less talent takes them. Then they stop dead.”
I couldn’t disagree more. I can’t believe Gould or anyone else thinks it’s easy to coach a nightly 3-point shooting contest.