Fining the Hawks’ Gearon is yet another unfunny NBA joke
Michael Gearon Jr. — the new Mark Cuban.
Just kidding. Gearon is to Cuban as Joni Mitchell is to Lady Gaga.
And I’m not trying to suggest Gearon isn’t a conversationalist of the first rank — he is. Or even that Lady Gaga isn’t talented — she is. (I love both “Poker Face” and “Paparazzi.”) I’m making a distinction between understated and overt.
The Hawks’ co-owner was fined $25,000 by the NBA on Thursday. It was the lamest fine in the history of jurisprudence. Here was the offending quote: “If somebody came to us tomorrow and said you can have LeBron for max money and it puts you in the luxury tax, I’d do it in a a heartbeat,” Gearon said. “But am I going to do that for [Zydrunas] Ilgauskas ? Am I going to do it for Jermaine O’Neal? I don’t think so.”
There’s no denying Gearon spoke those words. I heard him. So did about a dozen other reporters. Gearon made the apparently egregious statement standing in the Hawks’ locker room the day after his team was swept by Orlando. These words were so explosive they didn’t surface until 12 days later in Michael Cunningham’s post on AJC.com. Heck, I didn’t even write them down.
Why not? Because the sentiment expressed within was the basketball equivalent of saying, “You know water? That H-2-0 stuff? It’s wet.” And Gearon’s intent wasn’t to tempt LeBron James but to say his club was, theoretically speaking, willing to spend to improve itself. And also to credit the Hawks for eschewing bad contracts, such as Big Z’s.
The NBA gets more ridiculous with every judgment rendered. The failure to uphold the Hawks’ protest over the shot clock that didn’t reset in Cleveland on Dec. 30 was a travesty. (That decision also involved LeBron, please note.) And now a Hawks’ owner is fined $25,000 for suggesting LeBron merits big money.
I understand the league is trying to be serious about tampering, but this wasn’t tampering. This was a trifle. But it did provide a moment of amusement.
Reached by phone as he was about to leave the country Thursday — and not, it must be stipulated, to avoid paying the 25 grand — Gearon said: “If you’re asking me for a comment, my comment is, ‘No comment.’ ”
Pretty good line, you have to admit.
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96 comments Add your comment
Steve
May 27th, 2010
8:09 pm
This was the best fine I can almost ever remember by a Hawks owner – thanks for at least letting the fan base know you would shell out the money for LeBron, and that we’re not a totally destitute organization. I’m serious, I appreciate it.
TROTTINGHOME
May 27th, 2010
8:21 pm
After all the speculation ESPN did about New York getting cap relief so they could sign LaBron…Got to say Mark the title here is right on the Money…Congrates on the info.
Fining the Hawks' Gearon is yet another unfunny NBA joke
May 27th, 2010
8:22 pm
[...] Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) [...]
feudfinder
May 27th, 2010
8:25 pm
Can Rick Sund talk about Phil Jackson or does he get fined ?
JTH
May 27th, 2010
8:26 pm
Somehow, this is Bobby Cox’s fault.
AJC and Mark Bradley should chip in to help pay the fine.
Dennis G. Berdanis
May 27th, 2010
8:35 pm
Add to Stern’s make up the rules as he sees fit, erasing one of Perkins T’s so he doesn’t have to suspend him for the next Boston/Orlando game.
ReddJonn68
May 27th, 2010
8:40 pm
This is why Stern has all these conspiracy theorist saying that every thing that happens in the NBA is based on money only. Gearon never stated he was going after Lebron, he just stated a hypothetical conversation or scenario discussed between him & “somebody” and what his reaction would be to that situation. WTF Stern, owners can’t daydream outloud !!!! This is directly related to the NBA trying keep so called perfect image after Donaghy exposed their flaws. Just keeping it real
JTH
May 27th, 2010
8:46 pm
Old Hawks Fan -
Did Turner own the Thrashers too? Anyway he wouldnt (too busy saving the planet)and probably wouldnt even be given the chance to if/when they go on sale.
Damn these big corporations that buy sports teams just for tax purposes. They suck the soul out of the games.
