Adam Silver's Righteous Reputation Grows After Isaiah Austin Gesture at Draft

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2111443-adam-silvers-righteous-reputation-grows-after-isaiah-austin-gesture-at-draft?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=nba



Adam Silver's Righteous Reputation Grows After Isaiah Austin Gesture at Draft
By Grant Hughes , National NBA Featured Columnist Jun 27, 2014




Adam Silver's Righteous Reputation Grows After Isaiah Austin Gesture at DraftMike Stobe/Getty Images



If anyone needed another indicator that Adam Silver's tenure as NBA commissioner was going to be vastly different than his predecessor's, the way he handled a brief, moving tribute to Isaiah Austin during Thursday's NBA draft provided it.

Austin, was diagnosed with Marfan syndrome, per BaylorBears.com, just days before he was expected to fulfill his lifelong dream of playing in the NBA, ending his professional basketball career before it ever began.

He faced the diagnosis with uncommon hope and dignity, especially considering how painfully close it came to what would have been the most important day of his life.


God's Child         ✔ @IsaiahAustin
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Words can't explain how thankful I am for the time I had to play this wonderful sport. It changed my life forever. #NewBeginnings
10:15 AM - 22 Jun 2014


But Silver gave him his day anyway, "selecting" him in the first round on behalf of the NBA. It was a poignant scene:




Silver and the NBA didn't have to do that. The draft could have proceeded as usual, with Austin eventually becoming little more than a footnote in the minds of NBA fans. Thankfully, that's not how it played out.

And Austin enjoyed a moment he'll never forget.




SLAM Magazine        ✔ @SLAMonline
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Isaiah Austin on hearing his name called by the NBA: "It was one of the greatest moments of my life."
6:33 PM - 26 Jun 2014


Before going further, we have to point out the unfairness of using Silver's laudable gesture as a way to denigrate former commissioner David Stern. Since Silver took over earlier this year, there's been a tendency to compare all of his decisions to the way Stern would have handled them.

We can't say Stern would have ignored Austin. Maybe he would have done the exact same thing.

The point, though, is that Stern cultivated a cool, somewhat imperious reputation during his time as commissioner, occasionally even enjoying the role of the villain. In fact, the draft itself provided an annual reminder of the way many fans perceived Stern:




Those boos were always somewhat tongue-in-cheek, and Stern usually played them up, acting as though he enjoyed them. If he wasn't actually an unfeeling figure, he at least pretended to be one sometimes.

Silver is viewed differently, partly because he hasn't embraced the same dictatorial approach Stern did, and partly because of the way he's handled the biggest decisions of his brief reign.


From the moment Silver was tabbed to take over commissioner's chair, we heard about how he was different.

B/R's Howard Beck wrote back in February:

Where Stern was known to lecture, dictate and coerce—he has often been described as a bully—Silver is known as a listener and a consensus-builder. One team executive praised Silver as a “very inquisitive” leader who actively seeks out others’ opinions. ...

And whereas Stern came across as condescending and imperious, Silver is warm, approachable and unfailingly modest. When a reporter recently greeted him as “Mr. Commissioner,” Silver practically recoiled. “Stop it,” he said, softly.

There are obvious differences between Silver and Stern, but we shouldn't use what happened on draft night as an opportunity to take shots at the latter.

We should use it as a platform to praise the former, which is exactly what many NBA players did:


Stepping back, the outpouring of support for the way the NBA (of which Silver is the figurehead who gets the credit) handled the Austin situation is an extension of the good vibes established during the Donald Sterling scandal.

Silver drew praise for his decisive action in that instance, and even though we can't necessarily say Stern would have handled it differently, the upshot was that Silver managed a very difficult set of circumstances with class, decisive leadership and real passion.

Players around the league noticed those things:

James Harden        ✔ @JHarden13
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S/O @IsaiahAustin for an unbelievable story. Adam Silver did something special tonight. The @NBA is amazing!
6:41 PM - 26 Jun 2014


Enes Kanter        ✔ @Enes_Kanter
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Tonight, Isaiah Austin plays for all of us. A very classy and thoughtful move by the @NBA #NBADraft
6:39 PM - 26 Jun 2014


Jeff Teague        ✔ @Teague0
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That was big by the NBA #Isaiah Austin
6:22 PM - 26 Jun 2014



Though Stern had universal respect, it probably wouldn't be accurate to say he was ever truly loved.

Silver can claim both, thanks to gestures like the one we saw on draft night.

