Nate McMillan Fined $25,000 For Asserting NBA Has Pro-Knicks Bias

Post #1 » by **RealGM Wiretap** » Thu May 20, 2021 7:41 pm

The NBA has fined Nate McMillan $25,000 for detrimental comments asserting bias by the league.

"Absolutely, I've talked about that to the team a lot," said McMillan. "Basically, I've gone as far as saying the league wants this. They need this, New York, this is a big market for the league, and New York has been out of the playoffs for a number of years.

"And this is a team that our league, they want to see—there's a huge fanbase—and they want to see New York in the playoffs."

Via RealGM Staff Report

BigShot Bojan · Post #2 » by **BigShot Bojan** » Thu May 20, 2021 8:24 pm

Nate Macmillan is a moron...just look at Knicks luck in the lottery

robillionaire · Post #3 » by **robillionaire** » Thu May 20, 2021 9:07 pm

yeah the NBA has a pro-knicks bias, that's why we have been the worst team in the NBA since the Y2K virus was relevant

Post #4 » by **Nuntius** » Thu May 20, 2021 9:11 pm

It would be good to read the actual statement in the article instead of relying simply on the title. Here's what his comments actually were, per the article:

"Absolutely, I've talked about that to the team a lot," said McMillan. "Basically, I've gone as far as saying the league wants this. They need this, New York, this is a big market for the league, and New York has been out of the playoffs for a number of years.

"And this is a team that our league, they want to see—there's a huge fanbase—and they want to see New York in the playoffs."

He never said that the NBA has a pro-Knicks bias. What he dd say was that New York is a big market for the league and that the Knicks have a huge fanbase which also means that the league wants to see New York in the playoffs. Isn't that 100% accurate? Isn't New York a big market? Don't the Knicks have a huge fanbase? Yes, it will obviously be great for the league to see New York in the playoffs so, yeah, they definitely want that. Nothing wrong with that.

basketballwacko2 · Post #5 » by **basketballwacko2** » Thu May 20, 2021 10:35 pm

I agree with Nate, this is where we are now not only in the NBA but the world, you can't say something that is socially unacceptable even if it is true. The NBA is a crooked league and a crooked game, the refs are crooked and the lottery rigged. The League caters to the big market and the star player!

basketballwacko2 · Post #6 » by **basketballwacko2** » Thu May 20, 2021 10:39 pm

knicks85 wrote:Nate Macmillan is a moron...just look at Knicks luck in the lottery

I remember the 1985 lottery and the David Stern double take.

Lockdown504090 · Post #7 » by **Lockdown504090** » Thu May 20, 2021 11:34 pm

Fining him kinda makes me believe him.

Pickled Prunes · Post #8 » by **Pickled Prunes** » Thu May 20, 2021 11:44 pm

It doesn't appear that he said the league did anything underhanded to make it happen. He just said they want it... and they do. Maybe there is more to the conversation?

the_process · Post #9 » by **the_process** » Fri May 21, 2021 12:57 am

I don't think there's any question that what McMillian said is true. The league has always hated when people call them out on their shady ways, and hence the fine.

the_process · Post #10 » by **the_process** » Fri May 21, 2021 12:58 am

basketballwacko2 wrote:
knicks85 wrote:Nate Macmillan is a moron...just look at Knicks luck in the lottery

I remember the 1985 lottery and the David Stern double take.

Exactly.

niha17 · Post #11 » by **niha17** » Fri May 21, 2021 1:19 am

of course they want the knick in the playoffs. Its the biggest market they have. When the knicks are good the nba is good. Thats not new. he didnt even say anything that is bad or wrong. The nba shouldnt have fined him for saying this.

Dennis 37 · Post #12 » by **Dennis 37** » Fri May 21, 2021 2:52 am

Nuntius wrote:It would be good to read the actual statement in the article instead of relying simply on the title. Here's what his comments actually were, per the article:

"Absolutely, I've talked about that to the team a lot," said McMillan. "Basically, I've gone as far as saying the league wants this. They need this, New York, this is a big market for the league, and New York has been out of the playoffs for a number of years.

"And this is a team that our league, they want to see—there's a huge fanbase—and they want to see New York in the playoffs."

