Here's mine: NBA commissioner David Stern should be fined $200,000 for his derogatory remarks he made about coach Jeff Van Gundy prior to Game 5 of round 1 between Houston and Dallas. He publically criticized the way coach Van Gundy runs his team and his coaching strategy. He didn't name any sources in regard to where he got his alleged "information" either. He did it in an interview on TNT. Show me the justice, league officials.
Dear Mr. Stern, I have been a basketball fan since the 1980s and have consistently defended the NBA as having the best players, coaches, management, and officials in the sporting world. Unfortunately, I feel that the officiating in the NBA has taken a major turn for the worse over the past few years, particularly with regards to the way Yao Ming is officiated. As a Houston Rockets fan, I was more than a little dismayed at the way Hakeem Olajuwon was officiated early in his career, but chalked it up to "rookie treatment" and did everything possible to ignore the suspicious calls in favor of enjoying the power and elegance of Hakeem's game. Those calls improved over the years until he was finally given the respect he deserved from the referees. Unfortunately, I have not seen any improvement whatsoever in the way Yao Ming is officiated even after three NBA seasons and two playoff appearances. Yao has been saddled with so many questionable fouls that he has not even averaged 30 minutes per game in the series against the Mavericks. Yao continues to get the "rookie treatment" even though he is in his third year. It has made me sick to see players maul Yao over and over again only to see Yao called for offensive fouls for standing still while the other players slap his arms, grab his jersey, pull him to the floor, and push him with both hands without the referees even considering blowing their whistles. It pains me to say that I believe what Jeff Van Gundy said about the officials on Sunday and it upsets me that he was given the biggest fine ever to a coach when people like Phil Jackson and Mark Cuban, who comment about the officials after nearly every game, see small fines if any at all. The bottom line is that I have decided to save my money rather than spending it on supporting the NBA until these problems are corrected. I will not attend any games, purchase any merchandise, or support any companies that advertise during NBA games until such a time as the referees officiate Yao Ming with the same respect that others get. I would rather sit at home and root for my team on television than pay my hard earned money to see the referees give games to Rockets opponents time and time again. As an aside, it would also behoove you to agree to a new Collective Bargaining Agreement, preferably during the summer, as I do not think my love of the NBA would survive another lockout given the issues i discussed above.
Here is mine... I am writting to tell you that the officiating at the end of the Rockets vs. Mavs Game 5 was a complete and total embarassment to your league. Even more so this took place on the same evening David Stern fined Jeff VanGundy the astronomical amount of $100,000 for questioning the professionalism of your officials, and that was what you had to show for it. As a season ticket holder I have never been so disgusted by such a blatant oversight by a group of three "professional" officials.
Somebody send this article, please. Van Gundy isn't problem ... refs are Story Tools: Print Email XML Kevin Hench / FOXSports.com Posted: 10 minutes ago OK, David Stern, you made your point. You don't want NBA coaches talking publicly about the terrible officiating in the NBA. You don't want NBA coaches protecting their sources on inside information about the terrible officiating in the NBA. You don't want hardworking, passionate, decent men coaching in the NBA if they are going to be so impolitic as to point out the terrible officiating in the NBA. Now, do you have any plans to actually do anything about the terrible officiating in the NBA? If Jeff Van Gundy can be fined $100,000 for suggesting that he was tipped off by an NBA ref that the league was going to be "looking harder at Yao" in the playoffs — which may very well be true — then what does Mr. Stern propose to do about the unconscionable sixth foul called on Tim Duncan in last night's overtime against Denver? With two minutes gone in OT, Carmelo Anthony slipped and fell — in the same spot that Andre Miller slipped earlier, by the way — and so the whistle blew. Why? Because the whistle always blows. (Unless it absolutely should, in which case it is often swallowed.) And when the whistle blows, everything stops. And everyone looks at the official who only then realizes the gravity of the situation. He has to call SOMETHING. In this case, the official, having assumed a foul must have been committed, then had to look for a perpetrator and found only Duncan in the vicinity. Sorry. You're gone. Replays showed what viewers and broadcasters suspected: Anthony slipped. So this ref not only blew a call at a critical moment of a critical game, but he tagged a superstar with his sixth foul. So what will his fine be? How about five hundred bucks? Perhaps a one-game suspension? Don't hold your breath. Lucky for Stern and his beleaguered officials, the Spurs won going away in overtime in what TNT's Charles Barkley called "one of the worst-officiated games I've seen in my 20 years associated with the NBA." But Van Gundy's Rockets weren't lucky enough to survive the worst call of the night. Or rather, the worst non-call, which — horror of horrors — happened with Commissioner Stern in attendance. With Houston making a run to close within three in the final minute, Rockets guard Jon Barry secured a defensive rebound under the basket. Since Barry himself was practically on the baseline, it's safe to assume that any defender that swooped in under his left elbow would be out of bounds. So when Michael Finley reached in from the baseline side of Barry and poked the ball free, Bennett Salvatore, Joe DeRosa or Tony Brothers would have to blow his whistle, right? Right? Nope. Like the rest of us, Salvatore and company just looked on doing nothing as the ball bounced to Jerry Stackhouse, who was tripped by Barry and awarded two crucial free throws. According to Van Gundy, Salvatore claimed Finley had indeed been inbounds when he reached in and touched the ball. Wow. Won't Mr. Salvatore be surprised when he sees the replay. Was Finley's right foot inbounds and his left foot on the line? No. Was Finley's left foot out of bounds and his right