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
jarvis
May 27th, 2010
4:39 pm
I don’t have to admit nuttin’.
A. Williams
May 27th, 2010
4:54 pm
????? What crime are we talking about???? Calling a spade a spade? That is not breaking the law, and certainly not worthy of fining anyone 25,000.
Mike
May 27th, 2010
4:54 pm
ATL is hop hop mecca, Lebron should come anyway
HardWood
May 27th, 2010
4:58 pm
His Daddy will pay the fine for the boy.
BAMAToNE
May 27th, 2010
5:02 pm
What would happen if Gearon just refused to pay the fine?
moorman
May 27th, 2010
5:04 pm
the NBA is HALF a step from being pro wrestling anyway, i stop taking it serious long ago.
SC Dawg
May 27th, 2010
5:15 pm
Thanks for not being “First!” Jarvis.
Sprocket
May 27th, 2010
5:16 pm
If he refused to pay, Stern would just deduct it from the Hawks portion of TV money. You can’t beat city hall…no matter how dumb they are.
Art Vandelay
May 27th, 2010
5:22 pm
So, lemme get this straight: it’s perfectly fine for David Stern to rig the draft lottery, “counsel” the referees on which calls they should and shouldn’t be making against which player in a particular matchup, wrap the league’s stars in bubble wrap and protect them from criticism and accountability, and arbitrarily decide which protests are valid (Shaq vs. Atlanta) and which ones aren’t (Atlanta vs. LeBron).
But if you’re a team owner and you dare to make an off-the-cuff remark about the fact that you’d be willing to pay top dollar for the best player in the league (duh), you owe $25,000 to the David Stern Retirement Fund. Doesn’t the RICO statute cover this stuff?
Did I miss anything?
Just Another Example......
May 27th, 2010
5:26 pm
How stupid can the ASG get……….another fine example of an organization that has NO idea. After what Cuban said and got fined, you mean to say that this idiot comes right back and to a great degree say the same “hypothetical” crap…………..and you MB expect him not to be fined? Then you too sir is stupid.
Sprocket
May 27th, 2010
5:26 pm
Art…very good analysis. The reason Stern gets away with this crap is because he brings in the money…BIG MONEY. And, it’s all about the money.
Paul in RDU
May 27th, 2010
5:26 pm
On local sports radio in RDU yesterday afternoon Chris Collins picked the Lakers to go all the way and said that after working with him in the Olympics he would never bet against Kobe.
When later asked who was the best coach in the NBA – he picked his dad (no-one ever accused Dookies of being dumb!)
Is Stern going to fine Doug Collins for what is an obvious attempt at tampering to get Kobe?
Paul in RDU
May 27th, 2010
5:30 pm
Just another example… @5:26
According to MB, Geron made his comments 12 days ago. That would be a full week BEFORE Cuban made his and was fined.
Mark Bradley
May 27th, 2010
5:32 pm
That’s also before LeBron James’ team was eliminated from the playoffs, Paul in RDU, which means he technically wasn’t yet a free agent.
Tweets that mention The nerve! Gearon Jr. suggests LeBron is worth big $$$ | Mark Bradley -- Topsy.com
May 27th, 2010
5:35 pm
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Mark Bradley and Super Models, David J Carne. David J Carne said: Fining the Hawks' Gearon is yet another unfunny NBA joke: Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) Coming next: The NBA… http://bit.ly/aNjTzt [...]
Paddy
May 27th, 2010
5:39 pm
Great minds at ASG. What a collection of maroons! Do you think the free agents are asking the question,”is that ownership situation resolved yet”? Yea, let me go there to that unstable, broke enviroment. LOL
Just Another Example......
May 27th, 2010
5:42 pm
So I guess it DON’T matter whoever said what when……Stern still sees it as tampering. Just like he will fine the Bulls for comunicating with Phil Jackson (if it’s found to be true). That rule seems fairly clear to me.
Delbert D.
May 27th, 2010
5:45 pm
The NBA is hurting for money, I guess. Sort of like the police at the end of the month, with their hide and seek for traffic offenders.
itcouldbeworse
May 27th, 2010
5:47 pm
he is still not a free agent…not until th 1st of July when he can opt out of his contract.
TheAntiMe
May 27th, 2010
5:49 pm
It’s pretty obvious that the commish wants to see LeBron remain in Cleveland.
PlusSizeModel
May 27th, 2010
5:51 pm
The cute thing about this is NO ONE is going to be coming to Gearon about LeBron tomorrow or any time. The sad thing about this is apparently this fine will actually hurt Gearon because that may be a chunk of his net worth.
Najeh Davenpoop
May 27th, 2010
5:51 pm
Whenever the NBA levies another idiotic fine, I feel compelled to point out that Reggie Evans was only fined $10,000 and not suspended after grabbing and pulling Chris Kaman’s nuts on purpose during a playoff game.
F-105 Thunderchief
May 27th, 2010
5:52 pm
So if you own a team and say the words “Lebron James,” you need to whip out the checkbook, is that pretty much it? Stupid.
GT Alum
May 27th, 2010
5:55 pm
This is one of those situations that illustrates the idiocy of “no tolerance.” The letter of the law is that any comments about a player is tampering. However, anyone with any intelligence can see that this was not an attempt to make overtures to LeBron. As MB said, Gearon was just trying to assure his fans that ownership is willing to spend money if they think they’ll get a return that’s worth the money.
