Rossettini: Thank you for being here, Commissioner. What would you say the state of the league is after 3 full seasons?
Areman: I see a lot of potential for growth moving forward, like Commissioner Kaskel said yesterday, we are looking at expansion. It’s a little hard to know exactly how it’ll all shake out this early in the off-season so we’ll see where it goes.
Rossettini: Over the last few seasons, we've seen a huge gap between the league's best and the league's worst, with Anaheim going 2 seasons without losing a game, and Fort Lauderdale not wining a game. Did you view this as a problem? If so, do you think Anaheim leaving the league will make things better?
Areman: I think the League is closer than scores would indicate. While Brian’s yet to win a game, he has been competitive in several, even taking Snakes to overtime in Season I. Anaheim’s dominance was always more certain than any other teams’ pitfalls but even that was challenged at times, mainly game 3 of the PHL III ICF and one of the Boston-Anaheim regular season games from PHL II. Anaheim leaving the League should increase parity of the standings. Whether that’s a good thing or not is up to everyone’s personal preference. The guy had a helluva career and I don’t think that should be overshadowed.
Rossettini: We've seen a lot of goaltending and basket interference calls since the league got started, especially among the taller players in the league. Does the Commissioners' Office have any plans to look into this?
Areman: I’ll go one step further, the League Office is already looking at it. We increased basket height once before and are prepared to increase it again. We hope that increasing the height will move the League in a direction where skill translates to results more than pant length. That’s the result we got when first raising the hoop and we hope to continue moving that direction.
Rossettini: Why weren't you able to hold an All Star event during PHL II and III?
Areman: Scheduling conflicts. It’s hard to get 5 members of the League free at the same time. The ASG for PHL II was scheduled but two different players both had last minute personal conflicts and we made the tough decision to cancel it. In the end I actually think it’s a good thing. It takes pressure off of the event and makes it much more casual. I can confirm that Howell won’t miss out and will be the host of the next ASG, whenever that may be.
Rossettini: How has business life changed for you since being promoted to Co-Commissioner?
Areman: Not much day-to-day has changed. I just feel better about the title as I think it more accurately represents the work I do with and for the League.
Rossettini: Thanks for your time Commissioner. I'll see you guys back on the court this Fall.
Areman: Thanks Tommy.
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