Respecting the game is getting out of hand

This whole “zero dissent, respect for the game” program the league is embarking on seems to be getting entirely out of control already.

Kevin Garnett was thrown out of a game the other night, we saw three guys tossed from the Raptors-Suns game out in Vancouver and while I don’t have the totals anywhere handy, I’d suspect technical fouls are up a huge percentage this year.

As I mentioned earlier, this has the possibility to be a hugely troublesome issue; I can see some star being thrown out of a key game that ends up having a huge impact on standings or seedings down the road and I know that’s not what the league had in mind when it went all ballistic on the whining and complaining and arm waving and the like.

The trouble is, there seems to be very little common sense being applied in some cases. There has to be a way for players to react emotionally to calls without being hit with a technical or possibly ejected from a game because those emotions they display are such an integral part of the action.

Now, there does also have to be a crackdown in incessant complaining and the showing up of officials but it seems that fine line has yet to be reached.

And with the pre-season halfway through and no improvement in sight, I wonder if it’s going to be reached before games start for real.

The union’s involved now (check out this story from My Man Sheridan) and coaches and players are, rightfully, up in arms about the subjective nature of the calls.

Not sure what the answer is but this is something that’s going to dog the league for quite some time, I fear.

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Seems the wheels of NBA justice move a bit slowly in the pre-season.

Joey Dorsey got whacked with a one-game suspension last night for hitting Chicago’s Brian Scalabrine the other night.

Usually, any kind of disciplinary measures are handed down before the team plays its next game but the folks at The Home Office were a bit slow off the mark.

Joey didn’t a get a minute of time in the win over the Sixers, but that doesn’t count as the suspension because the league treats pre-season games as they should: things that don’t really count.

What’s interesting is that Joey will be suspended for “the first game of the 2010-11 NBA regular season for which he is eligible and physically able to play.” Which leads me to this: What if that game never happens? What if he’s waived and doesn’t land a gig anywhere? Does he owe the league a game somehow? Would he be in some kind of a Suspension Holding Pattern? Is there a statute of limitations? All good questions, no? Okay, maybe not.

I didn’t see the incident but when I was talking to one of the coaches before Wednesday’s game, he expressed surprise that the Raptors hadn’t heard from the league at that point. Seems a suspension was justified.

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Oh, a quick long-term heads up here.

We had a couple of queries about the old game day question-and-answer sessions we did last year and, yes, we plan to bring them back this season as well.

We’ll do a trial run next Wednesday before the Bulls game just to make sure we remember how to do it.

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Okay, esoteric, non-basketball reference coming in the answer to this mailbag query:  

Q: Doug, what does it take for a player's jersey to be hung on the rafters? I know that being loyal for a franchise and winning a championship or two helps, but what else? Does individual stats have any influence (i.e. franchise leader in points, rebounds etc)? Do you ever see HWHNBN I or II ever getting their jerseys hung up in the ACC?

 

J H K, Oakville

A: Okay, I’m paraphrasing and stealing from Potter Stewart, former U.S. Supreme Court Justice. And when you find the quote I’m referring to, you’ll get my point.

And, no, I do not at any time ever, in a kazillion years, see No. 15 or No. 4 hanging from any rafters.

Oh, and you left an ‘S’ out of the acronym. HWSNBN.

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So, what’s in a name?

Guess we’ll find out today when Raptors NBA TV becomes NBA TV Canada or somesuch at a little Real Sports buntoss.

Not sure what it all means – I guess NBA TV Canada plays better out there among the non-Southern Ontario masses or something – but the day also includes some kind of panel discussion on the evolution of technology.

And on that panel?

Oak!!!!! This ought to be a blast.

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Speaking of Oak, remember that nifty NBA Jam Session thing he was at last Saturday? Well, the three-on-three tournament that was part of it winds up this weekend.

Winners from the tournaments in the six host cities meet in round-robin thing Saturday and the final will be played at halftime of the Raptors-Suns game Sunday afternoon.

I didn’t get a chance to see very much of it last weekend – who could pass up a chat with Oak – but it’s probably worth paying some attention to this time around.

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Mail?

More please.

Thank you.

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Hey, wanna play Guess The Lineup?

I’m banking on Calderon, DeRozan, Kleiza, Bargnani, Evans for the visit by the Bostons tonight.

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Comments

[Blake Kennedy]

I think the technical foul crackdown is an attempt by the league to prevent certain stars (thinking Kobe, LeBron and Wade specifically, now) from screaming at the officials at every turn and weilding that "star power" they've traditionally held. That is an especially egalitarian move by the league, given how Miami now has three guys who between them could average almost 30 FTA/game if things continue apace. LeBron's antics with the officials are surpassed only by Wade's, and frankly it's about time the league dealt with that. Are they doing so in an unwarrantedly harsh fashion? Sure. Do the ends justify the means? Very possible. Very few stars who go down that road of the constant whining self-regulate: Tim Duncan's the only one who's ever shown considerable improvement in that regard.