foot on the line? No. Were both of Finley's feet completely freakin' out of bounds? YESSSSSSS!!! So what will the sanctions be against Salvatore's crew for contributing mightily to the Rockets' 103-100 loss? The usual. Nothing. If Jeff Van Gundy can be fined $100K for criticizing the refs, can the refs be fined for blowing key calls during the playoffs? (LM Otero / FOXSports.com) Antoine Walker can get suspended for making contact with an official — in what had been the worst-officiated game of the playoffs prior to Spurs-Nuggets last night — and Van Gundy can be fined 100 large for divulging certain details of a private conversation and then not giving up his friend, but when will NBA officials be publicly held to account for doing a poor job? Stern's answer seems to be to come down hard on the complainers and hope it will distract the fans from the larger problem. But he's missing the solution. Replay. Replay, replay, replay, a thousand times replay! If it's good enough to see if a shot was released in time or if a toe was on the line, why not to see if a player was inbounds when he made contact with the ball? Both of Monday night's horrible calls could have been overturned by replay. Give coaches two challenges per game or per half, or one per game, but give them something. Anything to avoid officials deciding games. If throwing the red flag has already been taken, maybe they could roll a red-white-and-blue ball onto the court to signify a challenge. Do you think Bennett Salvatore wants to feel like a jackass when he watches that replay and realizes not only did his crew blow the call but that he erroneously defended the non-call to the losing coach? Of course not. On a play like Finley reaching in from out of bounds, a ref would happily overturn his own ruling and award the ball to the aggrieved team. Same with those pesky block/charge calls when the refs are always guessing as to whether the defender's heels have cleared the circle under the basket. How many hundreds of times during the regular season does the replay reveal an official's error on this call? Sometimes the defender gets called for a block when his heels are hovering just above the circle, and sometimes the penetrator gets called for a charge when the defender's heels are on the line. It's an impossible call to make with any certainty when massive bodies are flying at high speeds. So in the pressure cooker of the playoffs, let's just acknowledge that refs make mistakes that television cameras can rectify and use the technology to take some of the heat off the officials. There's a reason so many calls are missed in the NBA — it's an almost impossible game to officiate. If you've ever been courtside when the combustible mixture of freakish giants and blazing sprinters (and freakish giant, blazing sprinters) all collide in pursuit of a rebound, you know it's simply impossible to have a perfect night as an NBA ref. So why not help the refs, the coaches and the fans? NBA games don't run that long. There's time for a handful of challenges. Just to get the calls right. Or you can threaten to run Jeff Van Gundy, one of the genuine good guys in the league, out of the game. It's your choice, David Stern.
I am gonna start a petition regarding officiating and to support JVG.. Is this letter good? Anything to change, remove or to add? ------------ To: NBA Commissioner From: Basketball, NBA, and Houston Rockets Fans all over the world Subject: Poor league wide officiating Basketball fans all over the world would like to express their disgust with the recent trend of the way that the NBA referees officiate the games. It is understandable that some mistakes will happen and not all calls can be made correctly. However, there has been a trend over the past few years where officials are not paying attention are missing obvious calls, they are also anticipating fouls before they actually occur, and most of all it seems that some players get special treatment while others are purposely targeted. The main concern which has not been addressed at all by the league includes but is not limited to: • Players flopping • Preferential treatment of various players • Too many missed calls • Lack of calls for legitimate fouls A foul is a foul and should be called no matter who the player who committed is. However instead of trying to admit that there is a problem the league instead punishes those who try to make this problem evident and speak the truth. The fine that the league gave to Jeff Van Gundy is too harsh. The coach simply spoke the truth, stood up for his team and made clear to the public which is already evident – the officiating has reached an all time low. We the fans stand behind Jeff Van Gundy 100% and wish that the league would actually try to investigate the problem at hand which is the officiating instead of the coach who is speaking the truth.
Here is the email I sent to the NBA: SHAMEFUL, SHAMEFUL, SHAMEFUL, the last minute of game 5 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas was a horrendous display of officiating. The worst I have ever witnessed. How an official cannot see that a player has BOTH feet out of bounds when he causes a "turnover"..yet this same official can see through several players, across the court and notice that a shooter has the edge of his foot on the 3-pt line. Then the "phantom foul" as Steve Kerr called it- when Michael Finley was trapped on the baseline. Those were both horrendous calls that might have easily Costs Houston the First round. You know its bad when the TNT commentators mention that Houston should be very upset at the officiating. I have never heard commentators call out the officials like they did during Monday nights telecast. I have NEVER complained about officiating before..but maybe if the voice of thousands of us poor Houston fans can equal the weight of 1 Rich spoiled Owner in Dallas...we might be heard. It's no suprise that this biased officating comes after Jeff Van Gundy's recent fining for quoting another official. How can the NBA NOT be promoting the "thug Life" when coaches & players are fined a measly $10,000 for charging after an official under a violent pretense, yet they fine a coach $100,000 for quoting an NBA official. David Stern needs to take a long hard look at his policies (and the last minute of Monday Nights Western Conference quarterfinal game 5.) I HAVE NEVER BEEN SO DISSAPOINTED IN THE NBA IN MY LIFE. YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELFS FOR LETTING THE RICHEST & WHININGEST OWNER IN THE NBA CONTROL YOUR ACTIONS. I GUESS MONEY TALKS.
