Joe Derosa throws a basketball at a fan

[50 cent]

Wow. Another ref scandal. :downspin:

[TheProfessor]

:sleep

[Nathan Explosion]

I don't think it was a huge deal, but he shouldn't have tossed the ball at the fan. You're supposed to be bigger than that. As Mark Jackson said, if that was a player like Sheed, there'd be a huge fuss over it.

[DesignatedT]

that was pretty odd. the fan threw it back all hard :lol

[Nathan Explosion]

If I was the fan I would have kept the ball until they asked me to give it up. That way when security came up to me, I'd complain that he threw it at me. Like I said, if it was a player, there'd be a penalty of some kind to be paid.

The refs shouldn't be above reproach either.

[ducks]

ref should be spanked on national tv

[LakerHater]

Then DeRosa had the fan ejected after the fan threw the ball back!

The throw wasnt even hard, DeRosa caught it with no problem!

[EricB]

If I was the fan I'd sue the Magic and the league.

There was zero grounds for him to be ejected.

[Dex]

jS5e7xRV7JI

Pretty harmless in the big picture, but it did look like Derosa tossed that ball right AT the fan's face. He threw it at the fan more than the fan threw it back at him.

[EricB]

Again, the fan heckled him and he threw the ball right at him. The fan tossed it back.

YOu could read the fan's lips "He threw it at me!" he was right.

If I was Stern I'd hurry and nip this in the bud quickly.

[shelshor]

Contrary to popular belief, Joe DeRosa is not The Last Stooge; that was Joe DeRita
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0220388/

[Amarelooms]

WTF is that idiot ref doing....get off the court and ignore the fan screaming at you. You throw the ball at a freakin fan in the stands...luckily the dude caught it....what if the ball hit him or another fan in the face etc. That ref should be fined and forced to apologize.

:elephant

[mogrovejo]

League should take disciplinary action. For this and for making up that offensive foul on Perkins that took away Ray's 3 in a pivotal moment. Out of the courts till next season.


Contrary to popular belief, Joe DeRosa is not The Last Stooge; that was Joe DeRita
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0220388/

:lol

[NewJerSpur]

Those refs missed Rondo's "slips" and skips that gave the Celtics extra possessions/high percentage shots in a one-possession game.....the league should look into whether or not they will be fit to officiate games moving forward as the stakes get higher.

[ducks]

wish the ref did that to me
I would be a filthy rich

[Solid D]

ref should be spanked on national tv

Embarrased and distancing...

[carina_gino20]

siS7GjTxWDg

[NRHector]

wish the ref did that to me
I would be a filthy richI like the way you think

[duncan228]

NBA looking into incident between referee and fan (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ap-derosa-fanincident)

The NBA is investigating an incident between referee Joe DeRosa and a fan at halftime of Tuesday’s Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals between Orlando and Boston.

DeRosa was walking to the scorer’s table to get the warm-up jackets for his crew, a common practice before the trio of referees leave the floor at intermission. A fan behind the table approached DeRosa, gesturing with his arms and appearing to be shouting at the veteran official.

DeRosa flipped the game ball to the fan, who tossed it back. DeRosa then motioned for the man to be ejected by security.

The NBA had no immediate comment, other than saying it was reviewing the matter.

[LakerHater]

Can you imagine if a player did that?

[NewJerSpur]

Can you imagine if a player did that?

It'd be pretty ugly, especially from a media standpoint.....remember last year when Big Baby shoved the kid out of the way in celebration after hitting the Game winner against Orlando?

[mogrovejo]

It'd be pretty ugly, especially from a media standpoint.....remember last year when Big Baby shoved the kid out of the way in celebration after hitting the Game winner against Orlando?

Yeah, it was only ugly for the kid's father who wrote that pathetic letter.

Let me guess: they should have suspended the entire Celtics team for 434 games? And take away 10 future draft just for good measure.

[crc21209]

Wow...I don't care if the fan was yelling stuff at the official, the official should be bigger than that..instead, he tossed the ball at his face..pathetic.

[NewJerSpur]

Yeah, it was only ugly for the kid's father who wrote that pathetic letter.

Let me guess: they should have suspended the entire Celtics team for 434 games? And take away 10 future draft just for good measure.

:lol

Me and you really have something special going on. Obviously his father's comments were WAAAAY over the top and had a racial undertone at that, but there was still issue taken with the fact dude accidently shoved the kid running to the other end of the court.

You've really developed a thing for me over the past few weeks, haven't you Mogro, lol.

[GSH]

The dumbass "fan" had no business getting up behind the scorer's tables like that - especially trailing a particular ref and screaming at him. His actions and body language look like enough of a whack job that he should have been escorted outside before things got that far. Above anything else, it was a total breakdown by arena security. They need their asses kicked, before any other discussion of the incident.