Though it's still early in the Silver era, it certainly appears things will be different going forward. How Silver's softer, more inclusive touch will play in the next work stoppage remains to be seen. It's possible a more dictatorial approach would be better in a situation like that.

But at the very least, we can assume the NBA, as big of a business as it is, has a bit of a human touch now. And that can't be a bad thing.



bob
MY NOTE:  Well, the Commish is 2-and-oh so far.  Let's not underestimate the impact of this, his first year.  The author says it would be unfair to denigrate David Stern, I disagree.  Donald Sterling was allowed to flourish, like an unmonitored experiment in a petri dish, for years under Stern.  When this latest embarrassment by Sterling happened the players were talking about striking, about retailiating if the league didn't oust Sterling and Silver did exactly that. Decisively, dramatically and unequivocally.  Making that happen, and then doing this, completely turned things around.  Not only are the owners and players behind him now, the fans are taking pride in the league office again too and that has been missing for a long, long time.  


.

It's very sad what happened to Isaiah Austin. After he lost the vision in his eye in middle school, he continued playing basketball. It can't have been easy, but he did it well enough to be a starter for a top program like Baylor. In the process, he became an inspiration to other disabled people as well as to his teammates, because of his courageous and generous heart. He was projected as a mid to late second-rounder, and I was looking forward to seeing him prove his detractors wrong in the NBA. Hopefully, he will live a long and prosperous life despite his affliction.

Sterling is showing what a fine man he must be. It's an awfully nice thing to witness. Now, if only he could do something about the referees.

Silver's doing everything right.  He's a sharp dude who has learned a lot from Stern, including how NOT to act in certain critical situations.

Sam

Bob,

I'd say Silver is 3-0 -- he gets a point each for how he handled the Sterling mess, the gesture to Isaiah Austin, and not being David Stern.

It's hard to believe the hatred for David Stern.
What was it that he did to make Celtics fans hate him?
Not giving an exception when Reggie Lewis died?

I don't remember one person saying Donald Sterling should have been kicked out of the league before his comments a couple of months ago.

The league/owners/players were all immensely successful with Stern as the commissioner.

TJ,

I don't know if my comment about Stern led to yours, but in any event, I don't hate him or buy into any of the conspiracy theory stuff that some people do about him. But a change of tone can be refreshing, and after 30 years of Stern at the helm, Silver has been a nice change. Nothing spiteful or hateful against Stern, just that after that long, it's nice to see a different face at the podium.

P.S. I've said for years that Sterling is a horrible human being and should've been kicked out of the league.

Outside,

We all know there was no chance before the last incident for Sterling to be kicked out of the league. Stern also would have booted him as Silver did. Anyone in that role would have.

Stern bashing seems to be just like ESPN and referee bashing.
Just bash because it's easy to be negative... no specific reasons...

Silver did the right thing. There is a great chance that Stern would have done the same. First of all, the draft isn't held in Boston, so those boo's are not coming from Celtic fans. They are,usually NY fans.

The most important thing is, Thank God there are all of these tests now for players before they get to the NBA, or while they are playing, how many lives have been saved. As a Boston fan, I thank God they were-able to pick up Green's heart problem before something terrible happened to him like Reggie. Even Wilcox.. Silver gets a plus from me, classy.

Rosalie

tjmakz wrote:Stern bashing seems to be just like ESPN and referee bashing.
Just bash because it's easy to be negative... no specific reasons...

I'm sorry that my original comment about Stern was so vague that it could be interpreted as Stern-bashing, but as I explained in my previous post, that wasn't my intent. The league did fantastically well under Stern's leadership. Silver is just a refreshing change of face and style. Stern had been in the job so long that he actually reveled in the role of villain, egging on the boos during recent drafts. Silver has come on the scene as the opposite and has been a more genial "good guy." It's just an observation, not bashing Stern. If Silver stays on for 30 years, whoever comes after him will be a refreshing change, too.

The posts about what silver recently did are a really refreshing look into the nba... The other stuff, not so much.. I much prefer the refreshing parts..

One of my friends is very close to Adam Silver. He says he's genuinely a
mensch.

Matty wrote:The posts about what silver recently did are a really refreshing look into the nba...   The other stuff, not so much..   I much prefer the refreshing parts..

I agree. Threads often go in different directions, but the generous gesture by Silver to let Austin be a draft pick deserves to be the focus. I edited a previous post to remove a bunch of stuff. No need to rehash it when Austin being drafted is an opportunity to accentuate the positive.

David Stern is a joke.

He's a large part of what brought on this age of favoritism.



KJ