Stern ready to suspend coaches, players who criticize refs

[Drucci]

Per NBA.com :

Commissioner David Stern, fed up with issuing fines for continued “corrosive” comments about referees, drew a bold line in the sand Thursday and said he will begin suspending coaches and players for postseason games if the criticisms continue.

Speaking in even tones but clearly out of patience after a stream of financial disciplines, Stern was direct and sending a strong signal in response to a question about two fines levied against Lakers coach Phil Jackson in the playoffs for trying to work referees with statements to the media.

“I wish I had it to do all over again and, starting 20 years ago, I’d be suspending Phil and Pat Riley for all the games they play in the media,” Stern said in a press conference at the Ford Center moments before Game 3 of the Lakers-Thunder series. “You guys know that our referees go out there and knock themselves out to do the best job they can, but we’ve got coaches who will do whatever takes to work them publicly. And what that does is erode fan confidence and then you get some of the situations that we have.

“So our coaches should be quiet, because this is a good business that makes them good livings and supports a lot of families. And if they don’t like it, they should go get a job someplace else. I don’t mean to be too subtle. [Laughter] And I think that Phil’s a great coach. He’s a friend of many years. I just came by and said, ‘Hi.’ And he said, ‘I don’t like you today.’ I said, ‘I like you.’ But it’s corrosive. It’s corrosive.

“Because of the pressure cooker that is the NBA playoffs, over the years I’ve let it go. But when you hear the Chicago coach [Jackson] say, ‘Oh, this game was lost because NBC wants an extra game,’ you hear a New York coach [Riley] say, ‘Well, you know, what are you gonna do? Jordan gets all the calls,’ it sounds like a lot of fun, etcetera. Or you hear a Stan Van Gundy do what he wants to say and then the players join.

“We know, inside the community, what it’s meant to do. So, OK, it’s playoff time, everyone’s crazy. Back off. But if I had to do it again, I wouldn’t. I would stop it and the price wouldn’t be a modest $35,000 fine. It would be whatever a day’s pay is, and then two days pay, and then a week’s pay. And if someone wants to try me the rest of this playoffs, make my day. The game is too important and I don’t think that the people who trash it are respecting it, and we’ll do what we have to do.

“Players and coaches alike. They give the impression to our fans that referees somehow have an agenda. Yeah, they have an agenda – to knock themselves out to give the best calls that they can give, and then to send their checks home to their mothers and give the rest to charity.”

Kind of a shocking press conference in my opinion since Stern basically seems to say "hey, we know our refs suck and there are some economic/audience interests at stake which influence their calls, but all the coaches have to do is to stay quiet".

But to suspend coaches or players for criticizing refs? Sure, it will dissuade them from doing it but this is going way beyond the limits...

[Bankshot]

Wow.  I really dislike Stern.  What a dictator.

[BuckeyeCelt]

Wow.  I really dislike Stern.  What a dictator.

I agree with him...I do believe people like riley and jackson are the reason for all the conspiracy theories (the scandal doesnt apply, the refs have been blamed since well before he was outed.)  I do think it is frustrating when their superstars start getting rediculous calls after these press conferences.  I'm with stern on this one...shut up and put the focus on the players and the coaches.  If you lose take responsibility for it and move on...

[CoachBo]

This would be an easy one to agree with - if Napoleon actually held his officials to any performance standards, which he doesn't.

[Bankshot]

This would be an easy one to agree with - if Napoleon actually held his officials to any performance standards, which he doesn't.

Exactly!  Stern is a joke.

[twinbree]

Unbelievable that implementing more rules to protect the refs  from criticism takes priority over actually improving the quality of the reffing. I bet all America wishes they could have a cushy job like this where their boss overlooks their incompetence and goes the extra step of penalizing people who complain about it.

[lon3lytoaster]

In other news, Rasheed has been banned from the NBA.

[Fafnir]

I understand his point of view. The constant media remarks feed into the overly paranoid fan perception that the refs are out to get "their" team.

But at this point I think the genie is out of the bottle and it won't do any good.

[Eja117]

That last sentence is hilarious. I'm sure T Donaghy was sending money home to his mom and charity.

So I assume if you criticize Stern himself you get whacked.

Obviously what we'll get is a lot more

"It was a good game. Both teams played hard. "

Meanwhile the guys he can't punish like Tommy, Jeff Van Gundy, Hubie, etc will say what everyone is thinking

It's just another "Who do you believe. Me or your own lying eyes?"

[CDawg834]

Commissioner Stern wants us to believe that the officials have no agendas against specific players and/or teams.  I understand where he's coming from with this, because you can't have coaches and players continuously undermining the officiating, and in turn, the league's credibility.

The problem is, Stern isn't doing enough on the other side of things, to make sure there isn't even the appearance of impropriety.  For example, the St. Patty's Day game last season where Doc got tossed after an altercation, and the referee (can't recall his name) was fined.  If the official was fined, clearly he had a role in making the situation worse.  How was that same official allowed to ref a Celtics playoff game just a month later???  By letting a referee who had a history with Doc make calls in a C's playoff game, Commissioner Stern opened the door for conspiracy theorists.  The easier solution would be to keep that official from C's games for the rest of the year.  Don't even give people the chance to claim biased refs are calling their games.

You can't give the public the opening to claim referee bias, then complain when they do so.

On a side note, Bennett Salvatore is terrible

[the_Bird]

In other news, Rasheed has been banned from the NBA.

Banned?  He'll be lucky Stern doesn't have him shot!

[moiso]

I agree with Stern as usual.  He's trying to make the NBA the best product it can be.  Listening to everyone complain about the refs having it in for their team or giving preferential treatment to certain players does not enhance the NBA.  

[nickagneta]

A couple of years ago Stern went out of his way to assign an overseer of the refs, some Colonel from the US military, to ensure that officiating would be kept free of scandal and that the officiating would improve. After that, we never, I mean not ever not even once, saw this man's name in an NBA communication again. Yet, in many people's eyes the quality of the officiating is as bad if not worse than ever with a TON of video evidence to prove it(LeBron crab dribbles, Celtics being penalized for Portland playing with 6 players, Durant being fouled without a call that decided a game and playoff pairings this year, etc. etc).

Stern needs to worry less about what the players and coaches are doing regarding complaining to the media and more about cleaning up his house regarding the state of quality regarding officiating in his league.

[slamtheking]

This would be an easy one to agree with - if Napoleon actually held his officials to any performance standards, which he doesn't.

Co-sign.  TP for capturing the true essense of Stern's flawed thinking.

[the_Bird]

Sterns wants to stick his fingers in his ears and scream "LALALALALALALA" like a three year old, and thinks that's going to solve the problem.  Everyone who watches an NBA game KNOWS the officiating sucks.

Here's the thing, though.  If the league were just halfway transparent about the whole thing, the issue would mostly go away.  

I *know* that officiating basketball, especially at the NBA level, is incredibly hard.  I *know* that there are going to be bad calls.  I don't begrudge officials making honest mistakes.

If the league/Stern acknowledged this simple fact - after a controversial game, said "yes, we screwed up that call, the ref's being disciplined, we're sorry"...  well, cripes, at least most of the conspiracy theories would go away.  Hold the officials accountable, and don't try and pretend that things are perfect when we know [dang] well they ain't.

The league's entire issues have nothing to do with calls being blown, and entirely with the belief that calls are being blown intentionally.  Shutting people up does absolutely nothing do alleviate the concerns that the league is not all on the up-and-up (or just the concern that star players get unfair treatment).

Sunlight's the best disinfectant, Mr. Stern.  Be honest with the players and the fans.