• If the NBA lockout is going to be resolved anytime soon, it seems likely to be done in spite of David Stern, not because of him. His efforts are typical of a commissioner who has always seemed eager to be viewed as some kind of modern-day plantation overseer, treating NBA men as if they were his boys.
• HBO’s Bryant Gumbel • Comparing NBA comissioner David Stern to a “plantation overseer,” a reference chock-full of obvious racial implications. We feel a bit at a loss to really weigh in on the accuracy of these remarks; the NBA lockout negotiations have been somewhat opaque, with the exception of a source claiming Kevin Garnett’s intensity “f***ed everything up.” Gumbel’s tenor makes it seem pretty obvious he’s referring to a respect issue between Stern and the players, though the slavery reference will make some people’s eyes roll in the context of whether millionaires (the 1%, so to speak) will become millionaires additional times over. That said, Gumbel is a veteran and respected sports journalist, and may have insight into these proceedings unknown to us. source

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