duncan228
10-28-2007, 09:07 AM
http://cbs.sportsline.com/nba/story/10435813
Controversy-free NBA season? Don't bet on it
By Tony Mejia
CBSSports.com Staff Writer
No refs were harmed in the making of this preseason. Not here in the States, China, England or Spain, and they even let Darko Milicic go over there.
In case you missed it, Milicic launched into officials in a Eurobasket loss with a tirade that made Rasheed Wallace blush. NBA officials have been in the clear, though.
The league hopes the Donaghy incident is an isolated one. (Getty Images)
Commissioner David Stern even pardoned his entire fleet for breaking the anti-gambling provisions in their contracts, which in the aftermath of the Tim Donaghy fiasco, borders on astounding.
The league's remaining officials have gotten a free pass -- for now. The truth is, this is an unexpected honeymoon period that figures to end when the next controversy arises, which it undoubtedly will.
No, there isn't going to be some pool over who will be the first to throw Wallace out or retaliate at Tim Duncan for getting Joey Crawford suspended last year. Nobody is going to be playing online poker, a la Gilbert Arenas at halftime, either. But you can count on a controversial call, probably in the season's opening month, that sets everybody off.
Can you say, open season?
In the past, Shaquille O'Neal complaining about being the victim of having the game called differently against him would've gone unnoticed. Wallace or Allen Iverson saying that officials have personal vendettas against them would've attracted support in the cities they play in, but gotten scoffed at everywhere else. One wonders how much the fine will be against the first coach who questions the integrity of the officials.
Good thing Jeff Van Gundy is now a television commentator.
Pat Riley has told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel that after a September meeting with a handful of officials, there was "not one coach in this league that did not want to embrace that entire staff. There's no hangover on our part."
Having observed the coaches in this league for a while, it's nearly a certainty that one of them is going to put backing his players over the prevailing goodwill of backing the zebras. Maybe it comes after a particularly egregious error or bad night, perhaps during the second night of a back-to-back on a particularly grueling road trip when tempers are short, but it's practically inevitable.
Players are in the same boat. To date, in events like the FIBAs in Las Vegas and during the preseason, where players have had the opportunities to point fingers and spout out "I told you so," all have taken the high road. They, like everyone else, just want what's best for the game.
They, like their coaches, will also not be immune to slipping up when their emotions get the better of them.
Before, when someone was thrown under the bus, it was looked at in a humorous light. Now, there are entirely different undertones that don't deserve to be there.
Putting the referees out there in the public light, answering questions from reporters after games -- as I've called for and will continue to in the interest of fairness and full disclosure -- might be viewed as opening a Pandora's box in the league's estimation. Certainly, there's the fear for irresponsible interpretations, but at the same time, the public intends for the media to be its watchdog, doesn't it?
Stern might be on the defensive, but he's right in this regard: One man's actions shouldn't compromise an entire team's integrity. It's unfair across the board, in every walk of life.
The NBA is trying to be somewhat proactive, hiring the recently retired Bernie Fryer to help supervise officials, a move that has been well received by refs. They're getting one of their own, someone who has experienced their travails, to help ease the scrutiny and ensure everyone stays focused during what promises to be a difficult time.
Another change will likely include listing what referees will be working what games every morning, eliminating the need for inside information. So now everyone can figure out if games are going to go over or under based on the officials whistling said game. If that sounds strange to you, you're probably not alone, but the NBA is big on common sense this month and figures that games are going to be gambled on anyway, so it's just out to eliminate potential corruption.
Other than that, Stern has opted for a wait-and-see approach, which will be extended further considering he has chosen to do nothing until the FBI culminates his investigation and Donaghy is sentenced in January, hoping for an opportunity to delve further than the law currently allows him to.
This is both good and bad. Good because it allows for a sense of normalcy to set in before things might hit the fan, unexpected at this point anyway.
It's bad, though, because it would seem like it gives the league office cushion to be as transparent as it promised it would be, so cynical fans and media can swoop in and feed the monster that Donaghy created. Stern treats this like he does most things out of his control, using sarcasm and optimism as his featured weapons.
He wants to deal with this and move on, which is what everyone should want to do. He's counting on a lot of people, mostly fans, not to dwell, although at the same time, he's said he'd never take the time-honored tradition of disputing calls away from his fans.
The NBA is hoping this cross-your-fingers and pray-for-status-quo approach works out. It truly is what's best for the game, if nothing negative occurs.
