Great to see NBA Commissioner David Stern throw it back in the face of Jim Rome today.
During the final portion of an interview with the commish on his radio show, Rome asked about the ridiculous notion that the draft lottery was fixed to give the New Orleans Hornets the No. 1 pick in the draft. Don’t get me started on that subject.
Deadspin has the link to the interview.
Rome said: “I know you appreciate a good conspiracy theory as much as the next guy. Was the fix in for the lottery?”
Stern’s initial response included him asking Rome, “Have you stopped beating your wife yet?”
Indeed, how was Stern supposed respond?. One loaded question deserved another.
Rome and Stern debated for a few minutes. Then eventually, Stern said: “It’s good copy when you do things for cheap thrills.”
Later Stern said, “You’ve been successful making a career out of it.”
Whoa.
Rome clearly was taken aback and protested the comments. Running out of patience, Stern said, “Do you want to hang up on me?”
Whoa, part 2.
For the record, Rome didn’t hang up. Eventually, the exchange ended with Stern saying, “”I have to go call someone important now. Stephen A. Smith is up next.”
Whoa, part 3.
I’m not sure about Rome’s intentions, but he should have known better than to ask Stern such a loaded question. Then again, perhaps Rome knew exactly what he was doing.
The exchange has Rome trending on Twitter and elsewhere.
As for Rome, this is his most recent Tweet as of 3:30 ET: “NBA Commissioner David Stern, right now in The Jungle”
I just wish Stern was there in person and pulled a “Jim Everett” on that smug mug of Rome’s…
Rome’s question may have been inartfully phrased, but I don’t know if I agree with you that he shouldn’t have asked it. There are obvious conflicts of interest at play with the NBA and the Hornets, and it’s fair to ask about those. How about something like, “Given the league’s past and current relationship with the ownership of the Hornets, as well as the events surrounding the Chris Paul trade, how do you ensure that the NBA acts fairly and properly in the face of actual and perceived conflicts of interest?”
It may be “small time” or border on seeking “cheap thrills,” but I also think there’s a certain perceived and not illegitimate duty of those with access to a big microphone to ask the questions their audiences want asked.
Finally, your post implies that the mere fact that a question is “loaded” means that it either shouldn’t be asked or shouldn’t be answered, but that can’t be true. It’s the interviewee’s prerogative to answer a question or not, but if “loaded” questions (a category people tend to define quite broadly) aren’t asked, all we’re left with are milquetoast softballs and mind-numbing cliche responses.
ps. Found you this afternoon via SportsbyBrooks’ link and am enjoying exploring your site.
so did Stern ever actually answer the question?