[Jordan]

You shall not attempt to define what it takes to get a jersey in the rafters, but you know it when you see it.

Blogger's note: And we have a winner!

[Boko]

Hi, Doug. Great column in the Star today! I take it that one can simplify ...
Half-Court Unit (Starters): Bargnani, Evans, Kleiza & Calderon.
In-Between: DeRozan
Up-Tempo: Johnson, Weems, Barbosa & Jack
Bargnani-Lite: Anderson
Evans-Lite: Dorsey
Wildcard: Davis
Inactive: Alabi, Wright & Banks
Soon-to-be-released: Dupree
Please correct me if I'm wrong. Thanks, as always.

Blogger's note: Seems about right to me.

[Jim]

Is this team really this bad at making FTs?

[Mike D.]

I hate to do it, but I have to disagree with you, Doug: "I can see some star being thrown out of a key game that ends up having a huge impact on standings or seedings down the road."

Why not let the chips fall where they may? I have watched the converse happening for years, with refs swallowing their whistles because a star was involved in the play (don't get me started on a Raptors/Magic game a few years back where Dwight Howard should have fouled out in Q2 but the ref started awarding Dwight's fouls to his teammates, some of whom were 20 feet away from the play). I wouldn't mind seeing the pendulum swing even further the other way.....we all like to watch the NBA's star players, but not at the expense of turning the league into the WWE.

[eman]

I think another good Potter Stewart quote would relate to the discussion of technical fowls:

“Censorship reflects a society's lack of confidence in itself. It is a hallmark of an authoritarian regime.”

[Matty-Pix]

If your suspected starting lineup is in ... I will be a happy man!
-Gotta feel bad for Ed Davis, missing all of these valuable opportunitites to learn, and show the staff what he can do in a pre-season setting.

[Chris]

I was gonna go with "Fairness is what justice really is."

[pain777pas]

Doug, I can't help but smell game fixing. Stern wants a Miami win this year even though by the looks of it that team seems unstoppable if all 3 are healthy. Bosh is playing not good but great. Lebron is facilitating and making everyone on the team better. Wade hasn't even laced them up as yet. I am not saying there a lock to win but if their chemistry improves this will be a historic year in the win loss columns for this team. I knew that Bosh would fit but 24pts in 23 mins of play shooting well over 50% from the field plus 5 boards and some assists? This is pre-season but, that line is scary. Now the Ts being handed out left right and centre will affect the game and cause fans to outcry. Now, that will be good for the game initially having message boards filled with hate. If it continues though and we see that some Ts created an unfair advantage to a premier team like LA, NY, Miami, Orlando or Boston people may be turned off and won't want to watch games. Who knows? Maybe the refs don't like the changes either and are forcing the office to recant on its decision.

[pk]

Sweet.
I made it in a non-mailbag blog of Doug's! :D
And yes, I did mis-spell the acronym.
And Jordan beat me to the answer lol
Of course.. his ID is Jordan..

[kelsey]

I really wonder if the NBA could keep this up, I guess it has its good and bad. But techincal for everything is crazy. Actually for Raptors it should help as they will need as much players ejected as possible from the other teams they will face.

If NBA can do this why cant that Neanderthal sport of hockey do the same with hockey. It makes me sick to see actual fighting in the middle of the game, what a sick sport and bs excuse. No other major sport can this happen. Imagine a football game, where it could just stop and guys start knocking the snott out of each other. Sick I say just sick!!!

Lets go Raptors, I really dont care if Jose starts just as long as he doesnt play the most minutes in crucial times, I personally watch 10 games at the ACC last year and seen the other teams really take it to him, I m not saying Jack is the best defender but spues more energy and aggressiveness.

Bargnani better step it up, DeRozan the same, Reggie stay focused on the rebounds and Kleiza hit those shots!!

[John]

How about - "To force a system on a defender can only lead him to believe that the system contrives against him."
Or "The CBA and the personal rights it secures have a long history. At the very core stands the right of a man to retreat into South Beach and there be free from unreasonable fans who actually care."
Or "Showmanship reflects a Former Franchise Player's lack of confidence in himself."
And I leave you with "Swift defense demands more than deft swiftness."
Although the actual quote for that last one would apply to Joey Dorsey today.
Actual quotes: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/p/potter_stewart.html

[Scott]

Doug,
Key words..."common sense" as far as the whining crackdown. The complaining has to be tempered by the players as it was getting out of hand after every call. It is an emotional game but players will adapt if refs use good judgment regarding techs.
Another way to help...make the technicals count as a personal foul. No shooting except for bench techs and illegal O or D.

