Stern warns coaches to quit griping about refs

[duncan228]

Stern warns coaches to quit griping about refs (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ap-stern-officiating)
By Murray Evans

NBA commissioner David Stern is tired of coaches and players griping about the officiating, and challenged them Thursday to “make my day” by continuing to complain during the rest of the playoffs.

The league handed out fines of $35,000 apiece on Thursday to Boston Celtics forward Rasheed Wallace, Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy and Orlando forward Matt Barnes for publicly criticizing officials. A week earlier, Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson was fined $35,000 for suggesting that Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant received preferential treatment from NBA referees.

Speaking before the Thunder hosted the Lakers, Stern said such comments were “corrosive” to the product that the league is putting on the floor. He said he understands why coaches try to work the officials through the media, but that the result is such comments undermine consumer confidence in the league’s product.

“So, our coaches should be quiet because this is a good business that makes them good livings and supports a lot of families,” Stern said. “And if they don’t like it, they should go get a job someplace else. I don’t mean to be too subtle.”

Stern said he’s often let such comments go “because of the pressure-cooker that is the NBA playoffs over the years.”

“But when you hear a Chicago coach say that this game was lost because NBC wants an extra game and you hear a New York coach say, ‘What are you going to do? Jordan gets all the calls,’ it sounds like a lot of fun,” Stern said.

“Or you hear a Stan Van Gundy do what he wants to say and then the players join in, we know inside the community what it’s meant to do and sort of, ‘OK, it’s playoff time. Everyone’s crazy,’ so back off.”

Stern said he regrets not coming down harder earlier on those who griped about officiating.

“I wish I had it to do all over again,” he said. “Starting 20 years ago I’d be suspending Phil and (former Lakers and Miami Heat coach) Pat Riley for all the games they play in the media. You guys know that our referees go out there and knock themselves out and do the best job that they can, but we’ve got coaches who will do whatever it takes to try to work them publicly.

“If I had it to do again … 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 in the rest of this playoffs, you know, make my day. Because 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—the players and coaches alike—because they give the impression to our fans that the referees somehow have an agenda.”

Stern said he crossed paths with Jackson on Thursday night at the Ford Center and said there were no hard feelings, at least from the commissioner.

“I think that Phil’s a great coach,” Stern said. “He’s a friend of many years. I just came by and said, ‘Hi,’ and he said, ‘I don’t like you today.’ And I said, ‘I like you.’

[midnightpulp]

Then I guess we can expect that bitch-ass Phil Jackson to come away from this post-season with an ulcer.

[toki9]

Stern warns coaches to quit griping about refs (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ap-stern-officiating)
By Murray Evans

NBA commissioner David Stern is tired of coaches and players griping about the officiating, and challenged them Thursday to “make my day” by continuing to complain during the rest of the playoffs.

The league handed out fines of $35,000 apiece on Thursday to Boston Celtics forward Rasheed Wallace, Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy and Orlando forward Matt Barnes for publicly criticizing officials. A week earlier, Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson was fined $35,000 for suggesting that Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant received preferential treatment from NBA referees.

Speaking before the Thunder hosted the Lakers, Stern said such comments were “corrosive” to the product that the league is putting on the floor. He said he understands why coaches try to work the officials through the media, but that the result is such comments undermine consumer confidence in the league’s product.

“So, our coaches should be quiet because this is a good business that makes them good livings and supports a lot of families,” Stern said. “And if they don’t like it, they should go get a job someplace else. I don’t mean to be too subtle.”

Stern said he’s often let such comments go “because of the pressure-cooker that is the NBA playoffs over the years.”

“But when you hear a Chicago coach say that this game was lost because NBC wants an extra game and you hear a New York coach say, ‘What are you going to do? Jordan gets all the calls,’ it sounds like a lot of fun,” Stern said.

“Or you hear a Stan Van Gundy do what he wants to say and then the players join in, we know inside the community what it’s meant to do and sort of, ‘OK, it’s playoff time. Everyone’s crazy,’ so back off.”

Stern said he regrets not coming down harder earlier on those who griped about officiating.

