Cuban and Miami’s Micky Arison were among five owners who voted against the labor deal. Stern said “it doesn’t send any signal whatsoever’’ that the two owners in the most recent finals were against the agreement.
Stern said Arison only objected to the revenue sharing. He also pointed out that Cuban was part of the labor relations committee and the planning committee.
“(Cuban) might not have been enamored with the final outcome because it takes away the advantage that overspending can give you,’’ Stern said.
Stern also said he could have done a better job of explaining his reasons for blocking a proposed trade of Chris Paul from the league-owned Hornets to the Lakers, only to later agree to a deal that sent Paul to the Clippers. He said that “lost in the frenzy’’ over his action was the fact he quashed the deal in his role as the owners’ representative looking out for the best interests of the Hornets — not as the commissioner looking out for the best interests of the league as a whole.
“Our view was that the best thing was for New Orleans to be a young team,’’ he said.
Stern blamed himself for not clarifying that sooner.
“I don’t think it affected the integrity of the league,’’ he said. “I do think I could have done a better communications job. … It’s a job that, as the owners’ representative, I was stuck with. But I think that it was better to have me do it than a group of owners do it because I have the singular focus of doing what’s best.’’
The booing Mavs fans may not have realized they had Stern to thank for getting Lamar Odom to Dallas. Odom was supposed to have been in the Lakers-Hornets deal; when he wasn’t, he was so upset that the club didn’t want him that he asked to be traded.
After the Dallas-Miami game, Stern went to Oklahoma City for the opener between the Thunder and Orlando. Magic star Dwight Howard is trying to force his way to the team of his preference, just like Paul did. Asked if that was bad for the league, Stern said it’s always happened, using Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain as examples.