Want to bet on the odds of that?
Controversy-free NBA season? Don't bet on it
By Tony Mejia
CBSSports.com Staff Writer
No refs were harmed in the making of this preseason. Not here in the States, China, England or Spain, and they even let Darko Milicic go over there.
In case you missed it, Milicic launched into officials in a Eurobasket loss with a tirade that made Rasheed Wallace blush. NBA officials have been in the clear, though.
The league hopes the Donaghy incident is an isolated one. (Getty Images)
Commissioner David Stern even pardoned his entire fleet for breaking the anti-gambling provisions in their contracts, which in the aftermath of the Tim Donaghy fiasco, borders on astounding.
The league's remaining officials have gotten a free pass -- for now. The truth is, this is an unexpected honeymoon period that figures to end when the next controversy arises, which it undoubtedly will.
No, there isn't going to be some pool over who will be the first to throw Wallace out or retaliate at Tim Duncan for getting Joey Crawford suspended last year. Nobody is going to be playing online poker, a la Gilbert Arenas at halftime, either. But you can count on a controversial call, probably in the season's opening month, that sets everybody off.
Can you say, open season?
In the past, Shaquille O'Neal complaining about being the victim of having the game called differently against him would've gone unnoticed. Wallace or Allen Iverson saying that officials have personal vendettas against them would've attracted support in the cities they play in, but gotten scoffed at everywhere else. One wonders how much the fine will be against the first coach who questions the integrity of the officials.
Good thing Jeff Van Gundy is now a television commentator.
Pat Riley has told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel that after a September meeting with a handful of officials, there was "not one coach in this league that did not want to embrace that entire staff. There's no hangover on our part."
Having observed the coaches in this league for a while, it's nearly a certainty that one of them is going to put backing his players over the prevailing goodwill of backing the zebras. Maybe it comes after a particularly egregious error or bad night, perhaps during the second night of a back-to-back on a particularly grueling road trip when tempers are short, but it's practically inevitable.
Players are in the same boat. To date, in events like the FIBAs in Las Vegas and during the preseason, where players have had the opportunities to point fingers and spout out "I told you so," all have taken the high road. They, like everyone else, just want what's best for the game.
They, like their coaches, will also not be immune to slipping up when their emotions get the better of them.
Before, when someone was thrown under the bus, it was looked at in a humorous light. Now, there are entirely different undertones that don't deserve to be there.
Putting the referees out there in the public light, answering questions from reporters after games -- as I've called for and will continue to in the interest of fairness and full disclosure -- might be viewed as opening a Pandora's box in the league's estimation. Certainly, there's the fear for irresponsible interpretations, but at the same time, the public intends for the media to be its watchdog, doesn't it?
Stern might be on the defensive, but he's right in this regard: One man's actions shouldn't compromise an entire team's integrity. It's unfair across the board, in every walk of life.
The NBA is trying to be somewhat proactive, hiring the recently retired Bernie Fryer to help supervise officials, a move that has been well received by refs. They're getting one of their own, someone who has experienced their travails, to help ease the scrutiny and ensure everyone stays focused during what promises to be a difficult time.
Another change will likely include listing what referees will be working what games every morning, eliminating the need for inside information. So now everyone can figure out if games are going to go over or under based on the officials whistling said game. If that sounds strange to you, you're probably not alone, but the NBA is big on common sense this month and figures that games are going to be gambled on anyway, so it's just out to eliminate potential corruption.
Other than that, Stern has opted for a wait-and-see approach, which will be extended further considering he has chosen to do nothing until the FBI culminates his investigation and Donaghy is sentenced in January, hoping for an opportunity to delve further than the law currently allows him to.
This is both good and bad. Good because it allows for a sense of normalcy to set in before things might hit the fan, unexpected at this point anyway.
It's bad, though, because it would seem like it gives the league office cushion to be as transparent as it promised it would be, so cynical fans and media can swoop in and feed the monster that Donaghy created. Stern treats this like he does most things out of his control, using sarcasm and optimism as his featured weapons.
He wants to deal with this and move on, which is what everyone should want to do. He's counting on a lot of people, mostly fans, not to dwell, although at the same time, he's said he'd never take the time-honored tradition of disputing calls away from his fans.
The NBA is hoping this cross-your-fingers and pray-for-status-quo approach works out. It truly is what's best for the game, if nothing negative occurs.
Want to bet on the odds of that?