“I wish I had it to do all over again,” he said. “Starting 20 years ago I’d be suspending Phil and (former Lakers and Miami Heat coach) Pat Riley for all the games they play in the media. You guys know that our referees go out there and knock themselves out and do the best job that they can, but we’ve got coaches who will do whatever it takes to try to work them publicly.

“If I had it to do again … 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 in the rest of this playoffs, you know, make my day. Because 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—the players and coaches alike—because they give the impression to our fans that the referees somehow have an agenda.”

Stern said he crossed paths with Jackson on Thursday night at the Ford Center and said there were no hard feelings, at least from the commissioner.

“I think that Phil’s a great coach,” Stern said. “He’s a friend of many years. I just came by and said, ‘Hi,’ and he said, ‘I don’t like you today.’ And I said, ‘I like you.’

Man, that Keebler Elf of a commissioner is the best...

[cobbler]

As if PJ cares what Stern says.... and at 12 mil a year I don't think he sweats the fines either.

[tlongII]

Fuck Stern. Arrogant piece of shit.

[Andy25]

“I think that Phil’s a great coach,” Stern said. “He’s a friend of many years. I just came by and said, ‘Hi,’ and he said, ‘I don’t like you today.’ And I said, ‘I like you.’

:lol

[midnightpulp]

As if PJ cares what Stern says.... and at 12 mil a year I don't think he sweats the fines either.

Large pocket book, 10 rings, Zen bullshit, and defiant attitude aside, he's still the biggest bitch to ever helm an NBA team.

[mavsfan1000]

Maybe if he held the refs accountable for their mistakes, people wouldn't be bitching.

[Biggems]

Maybe if he held the refs accountable for their mistakes, people wouldn't be bitching.

exactly.........

[Biggems]

btw, I still say if you get rid of the hand check rule, the league will be better off for it. less ticky tack foul calls, less whistles, and more of a flow to games.

[Jacob1983]

Coaches and players are never going to stop complaining about the refs. Two reasons: no coach or player is gonna stand by and let a ref made a shitty or bad call without bitching about it and these players are making millions of dollars. Fines aren't going to hurt them. If Stern wasn't so protective of his refs and held them to the standards as he does players and coaches then it might be a different story.

[ambchang]

If the refs actually do a decent job, and don't do such an obvious job in affecting games, I am sure the players and coaches would stop the complaints.

[sribb43]

If the shit wasn't rigged, there wouldn't be a problem

[Jacob1983]

The refs have too much power and influence in the NBA. Just sayin'.

[mogrovejo]

NBA refs are the best basketball referees in the world by far.

Most fans don't even know the rules and many of them are completely paranoid.

Coaches don't want to assume their responsibilities.

[Cry Havoc]

Why can't the NBA get some new young referees? No offense to the veteran staffers but they're now in their what, 60s? You're telling me a 60 year old is going to have the eyesight and ability to keep up with players today?

The officiating in the NBA is notable because fans know the referees names and can pick up on obvious differences and bias that each official brings to the table. Regardless of anything else, that's a problem.

[ElNono]

Oops

[dav4463]

btw, I still say if you get rid of the hand check rule, the league will be better off for it. less ticky tack foul calls, less whistles, and more of a flow to games.

You have mark cuban to thank for that after his bitching about Bruce Bowen.

[dav4463]

I think the refs try to do a good job, but they get influenced by money and power of the big names. They are only human after all.

I like the way Stern has stepped up this time. I give him credit. Let the refs do their job. Play through bad calls and hope Dirk doesn't get bailed out every time he misses a fadeaway!

[DJ Mbenga]

btw, I still say if you get rid of the hand check rule, the league will be better off for it. less ticky tack foul calls, less whistles, and more of a flow to games.

the truth is it doesnt exist for some players already. thats part of the bigger problem some refs flat out ignore it.

[BRHornet45]

sons I don't even need to comment on this crap

[DMX7]

:lol

lol, Classic.

[mogrovejo]

Nobody here sees pre-season games? Those guys who made the last pre-season are the next in line to officiate in the NBA. It takes years to form a good NBA ref. But there are excellent refs out there still young and already in their prime. And older ones. Javie is a beast, IMO.

