[NY Daily News] : Anonymous ref says JVG's fine was harsh; other refs agree

I don't know if this was posted, but just when you thought this saga was over, this comes out. Of course it's an "anonymous ref" who talked to a New York media outlet about Jeff "Noo Yokah" Van Gundy, so...

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/story/308404p-263877c.html
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Anonymous ref: Van's
OK, Stern 'overreacted'

BY FRANK ISOLA
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

While the spokesman for the NBA referees union is calling for Jeff Van Gundy to be fired, one of Lemell McMorris' rank-and-file members is whistling him for a flagrant foul.
"I wish Lemell would be smart enough to say, 'This door is closed,' and let's move forward just like the league said," said one veteran referee, who requested anonymity. "What Jeff said is not out of line, as far as I'm concerned."

On Monday, the NBRA's McMorris told Bloomberg News that some of his members were "furious" that the NBA closed its investigation of Van Gundy and that the Houston Rockets coach would not face further disciplinary action. He later issued a statement calling for Van Gundy to be fired.

"If the head of the referees' association were smart, he would stop issuing press releases," said NBA commissioner David Stern regarding McMorris' calling for Van Gundy's firing before last night's Miami-Washington playoff game.

The referee who spoke to the Daily News said that of the referees he's talked to, none is upset by comments Van Gundy made last week that earned him a record $100,000 fine. In fact, the referee felt that David Stern "over-reacted" and that fine was "excessive."

The controversy began with Van Gundy claiming that a league official informed him that Yao Ming would be watched closely by the referees following complaints made by Mavs owner Mark Cuban regarding Yao setting illegal screens.

Van Gundy never said that it was a referee who called him even though several media accounts assumed that he meant referee. The league, which threatened Van Gundy with a suspension and even a lifetime ban, was satisfied that it wasn't a referee who contacted Van Gundy. Based on that information, the league wrapped up its investigation while leaving open the possibility that a league official did in fact notify Van Gundy that Yao would be targeted.

McMorris has had his own troubles with the league in recent months. Last season, he ordered the referees to wear their shirts inside out to protest Michael Henderson being suspended for blowing a 24-second violation in the final minute of a regular-season game.

The referee called McMorris "a radical" who is good for the referees because he's going to fight the league. But the referee also feels that McMorris is picking the wrong fight since Van Gundy has supported the refs in the past. In fact, following Game 5 of the Rockets-Mavs series, Van Gundy refused to criticize Bennett Salvatore after the official missed a call in the closing seconds with the Rockets trailing by two.