DeRosa didn't fire the ball at the guy, any more than he fired it back at DeRosa. And it wasn't throwing the ball back that got the guy tossed. If he had toned it down, I think he probably would have gotten a break and just been asked to go back to his seat. But he didn't, and he really didn't leave anyone a choice about what to do with him. Yelling at a referee from your seat is one thing. Trailing him down almost to the floor at halftime is another.

It's true, though, that a player would get his ass kicked for throwing a ball at a fan. But if a fan was trailing the player back at halftime, and all the player did was toss a ball to him, I think Stern would probably defend his player, rather than the asshole fan.

As much as I bitch about the zebras, they have a tough job, and shouldn't be subject to abuse. I want the league to keep them consistent on the floor, and if they can't do that they should be fired. But they aren't subject to discipline by the fans - that's ridiculous. If there hadn't been a table between them, I think that guy would have at the very least gotten up in DeRosa's face. He needs to be watching the game from the safety of his living room.

[mogrovejo]

:lol

Me and you really have something special going on. Obviously his father's comments were WAAAAY over the top and had a racial undertone at that, but there was still issue taken with the fact dude accidently shoved the kid running to the other end of the court.

You've really developed a thing for me over the past few weeks, haven't you Mogro, lol.

Nope, I just find your deep Celtics hatred amusing, especially the whinnign about the refs. These playoffs must have been hell for you so far.

What issue do you want to take with the fact that the dude accidentally shoved the kid?

Do you think DeRosa threw the ball at the fan accidentally? Is that it?

Where's the analogy?

[mogrovejo]

The dumbass "fan" had no business getting up behind the scorer's tables like that - especially trailing a particular ref and screaming at him. His actions and body language look like enough of a whack job that he should have been escorted outside before things got that far. Above anything else, it was a total breakdown by arena security. They need their asses kicked, before any other discussion of the incident.

DeRosa didn't fire the ball at the guy, any more than he fired it back at DeRosa. And it wasn't throwing the ball back that got the guy tossed. If he had toned it down, I think he probably would have gotten a break and just been asked to go back to his seat. But he didn't, and he really didn't leave anyone a choice about what to do with him. Yelling at a referee from your seat is one thing. Trailing him down almost to the floor at halftime is another.

It's true, though, that a player would get his ass kicked for throwing a ball at a fan. But if a fan was trailing the player back at halftime, and all the player did was toss a ball to him, I think Stern would probably defend his player, rather than the asshole fan.

As much as I bitch about the zebras, they have a tough job, and shouldn't be subject to abuse. I want the league to keep them consistent on the floor, and if they can't do that they should be fired. But they aren't subject to discipline by the fans - that's ridiculous. If there hadn't been a table between them, I think that guy would have at the very least gotten up in DeRosa's face. He needs to be watching the game from the safety of his living room.

Should have tossed him if he was heckling the refs too much - which I'm not sure it actually happened. Throwing the ball was ridiculous. Showed lack of composure. Refs can't behave that way.

[NewJerSpur]

Nope, I just find your deep Celtics hatred amusing, especially the whinnign about the refs. These playoffs must have been hell for you so far.

What issue do you want to take with the fact that the dude accidentally shoved the kid?

Do you think DeRosa threw the ball at the fan accidentally? Is that it?

Where's the analogy?

It's not a deep hatred of the Celtics per se, but I do dislike the idea of certain players winning rings on the team. This thing between you and I goes back a bit further though.

It's not simply about me, again I mentioned that the incident seemed more accidental than anything malicious. Baby still gave the kid a shove and received some heat for it, even under the circumstances (celebration/proximity of the child to the field of play/etc.).

The incident with the ref seemed more like an emotional reaction directed towards the guy in the crowd than the situation that was mentioned earlier. I'm saying that normally in an instance like that with a player there would likely be scrutiny given the spotlight and their stature.

[suitedkings]

The fan should have let the ball hit his face! Chaching!

[Cane]

Both guys acted in the wrong and the ref definitely should get some kind of punishment.

I also agree that the security should've handled that fan since he was out of line. Up until now I didn't really know who Joe Derosa was so I suppose he's been doing a good job as a refl; pressure does get to everyone especially in a conference finals situation.

I gotta wonder how Orlando's credibility with the refs are now with this recent debacle and with the whining from Howard/SVG/Barnes/etc ;)

[duhoh]

ROFL the ref got trolled

[PM5K]

Joe should just say he tossed the ball to the fan so that he could signal which person he wanted security to toss.

[Sisk]

Yeah, it was only ugly for the kid's father who wrote that pathetic letter.
.

i want to read this letter!

[UnWantedTheory]

Unless it was self defense there is no reason for a ref to do that. Clear the God Damn Mechanism Refs'.

[mingus]

w/o regard for how stuff like this is usually managed by Stern and his gang, i don't see anything wrong with what the ref did to warrant a punishment. i think people are punished for the smallest of reasons, and it's stupid. i think he should issue an apology, but that's it. of course, in the context of how things are usually dealt with, he'll probably get suspended for the rest of the playoffs, esp. because it's the Playoffs.