[duhoh]

Maybe if he held the refs accountable for their mistakes, people wouldn't be bitching.

agreed.

these guys have the ability to change history, there ought to be something to keep them in check.

but heck, the whining was getting out of hand though.

[Xevious]

The officiating in the NBA is notable because fans know the referees names and can pick up on obvious differences and bias that each official brings to the table. Regardless of anything else, that's a problem.
Exactly. Is there any other pro sport in the world that gets away with as many questionable calls from the officials? And is there any other sport (besides boxing/MMA) where fans are familiar with each of the refs?

[LakerLanny]

Maybe if he held the refs accountable for their mistakes, people wouldn't be bitching.

Yeah, but instead of improving the quality of the "officiating" he would rather try to silence those who point out the obvious.

For instance, OKC shot 16 ft's before the Lakers attempted one tonight. Does that mean they were 16 times more aggressive? I don't think so.

So OKC shoots 34 for the game while the Lakers shoot 12. Lakers outscore them from the floor, outshoot them, yet "lose" because the game is manipulated by the NBA in regard to ft attempts.

And this happens right after Stern appears at the same arena speaking out on this issue.

Why not just randomly assign officials for playoff games using a lottery ball style system? If the games aren't being manipulated, where is the risk in that?

Bottom line is they will never do that because they don't want to lose the control of being able to stretch out series as they see fit.

[Giuseppe]

Yeah, but instead of improving the quality of the "officiating" he would rather try to silence those who point out the obvious.

For instance, OKC shot 16 ft's before the Lakers attempted one tonight. Does that mean they were 16 times more aggressive? I don't think so.

So OKC shoots 34 for the game while the Lakers shoot 12. Lakers outscore them from the floor, outshoot them, yet "lose" because the game is manipulated by the NBA in regard to ft attempts.

And this happens right after Stern appears at the same arena speaking out on this issue.

Why not just randomly assign officials for playoff games using a lottery ball style system? If the games aren't being manipulated, where is the risk in that?

Bottom line is they will never do that because they don't want to lose the control of being able to stretch out series as they see fit.

Yep, yep.

[redzero]

http://img121.imageshack.us/img121/6517/1272002472058.jpg (http://img121.imageshack.us/i/1272002472058.jpg/)

[DesignatedT]

stern trying to be goodell in this bitch

[midnightpulp]

Yeah, but instead of improving the quality of the "officiating" he would rather try to silence those who point out the obvious.

For instance, OKC shot 16 ft's before the Lakers attempted one tonight. Does that mean they were 16 times more aggressive? I don't think so.

So OKC shoots 34 for the game while the Lakers shoot 12. Lakers outscore them from the floor, outshoot them, yet "lose" because the game is manipulated by the NBA in regard to ft attempts.

And this happens right after Stern appears at the same arena speaking out on this issue.

Why not just randomly assign officials for playoff games using a lottery ball style system? If the games aren't being manipulated, where is the risk in that?

Bottom line is they will never do that because they don't want to lose the control of being able to stretch out series as they see fit.

Lakers fans sounding like Suns fans.

Lakers shot 30 threes and lived on the perimeter for most of the game. They don't deserve FT attempts playing that passively.

[Jacob1983]

All of this crap is Stern's fault. He has given too much power to the refs where it's ridiculous. The refs are as popular as the all stars and superstars of the NBA. That's sad and pathetic. People don't go to the games or watch the games to see the refs. They want to see their favorite players and favorite teams. I would say that if you quizzed 100 sports fans about the names and pictures of refs in the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL that the majority of the group would be more familiar with the refs' names and pictures in the NBA. The NBA has become somewhat of a pussy organization. The refs in hockey let the players fight and beat each other's ass. However, if you fight in the NBA, you're gonna get at least 1 game suspensiong. The main reason why the refs have so much power in the NBA is because they can basically "give" a team points. That does not happen in another sport. You could say hockey but a player would have to make a penalty shot and those are harder to do than making FTs in the NBA.

