David Stern-Jim Rome radio clash

• jhay78

  

  Funny stuff. Stern and Rome have gone back and forth before, but not like this. Curious if anyone heard it live:
  
  http://www.cbssports.com/nba/blog/eye-on-basketball/19346143/david-stern-lashes-out-in-regards-to-lottery-questions-from-jim-rome
  

  From the interview:
  
  Rome: "...was the fix in for the lottery?"
  
  Stern: "No, and a statement: shame on you for asking."
  
  Rome: "I understand why you would say that to me. I think it's my job to ask because I think people wonder."
  
  Stern: "No, it's ridiculous. But that's OK."
  
  Rome: "I know you think it's ridiculous, but I don't think the question's ridiculous, because I know people who think that. I'm not saying that I do, but I think it's my job to ask you that."
  
  Stern: "Have you stopped beating your wife yet?"
  
  Rome: "I don't know if that's fair.
  
  Stern: "Why is that?"
  
  Rome: "Because I know you read your emails and you probably follow on Twitter, and people really do think it, whether it's fair or not. You don't think it's fair to ask if your fans think it?"
  
  The Commissioner then answered with a hypothetical question about it from media and how the NBA has representatives from every team involved in attendance to assure that no funny business goes on.
  
  Rome: "I don't think [it's rigged], but the one thing I would say is that the league does own the team. Does that not make the question fair?"
  
  Stern: "I don't think so, we've sold it. We're going to close the deal this week. We set our price. I think if it had gone to Michael Jordan people would say 'Oh, David's taking care of his friend Michael,' and if it had gone to Brooklyn which is going into Barclay Center, it would be fair to speculate that we want to take Brooklyn off of the mat, so there was no winning. And people write about it, and it's OK to write about it, and we sort of expect it. But that's not a question that I've been asked before by a respectable journalist. "
  
  Funny story, CBS Sports' Ian Eage asked Stern about the lottery being rigged just this week. But Stern continued assaulting the question, then bringing up Rome's motives for the question.
  
  Stern: "It's good copy and sometimes you do things for cheap thrills."
  
  Rome: "No, not at all. That's my point, that's our point of disconnect. That was not for a cheap thrill and I wasn't throwing anything against the wall, and I was trying to be as respectful as possible. I'm just saying that people wonder about that. I don't want to say "Hey, Commissioner, people would say.." because I'm going to ask a direct question, but people wonder. But that was not a cheap thrill."
  
  Stern: "It was a cheap trick."
  
  Rome: "Flopping is a cheap trick."
  
  The interview kind of broke down from there with Rome running out of time.
  
  This is not going away. At some point the PR hit the league takes for the lottery may outweigh its value in maintaining competitive balance. One thing is certain, if Stern wanted the issue to go away, he's done the exact opposite with his responses to it.

• sleeper

  

  Lottery is absolutely rigged.
• Rotinaj

  

  Lol I wanted to read more about stern asking about the wife beating.
• wes_mantooth

  

  the audio is on deadspin...
  
  stern is the biggest dbag in sports.
  
  http://deadspin.com/5918141/david-stern-asked-jim-rome-have-you-stopped-beating-your-wife-yet-as-todays-interview-turned-ugly
• Ironman92

  

  sleeper;1198918 wrote:Lottery is absolutely rigged.

  
  Link
• Ironman92

  

  wes_mantooth;1198923 wrote:the audio is on deadspin...
  
  stern is the biggest dbag in sports.
  
  http://deadspin.com/5918141/david-stern-asked-jim-rome-have-you-stopped-beating-your-wife-yet-as-todays-interview-turned-ugly

  
  #2 Art Modell
  #3 LeBron
  #4 Big Ben
• chicago510

  

  If this is me and my buddy its a fair, funny argument. But he's the commissioner of the NBA! He can't bring that shit up. The fact that people question the integrity of the NBA means its fair game for Rome.
• KR1245

  

  Yeah, Rome didnt do anything wrong
  
  There are plenty of people that think the NBA lottery is rigged, this cant be news to Stern. If he doesnt want people asking the question, end the doubt and broadcast the drawing of the balls live
• Wildcat24

  

  Rome: "Making a career of it? Making a career of what? What? Cheap thrills?"
  Stern: "Now you're getting mad. You're taking on the world and now Jim Rome is pouting."
  Rome: "I'm not pouting, I'm taking offense."
  Stern: "You want to hang up on me?"
  Rome: "No, I'm seriously running out of time."
  Stern: "Listen, I gotta go call somebody important like Stephen A. Smith back. He's next."
  Rome: "OK, you go make that call and I'll go talk to somebody else too I guess. Have a nice day. I did not hang up on him, we are officially out of time."

  
  
  LOL
• Rotinaj

  

  Stern is an asshat.
• ts1227

  

  Rotinaj;1199007 wrote:Stern is an asshat.

  
  Rome is King Asshat
• Sonofanump

  The NBA is so low on my list of sports to watch, this is so much more entertaining.
• Laley23

  

  I love it. Stern got way to defensive about that.
• Midstate01

  

  Did he really ask rome if he beats his wife?
• bases_loaded

  

  Did Rome beat his wife? Or was stern calling his wife a dead horse?
  
  
  Nevermind, found it
  
  http://www.waitingfornextyear.com/2012/06/david-stern-to-jim-rome-do-you-still-beat-your-wife/
• sleeper

  

  Stern and Rome are both idiots.
• wghfan

  Remember this from Jim Rome. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=9HNgqQVHI_8
• ricola

  

  Never been much of a fan of Rome and the jungle--tho I do listen occasionally because there's not much else on at that time that i can get---but Stern is way out of line here. In his time he was a good commish, but that time has long gone, and he has become as big a narcissist and egomaniac as lebron himself (and a number of his other NBA cronies as well.) It's (way past) time for him and the NBA to part ways.
• like_that

  

  Ironman92;1198929 wrote:#2 Art Modell
  #3 LeBron
  #4 Big Ben

  
  Those guys are scumbag pos, a much more elite list than being douche bags.
• Fab4Runner

  

  I don't think most people understand the whole "loaded question" thing.
• wes_mantooth

  

  Fab4Runner;1199395 wrote:I don't think most people understand the whole "loaded question" thing.

  it is pretty simple, but people are idiots.
• Commander of Awesome

  

  I read about this story yesterday and lol'd. Not sure who sucks more, Selig or Stern.
• like_that

  

  Commander of Awesome;1199408 wrote:I read about this story yesterday and lol'd. Not sure who sucks more, Selig or Stern.

  Selig.
• Pick6

  

  Stern is an unprofessional douche. Nothing wrong with Rome asking that question.