[Boko]

I suggest a compromise concerning the Ts. The NBA could start by issuing a warning for borderline cases. Then, when the player does it again, hit him hard, no matter who it is! Right now, it's a training exercise. Come the first regular season game, all players just need to know where the heck the line NOT to be crossed is!!

[marc in panama]

Hola Doug,

So the league now wants to reign in the two headed monster it first created by allowing the "superstars" to be officiated in a preferred manner. It's no coincidence that the biggest whiners are today's biggest stars. The players response? Take the league to court. Ya gotta love a League where the Union goes to court to allow it's membership the legal right to act like petulant children.

Cheers amigo

[Nick]

I suspect this hypersensitive "quick-trigger" reaction by the officials through the preseason is in part a way to save the players and coaches from themselves. These games don't mean anything so if someone gets sent out during the game it holds no consequence to the team and lets everyone know where the line in the sand is drawn. Look at the Garnett situation from the other night; he's notorious (as are all the Celtics) for badgering the officials and he confronted the official for a play that had really no consequence to the outcome of the game. What did it cost him in the long run? 10-15 mins of burn in a preseason game, and now he knows where the line is. Better to learn it now than in the 4th quarter in their opening day showdown with the Heat.
The players and coaches all know what they are doing and even now they will try to push and test the boundaries of the officials. I highly doubt that KG or Doc Rivers is still wound up about it.
I have faith that once the games count for real, the officials will be more considerate of the timing and impact the call will have on the game. However we can all agree that the whining and politicking needs to stop and if it takes a hand full of stars getting kicked out of games in November for them to learn their lesson, I'd be okay with that.

[George]

This "zero dissent, respect for the game" program is simply about shutting up and playing. Too often star players and coaches argue calls to influence the whistle and I think this initiative is about changing the culture of the league.

Maybe instead of leaving it to the officials to dole out the punishments on the court the league could get feedback from officials post game to hand out fines or suspensions, as I am sure the refs handout some emotionals techs too, so this might give everyone time to calm down and evaluate whether the arguing was excessive and unwarranted and act accordingly.

[Tabber]

So if Dorsey's offense took place in a meaningless game, why not have the suspension for a meaningless game? Apples and oranges aren't comparable, as, apparently, aren't pre-season and regular season games. The league is talking out of both sides of its mouth - quelle surprise! This is like trying to shut the barn door after the horses have left, should have been looked after a few years ago, and the responsibility lies with Stern for not cracking down earlier. It may be time for Mr. Stern to think about walking away - after the next CBA, of course - with his micro-managing becoming a bit much - the mandated attire pre- and post-game, and now the tech-fest. He's in the top 2 of commissioners, with Goodell, but may be going just a little bit overboard.

[Carolyn]

I couldn't agree more with your evaluation of this zero tolerance for...y'know...emotion. I genuinely hope that once the season starts, the refs use their common sense instead of their whistles.

[D-Mac Ottawa]

How do, Doug,
Just wondering, can NBA teams do direct trades with Euro teams?
Good call, Tabber, and I'd agree Stern is right up there near the top of the Commish heap. I'd put Roone Arledge ahead of him. And I'd put Selig at the bottom of the heap. Do you see a top and bottom five list in the making, Doug?
Cheers. Go Raps.

Blogger's note: No, they can't do trades. And that's a list to think about, thanks.

[The J]

Regarding the refs and techs I like this line:
"Yes, referees should give techs to players who overreact. But now you get a technical for reacting. That’s an immense difference..... This way, the league never has to address the putrid nature of its officiating. If players aren’t reacting to bad calls, they must not have been bad calls."

[The J]

I could never picture anyone from the Raptors getting their jerseys hung to the rafters. Think how pathetic that would look in that building. Say what you want about the Leafs (or Laughs) but they have a lot of great history. Can you really picture banners like Sittler, Mahovolich, Hortons and then on the other side Bargnani? That would look as pathetic as when I see the Stanley Cup banners on one side, and on the other side a single Atlantic Division Champs banner from a year in which it took 47 wins to win that division.
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I think if people around these parts chose who had their jerseys hung up, the rafters would look like this:
Oakley
J. Williams
Bonner
Garbojosa
Mensa-Bonsu
Evans (hung prematurely during last years pre-season)
Bellinelli
And they would be busy in the back making the Dorsey banner.

[Michel G]

Michael Jordan's number hanging from Miami's rafters doesn't seem right to me. It's all subjective.

[Ryan]

So if Dorsey's offense took place in a meaningless game, why not have the suspension for a meaningless game?

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If Dorsey punched someone on the street, he'd probably be suspended. So just because what happened, happened during a meaningless game, doesn't mean the action itself was meaningless. It deserved a legitimate punishment, which would mean a regular season game.

[CC]

"single Atlantic Division Champs banner from a year in which it took 47 wins"
at least they won that banner playing in that building! where did the Leafs won theirs? It should be placed THERE!!!