From the "it's about time" department

[VF21]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2620756

NBA promises zero tolerance for drama queens
ESPN.com news services

The NBA might have given its players something to complain about this season -- something other than the new basketball.

In an attempt to get players to curtail post-whistle whining, NBA referee representatives have made the rounds early in training camp to emphasize the league's zero-tolerance policy.

Commissioner David Stern, long fed up with players' histrionics over questionable calls, is threatening to hit them with quick technical fouls -- and later fines -- for those who curse, throw their hands up, or make other gestures that show disgust.

Rasheed Wallace, for one, told the Detroit News he took the league's crackdown personally.

"It's just another 'Sheed Wallace rule," Wallace, shaking his head, told the newspaper. "It just means I must be doing something right. Any time they change the rules of the game for one specific player, you must be doing something right."

Stern's fine system for offenders starts at $5,000 for each instance a player or coach publicly criticizes an official. For multiple technicals, the consequences now are more severe -- $1,000 fine for the first five, $1,500 for the next five, $2,000 for the next five, $2,500 for the ones that follow, and, in addition, a one-game suspension for every other technical after the 15th. The scale was introduced last season.

"What happens if I am one of the captains?" Wallace asked the News. "Does that mean I can't talk to them? You can't talk back to them like they're your mom and dad. It's like they're saying, 'If you say something to me I am going to put you on punishment.' That's how it is. I will come up with some way to tell them how I feel."

Wallace was issued 16 technical fouls last season and a one-game suspension. It's reasonable to think, if referees consistently show zero tolerance, he could double that total.

"It'll be an adjustment for everybody in the league," the Heat's Dwyane Wade told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Heat coach Pat Riley believes players will still be able to express their opinions to officials, but will have to police their body language and tone of voice.

"They are going to be very conscious of player complaining," Riley said last week. "That's one of the big things with them. Every call, there's always 10 guys complaining to the officials. They're just telling them to cut it out."

 

[VF21]

It might not be a perfect solution but if it gets the attention of chronic whiners like Wallace it will certainly be worth it.

Heat coach Pat Riley believes players will still be able to express their opinions to officials, but will have to police their body language and tone of voice.

Hmmm. Does that mean they'll have to quit acting like spoiled little millionaires? That they'll actually have to act like grown-ups and not petulant chldren?

Hey, that's gonna be tough. Poor Sheed.

 

[acisking]

haha...great post VF...I for one think this is great...quite frankly, Rasheed gets away with far too many calls just becuz he is Rasheed...in other words, some actions that wud make other players get technicals are considered "not that bad" by Rasheed standards...he deserves FAR more technicals than he actually gets

 

[Spike]

"They are going to be very conscious of player complaining," Riley said last week. "That's one of the big things with them. Every call, there's always 10 guys complaining to the officials. They're just telling them to cut it out."

This is the main thrust of the new rule, not Rasheed, as much as he wants to believe. It gets OLD, like WRs complaining about pass interference when they don't get to a ball.

 

[4cwebb]

I think there's another way to look at this...Stern wasn't too happy about all of the harping about the officiating calls in the Finals and the claims of some (Mavs' fans, mostly, but others as well) that the officiating aided one team's ability to win the title. Just a "glass is half empty" view for consideration...

 

[SDKing]

"It's just another 'Sheed Wallace rule," Wallace, shaking his head, told the newspaper. "It just means I must be doing something right. Any time they change the rules of the game for one specific player, you must be doing something right."

What an egomaniac!

 

[AriesMar27]

that sucks for brad miller... kobe too...

 

[kennadog]

What an egomaniac!

Exactly my first thought. The man is apparently incapabable of recognizing that there are other people on the planet, besides him. Talk about an inflated perception of one's own importance!

 

[DaMan]

I love this rule, I am tired of players like Iverson and Francis going to the hole and throwing up a shot waiting for the foul to be called and when they don't get it they start yelling and whinning. And the funniest thing about it is while they are whining the other team goes down and gets the easy layup. Hopefully this rule will make players stop whinning and start playing.

 

[Gargamel]

Refs had better be consistent on what types of things that they tweet and they also need to homogenize their behavior. Until we actually see it, there's no reason to believe that guys like Javie won't T up everything while others give breaks due to in-game circumstances. There isn't consistency in what the refs call Ts on RIGHT NOW.

Does anyone really envision a ref kicking out a team's star for some nonverbal complaining (like throwing arms in the air in a "WTH?! pose") during a close game? That'd make the fans that Stern tries to cater to really happy. Frankly, I don't think 90% of the refs have the balls to eject a Kobe or a Wade in front of their home crowds in an important game simply because they put their arms up in disgust two times. It's fun to poo-poo Sheed's quote, but this is very much a transparent rule aimed at personalities like him. Stars and/or players with clean reps will get passes and we all know it. Let's call it for what it is: it's another rule to cut down on the ghetto appearance of the league, just like the "no-bling" policy. They already instituted more stringent behavior codes w/ suspensions coming after a certain # of Ts -- that didn't clean up shop well enough.

