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they are too short , they are too long
come on can the make up their minds already, this is just way too much.
whats next the jerseys are too revealing?
Union files grievance over fines for long shorts
By Chris Sheridan
ESPN Insider
Have the NBA's fashion police gone too far?
The players' union thinks so, and it wants an arbitrator to decide whether it was fair to fine 13 players $10,000 apiece for wearing their shorts too long.
The union filed a grievance Wednesday over the league's renewed infatuation with fabric lengths, asking the new arbitrator -- Calvin Sharpe of Case Western Reserve University -- to hear his first case.
"We think they're being too puritanical about the whole issue," union director Billy Hunter told ESPN.com. "The fines and their whole at ude appear insidious and draconian."
The league has been on the lookout for violations of the rule that states a player's shorts cannot extend below 0.1 inch above the knee. To date, $10,000 fines have been handed out to New York's Nate Robinson and Stephon Marbury; Philadelphia's John Salmons, Kyle Korver, Allen Iverson and Kevin Ollie; Indiana's Jermaine O'Neal, Stephen Jackson and Jamaal Tinsley; Jeff McInnis of New Jersey; and Voshon Lenard, DerMarr Johnson and Andre Miller of Denver.
On top of the player fines, the teams were fined $50,000 for each violation.
The league acknowledged receipt of the union's grievance and said it had cited more than twice as many violators as it did a year ago.
"There are rules, just as there are rules with other parts of our game," NBA deputy commissioner Russ Granik told ESPN.com's Darren Rovell. "It just seems like this year, there has been laxity on the part of some of the teams."
In its grievance, the union argued that the players were being unfairly penalized for wearing uniforms manufactured by Reebok, the league's official uniform provider, and issued by the teams.
When a team is deemed to be in violation, it first gets a warning. If the NBA deems the effort to shorten the shorts to be insufficient, only the team gets fined first. Then, after a third violation, the team and player get fined.
Many teams have privately complained that the league gave no warning in the offseason -- or even the preseason -- that it would be scrutinizing the length of shorts so closely. Violation notifications began when the regular season started.
And because standard procedure requires teams to make their uniform orders more than six months before the following season, acquiring shorter shorts apparently isn't as simple as calling in a rush order. While waiting for new shorts to arrive, several teams have been forced to send out the shorts they have for tailoring.
Some clubs have complained, furthermore, that the league could have made things easier by giving Reebok guidelines to help make sure all players were in compliance. A common protest from veteran players is that they're simply wearing the shorts they get from the teams -- and the same-size shorts they've been wearing for years.
"They need to back off," Hunter said. "To penalize a guy $10,000 when the uniforms are manufactured by someone else. Maybe we should bring a suit against the manufacturers and seek some kind of relief from them."
The league has observers at every NBA arena, and staff members logging game videotapes at NBA Entertainment headquarters can keep an eye out for uniform violations if they're asked to do so by the league office in New York. It was unclear exactly who or what was driving the league's latest crackdown on long shorts, but many -- including O'Neal -- were quick to accuse the league of trying to sanitize and/or eliminate hip-hop style.
"I understand the need to appeal to a fan base who buys tickets, but sometimes I think it's like throwing the baby out with the bath water," Hunter said. "Too much scrutiny is going on, and what's it's doing is interfering with the play."
The union filed a similar grievance three years ago after several players were fined for wearing their shorts too low, but a settlement was reached and the case never made it before an arbitrator.
they are too short , they are too long
come on can the make up their minds already, this is just way too much.
whats next the jerseys are too revealing?
It's funny because Jordan started all this and I don't recall David Stern ever saying anything about it over Jordans career that spanned more than a decade....
No,
what started it was the Fab five at Michigan.
The teams and the players know the rules so why didn't they give the correct measurements to Reebok? (Does anyone know how much longer they were than what the rules allow)?
The fine's seem excessive, especially for the team, but if you don't like the rules you need to either negotiate a change or abide by them.
That being said they should give the players a warning (did they?) before levying a fine.
I think this is pretty damn stupid. The league knows it takes a while to get a new order of uniforms for the players in violation. This incident just makes it seem like the league is being nitpicky to get the most money it can out of everyone.And because standard procedure requires teams to make their uniform orders more than six months before the following season, acquiring shorter shorts apparently isn't as simple as calling in a rush order
I'm not sure but I'm thinking it costs quite a bit less than $50,000 to have the shorts sent out and altered.
Or file a grievance and work to get it changed.The fine's seem excessive, especially for the team, but if you don't like the rules you need to either negotiate a change or abide by them.
i don't like shorts touching my knees or being long enough ot catch under my knee or rub my knee ... especially when I'm doing something "athletic"... It's just not comfy.
to each his own I guess.... but those super long shorts do look kinda ridicules out on the floor.... like very short pants.
Philadelphia's John Salmons, Kyle Korver, Allen Iverson and Kevin Ollie
You know, I was all prepared to come on and mock Hunter for his use of 'draconian' but then I read the article. They can't be more than a tenth of an inch below the knee? Really?
That's dumb.
Rules are rules and whatever, but I'd be interested to how major the infractions were and whether or not it was during course of play . . .
"like very short pants"
and they are cut so wide and full they bounce around like dresses.
Black vs white culture war
Uh, so is Billy stating that forcing the players to give up their coullottes is causing their game to suffer?"I understand the need to appeal to a fan base who buys tickets, but sometimes I think it's like throwing the baby out with the bath water," Hunter said. "Too much scrutiny is going on, and what's it's doing is interfering with the play."
The players should follow the rules. Stern is trying to rid the NBA of its "hip-hop" image which is smart.
Make the "John Stockton/Daisy Duke" shorts standard issue for everybody.
End of discussion.
Do you REALLY want to see the wedgie it would create on Shaq the first time he tried a drop step move in some Stocktons?
:vomit
Lets be reasonable, there has to be a compromise somewhere no too long, and not too short. Who knows what is next on As The NBA Sterns.
I like my shorts to be above the knees, easier to play like that.
I can go with shorts must be above the knees. That makes sense. But shorts cannot be longer than a tenth of an inch below the knee? Is draconian.
Seriously, the NBA is worried that shorts that are a quarter of an inch below the knee is ruining it's image? They truly aren't more concerned with druggies and rapists in their league? Ooooooookaaaayyyyyyy.
Look, if the shorts are more than an inch below the knee, or a half inch, or anything that is reasonably visible below the knee, sure, I guess, fine them. Even though this apparently came without warning and without enough time for the teams to order uniforms (which the team orders, not the individual players) then it is unfair to fine individual players (and teams as well). It's not a matter of being able to afford tailoring, the league shouldn't put rules in places without sufficient lead time to follow the rules (in this case at least six months), and then fine players for wearing what they were issued by their teams.
Either blame this on the teams for not getting the correct measurements, or blame Reebok for screwing up the measurements on the players. I wouldn't be surprised if the latter is what caused all of this.
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