As the NBA took a break this past weekend, it seems like the perfect time to take a look at what’s happening with the league. David Stern has been the commissioner since 1984, a reign that was not short on controversy or lockouts – 4 of them in total. He has also announced that he will be retiring in February of 2014, marking the end of a polarizing career. There have been several incidents over the past year or so that have really made me question Mr. Stern’s intentions and if he truly cares about what is best for the league. Unfortunately, many signs over his tenure don’t point in support of him and actually paint a bleak picture of the man who helped build the brand of the NBA. For the good he’s done, he’s also had a gross abuse of power in the process. This isn’t just a blanket statement; there are plenty of examples to do the talking for me…

The first instance goes back to 1985. It has long been believed by conspiracy theorists that David Stern fixed the 1985 NBA draft lottery so the Knicks would end up with the first pick and Patrick Ewing. In the days before modern technology, all team envelopes were put into a drum and drawn out for the order. There is video from that day which shows one envelope being banged as it goes in to crease a corner while all others go in cleaning. Then, Stern grabs a handful of envelopes and drops all of them back into the drum – except the one with the creased corner, which goes in the #1 draft spot. This sure seems like more than just an ironic coincidence!

Despite the success of players like LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett and Dwight Howard, Stern decided to enforce an Age Requirement for the NBA. In 2005, a rule was put in place so players could no longer go directly from high school to the NBA. All draft-eligible players now had to be at least 19 years old and one year removed from high school. While this might sound good for improved fundamentals at the NBA level and loyal college prospects who stayed with their university teams, the reality has been much different. As a fan of college basketball, I despise this rule. It has created the “one and done” era where kids literally only play in college because they have to and jump ship right away. The torn ACL of Nerlens Noel last week, who was projected as the lock for the 1st overall pick, reinvigorates the debate about this requirement.

In October of 2005, David Stern decided that he wanted the public appearance of the NBA to look more like him and less like Allen Iverson and implemented a Dress Code. It effectively forced his hip-hop loving players to dress outside their comfort zone and be more appealing to mainstream America. Gone were the days of throwback jerseys, sneakers, jeans, shorts, cutoff shirts, hats, large jewelry, and headphones. In were suits and sport coats, plus the latest trends of wearing crazy jackets and fake glasses. Apparently, it’s better to look like clowns than just getting to express themselves and their roots.

When Howard Schultz sold the Seattle Sonics in 2007 to an investment group headed by Clay Bennett, who happened to be good friends with David Stern, the league and Mr. Bennett promised that keeping the team in Seattle was a priority. As soon as the purchase was complete, the team was moved to Oklahoma City, and information since then shows that there were never any intentions of keeping the team in Seattle. Financially this doesn’t make sense given the size difference in the two markets. Even more interesting, when Schultz tried to file a lawsuit to keep the Sonics in place, Stern helped the NBA intervene and let the move take place. I highly recommend watching the film “Sonicsgate” for an in-depth account of what took place. Now, as the Sacramento Kings are being sold to a Seattle-based group, Stern is discussing the option of the team staying in Northern California – just salt in the wounds of the lowly Sonics fans.

While the league was locked out in late 2011, David Stern decided to Veto a Trade for Chris Paul. At the time, Paul was with the league-owned Hornets and the proposed trade was a 3-way deal that would send him to play for the LA Lakers. This was allegedly for the best interests of the league and in an effort to have a competitive balance. Just a week later, a trade was approved to send him to the LA Clippers. Ultimately, the latter trade still didn’t help with competitive balance – it just sent another star to Los Angeles and made the leagues ownership of the Hornets a joke.

The 2011 NBA Lockout was long and ugly. There were many stones thrown by both sides and anyone who spoke out against the commissioner was promptly fined. Still, the season began on Christmas and they found a way to squeeze 66 games into a four month time span – including 42 separate sets of back to back to back games. Injuries were up, including a torn ACL for All-Star Derrick Rose, and many speculate that the condensed schedule was the cause of so many players going down as the season wore on. So, why would you risk the health of your “employees” – it’s all about Benjamins here and Stern knew the best way to get them was to cram in as many games in possible to maximize revenue.

Finally, in November of 2012, the San Antonio Spurs sent Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Danny Green home for a nationally televised game vs. the Heat. They were all battling injuries and coach Gregg Popovich decided that they wouldn’t be playing and needed the rest. This was the final game of a 6 game road trip (and 4th game in 5 nights) and they are an aging team. The response from the NBA? Stern decided to Fine the Spurs $250,000 for doing a disservice to the league and fans (for the record, the Heat only won by 5 points in that game). When asked about it later, the commish said that “a number of teams thought it should be at the sole discretion of the team, the coach, the general manager, and I think it’s fair to say I agree with that, unless that discretion is abused.” To me, the only abuse that took place here was by the commissioner by choosing to fine them while this happens on many occasions and punishment isn’t even discussed.

As David Stern is in the final year of his reign, many success stories will be told. Before you get lost in the pomp and circumstance, also remember that he’s spent the bulk of those years on a power trip and those who’ve succeeded have stayed out of his path!