Over the weekend we told you about the high school drama — one that never would have made the cut as a Friday Night Lights plot — that was NBA Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver sitting at the U.S. Open with Casey Wasserman, head of the Wasserman Media Group, which represents a number of NBA players (through agent Arn Tellem, who represents more than 30 players).
The point was that if Danny Ainge or Pat Riley or Mitch Kupchak or any other team executive sat with Wasserman fines would have rained down on them from league office. There are strict lockout rules in place to keep execs and agents apart during the lockout.
That doesn’t apply to Silver, who will not be fined according to ESPN’s Chris Broussard.
While I’d love to rip the NBA here, this is really no big deal. Adam Silver was not spilling the league’s negotiating strategy to Wasserman. Two guys sat around, watched tennis and probably made a few jokes at David Stern’s expense. Nothing wrong with that.
I get why the rules are in place (agents and teams would be trying to strike deals and arrange trades during the lockout), but it can go too far. You let execs go to player’s weddings. You allow some contact at charity events. And you let guys watch tennis together. It’s no big deal.