Van Gundy, Barnes fined for criticizing officials
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP)—The NBA fined Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy and forward Matt Barnes $35,000 each Thursday for publicly criticizing officials.
Van Gundy and Barnes said after the Magic beat Charlotte on Wednesday night that they were not happy with the way officials called the game on Dwight Howard.
Orlando’s All-Star center has been in foul trouble the first two games of the series.
Barnes said the officials need “to stop calling such tic-tac fouls on him.” Van Gundy said among other things that he doesn’t “see the other great players in this league on the bench all the time with foul trouble, especially on marginal calls.”
The Magic lead the Bobcats 2-0. Game 3 is Saturday in Charlotte.
Also from Yahoo! Sports:OKLAHOMA CITY (AP)—NBA commissioner David Stern is tired of coaches and players griping about the officiating, and challenged them Thursday to “make my day” by continuing to complain during the rest of the playoffs.
The league handed out fines of $35,000 apiece on Thursday to Boston Celtics forward Rasheed Wallace, Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy and Orlando forward Matt Barnes for publicly criticizing officials. A week earlier, Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson was fined $35,000 for suggesting that Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant received preferential treatment from NBA referees.
Speaking before the Thunder hosted the Lakers, Stern said such comments were “corrosive” to the product that the league is putting on the floor. He said he understands why coaches try to work the officials through the media, but that the result is such comments undermine consumer confidence in the league’s product.
posted by Mike from Illinois @ 5:04 AM
5 Comments:
At 10:13 AM,
Matt said…
That is a foolish comment and Stern is out of bounds. The league needs to clean up the way officiating is set up, and standardize it more so that subjectivity is taken out of the processes. Stern has to realize though that we are living in a democratic society where the 'Freedom of Speech' is recognized. Additionally, he is incorrect that criticizing officials would reduce the public trust in the product. On the contrary, it gives the public a tool to vent their frustration but they keep coming back.
At 11:06 AM,
CleveBalla said…
Yo da officials be trippin yall. they need to be held accountable for da calls they make. there be some terrible calls in my cavs game last night, like at da end when they took away da basket by lebron for a charge. yall gots to be outta ya god damn mind if some official gon be callin that bullshit.
In yall series, dwight be on da bench all first half, just aint right. he a star he needs to be on da floor, not some tick tacky foul they be callin. Good luck yall against da bobcats
A ring for da king.
All Together!
At 2:13 PM,
Matt said…
What Stern is saying is that I have an unquestionable officiating system in place, and all relevant parties have to live by it. The primary foolishness in this approach is that it denies the principle of 'constant improvement' which is only possible with transparency and allowing for the critique of the existing system. The secondary foolishness is that, if Stern is concerned with the popularity acceptance of his product, then he has to be mindful that people are being turned off by inconsistent officiating, hence may stop caring for the game. This sentiment has been expressed in many posts which I have read on different blogs and other modalities of media.
Commissioner Stern has been around for so long and may have become too stagnant or arrogant for his own good or the sport which we love. He needs to be replaced by a fresher and more insightful individual. In the meantime, while coaches and players may be more cautious in this regard, we the fans could turn the volume up a notch.
At 4:05 PM,
CleveBalla said…
yo i heard dat matt. when he be fining people he basically sayin live wit it, how they gon improve da officiatin if they aint hearin no criticism. jus dont get it. i aint tryin to talk any noise now, but in a close series between da cavs and magic da whistle could be da difference in a game or two. a shame if da teams dont settle it on da cours, ya digg?
All Together!
At 6:01 PM,
Mike from Illinois said…
I can sympathize with the Cavaliers' fans who thought there were a few bad calls against them in the Bulls' Game 3 win, but overall the Cavaliers had a 31-25 advantage in free throws attempted, and the Cavs missed 11 free throws, 6 of which were missed by LeBron James, who otherwise had a great game. If the Cavaliers took care of their business at the free throw line, they would have won the game and wouldn't have had to worry about the foul calls going against them near the end of the game.
Matt, you're right about Commissioner Stern being around a long time... since 1984, I believe. He does come across as being arrogant at times, as with the statements he made Thursday night.
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