[midnightpulp]

All of this crap is Stern's fault. He has given too much power to the refs where it's ridiculous. The refs are as popular as the all stars and superstars of the NBA. That's sad and pathetic. People don't go to the games or watch the games to see the refs. They want to see their favorite players and favorite teams. I would say that if you quizzed 100 sports fans about the names and pictures of refs in the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL that the majority of the group would be more familiar with the refs' names and pictures in the NBA. The NBA has become somewhat of a pussy organization. The refs in hockey let the players fight and beat each other's ass. However, if you fight in the NBA, you're gonna get at least 1 game suspensiong. The main reason why the refs have so much power in the NBA is because they can basically "give" a team points. That does not happen in another sport. You could say hockey but a player would have to make a penalty shot and those are harder to do than making FTs in the NBA.

Why do you feel that the Lakers who shot 30 threes and fell in love with the jumper tonight deserve an equal amount of FT attempts as the attacking Thunder?

Outside of Kobe, Lakers have no one that can penetrate. And these days, Kobe isn't attacking as much.

I'd rather there be a large FT discrepancy than the refs blowing the whistles for ticky-tack bullshit to make things "even."

Lakers deserved no extra free points tonight.

[Jacob1983]

I don't think the Lakers should have had more FT attempts in tonight's game. Personally, I was shocked by the lack of FT attempts by the Lakers because the rapist is on the team and they are the defending champs. Hold on now, I thought Gasol was a dominant inside presence?(sarcasm)

[j.dizzle]

:lol No surprises here, last thing NBA needs in this economy is a sweep...They need as many games as they can get the way the NBA is losing money these days..LOL stern is jealous of goddell

[Death In June]

Any organization that doesn't allow criticism of it's operations is suspect. Even when there was proof of scandal, Stern didn't do a thing to change the way NBA refs officiate games. His response to refs dictating games according to the spread was something along the lines of "well, this shit happens, nothing I can do." If Stern wants people to quit complaining, he should probably demand a consistent effort from his crew. The NBA easily produces the worst officiating across any sport. Part of it is the nature of the game, many calls are subjective and played at a high speed. But part of it is definitely a personnel problem.

[Jacob1983]

Death in June, excellent post. Fans, players, and coaches wouldn't bitch so much about the refs if they were held accountable for making shitty calls and the no-calls. I have said this before and I will say it again, Stern protects the refs. No ifs, ands, or buts. The only time he doesn't protect ref is if they bet on games and say that the league is rigged then he's basically like "fuck you, I don't know you". Donaghy proved that the league is dirty. He manipulated games for his own personal benefit. If there is one dirty ref, then how do we know for sure that there aren't more dirty refs like Donaghy? Oh I forgot, Stern wants us to believe that Donaghy was the only one and that all other refs in the NBA are fair and lcean. The NBA will be a better organization when Stern isn't running it.

[mogrovejo]

Most NBA fans aren't even familiar with the basic rules, let alone the referees. They know a couple of names, mostly because some referees have been around for years and years, and that's all.

NBA refs are held accountable. Pretty sure some guys who have been officiating Conference Finals and the Finals for most of the last decade will not be there this season, for example. There are guys moving up and down the scale every time.

Basketball is a tough game to officiate. Lots of difficult calls; plenty of calls where it's basically impossible to be sure about the decision even after watching a replay. Complex rules. If one could find basketball referees better than the NBA ones, that would do wonders to lend credibility to the criticism. But I watch lots of basketball at different levels and the NBA refs are so much better than the others (elite FIBA refs, NCAA referees) that it's not even funny.

So, people are basically holding NBA referees to a platonic standard that it's impossible to achieve. And that's the reason why they have such a bad name.

[LnGrrrR]

I'm ok with Stern telling people to quit whining.

You get screwed over in a game? Ok, that sucks... bring it up through the channels. All whining does is convince the refs to give you fouls you don't deserve in the NEXT game, which we've all seen. If the refs screw up, they screw up... let them come to the next game with a blank slate.

The very fact that Stan Van Gundy said that "other superstars" would get the calls Howard should be getting is an indictment of refs.

I mean, what other job are you allowed to complain so loudly and frequently?

