Sportsfrog.com

David Stern, reacting to the news that pretty much every NBA ref broke league rules with regard to gambling:

“Our ban on gambling is absolute, and in my view it is too absolute, too harsh and was not particularly well-enforced over the years,” Stern said. “We’re going to come up with a new set of rules that make sense.”

“It’s too easy to issue rules that are on their faith violated by $5 Nassau, sitting at a poker table, buying a lottery ticket and then we can move along,” Stern said. “And by the time I got through and I determined going into a casino isn’t a capital offense … I’m the CEO of the NBA and I’ll take responsibility.”

Well gee, David, I happen to agree that going into a casino isn’t a capital offense. But, good lord man, it was the RULE. And, I believe I am remembering right, it was your smug ego-driven asshole self who just last April attempted to give some sort of lesson to America about how a rule is a rule is a rule is a rule.

Or am I mis-remembering your words and actions as you suspended Amare Stoudemire for a critical playoff game against San Antonio? Oh, wait, I’m not:

“Our players have to learn that they can’t leave the bench and move 20 feet down the line, wherever it is, and be subject to all of the possible things that can happen,” Stern said Wednesday. “That’s why it’s a red-letter rule.”

Gosh, weren’t the draconian rules with regard to gambling in place with respect to NBA refs to keep them from “all of the possible things that can happen”? Tim Donaghy say hi. Guess some rules are not “red-letter”. David Stern. What a fuckin’ tool.

Too bad, Phoenix fans, that Stern couldn’t use the same common sense he was able to locate with respect to NBA refs and gambling when it came to figuring out an appropriate response to the Suns/Spurs shenanigans last spring.

Oh, wait, one more quote from Stern last spring:

“To listen to the palaver that Robert Horry changed the series is just silly,” Stern said. “What changed the series is Amare and Boris ran out onto the court and they either forgot about it or they couldn’t control themselves. I don’t know which one. And there wasn’t an assistant coach there, one of six, to restrain them. OK, so now either we have to have new rules, put up a fence, or hire more assistant coaches.”

Wow. New rules? You can do that? Oh, wait, apparently you can. Really, an uber-tool.