Derrick Stafford?

heech · Mar 11, 2003

What is going on with the ref Derrick Stafford? It seems like he's been involved in *tons* of various disputes this year... he's the Ron Artest of the reffing community.

Here are a few select articles:

NBA looking into conduct of Riley and Stafford

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ESPN.com

The NBA is still evaluating possible sanctions against Pat Riley after the Miami Heat coach's criticial comments about the officials Wednesday -- but the league is also looking into the conduct of referee Derrick Stafford, reports ESPN.com's Marc Stein.

"We're investigating both sides of it," NBA vice president of basketball operations Stu Jackson said Friday.

However, league commissioner David Stern sure made it sound Saturday night as if Riley has a harsh penalty ahead. Stern called it "unfinished business" and said: "Pat's having a tough year and he's letting it get to him. He's a good friend and a great coach and he's just going to have to stop it."

Following Wednesday night's 101-87 loss to the Blazers, Riley lashed out at the referees. Portland went to the foul line 32 times in the game, compared to seven foul shots for Miami. Riley has already been fined $50,000 this season after saying in December that game officials were being unfair to his team because of a "dislike of me over the years.''

"It was an absolute officiating tragedy," Riley said after Wednesday's loss. "I thought I was at the comedy store watching some kind of comedian out there laughing with the Blazers, and talking to them, and smiling with them. It was so unprofessional."

Stafford was reported to have engaged in a shouting match with Riley late in Wednesday's game. "It's not about you," Stafford shouted at Riley. "Go on TV crying."

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
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Kings Notes: Run-in with this ref not the first
By Martin McNeal -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 a.m. PST Monday, February 3, 2003

HOUSTON -- The Kings have had trouble with NBA officials, which doesn't make them different from any other team.
However, there are some officials with whom they've had stormy relationships. One such official is Derrick Stafford, whose most recent run-in with the Kings occurred Friday night in their loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Kings center Vlade Divac, who admittedly had a running conversation with Stafford on Friday, complained loudly late in the game that the referee called a foul on the Lakers with 10.2 seconds left just to make it look as if the number of calls on each team was more even.

The Kings were called for five fouls in the first three minutes of the fourth quarter.

"Derrick," Divac screamed to the other end of the court, "don't call fouls now. We don't need them now."

Divac said Stafford told shooting guard Doug Christie, who still was on the court, "Tell Vlade this is not the last game of yours I'll be working this season."

Divac said the league's best officials do not take things personally.

"I have a tremendous amount of respect for those guys," he said. "They have a tough, very tough job. But you can't take things personally, and I know they have things going on in their lives just like everybody else. They've got personal problems, you know, and they can get up on the wrong side of the bed just like you and me.

"And this is an emotional game. I know I can get emotional, but in two or three seconds, it's over. With some of these (referees), it's not like that.

"But I know for a fact that Derrick didn't mean that. I know that."

Also Friday, Stafford was involved in a heated discussion in front of the Kings' bench with coach Rick Adelman, responding to one of Adelman's comments with an expletive.

Earlier this season, Stafford turned what could have been a crucial three-point play for Bobby Jackson into an offensive foul in a loss at Orlando.

Adelman, who also admits he banters with officials, immediately became livid after Friday's exchange, responding, "What did you say to me? What happens if I say that to you?"

The coach said he did not plan to file a report but added, "(Officials) should not be allowed to do stuff like that."
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And from a later report...

Referees: ESPN.com reported that one game official has been suspended and another fined by the league in the wake of run-ins with Heat coach Pat Riley.
Derrick Stafford, who clashed with Riley during a Heat-Blazers game before the All-Star break, served a two-game suspension this month, league sources said. Steve Javie was fined $1,000 for a 2001-02 season spat with Riley.
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Ostertag and Sloan got after referee Derrick Stafford, complaining early and often -- too often -- about what they believe is star treatment afforded Shaquille O'Neal, the Lakers' gigantic center. Ostertag was whistled for a foul just 75 seconds into the game, a call he argued strenuously. When the Jazz went to the other end, Ostertag was stripped of the ball as he tried to shoot -- a play he felt was a foul.
When there was no whistle, Ostertag forced Stafford to make a call -- a technical foul on the Jazz center. When he tried to confront Stafford over the play, Matt Harpring stepped in front of him to pull him away. But Ostertag kept coming, and Stafford quickly awarded Ostertag his first ejection since Feb. 27, 2000 in Portland.
"The thing that aggravated me was . . . I thought Greg got hammered on the shot and there was no call on it," Sloan said. "Obviously, he was a little upset. And I sat there and got a little more upset the more I thought about it."
Six minutes later, Sloan could hold his tongue no longer. He yelled something at Stafford -- "I won't talk about it out loud. I'll whisper it to you because I don't want to pay any more fines," Sloan said -- that drew a technical, then jumped to his feet just in time to earn a second foul and automatic ejection.
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And now the newest...

Iverson protested when the Lakers were awarded the ball after he and Derek Fisher dove for it near the sidelines. When referee Derrick Stafford slapped Iverson with a technical, Brown complained to referee Joe Forte and Forte called a technical on him. While Bryant was making the two free throws, Hill complained and Stafford gave him a technical.

Bryant then converted the third free throw to give Los Angeles a 64-54 lead, and the Lakers were up 80-70 heading into the fourth quarter.

"I don't think we had a shot after that. It is just frustrating," Iverson said. "I think that referee, Derrick, has a vendetta against us and it was evident today. We weren't able to talk to him at all. When we asked about things, he gave us smart comments and pretty much juked us.

"My head was mentally out of the game after that because I felt like we didn't have a shot."

Brown said: "One of the officials has it personal for some of our players and if that wasn't the greatest forum to see that, nothing is. He's been personal with us for a long, long time."

Stafford had already left the arena when the Sixers made their complaints and was unavailable for comment.
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This guy's outta control! Wonder if anyone keeps track of number of technicals/ejections given...

JayZ750 · Mar 11, 2003

NBA officiating overall is very bad, imo. Not because they don't call every foul that is a foul and miss some blatant calls. That does happen occasionally. They just aren't very consistent, imo. A game shoudl be called the same way at both ends of the court. This often does not happen.

One of the main problems is that the refs are in a different position depending on what side of hte court their on. The baseline ref becomes the guy up top and vice versa. This makes it very hard to get fair treatment.

finalsbound · Mar 11, 2003

Vlade cracks me up.

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