Brad Stevens praises Adam Silver for handling of NBA-China tensions

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The NBA and China aren't in a good place right now.

Neither are players like LeBron James, who's gotten backlash for indirectly siding with China in a feud ignited by Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey's tweet about protests in Hong Kong.

Brad Stevens doesn't seem to share James' opinion, though. The Boston Celtics coach sided with the NBA and commissioner Adam Silver on Wednesday when asked about the league's ongoing tensions with China.

"I'm glad we have Adam Silver to lead the league," Stevens told 98.5 The Sports Hub's "Zolak & Bertrand" in his weekly interview. "Obviously, after Daryl's tweet, I thought the most important thing that Adam could say and that we and the league could say is that we value the freedom of expression.

"The NBA's been big on that, and the way that he's handled that and the way that he's basically said, 'We're not going to regulate what people say. It's part of what we all believe.' I think is really important. I agree with him."

Stevens' comments also are an endorsement of Morey, whose tweet supporting protesters in Hong Kong has led several businesses and state-run offices in China -- which has sovereignty over the coastal state -- to cut ties with the NBA.

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"I haven't paid attention to everybody's talk and quotes since then," Stevens added. "I'm not going to pretend like I was a political expert on China prior to whatever day that was when it all came out. But I appreciate (Adam's) leadership and certainly have been reading and learning and trying to get up to speed with everything."

Stevens hardly is going out on a limb by supporting free speech. But he's still offering more of an opinion on the thorny issue than some of his contemporaries -- notably Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, who essentially declined to comment when the controversy first started.

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