NBA commissioner Adam Silver said the league has no plans to intervene over Knicks owner James Dolan’s use of facial recognition technology at Madison Square Garden.
Dolan has acknowledged using the technology to prohibit lawyers involved in litigation against the company from entrance into the Garden and other venues, and he also has been accused of tracking fans and celebrities who have been critical of him.
“As I’ve said previously, our only rules are that they comply with local law. And from everything we understand right now, Madison Square Garden is complying with local law,” Silver said Saturday night when asked about the controversy during his All-Star press conference in Salt Lake City. “And at least so far, we have not deemed it appropriate that we should be stepping into those situations.”
Silver also addressed questions about the continued use of load management by NBA teams, wherein star players sit out games for resting purposes. He acknowledged considering some of the proposed changes, such as shortening or spreading out the schedule, but said: “We hear it from our fans when players aren’t there. … We think we can do a better job, but we don’t have a specific solution yet.”
Silver also was asked about comments by former Nets stars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving earlier Saturday that they believe it’s good for the NBA when players request trades.
“When it comes to player movement, I generally think that’s positive. We designed this current [collective bargaining agreement] with the shorter contracts and how free agency works to allow for that,” Silver said. “But I think, in fact, the Players’ Association has agreed with us in our current [collective bargaining agreement], there are rules against making public trade demands. I’ve said that many times before that I think that’s a bad thing. I think it’s corrosive to the system, and certainly fans don’t like it.
“But you want to find the right balance. You want obviously players to honor their contracts and at the same time, a certain amount of player movement is good. … But I think it has to be done in partnership and honoring those agreements that players and teams enter into.”