Before honoring Red Auerbach at last night's Celtics-Hornets game, commissioner David Stern discussed the state of the NBA as the 2006-07 gets underway. He sees good times ahead, telling players "there's something in the land that says we're going on to another golden era."
"We must have eight to 10 teams that are going into the season thinking that if things break right and they stay healthy, they could be here to challenge [for a title]," Stern said. "That's pretty good. It's not because we have a bunch of mediocre teams. It's because we've got teams that are growing stronger."
When it came to the controversy surrounding the new ball, Stern said, "What new ball? It's already had at least two games in the regular season. I would say that the new ball is here to stay."