David Stern Quite Quotations

I regret the 1998 - 99 lockout. I regret that we didn't work harder to educate our players and our owners about what the damage would be. I never can quite come up with the answer on what else we should have done, but I always blame a part of the problem on us and some part on the players.

I am quite on record as saying that Seattle has the least-competitive lease in the league and is at a decided economic disadvantage. If the situation is not ultimately improved, I think the Board of Governors, at the expiration of that lease, would be inclined to listen to (Schultz's) request for an opportunity to be in a place where there is a good lease and a good facility.

We haven't had excessive fisticuffs. These are things that commissioners worry about. And truth be told, our player reputation in the testing that we do is rebounding quite well from a year ago.

As it's properly understood, it will be embraced, ... The union's fine with it. It's quite liberal and easygoing.

There's nothing that we have accomplished in the last 30 years that Russ hasn't been at the center of, from expansion, to collective bargaining, to international activities, ... It's quite an N.B.A. career that will be coming, I don't want to say to a close, but slowing down at the end of the season. It's a big loss, but we're also cheered that it's something Russ wanted to do.

If (players) are really going to have a problem, they will have to make a decision about how they want to spend their adult life in terms of playing in the NBA or not, ... quite liberal and easygoing.

In my mind, there's been an enormous investment made and it's the beginning of a process that's quite extensive. As far as we understand it, the Nets are planning to be in Brooklyn in the next three years or so, but we don't control that process. All we do is get to receive their reports and ultimately approve the move.

I fully expect to be visiting Seattle in the relatively near future to weigh in on that subject and I'm quite on record as saying that Seattle has what is the least competitive lease in the league, which is a decided economic disadvantage. I think if that situation is not ultimately improved ... I think that the board of governors at the expiration of the lease would be inclined to listen to their partner's request for an opportunity to be in a place where there is a good lease and a good facility.

The union's fine with it. It's quite liberal and easygoing.