He never said that the NBA has a pro-Knicks bias. What he dd say was that New York is a big market for the league and that the Knicks have a huge fanbase which also means that the league wants to see New York in the playoffs. Isn't that 100% accurate? Isn't New York a big market? Don't the Knicks have a huge fanbase? Yes, it will obviously be great for the league to see New York in the playoffs so, yeah, they definitely want that. Nothing wrong with that.

Well, yes and no. If the Knicks are in the playoffs, that means another team is not. If the league likes that the Knicks are in the playoffs, it follows that the league is happy another team is not. Are the fans of that other team less worthy even if they are less numerous?

A better way of saying it is that it is good for the league that all teams appear regularly in the playoffs, and any long playoff drought, by any team, is bad for the league.

Post #13 » by **Nuntius** » Fri May 21, 2021 3:08 am

Dennis 37 wrote:
Nuntius wrote:It would be good to read the actual statement in the article instead of relying simply on the title. Here's what his comments actually were, per the article:

"Absolutely, I've talked about that to the team a lot," said McMillan. "Basically, I've gone as far as saying the league wants this. They need this, New York, this is a big market for the league, and New York has been out of the playoffs for a number of years.

"And this is a team that our league, they want to see—there's a huge fanbase—and they want to see New York in the playoffs."

He never said that the NBA has a pro-Knicks bias. What he dd say was that New York is a big market for the league and that the Knicks have a huge fanbase which also means that the league wants to see New York in the playoffs. Isn't that 100% accurate? Isn't New York a big market? Don't the Knicks have a huge fanbase? Yes, it will obviously be great for the league to see New York in the playoffs so, yeah, they definitely want that. Nothing wrong with that.

Well, yes and no. If the Knicks are in the playoffs, that means another team is not. If the league likes that the Knicks are in the playoffs, it follows that the league is happy another team is not. Are the fans of that other team less worthy even if they are less numerous?

A better way of saying it is that it is good for the league that all teams appear regularly in the playoffs, and any long playoff drought, by any team, is bad for the league.

For the quality of the sport? Sure. For the bottom line of the league? The biggest a market is, the more successful they want it to be. Remember, the goal of the NBA, just any other business, is to make money. Bigger markets bring in more money when successful due to having a much larger fanbase so they are preferable for the league. It's the same reason why ESPN focuses its coverage on bigger markets and regularly ignores smaller markets. That's how capitalism works, sadly.

To be clear, I don't like it nor do I support it but that's how the situation is.

Dennis 37 · Post #14 » by **Dennis 37** » Fri May 21, 2021 3:35 am

Nuntius wrote:
Dennis 37 wrote:
Nuntius wrote:It would be good to read the actual statement in the article instead of relying simply on the title. Here's what his comments actually were, per the article:

He never said that the NBA has a pro-Knicks bias. What he dd say was that New York is a big market for the league and that the Knicks have a huge fanbase which also means that the league wants to see New York in the playoffs. Isn't that 100% accurate? Isn't New York a big market? Don't the Knicks have a huge fanbase? Yes, it will obviously be great for the league to see New York in the playoffs so, yeah, they definitely want that. Nothing wrong with that.

Well, yes and no. If the Knicks are in the playoffs, that means another team is not. If the league likes that the Knicks are in the playoffs, it follows that the league is happy another team is not. Are the fans of that other team less worthy even if they are less numerous?

A better way of saying it is that it is good for the league that all teams appear regularly in the playoffs, and any long playoff drought, by any team, is bad for the league.

For the quality of the sport? Sure. For the bottom line of the league? The biggest a market is, the more successful they want it to be. Remember, the goal of the NBA, just any other business, is to make money. Bigger markets bring in more money when successful due to having a much larger fanbase so they are preferable for the league. It's the same reason why ESPN focuses its coverage on bigger markets and regularly ignores smaller markets. That's how capitalism works, sadly.

To be clear, I don't like it nor do I support it but that's how the situation is.

Building exposure for every team is also important. Having a team with minimal league or media support, that fails to draw fans on the road, is a drag on the whole league. If there are perennial league does not give a crap teams, they should be in a relegated league with their own championship. The league could counter ESPN's coverage of big markets by having their website focus more on smaller markets. The Lakers do not have to be the lead story every time they play.