 

[Gargamel]

This is the main thrust of the new rule, not Rasheed, as much as he wants to believe. It gets OLD, like WRs complaining about pass interference when they don't get to a ball.

Disagree. The refs won't be willing to put consistent teeth behind this rule. Complaining and histrionics as described in the article happen 10+ times in nearly every game. The refs are not going to call 10 Ts. This rule is only meant to intimidate certain players with an implied threat of ejection. It's like expecting them to eject Vlade and Adelman 42 times a year for the stuff they used to do. It ain't gonna happen. This is aimed at Sheed, Francis, guys of that nature. League wouldn't have had to come to this if refs called ballsy Ts on them in the first place. Refs (esp newbies) never did that because they were afraid of repercussions when the league reviewed their calls -- ask Dee Kantner.

 

[Sac.Kings]

Typical Sheed, i hope he realizes that he is not the only "bad" person in the NBA...I guaransheed that he is full of himself.

 

[Gargamel]

Typical Sheed, i hope he realizes that he is not the only "bad" person in the NBA...I guaransheed that he is full of himself.

Stern found out they don't really have carte blanche to banish any player they wanna make an example of. He might have thought so after Sprewell, but then Jermaine O'Neal and Stephen Jackson got sentence reductions (after they PUNCHED fans). Rules like this new one are what the league office has to resort to in order to handle certain players that constantly draw their fanbases' ire onto the refs (Stern hates this more than anything -- which is why they have Ronnie Nunn on NBA TV trying to convince us that every rank call they make is actually representative of the rules.)

 

[jacobdrj]

I always say: Whiners are winners... guess the NBA is against winning...
Best whiners of all time are some of the biggest winners...

We all know this.

And since 'no blood no foul' went outta style, players need to vent... a little hand flapping is entertaining, doesn't hurt nobody, and is condusive to winning games.

 

[Bricklayer]

I always say: Whiners are winners... guess the NBA is against winning...
Best whiners of all time are some of the biggest winners...

We all know this.

And since 'no blood no foul' went outta style, players need to vent... a little hand flapping is entertaining, doesn't hurt nobody, and is condusive to winning games.

Uh...to say that is a reach is an understatement.

Whatever -- I always took the smarter route anyway and buttered the refs up incessantly with small talk and jokes, and even admitting the occasional obvious foul to prove what a standup guy I was. Figured human nature being what it was, more likely to get a friendly call that way that by being an *******.

 

[jacobdrj]

Whining is not confined to whailing your arms... doing it nicely or doing it crazy... it doesn't matter...

Players do what comes more natrurally to them, some are good at whining outright, some have the 'butter 'em up' thing down pat...

But the 'buddy buddy' style can backfire: Refs are looking for that, and might resent possible genuine plesentries...

But there is some psycological truth to having someone blow up on you, part of the reason coaches try to get techs sometimes. It is an over-played card, but one that still can be used effectively.

Nobody has to agree with me (not that my opinion ultimately matters much here) but from everything I have seen, from HS to the Pros points to this.

And in seriousness, I don't know how the players are going to react not being able to vent. Could mean a LOT of ejections, or worse, possibly uninspired gameplay... its hard enough to get inspired when you are guaronteed millions... but when you might be penalized for the inevitable outburst... whew...

 

[tubiscus]

I'd be fine with this if it meant that the games would be called fairly and the "superstar" treatment would go away. We all know better.

Remember when Bonzi was tossed for bouncing the ball into the stands? The week before, Kobe Bryant, kicked the ball into the stands from the free throw line and there was no call.

In the playoffs, Nose punched Artest, no call. Later, Ron (stupidly) punches Nose back and is supsended for game 2.

This is just Stern reinforcing to the players that he is the God of their universe. Short answer, try to control your emotions and (as Brick said) butter up the officials and own up to your obvious fouls. That said, ownership needs to become more vocal with the league, especially when a bad call costs us a game, like the two "goaltending" non calls against Phoenix and Dallas in 2005.

 

[Bricklayer]

That said, ownership needs to become more vocal with the league, especially when a bad call costs us a game, like the two "goaltending" non calls against Phoenix and Dallas in 2005. [/COLOR][/B]

Actually I think the LAST thing the league needs is more owners whining about the refs -- that really smears the game. If that's going to be done, it needs to be done behind the scenes, not in grandstanding Cubanesque fashion.

 

[GoGoGadget]

Whatever -- I always took the smarter route anyway and buttered the refs up incessantly with small talk and jokes, and even admitting the occasional obvious foul to prove what a standup guy I was. Figured human nature being what it was, more likely to get a friendly call that way that by being an *******.

