The important point in the recent Kobe Bryant suspension wasn't that he finally got caught smashing defenders in the face with his elbows, but rather that the league office - in overruling the officials who failed to make the call - finally acknowledged, in effect, that the game has gotten away from it's officials.
Of course Shaq - Kobe's former partner in crime - has gotten away with even worse murder on the court than Kobe, & to my knowledge has yet to ever be suspended. And before Shaq even there was the Mailman. And other stars & occasionally lesser players have benefitted from the game having utterly gotten away from the referees, in some cases to a degree that is beyond the scope of this write-up.
Whether officials are intimidated by star players (especially BIG ones) or just favor them is up for debate. In any case things have gotten sufficiently far out of hand that this post is not calling for debate on the subject, but rather calling for action on the problem.
The league at this point simply needs to re-evaluate ALL of it's officials after the current season ends. Probably 85% need to be removed or re-trained. This would be costly to the league, especially if most of the 85% were re-trained. My suggestion would be to re-train maybe 60%, give the 15% top refs a raise, remove the other 25%. Still, this would be costly to the league in the short run, but in the long run the league might well come out ahead because of the reduced salaries paid to the incoming refs (who would make considerably less than the retained officials, but considerably more than they made at the levels they previously officiated at).
Not to mention that the integrity of the game would be elevated to former levels once again, thereby encouraging the game's fan base. Enough already, the league is to be encouraged for taking a stand in the aforementioned overruling of it's officials, now they need to follow up & finish the job.
I think the reason that the ref kept his whistle silent on the Kobe / Manu elbow was because NBA refs and the league HATE deciding a game on a last second foul and free throw shots. A lot of times if it is in the final seconds of the game and someone drives the lane, you can usually get away with murdering them because you know the whistles will be silent.
So to me it was not that surprising that they did not call an offensive foul on Kobe when he elbowed Manu. Sure some think it was intentional and some think it was not, but a foul is a foul either way.
Typical no call though at the last seconds o####ame.
The main problem I have with refs is special treatment to star players. That has been around forever and it is not just a bunch of refs conspiring saying they want special treatment for stars, that comes directly from the league / commish.
Last edited by AK47spiderman on February 15th at 6:34 AM.
Right on man! Officiating is a joke, not only in the NBA but at the college level too. If it's a foul earlier in the game, then it's still a foul at the end of the game. The refs need consistency, and it's not there. As a result, the game has suffered tremendously. I don't want to watch what I call "street ball". If I wanted to see that kind of game I would go down to the local park. There is way too much "carrying" and "walking" going on. The way players use the crossover dribble is a carry each and every time. That move originated on the playgrounds and that's where it needs to stay along with all the chest thumping, posturing and scowls that you see on the players' faces. Basketball is no longer basketball in my book, but I grew up following the true greats of the game when it was played for the love of the game, not the big money contracts. The modern player leaves a lot to be desired...
Last edited by HeelsFan on February 15th at 6:57 AM.
I think the league is calling the game exactly the way they want to call it. I frequently listen to Ronnie Nunn's show and he always talks about the extensive training NBA officials are afforded.
I don't think changing the officiating would put more fans in the seats, as save a few poorly performing franchises, attendance, viewership, and revenues are up. And the game is growing globally in a big ay.
Do the refs from time to time get it wrong? Yes. Is it a conspiracy? No. Are there too many controls on the game? Yes.
AK, Hey, interesting points! Could well all be true, but I'm with Heelsfan who posted just after you, they've just taken too much away from the game, the quality of the players, including with regard to their integrity, the whole nine yards. Shaq wouldn't have been half the player he was if they enforced the rules. It's called charging, they're called personal fouls, most of his moves down low, I mean we know he can't shoot, so without all the fouls what would he have left?
And then there's the even bigger question about refs being bought off. I know it's happened, I'm not sure if it's a lot, but I know it's happened in recent years. So one more reason to re-evaluate all these guys, & if the league *is* in on favoring the star players they need to knock that #### right off. Maybe that's what they decided to do starting with this latest Kobe incident.
Heelsfan, Yes we're sure in agreement. Traveling should still be traveling, charging should still be charging, personal fouls should be personal fouls, but if obviously no personal foul was even close to being committed why are they sometimes being called anyway, sometimes in situations with obviously *no contact* whatsoever??
Last edited by jesus2 on February 15th at 7:39 AM.
Mean, I don't know about the whole conspiracy idea, I don't know anything about that angle, but I do know refs have been bought off. Maybe that's very rare, I don't know. But in any case I've talked to a lot of fans who seem to side with me on this, they're tired of the bologna. And not just the blown calls, but the unecessary rough stuff that leads to brawls & the degradation of the league's image.
And as I was just saying Shaq wouldn't have been half what he was if they called the charges & personal fouls. Anyone who thinks different doesn't know the basic rules of the game. And I'm talking about those 10 or so Primary rules Naismith laid out himself, I'm not talking about anyone needing to know the entire rule book. Just the basics. Is that too much to ask that the refs at least know those?
And how is it fair to other players & teams who are on the wrong side of the Shaq murders on the basketball court? If he can't score hardly half as many points within the rules how many Championships would the Lakers have won? Or the Heat?
