San Francisco – NBA Commissioner Adam Silver sees everyone and hears everyone: the praise where his game is or, above all, the constant criticism that is subject to the NBA almost every day.
The infinite 3-point discussion, which sometimes interfered.
The money element, the financial decisions that have played a major role in shops with Luka Dončić, Anthony Davis and Karl-Anthony Towns and the patient situation with Jimmy Butler and Miami Heat.
The office, the challenges with one million camera okes and one million further opinions on social media and in NBA cover rooms.
And he even contributed to this in a way and jokingly thrown petrol in the discourse by he deserved a decent amount of criticism instead of the usual 12 suggestion.
“I honestly try to read everything and we try to record it in the league office,” said Silver during his annual press conference at the All-Star weekend in the Chase Center. “I think the condition of the game is excellent. I think it is the role of the media, the role of fans, it is perfectly appropriate to make the game critical and I find it very helpful. I am not to the people who said I don’t read criticism. “
Perhaps one could say that Silver has too much pulse about what is said and is reactionary, but that’s better than sitting in the ivory tower, the omniscient being who does not hear anyone. It is a fine line that he has to run to be a caretaker and at the same time try to get ahead in a constantly changing sports landscape.
Silver has started to change his melody on the 3 pointer after leaning into the numbers and analysis of the shot for so many years. This season, the teams take two more 3-pointers per game than last, and although this is not a Herculic growth, it is probably still too much if you take the trend into account in the last decade.
“I also learned that I have been around this game for a long time and have not overreacted,” said Silver. “I think here – I think it’s a nice game. I think 25 years ago was the last time we were for an all-star game in the Bay Area. The state of the game when many people said it was too physical, we were too dependent on the dark that the players were not adequately sent as they said at the time. “
That is true, but it is important that part of the criticism was a little overboard, and the then commissioner David Stern would only take the gallows so much. But Silver is not strict, and mostly that worked for him.
It feels a bit squeamish when he talks about shooting is a prerequisite for a 7-footer if this was traditionally not the case and it probably shouldn’t. In this way, the game “skills” has transformed into a very close definition, and silver must make sure that they do not eliminate the beauty elements that have nothing to do with 3-point shooting.
Many players colored the texture of this league and did not have to fit into this very rigid telephone booth. Sometimes they want silver to plant a participation in the ground and say: “I don’t decide, this is our standard and everyone will deal with.”
But it is far more democratic and in view of the large part of players and owners with whom he deals with, it is a quality quality that is supple during this time.
“As you know, we have a competition committee,” said Silver. “It is something we are talking about all the time. And if there is a way to improve the game, believe me that we will be over it everywhere. “
Last season, when the gate had come out of control, the league made changes to the circumference and applauded more physicality and almost everyone – at least publicly.
He didn’t give his hand too far on the scale, but might have been able to do more. It shows that he has an enormous influence when he exercises it – and maybe he should accept it more.
Silver spoke about an interview warning coach Steve Kerr with the legendary broadcaster Bob Costas, and Costas asked Kerr about the 3-point influence. It was Kerr’s goal in a professional career on the floor and a catalyst in Kerr became a dynastic coach with the Warriors.
“His reaction was: ‘I think that there is too much 3-point shooting? Maybe yes, ”said Silver. “Do I think the condition of the game is great? Also yes. ‘Is there a solution that improve the game and possibly reduce the amount of 3-point shooting? There was no one he had to suggest. “
This is the only thing you can always say about silver, and sometimes it is his disadvantage: he is ready to try. Apart from the results, he is not so married to anything. More eyeballs, more spectators observe on every platform on which the eyes are going.
“I like the challenge, frankly, because I think for the league and together with our partners we have to improve our game at the same time,” said Silver.
This is an admission that you rarely hear from someone in power. Forces that should be should be oracle of wisdom that do not admit or even recognize humanity when a league is currently neglected.
“Many great ideas came from outside of this league,” said Silver. “Even some of the things we have done recently in recent years. Things like a game tournament, things like the in-season tournament that became known as an NBA Cup.
“I can’t say that the original ideas were. These were things, whether we saw other leagues, the media talked about it. So we have made many improvements over the years. “
The all-star game on Sunday is proof of its flexibility. Switch the format again to three separate teams, which were collected by the TNT analysts Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith to play up to 40 against the rising stars.
Perhaps there is wisdom to know which battles he cannot win so that he does not take care of fighting them. He cannot force the young stars -yes Morant, Anthony Edwards or Zion Williamson -to enter the Slam Dunk competition. Silver tries to work with these things on the edges and enables Mac McCung – a career -G -Leaguer to shine up to this point – in recent years on Saturday evening.
In San Francisco’s Chase Center, a spacious facility that shows the opulence that one would expect from Silicon Valley icons, the Saturday evening seemed to be missing a soul in the crowd, somewhat lively, youthful energy.
In the meantime, the Oakland Arena used to be full of it – young people who were in love with the game against the background of an no longer existing building in an abandoned parking space – with some fans who were released or left in the revolution.
But they exist, and Silver has the task of finding out how best evolution, ambition and its own sensitivity combines because he really loves the game.
In all of his own rhetoric, he lost a challenge – his TV partners and media, the players and, above all, himself.
(Tagstotranslate) Adam Silver (T) NBA (T) Jimmy Butler (T) San Francisco (T) Anthony Davis (T) The game
