Stern ready to suspend coaches, players who criticize refs

[The Walker Wiggle]

Thing is, I think Stern has a relatively simple solution to the whole problem, if he wanted to solve it.

Co-sign. Your plan is far better than anything Stern himself has laid out. Greater transparency is clearly needed. I'd guess that NBA fans are just as exhausted by officiating complaints, I am, but we have so little evidence that the league is taking steps.

And however much Stern would like, he can't simply hand wave away alleged "lone gunman" Tim Donaghy's thirteen year (!) NBA career. (And, despite Stern's defensiveness, that scandal was actually far less damaging than it ought to have been.)

[Tai]

Stern is trying to do the whole "pay no attention to the man behind that curtain bit". It's not going to work

he's just trying to consolidate power in his little kingdom cause he's compensating for something

he needs to get over himself or get out of the league

George Washington was great but the greatest thing he ever did was step down. Powerful and successful people these days don't seem to get that

And then what?! A new guy is going to come in and fire all the refs and put in robots who never ever make mistakes? What do you think Stern stepping down is going to accomplish? Look what the guy has helped build the NBA into! Sure it wasn't him alone, but the man has done some amazing things that have helped the NBA become one of the most profitable sports ever. As a CEO he has been outstanding to the owners.

If you clean house and fire all the refs what you will end up with is a league full of Violet Palmers. Then you'll really be complaining.

I like how you assumed the refs would be fired if Stern was replaced.

[ManUp]

Freedom of press & speech...

Poisonous to any Autocracy.

Espn is under-control, now these pesky coaches & players.

[Finkelskyhook]

Well, I see LeBron complained about the charge called against him last night. If Stern wants to send a message and show his statements are not a hollow threat, he should suspend James. That would let everyone know the commish meant what he said. Of course, everyone knows Bron won't even be fined for his comments, which is the perfect  example or microcosm of the problem in the NBA to begin with.

   The official who made the call is more likely to be banished from basketball before the messiah is diciplined in any way by Stern.  

If you clean house and fire all the refs what you will end up with is a league full of Violet Palmers. Then you'll really be complaining.


I wouldn't.  Palmer seems to be the least in-touch with the pecking order of calls and non-calls for superstars.  She may not be the best official.  But she's by far the most consistent.  I think she stays a lot more level-headed because the players and coaches are more careful criticizing her.

[Tai]

Is LeBron going to be fined?

Does Lebron complain? 

Lebron, who plays a very physical style of basketball, yet only averages 1.5 fouls per game? 

That says it all to me. When James fouls out of a game then I'll start thinking that the NBA is becoming fair. Until then Stern can go do stuff to himself.

To be fair, if the NBA were called by the book our own Perkins would probably foul out in the first quarter on picks alone...and he averages about 3 fouls per game.

Also, to be more fair:

http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/jordami01.html

Look at MJ's last three years as a Bull (or should I say the 2nd 3-peat?). 2.4, 1.9 and 1.8 are very comparable numbers to Lebron's 1.6 (no, not 1.5). But more importantly, MJ didn't foul out in any of those three seasons, either. Yes, including playoffs. I mean, check if you don't believe me.

So, you wanna tell us all where you were, then?

And to be honest, I've grown tired of hearing about the refs, myself. I think whoever said this was a "who do you believe" situation said it best, and I guess my own eyes can be included in the choices.

Truth is, for example, true superstars should be able to get their "superstar calls" in any city, not just they're own; isn't that what makes them superstars? Otherwise, a superstar doesn't sound any bigger than the next roleplayer who can't get the "benefit of a call" on the road. So, when I either hear a fan in real life or see someone on an internet message board crying cause his favorite player on a team (usually the best player, like a Dirk or a D-Wade) "couldn't get a call" in that game the Heat played in Utah or the Mavs played in Orlando, I just do the little eye rub + whimper as if to say "cry more". That's just one example, but I won't wall-of-text you guys like Fan of VT did. (Don't worry he got a TP for that post )

The real problem is that this issue is heavily clouded in subjective opinion. I mean, covered 100 feet deep. Let's take a call that may be considered a "superstar call" because a superstar got the benefit of the call, for example...on average, public opinion's probably 50-50 on how the call should've gone. Thus, I can't blame Stern for wanting to more or less tell people to shove it one way or another. Truth is, on any given call in any given game, whether a call was obviously right, right, obviously wrong, wrong, depends on who you ask, and you probably don't know yourself until you see the call.

The "obvious" calls missed are more or less documented via ten thousand replays by ESPN the day after, so I can't buy that ESPN is "in on it" with the NBA, either.

Clearly there's a problem, but the solution's no as easy as some think. Fan from VT gave fantastic suggestions, and infact, I recommend he send that to the NBA office via e-mail or physical mail or what not.

[CoachBo]

This situation is what it is. Stern is satisfied with the sorry state of NBA officiating, and it won't change.

Doesn't make Stern right. It makes him oblivious.

[Finkelskyhook]

Is LeBron going to be fined?

Does Lebron complain? 

Lebron, who plays a very physical style of basketball, yet only averages 1.5 fouls per game? 