I can't even begin to express how utterly shocked I am.

 

[pdxKingsFan]

This will be interesting. But I find it extremely hard to believe the usual star system won't be in play here. Would love to see Kobe and others get T'd up repeatedly but its never going to happen.

 

[moradi420]

i like rasheed, but i dont even see why players need to complain all that much, i think ive only seen a ref switch a call once or twice.
But overall stern needs to stop cracking down so much on eevrything, i like him and i think hes a helluv a commish, but he may be getting to old (example the new dresscode), and a new younger commish will soon be neccessarty hopefully one much more leniant than stern. Someone not nambed stern would be good, maybe joe easygoing

 

[Sluggah]

what a joke.

kt and sar get into a scuffle...during practice. and it is viewed as "competitiveness" ... "heat of the moment" ... "playing hard"

god forbid someone curses. throws their hands up. or shows disgust during a BASKETBALL game.

if this was...or even could be evenly enforced. ball boys will be finishing games.

 

[NewMonkey]

I remember one game where Rasheed got T'd up for LOOKING at a referee. I want to say it was Steve Javie, but I don't remember for sure. Rasheed didn't say a single word, arms at his side, got a technical for just LOOKING at the ref. It was hilarious.

Oh, and I'll eat my shoe the first time Kobe gets called for whining to the refs.

 

[HndsmCelt]

Hmmm Im skeptical. First of allmost players "whine" or react with out thinking, these are habits ingraind from childhood. As such no amout of punishment after the fact will have much of an impact. The only way to change those kind of imediate reactions is awarness, a desire to change and lots of practice. Fines and orders from the managemnt class are rarely respected by the working class. If you really want to see players modify their behavior the best solutions will involve working to create awarness and motivation among players, not telling them how to behave.

Players are quite often ego driven. There seems to be a direct correlation between highlights and palyers efforts to make specatular plays. Perhaps the answer to player whining is to strongly encourage the news networks to show the whining as highlights, perhaps have a weekly list of crybabies, the seven top snifflers, the whining twenty, the NBA all drama team. I suspect that if night after night Sheeds crying made the news and not his throw downs he might realize how stupid he looked. Immagine turning on ESPN and instead of Kobe goes for 80 points they show his 80 tantrums of the night? the boy might shape up once he KNEW he was a laughing stock instead of a star.

 

[Gargamel]

I remember one game where Rasheed got T'd up for LOOKING at a referee. I want to say it was Steve Javie, but I don't remember for sure. Rasheed didn't say a single word, arms at his side, got a technical for just LOOKING at the ref. It was hilarious.

Garretson's son. Ref told him to stop glaring at him. Stupid maybe, but Sheed got fair warning at least. Just note that a T like that used to be an aberration before the new rule.

Oh, and I'll eat my shoe the first time Kobe gets called for whining to the refs.

Kobe had about 14 Ts last year.

 

[Larry89]

Its about time we saw some King's Basketball! Or did I msinterprete the thread title...

 

[Gargamel]

Immagine turning on ESPN and instead of Kobe goes for 80 points they show his 80 tantrums of the night? the boy might shape up once he KNEW he was a laughing stock instead of a star.

Sheed would probably laugh at that. It's like Mr. Hand writing "I don't know." on the board.

 

[Viking]

I'd be fine with this if it meant that the games would be called fairly and the "superstar" treatment would go away. We all know better.

I agree, no one should "get calls" because of who they are. It's not going to change, however.

 

[hoopsfan]

Kobe had about 14 Ts last year.

I think it was 15.

 

[VF21]

Hmmm Im skeptical. First of allmost players "whine" or react with out thinking, these are habits ingraind from childhood. As such no amout of punishment after the fact will have much of an impact. The only way to change those kind of imediate reactions is awarness, a desire to change and lots of practice. Fines and orders from the managemnt class are rarely respected by the working class. If you really want to see players modify their behavior the best solutions will involve working to create awarness and motivation among players, not telling them how to behave.

Players are quite often ego driven. There seems to be a direct correlation between highlights and palyers efforts to make specatular plays. Perhaps the answer to player whining is to strongly encourage the news networks to show the whining as highlights, perhaps have a weekly list of crybabies, the seven top snifflers, the whining twenty, the NBA all drama team. I suspect that if night after night Sheeds crying made the news and not his throw downs he might realize how stupid he looked. Immagine turning on ESPN and instead of Kobe goes for 80 points they show his 80 tantrums of the night? the boy might shape up once he KNEW he was a laughing stock instead of a star.

No offense meant whatsoever, Celt, but Dude!!!!!

These are adults, and if they can't learn to control their outbursts, that's THEIR problem. Create awareness and motivation? Give me a break.

Hit their bank accounts a few times and make them the target of ridicule, anger and scorn by their teammates, and that'll motivate their poor little spoiled brat arses.