You make the call: NBA launches video rulebook

[duncan228]

You make the call: NBA launches video rulebook
By Brian Mahoney

Ever see a referee call a charge on a play you swore was a block? Or insist LeBron James took an extra step on his way to the rim?

If so, it’s time to go to the videotape.

The NBA launched a video rulebook Thursday, a site where fans can watch clips of plays accompanied by explanations of the rules.

Stu Jackson, the league’s executive vice president of basketball operations, said the rulebook, found at http://www.nba.com/videorulebook, would be “a place of reference for everyone with respect to how our games are officiated.”

The site, which Jackson said was about 1 1/2 years in the making and thought was the first of its kind, offers fans some of the same training officials get. Jackson said many of the approximately 150 plays included were previously used in referee development.

“It’s very difficult unless you’ve played the game at a very high level, or better yet officiated the game at a very high level, to understand the complexity of our rules strictly by reading them,” Jackson said during a conference call. “By adding a written explanation as well as video examples, it just gives the person time to gain more knowledge about the rules or context, and hopefully a little bit more data and therefore education.”

The site features 11 sections, with Jackson figuring the ones covering block/charge and traveling would get the most usage because those were two of the hardest for officials on the court to call accurately. One clip shows James taking a third step, one more than allowed, after gathering the ball to end his dribble.

When a category is selected, a play or series of plays is listed. When one is picked, the video plays while a written interpretation of the rule appears on the side of the screen. The videos don’t include volume, which in some instances likely prevented a broadcaster from hearing himself describe a call incorrectly.

Jackson said the league will try to keep the site current, updating it with additional plays that warrant explanation. Some of the videos might be familiar to fans, such as a couple of flagrant fouls from last season’s playoffs.

The debut of the video rulebook comes at a time when NBA officiating is being watched closely and open to more criticism than usual. The league is currently using replacement referees while its regular staff is locked out during a labor dispute, but Jackson dismissed the notion that starting the site now was a bold move.

“Launching the video rulebook at this time made some sense just prior to the opening of the regular season, and doing so without anticipation that we’d be using replacement referees,” Jackson said.

“Certainly officiating this game is very difficult, we all know that. And whether we’re using replacement referees or our normal staff referees, they’re going to make mistakes and that’s true now and certainly will be true if the regular referees come back to work.”

Jackson isn’t worried about a call being made incorrectly in a game, then getting a rash of complaints from fans who knew it was wrong from watching a similar play on video.

“That’s going to happen, we understand that,” Jackson said, “but in our minds the best interest of the fans outweighs any potential miscues between what’s called and what’s on our video rulebook site.”

[Dex]

Conceptually, very cool. Definitely the first of it's kind. Usually if you wanted to know about a ruling, you had to do some Googling and work through some pretty heavy worded rules. Props to the NBA for trying to educate the public, if not giving them too little credit.

Still, I can't help but find the timing a bit ironic. With the Donaghy scandal and fans already up in arms about the refs, and now the lockout, it's like this is the NBA's idea of damage control. Instead of tightening the screws on the refs, they're just going to work on the public perception of them.

[Trainwreck2100]

i bet you the videos were made for the replacement refs and the NBA just thought it would be nice for the fans to see

[Dex]

P.S. Bowen representing on the hand check on Nash.

[bdubya]

Good source for entertaining video. Be interesting to see if they really do "keep it current" with controversial calls from the upcoming season.