That says it all to me. When James fouls out of a game then I'll start thinking that the NBA is becoming fair. Until then Stern can go do stuff to himself.

To be fair, if the NBA were called by the book our own Perkins would probably foul out in the first quarter on picks alone...and he averages about 3 fouls per game.

Also, to be more fair:

http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/jordami01.html

Look at MJ's last three years as a Bull (or should I say the 2nd 3-peat?). 2.4, 1.9 and 1.8 are very comparable numbers to Lebron's 1.6 (no, not 1.5). But more importantly, MJ didn't foul out in any of those three seasons, either. Yes, including playoffs. I mean, check if you don't believe me.

So, you wanna tell us all where you were, then?

And to be honest, I've grown tired of hearing about the refs, myself. I think whoever said this was a "who do you believe" situation said it best, and I guess my own eyes can be included in the choices.

Truth is, for example, true superstars should be able to get their "superstar calls" in any city, not just they're own; isn't that what makes them superstars? Otherwise, a superstar doesn't sound any bigger than the next roleplayer who can't get the "benefit of a call" on the road. So, when I either hear a fan in real life or see someone on an internet message board crying cause his favorite player on a team (usually the best player, like a Dirk or a D-Wade) "couldn't get a call" in that game the Heat played in Utah or the Mavs played in Orlando, I just do the little eye rub + whimper as if to say "cry more". That's just one example, but I won't wall-of-text you guys like Fan of VT did. (Don't worry he got a TP for that post )

The real problem is that this issue is heavily clouded in subjective opinion. I mean, covered 100 feet deep. Let's take a call that may be considered a "superstar call" because a superstar got the benefit of the call, for example...on average, public opinion's probably 50-50 on how the call should've gone. Thus, I can't blame Stern for wanting to more or less tell people to shove it one way or another. Truth is, on any given call in any given game, whether a call was obviously right, right, obviously wrong, wrong, depends on who you ask, and you probably don't know yourself until you see the call.

The "obvious" calls missed are more or less documented via ten thousand replays by ESPN the day after, so I can't buy that ESPN is "in on it" with the NBA, either.

Clearly there's a problem, but the solution's no as easy as some think. Fan from VT gave fantastic suggestions, and infact, I recommend he send that to the NBA office via e-mail or physical mail or what not.

The difference between now and then is that Jordan was the only obvious benificary of star calls.  Now there's Pierce, Bryant, Nash, Wade, Durant, and Carter getting Jordan treatment.  The messiah has no rules to follow at all.  He just does pretty much what he wants on both ends of the court.  The games the messiah are in are officiated like Harlem Globetrotters games.  Like a parody of NBA basketball.  The games that the afformentioned are in aren't a whole lot better...But they at least don't look fixed.  When a single player can overtly travel, hack, charge, and protest at will without any recourse, sorry....the games he's in look fixed.

Then there's the flopping....Back in the pre-Jordan days the players would have policed themselves from the chicken#%$# stuff like that along the lines that MLB players do.  Now the game has become so neutered that they can't.   

[goz421]

A message to David Stern:

We l know it's about marketing andthe refs are paid to bring in the dollar.  This is why I have a difficult time with professional sports.

Everyone has home court advantage and it's not the court.  it's the refs.  C's are losing tonight after winning by 30.  Were not supposed to complain.  Just enjoy the crap and remain ignorant about the game.

Why does someone get to be commissioner for so long.  We only allow a president to have 8 years at the most to avoid corporate crooks.

[j804]

Perkins is a terrible finisher.

[Eja117]

They should let the players and coaches say what they want, but they should let the refs say stuff too.

How would the players like it if the refs talked to the media and trashed them after every game?

I told Sheed not to reach in again, and that he'd been doing it all game, so he does it again and I give him a foul. So he of course complains. I gave him a tech. I'm tired of his whining. Have you ever heard him whine out there? Sheed would you like a nice cheese with that wine? A nice cheddar maybe?

So I tell Phil his bench guy keeps hacking Bron every time he drives, and I'll be calling the foul every time. So what does he do? The second Bron leaves he takes his player out, then when Bron comes in his guy comes back in and fouls him again, then acts all surprised when he does it hard I give him a flagrant. Does he think I'm blind?


It could go both ways and it should, but Stern wants us to ignore what we see

[moiso]

They should let the players and coaches say what they want, but they should let the refs say stuff too.

How would the players like it if the refs talked to the media and trashed them after every game?

I told Sheed not to reach in again, and that he'd been doing it all game, so he does it again and I give him a foul. So he of course complains. I gave him a tech. I'm tired of his whining. Have you ever heard him whine out there? Sheed would you like a nice cheese with that wine? A nice cheddar maybe?

So I tell Phil his bench guy keeps hacking Bron every time he drives, and I'll be calling the foul every time. So what does he do? The second Bron leaves he takes his player out, then when Bron comes in his guy comes back in and fouls him again, then acts all surprised when he does it hard I give him a flagrant. Does he think I'm blind?


It could go both ways and it should, but Stern wants us to ignore what we see

Great idea.  We'd get some classic stuff.  I never even thought of this before.