[Booharv]

Co-sign everything mogrovejo said. Paranoid NBA fans are such an annoying cliche at this point. Like the tired played-out argument that refereeing is some easy job that any mentally challenged person could do. Your keeping like God knows how many different rules in your head while calling a game that's played by super-fast, world class athletes. Then you get criticized by some genius with Tivo who freeze framed something after slowing it down to 1/8 speed.

[LnGrrrR]

I thought it was pretty amazing that the ref who coached game 2 of Celts/Heat knew about the "Can't punch a ball" foul that Tony Allen pulled off.

I mean, how often does a player punch a ball?

[FromWayDowntown]

NBA refs are held accountable. Pretty sure some guys who have been officiating Conference Finals and the Finals for most of the last decade will not be there this season, for example. There are guys moving up and down the scale every time.

Last year, the league promoted three relatively young officials -- Monty McCutchen, Scott Foster, and Mark Wunderlich -- into playoff crew chief roles. At a glance, that may not seem to be a big deal, but when you consider that there are only 8 playoff crew chiefs of the nearly 40 officials who work the playoffs, and almost half of them in 2009 were younger officials, it suggests that there is a movement toward a new generation of officials. In fact, of the 12 Finals officials, at least 5 were relatively younger guys -- Foster, McCutchen, Derrick Stafford, Tom Washington, and Mark Wunderlich. By contrast, Dick Bavetta was done after Game 2 of the West Finals. This year, Bavetta isn't even a crew chief; with the exception of Joey Crawford and Bennett Salvatore, the chiefs are all relatively young officials -- Dan Crawford, Joe Derosa, Foster, Ken Mauer, McCutchen, and Ed Rush.

And I think, more broadly, that we're also seeing the development of a group of younger officials who are moving into the league's heirarchy. Just this year, Greg Willard, Bill Spooner, Bill Kennedy, Marc Davis, and Ed Malloy (all relatively young officials) worked more than 20 regular season games as crew chiefs

[TampaDude]

Layin' down the muthafukin' LAW, bitches!!! :lol

[greyforest]

Any organization that doesn't allow criticism of it's operations is suspect. Even when there was proof of scandal, Stern didn't do a thing to change the way NBA refs officiate games. His response to refs dictating games according to the spread was something along the lines of "well, this shit happens, nothing I can do." If Stern wants people to quit complaining, he should probably demand a consistent effort from his crew. The NBA easily produces the worst officiating across any sport. Part of it is the nature of the game, many calls are subjective and played at a high speed. But part of it is definitely a personnel problem.

[Cry Havoc]

ITT: Laker fan who just lost Game 3 on the road to an 8 seed is yapping about unfair officiating.

Oh, the hilarity.

[Cane]

Definitely with Stern on this one.

If the little whiny bitches actually have legitimate fouls to bring up; do what Mark Cuban and the rest of the league does and handle it internally by sending them the god dam plays and fouls in question than bitch about it to the media.

I already dislike Phil Jackson, SVG, and the purple lesbian haired douche in Matt Barnes and them shitting on the fucking game that us fans pay to watch and see? Hope they get suspended if they try to stir more shit. Overrated pricks. :)

[EmptyMan]

Screw stern.

I hope every single player/team/fan continues to comment on the shit refs. 150k-300k a year, do you freaking job right. 300k a year to be consistent and unbiased from player to player. I'll do that for 60k.

[duncan228]

Links: Blame the Refs! (http://www.slamonline.com/online/blogs/the-links/2010/04/links-blame-the-refs/)
by Lang Whitaker
SLAM

David Stern is tremendous. Last night reporters in Oklahoma City asked him about the fines he’s levied against Phil Jackson during the postseason, and Stern went the heck off (http://sports.espn.go.com/los-angeles/news/story?id=5127532):


“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, because you guys know that our referees go out there and they knock themselves out and do the best job they can. We have coaches who will do whatever it takes to try to work them publicly,” Stern said. “What that does is erode fan confidence, and then we 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.”

Go get a job someplace else!

Stern said he understands tensions run high in the Playoffs, but added:


“And if someone wants to try me in the rest of these playoffs, you know, make my day, because 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 — to players and coaches alike.”