Ronald Millsaps
May 27th, 2010
5:55 pm
The NBA isn’t what it used to be, not even close.
Yeah, it’s about a half-step from pro wrestling, all right, and that half-step doesn’t get called.
feudfinder
May 27th, 2010
5:56 pm
David Stern will earn a raise very soon. What a j$$K!
"Chef" Tim Dix
May 27th, 2010
5:57 pm
Fining Geron a years pay is excessive IMO.
atlienforlife
May 27th, 2010
6:11 pm
It’s time for David Stern to be replaced. He apparently has a Napoleon complex, treating owners and player like children it’s crazy. On another note, the nba has become so soft, it’s ridiculous. The players today wouldn’t last in the 80’s or the early 90’s, jordan and the stars of his time would have a field day in this day and age of no defense. The flagrant fouls and technicals you see called nowadays are insane. By the way anybody remember the stupid idea to change the ball.your comments here
atlienforlife
May 27th, 2010
6:12 pm
It’s time for David Stern to be replaced. He apparently has a Napoleon complex, treating owners and player like children it’s crazy. By the way anybody remember the stupid idea to change the ball.
J.J.M.
May 27th, 2010
6:16 pm
what do they do with all the money? charity?
atlienforlife
May 27th, 2010
6:25 pm
why can’t I post?
atlienforlife
May 27th, 2010
6:26 pm
the nba has become so soft, it’s ridiculous. The players today wouldn’t last in the 80’s or the early 90’s, jordan and the stars of his time would have a field day in this day and age of no defense. The flagrant fouls and technicals you see called nowadays are insane.
feudfinder
May 27th, 2010
6:27 pm
Charity and pocket some.
KevinM
May 27th, 2010
6:29 pm
Well, if Stern kept up, he would have heard Rick Sund already say the Hawks would not be in the market for an elite free agent.
That’s okay to say I guess that you don’t want to be as competitive as the bigger cities, but its not okay to say that the King is going to be a free agent.
Tough set of rules we have to play by……dont worry NBA, the Hawks will continue to be the Hawks.
ryan
May 27th, 2010
6:39 pm
I like the comments maybe spirit group finaly understands that to make money you have to spend money.
moorman
May 27th, 2010
6:40 pm
the power of david sterns. he prevented the delonte west, gloria james leak, lol.
dobearsbare
May 27th, 2010
6:55 pm
I agree on the general premise. This is neither juris nor prudent.Stern is drowning in a sea of his own bs
Reid Adair
May 27th, 2010
6:56 pm
I’d be interested to know what specific question was asked by whichever reporter, Michael Cunningham or otherwise, to initiate this response.
I was also very disappointed in the flood of tweets and retweets from “ajcsportseditor” and AJC staff this morning talking all about Michael Gearon, Jr., being fined for something he said in their paper. After all that, it wouldn’t surprise me if Gearon’s response to any AJC inquiries was “no comment” for a while.
Justafan
May 27th, 2010
7:02 pm
We keep losing our rights everyday…its not just sports its everything. USA better Wake Up!
anphill2
May 27th, 2010
7:09 pm
How does David Stern make more $ than LeBron? Dwight? JJ? etc.
If you need a hall-monitor, I can be had on the cheap.
GT Alum
May 27th, 2010
7:09 pm
Reid, MC just asked about the payroll, and Gearon was trying to say that they’ll spend money when they think it’s worth the return. Cunningham didn’t bait Gearon into saying this at all.
anphill2
May 27th, 2010
7:12 pm
Starting a Franchise from Expansion, who’s your GM: Knight or Babcock?
KakNiqueTree
May 27th, 2010
7:28 pm
He should just say ‘if we could have So and So for max money blah blah blah’ Everyone would still know what he was talking about and he wouldn’t be fined a cent.
Old Hawks Fan
May 27th, 2010
7:32 pm
Where’s Captain America?
Old Hawks Fan
May 27th, 2010
7:33 pm
Ted please buy back the Braves, hawks, Thrasher…………………PLEASSSSSSSSSSSE!
Pi$$onaDAWG
May 27th, 2010
7:42 pm
DUDE can you put what your are saying in a coloring book? I went to UGA I don’t read so good.
show me state
May 27th, 2010
7:42 pm
I see the nba is strict on this “anti-tampering policy” allowing no one to even utter one word about a free agent before July 1….from a mathmatical statistic these words: “If somebody came to us tomorrow and said you can have LeBron for max money and it puts you in the luxury tax, I’d do it in a a heartbeat,” Gearon said. “But am I going to do that for [Zydrunas] Ilgauskas ? Am I going to do it for Jermaine O’Neal? I don’t think so.” costed Gearon Jr. $471.70 per word…..
mark R
May 27th, 2010
7:54 pm
“Then you too sir is stupid…????”
Really!
Section 303
May 27th, 2010
7:55 pm
David Stern can pull that stick out of his a$$ any day now. What a stupid fine.
ryan
May 27th, 2010
7:59 pm
I wish the guy who owned the Atlanta dream could buy the Hawks and Braves.
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 [...]