RealGM

Does anyone else feel that the refs DON'T get enough respect? More often than not, when a player misses a shot or loses it out of bounds, it seems as if they immediately look towards the ref. Then they say something, or make a face, acting as if the ref blew the call, instead of blaming themselves for messing up.

Now, if the ref were to really blow a call, I find it perfectly ok to express your frustration. However, every single time is not ok. Basketball players need to take responsiblity instead of trying to shift the blame.

Not only is this annoying, but its undermining the respect of the referees. They are not going to get every call, but on the other hand, they are not going to blow every single call.

Refs choke more often than players.

agree, i liked seeing all those techs at the beginning of last year. I know everyone bitched and complained about them, but once the players saw that the refs are serious about it, they would stop. Too bad they didn't keep up with it. It's really annoying seeing so much complaining every two minutes from either team.

i don't understand how constant running of the mouth and complaining by some players don't get call for technicals, but one wave of a hand out of frustration or disbelief is an automatic tech.

Blame Tim Donaghy.

This thread should be named after Kobe Bryant. I have all the respect for the man's basketball skills, but every shot he misses is because he got fouled according to him.

I don't want to point at certain players in this thread, because most of the NBA players, and to be honest, its normally the stars, complain constantly. Again, this isn't pointing at any single player, because then this will just become a bashing thread. The is a general point that can be applicable to many players.

Regarding foul calls... there are too many now so players just expect it. Why do you think they're always verbal flopping? Doesn't take much to 'earn' a foul call. Expecting Refs to baby them.

Agreed, I want to start seeing a tech if a player complains about an obvious foul. I hate when you see a player complain, and then see the replay and they've blatantly hacked the arm. If a ref sees that, they should just tech the player up. Complain only when the ref missed the call, instead of every play.

Agree 100%. Not because I think the refs deserve tons of respect, just because I'm sick of the sport devolving into a bunch of whiny beeyotches. Almost every guy on every team is complaining to the ref after every foul or non foul. It's pathetic.

Funny thing is, I think it works! I think that a player who thinks he got fouled, but who just puts their head down and runs up the floor to play defense is less likely to get a foul called on the next offensive play than a player who bitches and complains before running back on defense.

Good thread. These officials are the best at what they do and they do a nice job. The bottom line is that in a game that is so fast and requires so many calls, they are going to miss a few of them.

It's funny to watch people whine about refs. Often times the refs are doing an excellent job and still they get no respect.

Has the number of fouls per game increased since the 80s? It seems as though it has, which explains why whistles are expected by some players on offense and complained about while on defense.

I agree with the other posters - the refs should start calling technicals if they want to control this behavior.

I'll agree that too many NBA players want the Ref's to bail them out when they miss a shot / turnover the ball, etc. The problem is the NBA ref's are horrible and are inconsistent from ref to ref, from game to game, from quarter to quarter, from regular player to star player, etc.

There should be WAY more no calls in the NBA but as it is now the Ref's are controlling the tempo of the game too much. Tempo should be controlled by the players.

A player gets a foul called in his favour one play, don't be surprised when he is puzzled why he doesn't get that call the next time around.

Ref's & the league have only themselves to blame because it starts with poor officiating. Inconsistency leads to players not knowing what is / isn't a foul which leads to players/coaches politicking.

Birth of the Cool wrote:
There should be WAY more no calls in the NBA but as it is now the Ref's are controlling the tempo of the game too much. Tempo should be controlled by the players.

Unfortunately, it's pretty obvious there's a mandate from the league that they want they fans to go home happy and keep coming to games, so the refs let the home team decide what kind of game is going to be played and call it accordingly.

I don't have a high opinion of NBA refs, but I have a low opinion of guys whining every single time. I don't think it makes the league look good.

Cevap wrote:agree, i liked seeing all those techs at the beginning of last year. I know everyone bitched and complained about them, but once the players saw that the refs are serious about it, they would stop. Too bad they didn't keep up with it. It's really annoying seeing so much complaining every two minutes from either team.

It seems it was pointless that they did that now. For a while, players had learned that you better not say anything more than a few short quiet words. Any big hand gestures, yelling, extended whining and you were instantly T'd up. Now it seems everything has gone back to the old way of complaining after every single call.

Last night Kobe drew a foul on Bowen driving to the hoop and still stared down the ref for 10 seconds afterwards.

War3player wrote:This thread should be named after Kobe Bryant. I have all the respect for the man's basketball skills, but every shot he misses is because he got fouled according to him.

I wouldve agreed with you about a couple months ago... But ever since he was a tech away from getting suspended, he doesnt seem to complain near as much to the refs...

uh huh... just wait till Donoghy's snitching makes the public rounds... then we'll see how much respect they deserve.

One of hte probles right now is the rules. You're allowed to create contact and get a foul. The way the game is officiated isn't so much the officials themselves, but the way the rules are interpreted today.

NBA needs to go to Rugby rules: only the captain may speak to the ref and should another player complain, mouth off, or demonstrate there is a penalty assessed (even if the player had good reason).
At first, it'll usually be a warning directed at the captain to keep his guys in check. A second offense would be yardage such as a 10 yd type penalty if the defense was the offender or turnover if it was the offense. A subsequent ofense for "backchat" will entail a penalty kick opportunity for points (like a tech ft). Point is, there is a professional model in place for the nba to adapt and shut players up. The game is not slowed by whiners and cruddy officials are dealt with by their mgmt and sent to a minor league when they are consistently poor.