Stern was being a little hyperbolic, of course — at least I think he was; I sure wouldn’t want to make his day — but does he have a point? When a coach criticizes referees, does it erode fan confidence?

Let me humbly submit that first of all, there might be something more obvious eroding fan confidence: poor officiating. Fans aren’t stupid. They see refs wait to see if a shot goes in before calling a shooting foul. They see certain players get more calls than other players. These are things that happen every night in NBA games. They happen in other sports, too: umpires not calling third strikes on batters with a reputation for having a good eye; veteran cornerbacks getting away with pass interference calls that younger players would totally get flagged for. Maybe it’s gamesmanship, maybe it’s veteran savvy, maybe it’s just ingrained in the unwritten rules of sports. Basically, officials sometimes make calls that aren’t consistent. And sometimes they make calls that we all want to assign some deeper meaning. For instance, last night, with the game on the line in Chicago, a close call went AGAINST LeBron James as he tried to drive to the basket. Moments later, Joakim Noah put LeBron in a headlock with no foul called while boxing him out on that final rebound. Suddenly, people wondered if the League wanted Cleveland to lose a game to draw out the series.

If Stern or the League office is genuinely worried about the eroding of fan confidence, a simple way to stop any erosion would be to have the referees make calls that don’t inspire doubt. Take the end of that Denver/Utah Game 1, for instance. The refs called a ton of fouls (http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/15184/dont-count-out-the-utah-jazz). It didn’t make for the most poetic athletic expression, but they called it evenly, tagging both team with offensive fouls down the stretch, even fouling out Melo with about 90 seconds left. I tweeted that I thought it had been an evenly reffed game despite all the fouls called, and nobody disagreed with me.

What the coaches and players have been doing is basically fanning the flames; they’re confirming fan’s suspicions that there actually just might be some kind of vast institutional conspiracy against their teams!

The truth is, I am sad to tell you, there isn’t any vast institutional conspiracy against any team. For years now people have talked about how the NBA must want bigger-market teams to be good because it would help “ratings,” even though ratings these days are all fractured and flipped by the internet and League Pass. Not to mention this theory makes no sense considering two of the biggest-market teams, the Knicks and the Clippers, have sucked for a long time while one of the smallest-market teams in all major league sports, the San Antonio Spurs, have churned out titles playing basketball that the general public mostly seems to regard as boring.

But it doesn’t stop fans, including myself, from sometimes wondering if there is or if there could be some directive not to call fouls on certain guys or certain teams in specific circumstances. And I don’t think it ever will. Questioning officials is as much a part of the game as eating hot dogs or standing in long bathroom lines. It’s just something you do, I think maybe because being a sports fan represents losing control.

The more devoted you are to a team, the more control you are asked to relinquish. You root for these players and coaches, but you have to trust them to do their jobs while you sit there and audibly urge them to do those jobs. Sometimes it’s frustrating, sometimes it’s gratifying. And when you need to lay blame on someone, it’s usually just easier and cleaner to yell at the refs and blame them than it is to accept or admit that LeBron maybe shouldn’t have gone recklessly charging down the lane last night with the game on the line.

If anyone is in control, or at least has the illusion of being in control, it’s the referees. Fairly or not, the refs receive our blame, bear the brunt of our shame. Blame the refs all you want, but remember that old saying: When you point your finger at someone else, three fingers are pointing back at you.

That goes for the fans as well.

And players and coaches, too.

• I mentioned Joakim earlier, and here’s a link (http://www.slamonline.com/online/blogs/the-links/2008/07/links-catching-up-with-joakim-noah/) to an online-only thing I wrote about hanging out with him one day two summers ago. I’ve enjoyed seeing Joakim really find his game this season, and it’s been hilarious seeing him bait the Cleveland fans into putting all their ire onto him. He really, honestly doesn’t care what they think about him, and he’s been in enough big-time situations to handle the pressure.

• Many years ago, I stumbled into a casual relationship with a writer named Mike Sager (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Sager), a man who’s work I’d been reading my entire life, in small regional publications such as Rolling Stone, GQ and Esquire.