Then there is the international angle. All of Japan is watching the Raptors and Wizards play because each has a Japanese player on their roster. If the NBA ignores these two teams, because LeBron stubbed his toe, they are missing out on international growth of the league.

If the Raptors have the 2nd best record next year, and have a Japanese player on their team, will they again be left off the Christmas game schedule?

Post #15 » by **Nuntius** » Fri May 21, 2021 4:02 am

Dennis 37 wrote:
Nuntius wrote:
Dennis 37 wrote:
Well, yes and no. If the Knicks are in the playoffs, that means another team is not. If the league likes that the Knicks are in the playoffs, it follows that the league is happy another team is not. Are the fans of that other team less worthy even if they are less numerous?

A better way of saying it is that it is good for the league that all teams appear regularly in the playoffs, and any long playoff drought, by any team, is bad for the league.

For the quality of the sport? Sure. For the bottom line of the league? The biggest a market is, the more successful they want it to be. Remember, the goal of the NBA, just any other business, is to make money. Bigger markets bring in more money when successful due to having a much larger fanbase so they are preferable for the league. It's the same reason why ESPN focuses its coverage on bigger markets and regularly ignores smaller markets. That's how capitalism works, sadly.

To be clear, I don't like it nor do I support it but that's how the situation is.

Building exposure for every team is also important. Having a team with minimal league or media support, that fails to draw fans on the road, is a drag on the whole league. If there are perennial league does not give a crap teams, they should be in a relegated league with their own championship. The league could counter ESPN's coverage of big markets by having their website focus more on smaller markets. The Lakers do not have to be the lead story every time they play.

Then there is the international angle. All of Japan is watching the Raptors and Wizards play because each has a Japanese player on their roster. If the NBA ignores these two teams, because LeBron stubbed his toe, they are missing out on international growth of the league.

If the Raptors have the 2nd best record next year, and have a Japanese player on their team, will they again be left off the Christmas game schedule?

Don't get me wrong, I agree with you. I simply do not believe that the league is in a place where they care so much about smaller markets or the international angle. Right now, TV rights are probably still a very significant portion of the league's income so big US markets come first. I do hope that this changes in the future.

NoStatsGuy · Post #16 » by **NoStatsGuy** » Fri May 21, 2021 12:49 pm

id assume this is a strategy to fire up his team?

because it doesnt make a whole lot of sense

MegaK · Post #17 » by **MegaK** » Fri May 21, 2021 2:46 pm

Like it or not and whether the Knicks deserve to be or not, they are an internationally famous team/brand bro. They are almost as recognized as the Yankees brand wise. They also play in the biggest media market in the country, and enjoy a massively loyal fan base across the country. They play in the same city that the KD, Kyrie and Harden Nets team play and are still the bigger draw bro. The Knicks are highly profitable despite whatever garbage they have put on the floor historically bro. If they do well the league enjoys a noticeable profit that trickles down to all teams. So yes the league wants / needs the Knicks to be successful especially in these economically challenging times. Not to mention what it does for sports betting as well bro.

Post #18 » by **dougthonus** » Fri May 21, 2021 3:51 pm

Dennis 37 wrote:A better way of saying it is that it is good for the league that all teams appear regularly in the playoffs, and any long playoff drought, by any team, is bad for the league.

It is probably fair to say the league is always benefitted by its biggest markets and fan bases always being in the playoffs (or as much as possible). This is also good for all the other teams in the league as it increases the national TV deals and money for all teams.

You're probably best off from a monetary perspective of having most of your six to eight biggest markets in there the majority of the time and having the rest of the teams round robin in the other spots.

That said, what Nate said, I think is totally true, and it is just another stupid fine by the NBA for a guy stating an obvious objective fact. He didn't say the league gives the Knicks an unfair advantage, fixes the lottery, or does other things for them. He said the league wants the Knicks to be good. Of course it does. It wants the Lakers to be good too. Of course it makes sense for the league that its largest followings and most iconic franchises do well. Same is probably true to a lesser extent for the Bulls and Celtics.