Interesting take on NBA Officiating....

[jeffpea]

this from Bill Simmons of ESPN: The Worldwide Leader In Sports Page 2 "fame".......

The Sports Guy: Bill Simmons Welcome to the No Benjamins Association - ESPN Page 2


3. Lousy officiating
This has nothing to do with the economy, obviously. But what the hell? Seriously, what the hell? HOW COULD THE REFEREES BE THIS CONSISTENTLY BAD??? THEY ARE KILLING THE PRODUCT! THEY ARE KILLING IT!!!! I CAN'T STOP USING CAPS!!!! How are we enabling such staggering incompetence on a day-to-day basis?



A great example: I knew we were in trouble before Wednesday's Clips-Celts game when I saw Bennett Salvatore, Courtney Kirkland and Leroy Richardson, or as they're more commonly known, "The Three Stooges." I told my wife, "These guys will find a way to decide this game, you watch." She didn't care; she was more interested in devouring the bag of Sour Patch Kids we had just purchased. But sure enough, with the Celts somehow leading by just one (they were awful all night) and only 35 seconds to play, Rajon Rondo missed a free throw that ricocheted to Mardy Collins, only Big Baby Davis somehow swiped the ball away as Richardson's whistle blew. The Boston bench exploded, thinking it was an undeserved foul, only Richardson had blown his whistle for a Clippers timeout. One problem: Collins never had the ball. He fumbled the easy rebound to Davis even as the Clippers were signalling for time. Richardson granted the timeout because he's inept at his job and didn't make sure Collins, you know, actually secured the rebound. Did you know you can call timeouts when you don't have the basketball? Me neither. As a kicker, the Clips scored the winning basket on their free possession.



These screw-ups seem to happen four times a week. The league claims to care and made a big stink about hiring Ronald Johnson this past summer to clean things up. Nope. It's still a mess. Three weeks ago, the Lakers and Celtics played the highest-rated regular-season cable game in 13 seasons. Guess which crew the NBA assigned to that beauty? That's right, Leon Wood, Monty McCutchen and Jim Capers Jr. (only because Lloyd Christmas and Harry Dunne were unavailable). So TNT's record audience was treated to a comically choppy slopfest in which Boston's best player (Kevin Garnett) fouled out on a touch foul 35 feet from the basket with five minutes to play. The NBA: Where Amazingly Bad Officiating Happens. When will someone take responsibility and admit that something is seriously, drastically, undeniably wrong? Why can't Stern announce in June, "Our best three referees right now are Steve Javie, Mark Wunderlich and Joey Crawford, and we want the best championship series possible, so those guys will be handling every 2009 Finals game because we care about the quality of our sport?" For a league that claimed to take the Donaghy scandal so seriously, we haven't seen any inclination that it did. Not even a hint. Not a whiff. It makes me want to commit a flagrant foul 2 on myself. But I digress.

[tballump]

Originally Posted by jeffpea

this from Bill Simmons of ESPN: The Worldwide Leader In Sports Page 2 "fame".......

The Sports Guy: Bill Simmons Welcome to the No Benjamins Association - ESPN Page 2


3. Lousy officiating
This has nothing to do with the economy, obviously. But what the hell? Seriously, what the hell? HOW COULD THE REFEREES BE THIS CONSISTENTLY BAD??? THEY ARE KILLING THE PRODUCT! THEY ARE KILLING IT!!!! I CAN'T STOP USING CAPS!!!! How are we enabling such staggering incompetence on a day-to-day basis?



A great example: I knew we were in trouble before Wednesday's Clips-Celts game when I saw Bennett Salvatore, Courtney Kirkland and Leroy Richardson, or as they're more commonly known, "The Three Stooges." I told my wife, "These guys will find a way to decide this game, you watch." She didn't care; she was more interested in devouring the bag of Sour Patch Kids we had just purchased. But sure enough, with the Celts somehow leading by just one (they were awful all night) and only 35 seconds to play, Rajon Rondo missed a free throw that ricocheted to Mardy Collins, only Big Baby Davis somehow swiped the ball away as Richardson's whistle blew. The Boston bench exploded, thinking it was an undeserved foul, only Richardson had blown his whistle for a Clippers timeout. One problem: Collins never had the ball. He fumbled the easy rebound to Davis even as the Clippers were signalling for time. Richardson granted the timeout because he's inept at his job and didn't make sure Collins, you know, actually secured the rebound. Did you know you can call timeouts when you don't have the basketball? Me neither. As a kicker, the Clips scored the winning basket on their free possession.



