SAN FRANCISCO — NBA commissioner Adam Silver sees all and hears all: the praise of where his game is or, most importantly, the constant critique the NBA is subject to, almost on a daily basis.
The never-ending 3-point discussion, one that even he has chimed in on at times.
The money element, the financial decisions that have played a big part in trades involving Luka Dončić, Anthony Davis and Karl-Anthony Towns, and the standoff with Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat.
The officiating, the challenges with a million camera angles and a million more opinions on social media and in NBA locker rooms.
And he’s even contributed to it in ways, jokingly throwing gasoline onto the discourse by suggesting 10-minute quarters instead of the usual 12 — a suggestion that earned a decent amount of criticism.
“I try to read it all, frankly, and we try to absorb it at the league office,” Silver said during his annual news conference at All-Star Weekend inside Chase Center. “I think the state of the game is excellent. I think it’s the media’s role, the fans’ role, it’s perfectly appropriate to be critical of the game, and I find it very helpful. I’m not one of those people who said I don’t read criticism.”
Perhaps one could say Silver has too much of a pulse on what’s being said and is reactionary, but that’s better than sitting in the ivory tower, the all-knowing being who listens to no one. It’s a fine line he has to walk, being the caretaker while also trying to stay ahead in an ever-changing sports landscape.
Silver has begun to change his tune on the 3-pointer after leaning fully into the numbers and analytics of the shot for so many years. Teams are taking two more 3-pointers per game this season than last, and while that isn’t some herculean growth, it’s probably still too much when you consider the trend over the last decade.
“I’ve also learned, having been around this game for a long time, not to overreact,” Silver said. “I think here that — I do think it’s a beautiful game. I think about 25 years ago was the last time we were in the Bay Area for an All-Star Game. The state of the game then, when many people were saying it was too physical, we were too dependent on the dunk, that players weren’t sufficiently skilled as they were saying then in the old days.”
While that’s true, it’s important to note some of the criticism was a bit overboard, and then-commissioner David Stern was only going to take so much guff from the gallows. But Silver isn’t Stern, and that has worked for him, largely.
It feels a bit squeamish when he talks about shooting being a requirement for 7-footers, when traditionally that hasn’t been the case and probably shouldn’t. In that way, the game has relegated “skill” to a very narrow definition, and Silver has to be careful to not eliminate elements of beauty that has nothing to do with 3-point shooting.
Many players have colored this league’s texture and haven’t had to fit inside that very rigid phone booth. Sometimes you want Silver to plant a stake in the ground and say, “I’m not budging on this, this is our standard and everyone will deal.”
But he’s far more democratic, and given the wide swath of players and owners he deals with, being pliable is an admirable quality that times.
“As you know, we have a Competition Committee,” Silver said. “It’s something we talk about all the time. And if there’s a way to improve the game, believe me, we’ll be all over it.”
Last season, when the scoring had gotten too out of hand, the league made alterations to perimeter defense, allowing for more physicality and almost everyone applauded — at least publicly.
He didn’t tip his hand too far on the scale, but maybe could’ve done more. It does show he has tremendous influence if he chooses to exert it — and perhaps he should embrace it more.
Silver talked about an interview Warriors coach Steve Kerr did with legendary broadcaster Bob Costas, and Costas asked Kerr about the 3-point influence. It was Kerr’s gateway into a professional career on the floor and a catalyst in Kerr becoming a dynastic coach with the Warriors.
“His reaction was, ‘Do I think there’s too much 3-point shooting? Possibly, yes,’” Silver said. “’Do I think the state of the game is great? Also, yes.’ Is there a fix that comes to mind that would improve the game and potentially reduce the amount of 3-point shooting? There wasn’t one that he had to suggest.”
That’s the one thing you can always say about Silver, and sometimes it’s to his detriment: He’s willing to try. He’s not so much married to anything except for the results. More eyeballs, more viewers watching on whatever platform the eyes are going to.
“I like the challenge, frankly, because I think for the league, and together with our partners, we have to up our game at the same time,” Silver said.
That’s an admission you rarely hear from someone in power. Powers that be are supposed to be oracles of wisdom, not admitting to humanity or even acknowledging when a league is currently coming up short.
“Many great ideas have come from outside this league,” Silver said. “Even some of the things that we’ve done recently over the last several years. Things like a play-in tournament, things like the in-season tournament, which became known as the NBA Cup.
“I can’t claim those were original ideas. Those were things, whether we saw other leagues doing that, media talking about them. So we’ve made plenty of tweaks over the years.”
Sunday’s All-Star Game is proof of his flexibility. Changing the format yet again, to three separate teams drafted by TNT analysts Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith to play games up to 40 against the Rising Stars to gin up competition, shows there’s very little he won’t consider.
Perhaps there’s wisdom in knowing what battles he cannot win, so he doesn’t bother fighting them. He can’t force the young stars — Ja Morant, Anthony Edwards or Zion Williamson — to get into the Slam Dunk Contest. Silver tries to work around the margins with those things, allowing for Mac McClung — a career G Leaguer to this point — to shine on Saturday nights the last few years.
At San Francisco’s Chase Center, a sprawling facility that displays all the opulence one would expect from Silicon Valley icons, Saturday night seemed to lack some soul in the crowd, some vibrant, youthful energy.
Meanwhile, earlier in the day, Oakland Arena was full of that — young people in love with the game against the backdrop of a defunct building in an abandoned parking lot — with some fans who were priced out or left behind in the revolution.
But they exist, and Silver has the task of figuring out the best way to blend evolution, ambition and his own sensibilities, because he truly does love the game.
Lost in all his own rhetoric, he laid out a challenge — to his TV partners and media, to the players and, most of all, himself.
