Adam Silver burst on to the NBA scene as its new Commissioner in February. He has not had a quiet moment since.
As the NBA embarks upon the off-season, Silver will be no less busy than he has been with Donald Sterling and faulty air conditioning units. This coming summer shapes up to be a monumental one for the 52-year-old lawyer turned basketball leader. Here are three hot button items that Silver will allegedly pursue to some degree or another before play resumes in October.
1. Silver will continue to tackle the issue of racism head on.
A few weeks ago, Silver met with several civil rights leaders, including the Rev. Al Sharpton, in New York City to discuss race matters in the NBA. Sharpton was quoted as saying the meeting was "constructive," but nothing formal has come of the meeting as yet.
It was no surprise that a major topic of discussion at the June 4th meeting was embattled former Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling. One firm decision reiterated at the get-together was that Sterling should never be allowed a place in the league again. As his first major act as Commissioner, Silver levied a lifetime ban on Sterling, who will not be allowed any formal contact with the NBA again. The sale of the Clippers is still pending due to legal issues surrounding the situation.
Sharpton and his cohorts, which include NAACP President Cornell Brooks and National Urban League President Marc Morial, also pushed for greater diversity in front office personnel, including team ownership. Currently the NBA has only one majority owner, Michael Jordan with the Charlotte Hornets.
"There must be serious dialogue around ownership and business engagement in the black community," Sharpton told reporters after the meeting. "It is offensive that we have one black majority owner in the basketball area when over 80 percent of the players are black."
Look for Silver to continue to address these race issues from a league perspective, although he has reportedly proposed to take a "step back" while the Sterling family settles their personal affairs in court. After that, expect Silver and the NBA Office to lay out specific demands of NBA players, coaches, and owners.
2. Silver will potentially deal with the current player age limit
Currently, the NBA is the beneficiary of the so-called “One-and-Done” rule that requires players to spend only one year out of high school before being allowed NBA draft eligibility.
Critics claim that this rule is detrimental to both the college game and the NBA. During a press conference before game 2 of the recently concluded Finals, Silver announced that he and the players union were close to coming to talks about adjusting the rule to a minimum of two years.
The timing seems right in light of the amount of one-and-done players the draft has seen in recent years. And the union seems willing to listen with pressure coming from both the NBA main office and NCAA President Mark Emmert. While nothing officially can be done until the current CBA expires in 2017, look for Silver to begin laying groundwork for this much-needed change.
3. Silver will foster greater league parity with a stiffer salary cap.
The Miami Heat and the Brooklyn Nets each have (or had, pending costless agency moves) their respective Big 3. However, those groups were put together at the cost of competitiveness of two other teams, the Boston Celtics and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Each of those two teams has represented the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals within the last 7 years. However, last season, neither team made the playoffs and now both are lottery teams heading into the upcoming NBA Draft.
While not all of the Cav’s and Celt’s troubles can be traced back to the "defections" of LeBron James, Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce, the issue of teams loading up on championship-wanting talent is one that Silver has shown interest in addressing.
While small market teams have been well-represented in the NBA Finals recently (Oklahoma City and San Antonio have had three straight appearances between them), the propensity of Miami, New York, Los Angeles, Brooklyn, and others to spend their way to contention leaves a poor taste in the mouths of those with fewer resources.
Again, in his press conference during the Finals, Silver mentioned a "hard cap" to possibly replace the "soft cap" currently in effect in the NBA. And, like the one-and-done rule, nothing can be changed until the current CBA expires.
Silver will surely tread lightly on this issue as it is sure to upset the apple cart with the players union, as salaries will be affected. However, Silver has not pulled any punches in the few months he has been on the job, so expect him to be assertive and circumspect at the same time.
These and other issues will keep the new NBA Commissioner busier than he wants to be for the foreseeable future. As the NBA enjoys a global popularity that is rivaled only by soccer, Silver will do all he can to ensure that the brand maintains its image from one side of the world to the other.