By Ian Browne
SportsLine Staff Writer
Jan. 7, 1999

NEW YORK -- Sometimes the most unpopular decision winds up being the smartest. There are times when it pays to be stubborn. Times when you have to fight for your cause rather than being a peacemaker.

Related Links NBA governors unanimously OK deal Smith: Now the real fun begins Kahn: The game will return, but will the fans? Browne: Players now must win back fans Lockout coverage: NBA Lockout Wrapup Lockout timeline Exclusive audio Free-agent rundown Get in the game with a Jordan reversible jersey! Forum: Who got the best of the deal?

NBA Commissioner David Stern has made few friends these last few months. He's angered players and fans to no end and helped create a general feeling of antipathy about his league amid an ugly labor stalemate.

But as the NBA's Board of Governors unanimously approved the deal to end the league's six-month lockout Thursday, the wide smile on Stern's face indicated it was all worth it.

"I'm elated," beamed Stern.

As well he should be. After all, he has his league back on his terms. He has a system that can actually work for everybody. The rich, the poor, the middle class and all the players and owners in between.

"This deal guarantees that NBA players will remain the highest-paid athletes in the world," Stern said.

"IT GIVES 29 TEAMS THE OPPORTUNITY to compete. It emphasizes continuity of rosters so players will hopefully be encouraged to maximize their income and do it with their existing team."

If the latter two concepts Stern mentioned sounded novel, it's because they have been in recent years. The recent trend in basketball -- as well as most other major sports -- has been for the rich to get richer and the poor to be nothing more than glorified spectators.

But

David Stern (right) and Billy Hunter got the agreement they were looking for. (AP)

now, there will be some control. The players -- and in large part, the agents -- won't be calling all the shots anymore.

There will be a more easily enforced limit to the many millions they can earn. The rookies will actually have to play like superstars before they get paid like them.

And there will be no more Kevin Garnett nonsense. A 20-year-old player virtually holding his team hostage, and actually pulling it off.

No more borderline All-Stars like Alonzo Mourning and Juwan Howard raking in $100-million contracts.

"THIS DEAL IS AN EXCELLENT model not just for basketball, but for all major sports," said Phoenix Suns owner Jerry Colangelo. "When you have cost certainty, it provides stability. "

Well, there is still no cost certainty. The owners gave something back by agreeing to keep the Larry Bird exception, albeit at a more controllable rate. But all things considered, much was accomplished at the stiff price of three months of the season being flushed down the toilet.

To get this far, Stern had to take the hard line. He had to say -- without the slightest hint of bluff -- that he was willing to drop the ax on the season if it meant regaining fiscal responsibility down the road.

He had to alienate fans for the short term and bank that he'll be able to get them back long term.

In essence, he had to play the bad guy. For the players continued to remind everyone they weren't on strike. They were, in fact, locked out by their boss.

And Stern kept that door shut until the last possible second. Finally, he forced union chief Billy Hunter into being reasonable, if only because the players all but begged Hunter and Patrick Ewing not to sacrifice the season.

IN THE END, STERN SAW TO it that the owners gained back some of the control that had been rapidly slipping away. Now it's in their hands to make sure they don't screw it up.

"Only the well-managed teams will make money. That is up to each owner," said Stern.

"We hope we have achieved a model. It's very important for us that all teams will now have the chance to compete. We want fans in all cities to sense an opportunity for their team to compete and win. This leads us in that direction."

In the process of getting here, Stern did extreme things. He grew his beard to an uncontrollably long length. He took a well-documented family vacation in Aspen just as negotiations seemed to be hitting rock bottom.

Then he took his game to the next level just as time was running out and stayed up all night to hammer out the last-minute deal with Hunter.

Stern can be accused of a lot of things, but never of being stupid. He is as shrewd as they come. Oh, he might have talked about not budging from his alleged final offer of a couple of weeks ago. He might have sounded relatively unfazed by the prospect of no season.

BUT IN THE END, HE LET THE players come to him. He knew they had a lot more money to lose by not playing then he did.

Now, he has everyone back but the fans. But they'll soon follow. Don't forget this guy is also a marketing genius. He helped make the league Fan-tastic once before. Don't think he won't do it again.

He already has announced plans for each team to play two games during the abbreviated training camp -- all of which will be free to the fans. Additionally, each team will have a scrimmage free to the public.

While there is nothing that can be done about ticket prices for the upcoming season, Stern promised that next season, each team would sell around 500 seats a game for roughly $10.

Damage has been done. But not irreparably. Despite all the public posturing, neither Stern nor Hunter was dumb enough to blow up the season.

"The catalyst in this deal was knowing where we were and knowing where they were, and knowing what it would be like if we didn't have a season," Stern said. "It would have been lose-lose and now we have win-win."

The one who won the most is Stern. He won his league back under terms everyone can live with.

Ian Browne is a sportswriter on SportsLine's staff.