They are not calling for JVG's job now. Refs want league to protect them better Refs want league to protect them better Story Tools: Print Email RALPH D. RUSSO / Associated Press Posted: 3 hours ago NEW YORK (AP) - Whether Jeff Van Gundy is retained as Houston's coach is up to the Rockets, but the league needs to do a better job of defending its game officials from criticism by coaches, the spokesman for the National Basketball Referees Association said Tuesday. Lamell McMorris, the lead negotiator for the NBRA, said the NBA's response to Houston coach Jeff Van Gundy's comments about league officials targeting Rockets center Yao Ming was unacceptable. However, McMorris did not call for Van Gundy's job, as he did in a statement Monday night. NBA says case is closed "Van Gundy is really not the issue here, per se," McMorris said Tuesday in a phone interview with The Associated Press. "Van Gundy and whether or not he'll be retained is up to the Houston Rockets. "The real issue is the culture that I feel has been created where referees are the easy scapegoat. Where it is easy to allege, easy to accuse and easy to attack the referees. Even easy and acceptable to question the integrity of the referees publicly." The league fined Van Gundy $100,000 - the largest assessed against a coach - after the coach said that an official who was not working the playoffs told him that Yao was being targeted following complaints by Mark Cuban, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, Houston's first-round opponent. On Monday, Van Gundy clarified his comments, saying he when he referred to an NBA official, he was not talking about a game official and was intentionally vague when people inferred he meant a referee. The NBA said it was satisfied with Van Gundy's explanation and he would not be disciplined further. McMorris then put out a statement saying, "The matter will truly be closed only when Van Gundy is fired." On Tuesday McMorris, shifted his focus from Van Gundy to the league. "One thing we should observe or note is that at no time during the last week did the NBA or Van Gundy come to the defense of the refs," McMorris said. Commissioner David Stern had said the league would investigate Van Gundy's remarks and he threatened more punishment - perhaps even banishment - if Van Gundy did not cooperate. Rockets GM Carroll Dawson declined to comment on McMorris' remarks. "That's behind us. This has gone on too long. We're moving on," Dawson told the AP Tuesday. McMorris said that even though the NBA punished Van Gundy, it did not do enough to defend its refs. "By his implication that a member of the staff was the source, people implied that it was a fact," McMorris said. "No one publicly challenged that implication. That's not a defense of the referees. That falls quite short." McMorris also said that Stern's calls for an investigation amounted to a "witch hunt." "Had they identified whomever this referee was, supposedly, the punishment would have been much stiffer (than Van Gundy's)," McMorris said. "There would have been serious repercussions." McMorris said the NBRA had no plans to meet with the NBA, Van Gundy or the Rockets to discuss their concerns.
Now who's backpedaling? There's so much spin going on with all parties (Stern, JVG, NBRA) that I feel like I'm watching Crossfire...
I have a sinking feeling that he will not be coach next season. All seems fine now but, with the constant media coverage, threats and possible problems for the team, he may decide it'a in the best interest of the team to step down. I'm not saying that should happen, but I just have a bad feeling in my gut about this whole mess. I'm still hung up on how fast it came to and end while JVG still saying he stands by his story and not revealing his source. Then, the refs do a complete 180 in less than 24 hours about him being fired. Something just seems very off to me.
This is not good news. Now we can expect Yao to be poorly officiated next season and constantly end up in foul trouble......oh wait.
What was 'off' was the delusional referee union that thought that they had some influence. They quickly learned that they could be crushed under stern's foot. I imagine that stern did not take too kindly to someone thinking that they could force his hand against one of his own decrees.
Exactly, so instead, this might just turn out to be a good thing for us next season! Go Rox! And, WHO DO THEY THINK THEY ARE!???
Are you talking about the same JeffVanGundy that repeated for the 20th time after game 7 that this season was his most enjoyable season ever as a head coach? Come on. The guy is not going anywhere. He's not stepping down for anyone. Nobody is going to fire him. Everything is alright in Rocketland. anyways didn't you hear.. Mcmorris and... well Mcmorris....have backed off and are not making any demands. The ole ****head, after taking it up with his lone secretary, are saying "Van Gundy is in the clear. he can coach again next year.' so he's off the hook. that was a close one. whew. what Van Gundy didn't say when under the gun is going to go a long way with the refs in their minds and will clear him for what he said before that.
You're right and I completely agree with you but, like I said, it's just a bad gut feeling. JVG has ALWAYS been a "the best interest of the team" type of guy and, if he thinks this situation will hender next season in anyway, I think he would step down. Do I believe or think it will happen? Absolutely not. Do I want it to happen. No way! Is there a real possiblity? Sure. But, that is what worries me. The longer this issue stays a story, then the possibility grows. It's just a thought.
WHy the heck would Les Alexander fire him? Les probably agrees that the refs were ridiculous and definitely one-sided. Jeff and Les probably want the referees to be fired.
LOL! So JUST like Ric Bucher said, apparently the NBRA backed off its demand for JVG to be fired, probably because most of the NBRA didn't want JVG fired (as Ric Bucher reported on SportsCenter), so instead, McFlipFlop had to run it again by his boys in the NBRA and he was told to shut the hell up and retract his "must be fired" statement. As I said guys, the NBRA is WORTHLESS PIECE OF CRAP! I am sure JVG is having a good laugh about this right now BTW, isn't it interesting that BOTH Stern and the NBRA backed off their threats against JVG? My theory is that JVG has strong ties to some mafia that is working behind the scene to "rough up" whomever gets in his way
Well, hopefully it will the next few days, the news in the NBA right now seem to be the alleged Dallas Mavericks "in-fighting", and TNT is about to talk about it right now Uhhh...I am enjoying this too much!
lmao that ref association is a ****ing joke. They demand JVG be reprimanded further even though he was hit with the largest fine for a coach in NBA history? STFU and go blow some more playoff games with your lousy officiating.
How about the refs don't have any more secrets within their organization and maybe all these conspiracy theories will die out. What are they hiding. If all the discussions are innocuous why aren't they letting the public know what's going on behind closed doors. This isn't about JVG. This is about what the hell are therefs really doing.
As I said before, they are really more pissed at the Commish because he is unable (in their own opinion) to "protect" them from the public backlash against them, since their refereeing has been sh!tty throughout the playoffs, nay, the season! f*king losers
I say just put coach challenge (like in football) in basketball, like say 1 per team/per quarter. That way really bad calls can be challenged by the coach.
How come the Refs or the NBA never got mad at Stackhouse after game 6? He is pretty much saying the fix was in.