These screw-ups seem to happen four times a week. The league claims to care and made a big stink about hiring Ronald Johnson this past summer to clean things up. Nope. It's still a mess. Three weeks ago, the Lakers and Celtics played the highest-rated regular-season cable game in 13 seasons. Guess which crew the NBA assigned to that beauty? That's right, Leon Wood, Monty McCutchen and Jim Capers Jr. (only because Lloyd Christmas and Harry Dunne were unavailable). So TNT's record audience was treated to a comically choppy slopfest in which Boston's best player (Kevin Garnett) fouled out on a touch foul 35 feet from the basket with five minutes to play. The NBA: Where Amazingly Bad Officiating Happens. When will someone take responsibility and admit that something is seriously, drastically, undeniably wrong? Why can't Stern announce in June, "Our best three referees right now are Steve Javie, Mark Wunderlich and Joey Crawford, and we want the best championship series possible, so those guys will be handling every 2009 Finals game because we care about the quality of our sport?" For a league that claimed to take the Donaghy scandal so seriously, we haven't seen any inclination that it did. Not even a hint. Not a whiff. It makes me want to commit a flagrant foul 2 on myself. But I digress.

IMHO, since the officials are so bad, I'm sure they would be looking for an official like you (from your summation you should be able to work as well as Javie, Wunderlich, and Crawford since you have watched them so much and you know all the things the other refs miss). Tell your wife right now that you are going to the NBA officiating school to become an NBA official since you know how to officiate just like Steve, Mark, and Joey, and the NBA needs your help. I will be looking for you to tell us shortly about the NBA hiring you on the spot after seeing your resume and working just a couple summer camp games. Good luck, I am counting on you to 'act' on becoming an NBA official rather than just 'complaining' about how they should officiate here in this forum. You will be able to show them how it should be done, once you are on the staff. When you finally have to retire, I am sure they will want you as a supervisor. Once again, good luck, but you don't need luck, since you can already do the job.

[Juulie Downs]

It's Bill Simmons, it's the NBE. Who cares!?!

[tballump]

Originally Posted by Juulie Downs

It's Bill Simmons, it's the NBE. Who cares!?!

Correct, thanks for catching my goof.

My apologies to you jeffpea.

[TonyT]

They should wear a rainbow colored wig and a red rubber nose as part of their official uniform because the NBA is a circus!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Welpe]

That is the third time today I've heard or read a commentator mention how close to the basket a foul occurred. Is that a common meme of basketball common taters?

[SethPDX]

Originally Posted by Bill Simmons

Lousy officiating
Whaaa whaaa whaaa. Blather blather blather. I'm so full of myself. I'm good at being a smartass and finding things to complain about, like how ESPN doesn't take me seriously.

When I heard it was by Simmons, I knew it would be entertaining.

[TussAgee11]

Simmons is entertaining.

The NBA is a product, not a sport. Has been for a decade. I don't know what caused it, but it is nothing but entrainment at whatever cost.

As a result, the officiating has become a part of that show. Sorry to say, but NBA officials work in a completely different world. I'd be curious to see how Javie/Crawford types would do in a Final Four game. My guess is not nearly as good as Wood/Burr etc.

Sadly, the college game is turning into the same thing. College basketball WILL look like the NBA does today in 30 years, if this pattern continues. Part of that is the officiating. But it all comes down from the top, those who want to create maximum profit for that fiscal year at all costs. No different than most private companies in the past 10 years come to think of it!

[grunewar]

Originally Posted by TussAgee11

The NBA is a product, not a sport. Has been for a decade. I don't know what caused it, but it is nothing but entrainment at whatever cost.

Interestingly enough, based on the definitions I found of "sport" in an on-line dictionary, no matter how you slice it, the NBE IS a sport.......

sport (spôrt, spōrt) Pronunciation Key n.

- Physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively.
- A particular form of this activity.
- Mockery; jest: He made sport of his own looks.
- An object of mockery, jest, or play: treated our interests as sport.
- A joking mood or attitude: She made the remark in sport.
- One known for the manner of one's acceptance of rules, especially of a game, or of a difficult situation: a poor sport.
- Informal One who accepts rules or difficult situations well.
- Informal A pleasant companion: was a real sport during the trip.
- A person who lives a jolly, extravagant life.
- A gambler at sporting events.
- An activity involving physical exertion and skill that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often undertaken competitively.
- An active pastime; recreation.

Nuf Sed