Lets keep it up guys. I feel proud that at least something is being done, whether sending in email complaints or petitions. Nothing will be accomplished if we just sit back and stay mad. We need to take action to be noticed.
No, I was going to start a petition... I didnt yet because I am not sure if that letter I wrote is good or not
The stupidest part of this is that Stern VALIDATED JVG's argument by fining him so much. If it wasn't true, a little $7500 fine would have sufficed.... This may be the end of Stern yet....
I sent this in just to get it off my chest. Commissioner Stern's 100K fine on Rocket coach Jeff Van Gundy is overly harsh. I have watched the Rockets and Yao Ming all year long, both on TV and at the Toyota Center. Yao Ming is being treated unfairly by officiating crews. I am a Rockets fan but I am a basketball fan first and foremost. I have witnessed Yao Ming getting beat up all year with blind eyed officials offering no calls. If the NBA is truly interested in spreading NBA basketball and in return gaining dollars from China, officials need to treat Yao Ming with respect and fairness. Mr. Stern stated he will continue this matter with Van Gundy after the Rockets are through playing this year. Van Gundy's comments do need further investigation. Fans want the NBA to get to the bottom of his statement. However, I seriously doubt the NBA office is capable of fairly handling such a touchy subject. If the NBA wants fans to take them seriously Mr. Stern must allow outsiders to conduct an independent investigation. A counsel made up of former players who are not employed by the NBA would be seen by fans as credible.
Done - To whom it may concern, I have been an avid follower of NBA basketball since the early 1980s -- following the Houston Rockets since Ralph Sampson was drafted. Over the years, I've watched hundreds of games and have always been proud to say that the professional basketball is the only sport I follow. The off-season has always seemed like torture as I doze throughout baseball and football season. With the advent dedicated sports networks on cable TV and better, more professional coverage on other cable networks, I've been able to watch more games over the last several years than I can even recall. I've also found myself going to more games as the new arena constructed in downtown Houston is only minutes fro my home. However, I'm not writing to recount the fond memories of a basketball fan. I'm writing because I am truly disappointed with the way that playoff basketball has been officiated this year -- and I'm not just talking about the Rockets-Mavericks series. I watched the Spurs-Nuggets overtime game last night, and witnessed Tim Duncan foul out at a crucial interval in overtime despite what was clearly a slip by Carmello Anthony. I'll leave it to other Rockets fans to point out specific sequences -- phantom fouls, non-calls, Michael Finley stealing the ball from Jon Barry despite having both feet in Oklahoma. I'm sure Rockets fans will be sending in detailed tapes showing the myriad ways in which their team was wronged. However, when you have guys like Steve Kerr and Charles Barkley talking about how poorly two different playoff games were officiated on the same night, it's pretty clear that we're not just talking about bitter fans. I understand that NBA referees are held to a very high standard, and that many of the more venerable ones have been competently refereeing games for longer than I have been alive. However, they are human, and they make mistakes. Yet, it has never been more apparent than during the games played last night that they need help. The league has been flexible in recent years -- granting special review of plays by video in the waning seconds. I'm sure that long lists of potential changes come up for review each season. While granting replay to any disputed call would slow the game considerably, there has to be some middle ground. Perhaps a fourth referee stationed by television monitors could assist the three on-court ones. I hope that the league seriously considers making some changes during the off-season because the sub-par officiating is not a small problem. It undermines fans' confidence in the fairness of the sport and breeds cynicism about the way the league is managed. Even if the Rockets are eliminated in the next few days -- and I still believe they'll prevail -- I'd like to hope that I’d remain an NBA fan for a long time. My confidence has been shaken though, and I'm hoping that the league takes notice because I know I'm not the only one. Regards, --
Admit it, if there wasn't a grain of truth to what Van Gundy said, Stern wouldn't be so keen to keep it quiet. Everyone has seen the blown calls by the refs(with their paymaster in attendance..don't bite the hand that feeds you and all that...) against the Rockets. Check out all the online polls on this matter. Watch the talk shows on tv. Read the articles being written. Your weak attempt at a cover-up will not work now this snowball has started rolling.It's going to get bigger and bigger until Stern is crushed underneath it. Enjoy it while it lasts. I believe in karma. Yours disgustedly, .....................
I hardly ever post and am more level headed then most, but this has gotten me pissed. I sent in my letter which focused more on the unfairness of the fine rather than the officiating. I feel that it sets a very bad precedence and that that act actually reflects worse on the integrity of the NBA league than Van Gundy's comments did. I also got 5 of my friends to send in letters and made them promise to tell 5 more friends. The miracle of pyramid scheme...
