Reacting to the embarrassing possibility that Jeff Van Gundy would refuse to wear a TV microphone during last night’s Knicks-Rockets nationally televised game, the NBA made an 11th hour compromise that kept the Knick coach unplugged.
In a one-game experiment, the league, the National Basketball Coaches Association and Van Gundy agreed that instead of a wireless mini-microphone
clipped on his lapel, a boom mike would be lowered into Knick huddles during timeouts.
Still, the league has promised that the timeouts would be taped and no Knick strategy will be broadcast on the telecast, or on future telecasts.
“I think it was a great compromise on the NBA’s part on not being too intrusive on coaches,” Van Gundy said after the Knicks beat the Rockets 91-85. “I hope they see fit to continue to give coaches the option not to wear it.”
Recently, the league has instituted a controversial rule demanding that head coaches wear a microphone during selected nationally televised games. NBA Commissioner David Stern said he thought the gimmick would allow the fans at home to feel as if they were sitting courtside in the arena.
During a recent NBC game, Heat coach Pat Riley refused to be miked. And in Sunday’s Raptors-Sonics game on NBC, Toronto coach Butch Carter and Seattle coach Paul Westphal also rejected wearing a microphone and were fined $100,000 each by the league.
In the days leading up to last night’s game, Van Gundy labeled the microphone as being intrusive, and as of yesterday, he hadn’t decided whether he would grudgingly acquiesce to the rule.
Van Gundy said he discussed yesterday his concerns about wearing the microphone with Cablevision President and team owner James Dolan, as well as with Garden President Dave Checketts and Knicks general manager Scott Layden. Van Gundy said that he received assurances from Dolan that Cablevision would pay the $100,000 fine if Van Gundy refused to abide by the rule.
“They felt as strongly as I did that it wasn’t right,” Van Gundy said. “But thankfully it didn’t come to that.”
About 4:30 p.m., Van Gundy said he was informed by NBCA Executive Director Michael Goldberg about the proposed deal with the league, and he agreed to it. A boom mike had been used during last season’s playoffs, as well.
Without a compromise, Van Gundy said he wasn’t sure whether or not he would have worn the mike. Meanwhile, Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich agreed to wear the mike for the third time this season.
“I won’t say I’m completely comfortable with it,” Tomjanovich said. “When I talked to the league they said this would help the league and I’m all for that. They assured me it wouldn’t [show] strategy or any kind of embarrassing types of situations that could happen. I have trusted them on it.”
At the Garden last night, Goldberg said he would be holding further meetings with the league today in an attempt to come to a permanent solution. If the league maintains the rule, Goldberg said the NBCA had not ruled out the possibility of suing the league.
