The NBA commissioner generally tries to keep his thoughts about individual franchise decisions to himself. Adam Silver's job is to serve at the leisure of all owners, so there's no need to incense or favor one in any shape. But he couldn't bite his tongue when asked about the state of the Cleveland Cavaliers during an appearance on "The Rich Eisen Show" on Monday morning. Fans have an appreciation for Silver's honest thoughts, and he presented them again.
The NBA commissioner comments
With the Cavaliers being the overwhelming top story in the NBA last week, there was no way Rich Eisen was going to dodge asking the commissioner a question about what was going on.
Specifically, he asked about Silver's feelings in regards to the madness that free agency has brought this summer. Instead of dodging the question, Silver calmly laid out his honest emotions on the situation.
Silver responded by saying he was a bigger fan of the interest in the sport than the drama that has ensued. He also claimed to "feel bad" about the mess unfolding in Cleveland, denying any firsthand knowledge of what was going down. The commissioner credited seasoned LeBron James reporter Brian Windhorst for likely having the story right once again. Silver closed out his answer by admitting that the NBA can feed off drama, but doesn't need the kind of drama the Cavaliers are providing right now.
The mess in Cleveland
The commissioner was likely loathed to talk about one of the most dysfunctional moments in memory for a team that has booked trips to three consecutive NBA Finals. It started around the time of the NBA Draft when Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert let go of general manager David Griffin. The team proceeded to whiff on their trade targets and struggle to replace Griffin when it was reported that Gilbert was low-balling candidate Chauncey Billups in negotiations.
Things became much worse last week, though. Superstar point guard Kyrie Irving had his trade request leaked, with some believing LeBron James' camp was responsible for dispersing the news. James has the potential to leave in free agency next year, but now the Cavaliers are forced to move Irving this summer. The potential exists that they could go from title contender to afterthought in the Eastern Conference in a matter of weeks. Even if that brings interest in the dumpster fire, the commissioner knows that less competition is bad for the NBA's bottom line.