Tim Donaghy
May 27th, 2010
8:46 pm
Mr. Stern, can I comment about LeBron?
ryan
May 27th, 2010
8:50 pm
I think something big is going to happen this summer those comments buy Gearon Jr could be an omen.
Pi$$onaDAWG
May 27th, 2010
9:40 pm
I know how many points a 3 point shot is worth. I can DUNK and for 1 day I was more famous than MIKE. Can you guys make the Balance sheets in Comic Book form? I can understand it then.
Willy
May 27th, 2010
9:47 pm
Oh, come on, Bradley. You know better than that. Sure, it’s unspoken that just about every team and team owner would like to have Lebron. But it can’t mean that the anti tampering rules don’t apply to him only because it’s so clear that everyone wants him. It doesn’t work that way. It might seem abundantly clear that some other team might want Joe Johnson, but just because it’s apparent wouldn’t give that team the right to make it known, publicly.
I love you, man. But you’re about as short-sighted on this one as you are about Brett Favre’s indecisiveness.
jarvis
May 27th, 2010
9:48 pm
<<<<<Actin' like he's been there before.
Willy
May 27th, 2010
9:50 pm
The rules are the rules. It doesn’t matter if it’s Lebron James or Rumeal Robinson. What’s hard about that?
Willy
May 27th, 2010
9:56 pm
@KakNique, there you go. That’s exactly right.
Funny thing, though, I guarantee that the NBA saw a few extra 100k coming there way, as they knew it would be impossible for people not to break the rules on this one. But, again, they’re just following the letter. Maybe the whole thing is surprising, considering their typical inconsistency on other matters (the whole shot clock episode this year leaps to mind). Still, it’s the law.
Willy
May 27th, 2010
9:58 pm
@F-105 Thunderbird. Lebron’s rules are the same as Joe Johnson’s.
Resign or Resign?
May 27th, 2010
9:59 pm
Yet Stern himself has said that he wants LeBron to stay in Cleveland!! Can the commish not be guilty of tampering himself? How can it not be tampering for the commissioner to say what team he prefers for LeBron to play for?
POAD
May 27th, 2010
10:32 pm
Nique is better not seen or heard.
JeJe
May 27th, 2010
11:05 pm
Stern said he wants LBJ to stay in Cleveland…lol
Mystikal
May 27th, 2010
11:14 pm
Yeah, Joe Johnson is going to leave us. Life goes on. Not a cure all, but we can sign Salmons from the bucks. Then I think we should trade our 1st rounder along with either Marvin Williams or Josh Childress to Minnesota for their two 1st rounders. I’m under the impression that they want a starting small forward. Then we can take Wesley Johnson and either Hassan Whiteside or Solomon Alabi with 2nd pick. A ready made starting small forward and a future center to groom.
M_Arum
May 27th, 2010
11:24 pm
Why can’t we get back to the franchise’s glory days, when we had winners like this: bit.ly/9SLGVs
Jackson
May 28th, 2010
12:33 am
Willy, thanks for keeping it real and letting everybody know that…what? rules are made by people who know best? that we shouldn’t challenge rules because someone might get hurt if we get out of line. if everyone thought that way, a certain group of people might still have to sit in the back of the bus and drink out of a separate water fountain.
JeJe
May 28th, 2010
12:41 am
82-79
Old Hawks Fan
May 28th, 2010
1:32 am
If the NBA Owners had BALLS…………………show the Over Paid NBA FA’s after those Players meeting(i.e. Wade, LBJ, JJ, Bosh), DON’T MAKE ANY OFFERS TO ANY OF THEM………let these Prima Donnas play in Europe for the next few years…………like Chills.
JeJe
May 28th, 2010
2:00 am
WHY ARE WE THE LEFT OUT TEAM THAT DOESN’T PURSUE THE BIG-TIME SUPERSTAR. WE HAVE MICHAEL MORON JR WHOSE FAMILY NAME HAS BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH THE FRANCHISE FOR 3 DECADES.
WHY DO WE HAVE TO BE !@#$ING DIFFERENT? WHY CAN’T WE BE IN THE RUMORS FOR ONCE FOR LBJ OR WADE?
WHY DOES THE ASG SUCK SO BAD?
