Ooooh, Does Baby Want a Bottle?

Mr. West Editorial

The NBA has a major fucking problem on its hands. And this problem is reflective of many issues the league, and the sport of basketball on the whole, faces. THERE IS ZERO RESPECT SHOWN TO REFS.

Maybe the USA's pathetic outing in recent hoops tourneys tells you something. NBA players are so used to NBA-style calls and the inevitable bitching about the calls, that they have no idea how tohandle true, pure basketball refereeing. In the Olympics and international tourneys, the refs are from all across the world-- and they interpret rules literally. And the poor dumb Americans have yet to adjust.

Anyone else remember Tim Duncan crying about refs for the first time in his life, Iverson getting called for traveling, and "stars" like Pierce and Marion expecting NBA-like fouls to go there way against supposed scrubs from Europe? Wake up, you morons, it's called fair refs calling the game as it was intended.

I literally cannot watch NBA games anymore because of the bitching from players on calls. Every call. Every goddamn call!! Players now dispute, contest, plead, scowl, cry and yell over every single foul called. Blatant hacks, obvious infractions, and clear arm swipes are constantly being subjected to players' screaming their innocence for the whole world to see.

Of course, we all know no one fouls in the NBA, right?

The hostility shown to refs from literally everyone on the court (players, coaches, any number of the 18 assistant coaches) for the most basic calls is unbelievable. No other league has these issues. Why? They actually have rules and protocol about disputing calls. MLB saved major time and respect when it fully banned players from disputing balls and strikes-- you argue the call, you get tossed. Period. And the rule has worked perfectly; arguments are minimal, play goes on, and,(surprise!) the quality of calls has remained the same.

If the current disrespect and challenge of ref authority, even on basic judgment calls, continues in the NBA, some player is going to attack a ref. The Ref Union knows it. All players have been shown that challenging NBA refs is not just acceptable, it is welcomed. Pardon the deep analysis, but the attitudes and approach of modern NBA players almost insists that they complain about calls or else they are viewed as weak, subservient, and a bitch/punk by themselves and their fellow players. It is an ego thing that has morphed into a self-image thing which now, as any sociologist will tell you, a very much real social code that almost must be honored.

Today's NBA players have almost all grown up in the 90's in terms of their basketball playing. The behavior of star players on TV, their AAU coaches, college coaches, etc. has been one that has perpetuated the challenging of the refs' authority. Coaches like Tom Izzo and John Calipari are a disgrace to respect: they flail, bitch, scream, and fight with the refs all game long. And I'm sure this has no impact on players whatsoever! Even old school coaches like Chaney and Bobby Knight have gotten worse over the years, swept up in violent acts against players while spitting venom at authority figures. High schools are now having to set strict rules about when, where, and who can do what from the bench at games now.

Thanks to the NBA, it is near impossible to watch a college game without kids bitching on every call. Add high school to the mix now, too. Players somehow actually feel the refs pain them more than their own stupidity or skills.

The NBA needs to institute a hard and fast rule. It is a simple one that can be done overnight: no players dispute fouls. Only coaches may dispute fouls, and that may only be done in such a way that does not require the ref to stop the flow of the game. Now, NBA players demand to have some back-and-forth with refs, and the refs, to their credit, like to explain things so the player understands. Therefore, only team captains may even talk to the refs about calls or problems they may have- not to dispute but to get the explanation. Anyone arguing calls gets a T. This will shut up the bitches something fierce.

Maybe the USA's pathetic outing in recent hoops tourneys tells you something.


(Mr East Note: My favorite moment of referee justice was when Rasheed Wallace was ejected from the McDonalds All America game for blowing a gasket after fouling out. I wish I could find a photo.....)