...seems like this will help Houston in the long run...and then Stern will have to tell the refs to swallow their whistles in the playoffs because he needs LA to come out of the West.
if kobe doesnt average at least 1 tech per game this season then we all know this so call "new rules" are just for show only
for every nba teams first game of the season i wish all the players for every team would beat the tar out of the refs for each respective team to make sure the refs know not to call anything and to prove a point to stern. go ahead and try and suspend every nba player stern. yeah its a stupid idea but i freaking hate stern...
Maybe if they made consistent calls people wouldn't complain, Kobe is so used to having every touch called that when you miss one he freaks out. Stop calling the bs touch fouls unless you are going to call them on every single player on the court.
I actually like those things because I feel like it adds more drama to the game. Everybody knows what happens when Kobe gets fired up. :grin:
I think the intention is good. Players complaining about calls all the time is annoying and damages the product. I think curbing that behavior is a good idea. However, throwing out technicals is not the way to fix it. Unfortunately, it seems like that is the only trick in the NBA's bag for correcting player behavior. But, if that's the only thing they can do, they'd be better off just leaving it alone. They could try fines, but they'll probably be as good at that as they were with the anti-flopping campaign. I think the best way they could curb this behavior is to incentivize the coaches to stop it. If the coach genuinely wants his team to stop unnecessary complaining, it'll stop. But the coaches must see a benefit to it because they let it go.
I wish david stern would just go jump off a bridge already, im tired of them trying to turn the nba into the wnba
Also exceptions to be made for shooting guards who have a habit of slapping people in the face as part of their jump shot follow-through. Better start practicing that move Kevin Martin!
Although I think this helps a relatively "soft" but good FT shooting team like Houston, ultimately it negatively effects the quality of the game. You can't ask players to go out and be ultracompetitive and then not react when someone makes a bad call outside of the game. I have played a ton of basketball my whole life and there rarely never refs out there and I still reacted every time a foul was called - it's just part of competitive sports.....sometimes because I thought the call was crappy, sometimes because I'm dissapointed in myself or just out of frustration. The problem is the new rules won't differentiate from all the different possible reactions. If after a foul call Artest slap his hands and say "Damnit - come on!" - the refs will only be judging on the presence of a reaction and not anything about the intent. I think excessive whiners should be punished but let's not go overboard here and react to something that honestly was a bigger problem 10 years ago(when Sheed was still in the league for one) than it is now. Also, Does Stern really think we need to give refs more control over the game post-Donaghy? ...it seems every year Stern has to introduce something new just to keep changing it up and show his power. This wasn't needed and again highlights Stern preoccupation not with the game, but how it's perceived to "fans"(I think he means white collar sponsors when he says Fans). Stern seems to want to appeal to the clean cut PGA crowd more than the everyman like the NFL does - the problem is his league is made up of players almost exclusively of the polar opposite demographic to that.
They're trying to put a rule on something that is far more subjective than they seem to realize. I don't see anything wrong with expressing displeasure at a call. If you're gunning for a win, it's natural that in the waning moments you'd be, rightfully, pissed if a call doesn't go your way when you think it should. There should not be a "you do this, insta-technical" crap. There are definitely players that complain way too much and they should be called out, but other players who express emotion for the game shouldn't be penalized. The refs should be protected, but more and more it seems Stern is making sure they're not going to even be able to take criticism.
I think they need to concentrate more on the flopping issue than players complaining. The influx of euro's is rubbing off on the league.
THIS ++++++ Flopping hurts the game 50 times more than complaining and showing emotions. There are far greater issues that the NBA needs to address, yet they manage to dance around it and focus on petty things. Sperm did his job with the globalization of the NBA but his time is way overdue. Time to let someone else take the reigns... that's not stu jackson or his other cronies. Dictatorship is never a good thing on any occasion.
^^ This. I actually like the idea of punishing whiners. But I doubt that it is going to be enforced properly, just like the supposed flopping thing. Theoretically, this isn't curbing emotions. It should be about whining, and I hate whining. Contrary to many posters in this thread. There is nothing tough about whining. It's the opposite.
In theory but not in practice. The real reason for "superstar" calls is $$$$ The casual fan wants to see spectacular dunks and plays, even if the player fouls or travels 2 get it done. They will never go away.
Because the Lakers, who just won the last 2 championships, can't get out of a conference w/ no other title contenders on their talent alone...
