SVG: David Stern Oppresses Freedom of Speech


by Marcel Mutoni@marcel_mutoni

In his never-ending quest to defend Dwight Howard from the injustices of NBA refs (and the world in general), head coach Stan Van Gundy can be quite emotional. He talks a lot, and inevitably, really strange and funny comments emerge.

With Howard forced to sit out last night due to an automatic suspension from his 16 technical fouls, SVG was not a happy man, and the Orlando Magic‘s ensuing home loss to the Blazers did not help matters.

Prior to the game, Van Gundy complained that he couldn’t truly express his opinion because of David Stern … but then he went right ahead and expressed his opinion. He’s the best.

From the Orlando Sentinel:

A reporter later asked whether the technical-foul system is fair, but Van Gundy expressed concern that any statement of opinion could net him a fine from league officials. “I can’t answer that,” Van Gundy responded. “And I certainly can’t have an opinion because David Stern, like a lot of leaders we’ve seen in this world lately, don’t really tolerate other people’s opinions or free speech or anything. So I’m not really allowed to have an opinion, so it’s up to him. He decides. And he likes the system that he has.”

Later, a reporter asked Van Gundy if he was comparing Stern to Middle East tyrants such as former Egypt leader Hosni Mubarak or Libya leader Moammar Gadhafi. “I did not say that at all,” Van Gundy said. “I don’t even remember even mentioning their names. No, I do not. I just said David Stern does not want other people’s opinions and he does not tolerate freedom of speech when it comes to NBA issues. He’s the only opinion.”

This adds fuel to my belief that people like Stan Van Gundy, Gregg Popovich and Rasheed Wallace should be mic’d up at all times. Their entertainment value is off the charts, and needs to be exploited to a greater degree.