I think you are all avoiding the issue. When did "Sweat City" become a nickname for Houston, and why was I not told, so I could approporiately mock the people who came up with it?
Guys, this is Skip Freaking Bayless. He never lasts more than two years at any paper before he moves on because he's obnoxious, not a good writer, and an idiot. If you notice, he's been steadily going to crappier and crappier papers. Now, he's on ESPN Cold Pizza, which might be below rock bottom. Screw him. He used to be a Dallas guy, and I think he's the one who said Aikman was gay.
I don't know what the rules are for officials associating with players, taking gifts from players, associating with coaches, owners, etc. JVG being close friends with a ref definitely has a bad sound to it. BUT.... and a big BUT.... There is one IRREFUTABLE TRUTH in this situation that should save JVG's *ss. OFFICIALS TREAT INDIVIDUAL PLAYERS DIFFERENTLY!!!! EVERY NBA FAN KNOWS THIS, and it is excruciating when you are getting screwed!!!! No one can deny this with a straight face. The Laker teams of recent championships benefitted all the time from official's favorable play calling. It is so painfully obvious that Stern is going to look like a complete idiot to the general public if he tries to sidestep this issue and whack JVG with a sledgehammer again. If you want to get down to the specifics of this situation, there are a lot of things going on. 1) NBA Officials treat individual players differently. 2) NBA Officials suck. Game outcomes are being determined by bad calls ALL THE TIME. 3) The NBA and the Officials don't seem to care about fixing 1 and 2. 4) Coaches and Officials associating with each other outside of games.
When in the bloody blazed did we get nicknamed Sweat City? Isn't Skip Bayless the guy who cried or something on a radio show recently when somebody made fun of him? Somebody needs to send him that mp3.
I was waiting for this spin to happen sooner or later. Too bad Woody spilled the beans for all to see. The key here is, "Kill the messenger before the message is understood." Mr. Paige is stepping right up to the plate with this article. This was something I was expecting Stern to do with this threat; he wants to shut Jeff up because any hint of impropriety among the refs is bad for BUSINESS (i.e. the NBA's image). I believe the message is not that Yao doesn't move on some picks or that Jeff knows some refs in the NBA or that Stern does or doesn't do favors for Cuban. The message was that right after Cuban made the remarks to the refs that they should keep a better EYE ON HIM, the calls changed! It had a DIRECT EFFECT on the GAME! So, Jeff's criticisms of the refs was a direct retaliation to those changes. And, of course, as Stern said himself, it was standard operating procedure for a coach to defend his player (s). No shock there. It wasn't like the refs made the changes on their OWN. It was BECAUSE of Cuban. So, lets stay on message! Jeff spoke his mind about this Cuban-on-Yao focus. And that's the main point. As far as Woody's article? It was just a laundry list of "what ifs." Does Woody really think that Jeff's the *only* coach that know other NBA refs?
exactly why did skip decide to call us "sweat city"?? i agree with the person who brought this up. i really don't get the joke and if it is because we actually won championships and dallas has yet to make the nba finals, then it is just jealousy. again, skip an idiot and said t-mac was "overrated" the other day. i guess 31,7,7 during the playoffs isn't anything. how many points has skip put up in a playoff game??
Well...it sure seems like something is going on, and like I said, with all the time he spends on the bench in foul trouble, I don't see how it's exhaustion. I mean, he last played on Monday....that's two days of full rest. Exhaustion can't be a legitimate excuse right? But he does look exhausted...what gives?
You know, the more you use the term, the more likely it is to stick. Best to let some things roll off and be forgotten. But I got to say, ya do sweat a lot in Houston...at least when you're outside.
I have not seem another NBA player gets unfairly treated by the refs night in and night out like Yao. Can anybody think of someone getting screwed as much as Yao by the ref? I don't think so.
Exhaustion is not an excuse. It's a fact. Exhaustion in Yao's case is not implying that he's "out of shape." It's relating that other players are faster, quicker, jump higher, move laterally better and are just over-all quicker of foot. Yao, with is lumbering body has do deal with these quicker more athletic players. He's constantly trying to keep up with them and it takes a toll on him (offensively and defensively). He's always going to be behind the 8-ball on this. That's just a fact. The mental aspect is fact too. But it's directly tied to Yao's inability to get his body to do what he wants. He just can't do it; physically incapable. So of course this will have a negative effect on his confidence. After a few fouls early in the game will take it's toll on you mentally. So, we need to get used to Yao's on-again, off-again performances. That's just the way it will be. The team will be built around TMac/Yao. But we'll also make changes to the roster *just in case Yao does get into foul trouble.* That's the smart thing to do in terms of team building. Yao will give us great games sometimes. But not so great games others. That's just the way it is. But our team will be built to counter this (stronger bench next year and starting lineup).
haha. it is hot in h-town. but you know what, skip doesn't cover this team and doesn't know a damn thing about our history. the rockets pretty much always make things more dramatic than necessary, but it's been years since then. i just think skip is a complete moron and has know clue about what he is talking about. the "man" said he wouldn't pay to see Kevin Garnett play. i think that says it all.
Pardon me for taking a contrarian POV here but I think the article does make a good point. Friendships and fraternization between refs and coaches should be suspect much as fraternization between Vice Presidents and Supreme Court Justices. That doesn't necessarily make any of what JVG says untrue only does point out that on the flip side why does JVG have such a close relationship with a ref that he would tell him that? As I've been saying for awhile ys I think the Rox have gotten screwed by the Refs but continuously beyatchin about them isn't going to do the Rox anygood when if the Rox play they type of game they played on Thurs. they can take the game out of the Refs hands.
Hey....wait a second....I'm not on your ignore list? I thought you can't read my posts...you mean all those nasty things I said about you the other day, you saw?
Heh....yes, I see all. Zero people are on my ignore list. Not even silentfan or lancet. Both were banned by Clutch. You came close. You're better as a cheerleader than a critic. It's best that way.
Only thing I can think of is hes a big guy and will probably always be winded after playing a full season of basketball. I think we're gonna hve to get someone else' opinion on the inconsistenty consistent or consistently inconsistent thing. Anyone wanna tell us which is better, or if they the same?
Sishir Chang, that's true. One of the thing that makes me wonder about Stern's angle is that he knows that the refs discus issues on how to referee certain players. Yes, special refereeing. They've done it for Shaq. They kinda do it for Yao (the foul issue). But the mere mention of "special treatment" screams favoritism to others and unfair treatment to another group. Stern is trying to keep this hushed up. He knows that fans will be angry about it. In fairness. Jeff has already stated that he didn't mean to imply a league wide bias. But rather a focus on Yao for the last few games -- after Cuban's remarks about Yao. It was a directly retaliation to what, in Jeff's eyes, was unfair.