Dr. Warren
May 28th, 2010
2:02 am
Just wait till Stern starts fining the Chinese owners. He’ll make a mint.
Dr. Warren
May 28th, 2010
2:03 am
Meaning: The rules will be perpetually broken.
Really?
May 28th, 2010
5:35 am
Lady GaGa? Come on MB
Willy
May 28th, 2010
6:56 am
Jackson, that’s the most ridiculous analogy I’ve ever heard.
RANDOM INFO
May 28th, 2010
7:57 am
the next head coach of the Hawks Coach Julian King currently of T.C. Williams High in Virginia.
get the word out !
Joey
May 28th, 2010
8:19 am
JJ, I’ll bet the Knicks, the Pistons, the Timberwolves. the Clippers, etc, etc, etc, would like to have owner that “suck so bad” at the Hawks owners.
They’ve built one of the top 6 or 7 teams in the NBA with one of the lousiest fan bases.
Joey
May 28th, 2010
8:20 am
JeJe, not JJ …
oldmike
May 28th, 2010
8:31 am
By the way Mark. Couldn’t what LeBron DWade and JJ are planning to do – meeta nd discuss free agency – be construed as collusion?
Eddie Johnson
May 28th, 2010
8:37 am
Pimp Stern is gonna make sure his main ‘ho stays in Clebeland.
wcj
May 28th, 2010
8:43 am
What if Lebron James had said ,I will play for the Atlanta Hawks if they offer me 30 million dollars/season for 5 years, before he becomes a free agent? Would he be fined 25,000 dollars?
107 days and counting
May 28th, 2010
8:45 am
http://tinyurl.com/32zooe3
really!! time better spent………….
Decatur Native
May 28th, 2010
8:52 am
“I’m going to tamper with Stern wife today to see if she wanna join my team “
Paddy
May 28th, 2010
8:54 am
ryan….what’s an Atlanta Dream?
DC
May 28th, 2010
8:58 am
Go Hawks!!! Do the right thing and play with heart and confidence and maybe, just maybe the NBA execs will give you the respect you deserve. The Hawks were the 3rd best team in the East (record-wise) but never got the calls and was always on the NBA’s radar for soemthing negative. David Stern and Co. are a joke.
Tim Tebow's Tears
May 28th, 2010
9:22 am
Stern is squashing all competition so New York has a chance to get him. With his golden boy in NYC Stern will be able to tap the largest market and rake in money. The NBA is a dictatorship and Stern is the evil emperor.
I love the NBA but sometimes I feel it’s rigged…
R. Pitino
May 28th, 2010
9:22 am
Did we really get Jamal Crawford for Acie Law and Speedy Claxton? Hats off to the Hawks organization on that trade.
JimG
May 28th, 2010
9:38 am
interesting that an owner gets fined for such a casual, unintrusive remark but players (Wade, Johnson and James) can talk about colluding in a way to coordinate their approach to free agency and that’s no problem…
David Stern
May 28th, 2010
9:59 am
Mark,
Consider yourself lucky you aren’t being fined for writing this article. Had my proposal to merge all city newspapers with the NBA been passed, you would be fined a pretty penny for those commments. I’d have you out on the street tomorrow. Remember Jack Wishanski? No one does…because I took care of him when he started running his mouth about the way I do business. This runs deep, Mark. The footprints of the NBA are everywhere and there’s nothing you can do about it. I’ve got half the cops in this country on my payroll. Your editor? Yeah, he’s mine too.
Mark Bradley
May 28th, 2010
10:01 am
I’d guess it might, oldmike.
JeJe
May 28th, 2010
5:54 pm
WHY IS STERN ALLOWED TO SAY HE WANTS LBJ TO STAY IN CLEVELAND, YET WHEN MICHAEL MORON JR SAYS LBJ IS WORTH THE MAX, HE GETS FINED?
FIRE SUND
Breakdown of Free Agent Centers | Soaring Down South | An Atlanta Hawks blog
July 17th, 2010
10:45 am
[...] was considered especially after Michael Gearon stated that he would not pay the luxury tax to get a Jermaine O’neal or a Zydrunas Ilgauskas. “If somebody came to us tomorrow and said you can have LeBron for max money and it puts you in [...]