PHILADELPHIA — When describing David Stern’s passion for the NBA, one would have to say that on a scale of 1-to-10, he’s a Kardashian.
“I am a fan and I’m glad to say it,” the NBA commissioner said in an interview before the Nuggets game here Wednesday night.
Some would argue his league is going through a transformation, one that has nothing to do with collective bargaining agreements or global growth or Kim and Khloe Kardashian’s ever-changing marital status with NBA players.
Asked his reaction when he sees so many elite players in so few markets, Stern said: “I must say, on the broader issue, this doesn’t make me the most popular, but it makes me truthful. If a player gets drafted and is effectively told he has to go to a particular city and he plays six, seven years there and decides he wants to go someplace else, I don’t know, I think he’s not bound for life to one team.”
On Saturday in New York, the Nuggets will face Carmelo Anthony for the first time since Melo manipulated his departure from Denver to New York a year ago.
“It’s life,” Stern said of player movement to different teams. “The reason people like us and watch us is we have over a thousand unscripted reality shows a year called games. And frankly, off the court, we have a thousand other stories to be told. People are interested in it, and I hope they stay into it.”
Our reality-TV era, really, explains reality. NBA stars (and the quasi-star ladies in their lives) yearn for the spotlight. They want it all — the big cities, the big money and the big-named teammates. In New York, there’s Melo, Amar’e Stoudemire and defensive star Tyson Chandler. Miami, of course, has LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Dwight Howard is seeking a new home. And Chris Paul asked for a trade to Los Angeles — after a move to the Lakers was nixed, he ended up alongside Blake Griffin on the Clippers.
But at Wednesday’s game — when some silly Sixers fans chanted, “Where’s Car-mel-o?” — one wondered, who cares?
“I was confident we were going to be a good team,” said Nuggets coach George Karl, whose team is 10-5 heading into tonight’s game at lowly Washington. “I can’t deny I think we’ve overachieved in those areas. And the pieces that have come our way in trades have energized everyone.”
The Nuggets are hot now, but can they make a playoff run? And while the Knicks are struggling — a New York Magazine headline this week stated, “It’s Probably Time For Knicks Fans To Panic” — they have game-changing firepower in their arsenal.
But Saturday’s matchup will be bigger than the box score. It will be a statement game, at least in the eyes of the fans. It will be deemed a yardstick game too, by some.
And for the Denver Nuggets, it will be the first time they ever play against Carmelo Anthony.
“I have no animosity toward Melo. I wish him the best, other than I want to beat him,” Karl said. “I think there will be a nervousness before the game, and then an extra energy once you play. … I think it will be more of a playoff intensity than a regular-season intensity.”
Anthony, dealing with off-court personal issues, did not speak to the media Wednesday or Thursday.
While Melo was the longtime face of the franchise, Karl has been the voice. The honest and loquacious coach spent time this past week dissecting the Melo-drama that lasted much of last season, before the February trade in which the Nuggets acquired Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler (playing in China), Raymond Felton (later traded for Andre Miller), Kosta Koufos and Timofey Mozgov, Denver’s starting center.
“It’s had such a wear and tear on us,” Karl said. “It’s just a negative energy. And I think we all know you don’t like being around negative energy. And not only that, but you had to talk about it every day. I chose to talk about it because I used it as therapy for myself, because it was wild and crazy. … I didn’t want him to leave — we tried to convince him to stay. It wasn’t in the cards. But somehow, it’s worked out to be a win-win.”
Benjamin Hochman: 303-954-1294 or bhochman@denverpost.com
DENVER AT WASHINGTON
5 p.m. today, ALT, 950 AM
Spotlight on John Wall: The former No. 1 overall draft pick had one of his better overall performances in his most recent game. The point guard had 25 points, seven rebounds and eight assists in a surprise win over Oklahoma City — this after a 38-point effort by Wall in a loss to Houston. The Wall-Ty Lawson point guard matchup should be a fun one. Both are speedy and slippery.
NOTEBOOK
Wizards: Washington has lost six of the last eight meetings against Denver at Verizon Center — with the average margin of Denver’s victories 16.3 points. … How did the Wizards knock off the Thunder? Well, Washington outrebounded Oklahoma City 52-43, forced 21 turnovers and got to the foul line a season-best 43 times — making 31. … Wizards vice president of basketball administration Tommy Sheppard spent nine seasons on the Nuggets PR staff.
Nuggets: Shooting guard Rudy Fernandez (Achilles) and center Timofey Mozgov (back) are day to day and will be re-evaluated today. … Tonight is the Nuggets’ lone game at Washington this season. … Danilo Gallinari — three points, two assists — is coming off one of his worst games with Denver. … This game is a homecoming for Lawson, who hails from nearby Clinton, Md. … Andre Miller had 28 points, eight rebounds and 10 assists in Denver’s last game. He is only the second player in team history to have those amounts off the bench — the other was Alex English, who had 31-10-8 in a Dec. 18, 1983, game at New Jersey. English came off the bench because coach Doug Moe got creative and ran a platoon system occasionally that season.
Benjamin Hochman, The Denver Post
