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December 22, 2006 Wait a minute, you say. King David is long dead. Well, you may say this, but you'd be wrong. He's alive and well and resides in New York. Oh yeah, he also runs the National Basketball Association. He may not really be a king, but the only thing that matters in David Stern's mind is that he thinks he's a king. Or a dictator. And unlike the legendary Solomon, he's not a wise one. The latest of King David's follies took place when he sentenced Carmelo Anthony to a 15-game suspension for the December 16th brawl between the Denver Nuggets and the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Anthony deserved a suspension, no doubt, because he did punch another player in the face. But 15 games? Absolutely not. Five or seven games, or maybe even 10 at the outside would have been acceptable. Discipline is needed in that type of situation, and no commissioner can afford to tread lightly. He has to drop the hammer. But he doesn't have to bludgeon the guy. The incident didn't involve any injuries, and more importantly, no fans were involved.  Did NBA Commissioner David Stern drop the ball with the recent Carmelo Anthony suspension? It's certainly understandable that Stern and the rest of the NBA are touchy about fights, especially after the Malice at the Palace of Auburn Hills involving the Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons two seasons ago. That one involved fans and could have had disastrous results. I agreed with Stern's ruling in that one, except for Ron Artest being kicked out for the rest of the season. That was excessive when you look at the fact that someone assaulted him first. But there's no question that Stern had to be – stern – on both teams. But the Anthony incident was different. Anthony's offense was player-on-player, and no one got hurt. These factors should be taken into consideration while mulling punishments. But they obviously weren't, and Melo was treated as if he were an Artest-like thug. So why did King David figuratively guillotine Carmelo? Simple. He's afraid of the backlash mostly white corporate America might put to his mostly African-American sport. "In other sports, there are incidents that are way worse than basketball," said Knicks guard Steve Francis, talking about the media coverage and Stern's reaction. "Many worse things happen every game or four or five times a year, but because there are more black players in the NBA, it's under the microscope more than baseball or hockey." Stern basically admitted this by saying that his sport has the most visible players in the world – and the most well known – because they don't wear masks or helmets or long-sleeved jerseys. In the Joe McDonnell Book of Commissioner-speak, that means that Stern feels since his sport is dominated by black men, it's going to be abandoned by white people who think all the players are thugs and criminals. Unless he come down extra-hard on players who fight. Francis intimated it. I agree. And it makes me sad. In the Year of our Lord 2007, I'd like to think Stern would have more faith in the American public – and its corporate leaders – to realize that white players are just as likely to fight as black players. Overreacting only reinforces the stereotype. If the NBA were 85 percent white, there would be just as many incidents. But I'd bet my paycheck that Stern's ruling would have been much lighter. I'm certainly not saying Stern is a racist. I don't believe that for a split-second. I just think he doesn't' give the public enough credit for being as smart as he is. The NBA is a multibillion-dollar business that operates in a mostly white country. And most of the corporations that support the NBA are predominately white, and white men run the majority. But those aren't good enough reasons to discipline a player more harshly than a similar player with lighter skin. It's not in any way a racial reaction by Stern – it is in my opinion – the reaction of a man scared to lose the backing of any businessman or woman who might be a racist. If you're reading this, King David, let me ask you this: If that's the case, are those the kind of people you want to do business with? Joe McDonnell is an award-winning radio talk show host and investigative reporter.
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