Since then Mike has become a dear friend and something of a mentor to me. Last night here in NYC they held the annual National Magazine Awards, and this story Mike wrote (http://www.esquire.com/features/the-game/todd-marinovich-0509) about the sad, strange life of Todd Marinovich was named the magazine profile of the year. If you didn’t read it when it came out, you should read it now. And if you are a writer, you could do a lot worse than reading Mike’s tips for writers (http://www.mikesager.com/) on his website.

Anyway, just wanted to say congrats to Mike. Always good when a Linkstigator and SLAM subscriber wins big. Drinks are on me tonight. Well, the first round.

• Finally, I loved this story (http://www.sportando.net/eng/usa/nba/7546/gallinari__i_hope_to_play_along_with_lebron_.html) on Danilo Gallinari from an Italian news site, if only because of the clumsy translation. When asked about playing basketball this summer, Gallo (allegedly) says…

“I would like to play but there are some factors to consider: my body and to be ready for the next season with Knicks. I really hope LeBron James (the best player in the League according to Gallinari) will be a Knick.”

Hey, if Gallinari says LeBron is the best, it must be true!

Also, the quote just reads like Gallinari is now conditioned to recruit LeBron in all facets of life. Like if you went to lunch with Gallinari, he’d tell the waiter, “I’ll have the house salad. I really hope LeBron James will be a Knick.”

• That’s it. Fun week in the NBA. I’ll be back on Monday with thoughts and comments from the weekend.

Have a great weekend…

[duncan228]

Lakers’ Jackson: Stern’s threats “heavy-handed” (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ap-stern-jackson)

Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson believes commissioner David Stern’s threat of harsher punishments for comments critical of NBA referees was a “heavy-handed” way to deal with what he called “gamesmanship” by coaches in the playoffs.

Stern issued a “make my day” warning to the league’s players and coaches while doling out a round of fines to players and coaches on the Orlando Magic and Boston Celtics on Thursday. Jackson has been fined $35,000 twice this month, most recently for commenting about the fouls called against players guarding Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant, who led the NBA in free throws this season.

The Lakers lead their best-of-seven series against the Thunder 2-1 entering Game 4 on Saturday night.

“When you start throwing one- and two-game suspensions in the threats, I think that means a lot to both ball clubs and to coaches,” Jackson said before practice Friday. “It seems awful heavy-handed to me, but David is one, he isn’t shy about being heavy-handed.

“There’s a certain gamesmanship that goes on that obviously he feels cheapens the game.”

Stern said Thursday night that he wished he could go back two decades and start issuing fines and suspensions against Jackson and former rival Pat Riley to eliminate “corrosive” comments that erode fans’ trust in NBA officiating.

“It’s not an objective thing. We try to make it objective, but it’s subjective,” Jackson said. “People definitely lean a certain way. I think statistically you could prove that. But we try to do the best we can do, and I think the referees do a good job with what they’ve got.”

Jackson said a key to the Lakers’ Game 3 loss to Oklahoma City was that the Thunder shot 22 more free throws. But he credited that discrepancy to more aggressive play by the home team.

Kobe Bryant didn’t attempt a single free throw, after failing to get to the foul line only three times in 73 regular-season games, but hesitated to address why while sitting at the same podium where Stern had issued his threat only hours earlier.

“I’m not quite sure how to answer that,” Bryant said. “Yeah. Both teams played hard.”

[DPG21920]

Phil Jackson: :cry

[tlongII]

Yeah, but instead of improving the quality of the "officiating" he would rather try to silence those who point out the obvious.

For instance, OKC shot 16 ft's before the Lakers attempted one tonight. Does that mean they were 16 times more aggressive? I don't think so.

So OKC shoots 34 for the game while the Lakers shoot 12. Lakers outscore them from the floor, outshoot them, yet "lose" because the game is manipulated by the NBA in regard to ft attempts.

And this happens right after Stern appears at the same arena speaking out on this issue.

Why not just randomly assign officials for playoff games using a lottery ball style system? If the games aren't being manipulated, where is the risk in that?

Bottom line is they will never do that because they don't want to lose the control of being able to stretch out series as they see fit.

That's the real Laker Lanny I know. Good to see you brah!