[polandprzem]

Threw AT ?

hehe

It was more like he passed the ball to the fan saying " Could you sign it for me?"

[ploto]

Guy got ejected, and the ref will punished in some way- as it should be on both parties.

[FromWayDowntown]

I think both parties are in the wrong. The fan clearly invited his ejection. It's one thing to yell at referees from your seat (though I think abusive fans and those using excessive profanity should probably be ejected), it's something else entirely to chase down a referee to yell at him. There's no First Amendment protection at an NBA game; legally, your ticket is a license issued by the team and the league that permits you to be there as long as you abide by their rules and is, therefore, revocable at their discretion. If you break the rules, you're gone -- particularly after the brawl in Detroit a few years ago. One of the rules is that you can be ejected for abusing officials; a few years ago, the officials were handing out warning cards to unruly fans. Thus, it's silly to say that there was no basis for ejecting the fan.

Derosa should be disciplined and might be done for the playoffs.

[dbestpro]

The dumbass "fan" had no business getting up behind the scorer's tables like that - especially trailing a particular ref and screaming at him. His actions and body language look like enough of a whack job that he should have been escorted outside before things got that far. Above anything else, it was a total breakdown by arena security. They need their asses kicked, before any other discussion of the incident.

DeRosa didn't fire the ball at the guy, any more than he fired it back at DeRosa. And it wasn't throwing the ball back that got the guy tossed. If he had toned it down, I think he probably would have gotten a break and just been asked to go back to his seat. But he didn't, and he really didn't leave anyone a choice about what to do with him. Yelling at a referee from your seat is one thing. Trailing him down almost to the floor at halftime is another.

It's true, though, that a player would get his ass kicked for throwing a ball at a fan. But if a fan was trailing the player back at halftime, and all the player did was toss a ball to him, I think Stern would probably defend his player, rather than the asshole fan.

As much as I bitch about the zebras, they have a tough job, and shouldn't be subject to abuse. I want the league to keep them consistent on the floor, and if they can't do that they should be fired. But they aren't subject to discipline by the fans - that's ridiculous. If there hadn't been a table between them, I think that guy would have at the very least gotten up in DeRosa's face. He needs to be watching the game from the safety of his living room.

Never seen a game played in Europe, huh?

[KuntryDude]

I fault D Stern for putting these shitty refs on high horses in the beginning. They think that they're above the league and all its players. First, players nor coaches can say anything negative towards them despite their many fuckups as they're fined out the wazzoo. Now, they're throwing basketballs at die-hard fans & then having them ejected. Who are these mf's...law enforcement now? That guy had a pretty damn good seat in which i'm sure cost him a nice grip.

So, i'm speaking for all players/coaches. Fuck the refs....now fine me bitches!

[lefty]

i fault d stern for putting these shitty refs on high horses in the beginning. They think that they're above the league and all its players. First, players nor coaches can say anything negative towards them despite their many fuckups as they're fined out the wazzoo. Now, they're throwing basketballs at die-hard fans & then having them ejected. Who are these mf's...law enforcement now? That guy had a pretty damn good seat in which i'm sure cost him a nice grip.

So, i'm speaking for all players/coaches. Fuck the refs....now fine me bitches!
+1

[duncan228]

Ref suspended for throwing ball at fan in Orlando (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=txrefereesuspended)

Referee Joe DeRosa has been suspended without pay for throwing a ball at a fan during halftime of an NBA playoff game in Orlando.

DeRosa will miss the next game he would have been scheduled to work.

At halftime of Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals between Orlando and Boston, DeRosa was walking to the scorer’s table to get the warm-up jackets for his crew.

A fan behind the table approached DeRosa, gesturing with his arms and appearing to be shouting at the veteran official. DeRosa flipped the game ball to the fan, who tossed it back.

[lefty]

Hahaha

What a pussy

[FromWayDowntown]

Ref suspended for throwing ball at fan in Orlando (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=txrefereesuspended)

Referee Joe DeRosa has been suspended without pay for throwing a ball at a fan during halftime of an NBA playoff game in Orlando.

DeRosa will miss the next game he would have been scheduled to work.

At halftime of Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals between Orlando and Boston, DeRosa was walking to the scorer’s table to get the warm-up jackets for his crew.

A fan behind the table approached DeRosa, gesturing with his arms and appearing to be shouting at the veteran official. DeRosa flipped the game ball to the fan, who tossed it back.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out from an official scheduling standpoint.

As a crew chief, Derosa would likely have either Game 4 or Game 5 of the WCF (last year, Monty McCutchen was the crew chief for Game 2 of the ECF and for Game 5 of the WCF). If it was supposed to be Game 4, he'll be suspended for that game, someone like Danny Crawford will move up a game or someone like Ed Rush will be elevated to chief for a game and that will be the end of it.

If it was supposed to be Game 5 and there is no Game 5, that means that he'll be suspended for one of the first four games of the NBA Finals.

[SourCandy]

The ref threw the ball all weak,at least hurl it at the fan.