I've played the game myself and I guarantee that it's a physical enough sport as it is. I still have injuries many years later that never got completely better, or that can flare up. There are enough serious injuries & enough players out right now, or playing with substantial injuries that there is every reason for the league to clean up the game as much as possible.
Last edited by jesus2 on February 15th at 7:49 AM.
Good point...tho the concept could be applied to most sports. And MeanDovine...There is a man who is doing much with B-Ball and is in the mix of spreading it globally. I would say that is why he just may need some cash flow now. Check out "The Facts of The Controvesy"...The man?...John Amaechi.
(hope this isn't considered spamming. If so jesus2 just delete me man)
Everyone talks about cleaning up the NBA, and/or cleaning up sports. I've played competitive sports as well. They are what they are. From Pop Warner to the Pros.
In every generation the rules appeared to have be broken or stretched by some player, or team, or ...
Not just in the modern generation.
Shaq played within the rules the league allowed, for whatever reason. As did Wilt, and Mikan, etc. Both got away with things.
I have gotten upset over officiating just like you, but the officiating isn't going to change, and neither are the rules. I believe the refs work hard to get it as right as possible based upon the rules and instructions they are given.
As for Naismith's creation, it exists only in its framework. Still, I absolutely like today's game. And I love today's players even more.
I see the NBA as a globaly growing sport in its appeal, outreach, and revenues.
Well, one thing seems to be for sure, if you follow the college game - which I don't really - but just from what I've picked up on the internet recently, it sure looks like the game is going to be interesting if it isn't already: projected for this summer's draft are a slew of 7'0 'ers from all over the world, & many of those projected to go a ways up in the first round. And of course their seems to be good reason to think Oden will come out this year, & possibly even Durant from Texas. But what I'm getting is that it's just as much the year of the Power Forward as the Center, if not more so - with some of the 7'0 'ers even projected as first round Power Forwards. And some pretty serious looking SF's projected to go high as well, along with a few maybe Real Deal SG's.
Then to make things further interesting are the actual team picks lined up for the first round:
Clippers; Should have the T-Wolves pick so long as it's not a top 10, from the Cassell deal - so if the draft were held right now the Clips have 2 picks between 10-20 in the first round. You don't think I love it?
'76ers; Have their own pick, Denver's & Dallas'. (& have a 2nd round pick that should be in the top 10).
Suns; 2 picks
Bobcats; 2 picks
Bulls; Right to swap picks with the Knicks if they so choose.
Last edited by jesus2 on February 15th at 9:58 AM.
This goes back to the point I made several days ago. Officiating needs to be more consistent through out the games, and level regardless of who the call might go against.
Just because two seconds remain on the doesn't make a foul a non-foul.
GoMavs, Sorry I missed your previous comments. Sounds like we're in agreement anyhow!
Mean, Here's what I got for you at the 5, two 7'0 monsters - Splitter & Jianlian from Brazil & China respectively, both projected to go pretty high; then a bushel of other 7'0 'ers, or close, from local & eastern Euro that should go in 1 & 2 rounds.
At the 3, or projected as 2/3's for the NBA, and probably mid-high first round, I've got:
Julian Wright: Kansas
Brandon Rush: Kansas
Corey Brewer: Florida
Marcus Williams: Arizona
Thaddeus Young: Georgia Tech
Jared Dudley: Boston College
Also watch Morris Almond, Rice, although he seems to be projected as a 2, but 6'6, over 200.
Last edited by jesus2 on February 15th at 10:45 AM.
NBA SCREWING THE SONICS. EVERY GAME AND THE COMMISSIONER MUST ( IS ) STUPID TO NOT SEE IT. VEGAS CONTROL THE PRO SPORTS GAME TODAY AND THE HEADS OF THE SPORTS ARE EITHER IN ON IT OR TOO DUMB TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT
Sounds like some "poor-man's" Cubanism goin' on in here. Unfortunately, most people who claim that the problem with the NBA is the incompetence of the referees (I am FAR from agreeing on that point) do NOT have several billion dollars to fund a Don Quixotic assault on "disgraceful officiating". I agree with those who say the officials are calling the game just the way the league wants them to call it. Same for most other professional sports, where star players tend to get the benefit of the doubt.
But as to "incompetence", nah. These guys are remarkably consistent by and large in an incredibly fast moving, physical game. Your team is losing because they don't play the fast moving, physical game as well as some of the other teams do, NOT because of incompetent officials.
Maybe the league is encouraging some favoritism, but the Kobe incident demonstrates that if they are there is a limit to it. The officials missed the call. Call it incompetence, call it favoritism, call it a fix, call it whatever you want: they missed the call. And they missed it again, & again & again, over many years now that Kobe's been smashing defenders in the face with his elbows. And Shaq the Buffoon has been pushing his disgraceful fat #### all over the paint because he isn't enough of a man/basketball player to get in shape and prove he can get it done within the rules.
Enough already, wrong is wrong.
And I don't know about the Sonics, but it sure is funny that a team that was contending for Western Conference supremacy 2 years ago can't beat anyone now - with almost the same roster.
Aging, very possibly washed-up, wannabe Marathon Runner. Still trying to get to that next level though! Pacific Northwest "NBA fan" - but seriously, the fixes, the star treatment, the way-too-young age limit, David Stern working overtime to screw the city of Seattle, I mean who can be a *real* NBA fan at this point .......
