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http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/basketball/kings/story/11763591p-12648467c.html
Upset with NBA officiating? Join the crowd
By Martin McNeal -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Tuesday, December 14, 2004
Chris Webber casts an incredulous look at referee Violet Palmer after she called him for a foul and a technical Nov. 14 against Denver.
MILWAUKEE - Watch tonight's Kings-Milwaukee Bucks game, and inevitably, a Sacramento player will openly and vehemently dispute an official's call.
A Milwaukee player also certainly will plead with an official as if his existence depended on the referee's understanding of why he or she made a certain call.
Arguing with officials is part of the game these days, said Kings president of basketball operations Geoff Petrie, among others. No one knows exactly when it became so, but that's the way it is.
The protests are not likely to diminish. According to a few NBA officials, they have received an edict from their superiors to be accepting of complaints and dialogues.
And that includes from coaches. After Friday's loss at Minnesota, Kings coach Rick Adelman complained that forward Peja Stojakovic had been "mugged" by the Timberwolves, specifically Trenton Hassell.
Saturday against Indiana, Sacramento players had several exchanges with the officials, and Adelman also let his feelings be known, contending the Pacers were repeatedly setting illegal picks.
"I was arguing with them," Adelman said after Saturday's victory. "If you wanted to film something about moving picks, this was it. To get (Reggie) Miller open, they called one or two (moving) picks, one, I think, and that was it.
"I mean, they tell us to run into the picks, and Doug (Christie) was trying to run into the picks, and every time they moved, it wasn't being called. But in a game like this, it's so frustrating because it's going back and forth, and you're trying like heck to get a win. The thing I was upset about was the moving picks because they move all the time trying to free up Reggie.
"If they move at all, it should be a foul. There should be no hedge. If you move sideways, backwards, wherever and cause contact, it should be a foul."
On the other side of the floor, the Pacers argued the Kings were setting illegal picks to try to get Stojakovic open and going over their backs to grab offensive rebounds.
In huddles Saturday, Adelman said his players discussed letting the officials' calls go and playing through them. The coach said he didn't think his team complained any more than any other team, and Petrie agreed.
Entering Monday, 11 teams had been cited for double-figure technical fouls, led by Seattle's 17. Sacramento, Dallas and the Los Angeles Lakers had been whistled for nine each.
"I'm here watching four, five and six games a night," Petrie said Monday afternoon, "and I think that whole part of our game is pretty ubiquitous. I don't know that our team argues any more than any other team. I'd be hard-pressed to pick out a team that is any better or worse, for that matter. There are some guys, individually, who complain on every call."
Arguing doesn't accomplish anything, Petrie said.
"I don't think it's beneficial for you in any way," he said, although he acknowledged that releasing frustration might provide some relief. "Sure, officials miss some calls, but they also get a lot right."
Through instant replay, watching games on TV often shows officials make correct calls as well as incorrect ones.
"They get a lot of calls right that look like something else when you first see them," Petrie said.
When it comes to questioning officiating, guard Bobby Jackson is one of the Kings' most persistent players. Saturday, Jackson had just committed his sixth and disqualifying foul early in overtime and then, during a break in the action, was explaining how he got all ball when he reached in for a steal. Upon being informed that a replay showed him grabbing all arm before touching the ball, Jackson laughed and said, "Really?"
"I know we have individuals arguing more consistently than others," Adelman said. "Yeah, Bobby, whether it's a game or practice, he's going to argue with officials, no matter who they are."
Jackson said his complaints usually stem from officials saying one thing and calling another. "They'll ask you before the game what you want them to watch for," he said. "OK, when we shoot, watch them for touching our wrists. The (Pacers) did it every time, and they still didn't call it. So that's why I was mad. They ask you that, and then they don't do it. OK, we'll watch it. Hey, I don't shoot airballs from the free-throw line."
Upset with NBA officiating? Join the crowd
By Martin McNeal -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Tuesday, December 14, 2004
Chris Webber casts an incredulous look at referee Violet Palmer after she called him for a foul and a technical Nov. 14 against Denver.
MILWAUKEE - Watch tonight's Kings-Milwaukee Bucks game, and inevitably, a Sacramento player will openly and vehemently dispute an official's call.
A Milwaukee player also certainly will plead with an official as if his existence depended on the referee's understanding of why he or she made a certain call.
Arguing with officials is part of the game these days, said Kings president of basketball operations Geoff Petrie, among others. No one knows exactly when it became so, but that's the way it is.
The protests are not likely to diminish. According to a few NBA officials, they have received an edict from their superiors to be accepting of complaints and dialogues.
And that includes from coaches. After Friday's loss at Minnesota, Kings coach Rick Adelman complained that forward Peja Stojakovic had been "mugged" by the Timberwolves, specifically Trenton Hassell.
Saturday against Indiana, Sacramento players had several exchanges with the officials, and Adelman also let his feelings be known, contending the Pacers were repeatedly setting illegal picks.
"I was arguing with them," Adelman said after Saturday's victory. "If you wanted to film something about moving picks, this was it. To get (Reggie) Miller open, they called one or two (moving) picks, one, I think, and that was it.
"I mean, they tell us to run into the picks, and Doug (Christie) was trying to run into the picks, and every time they moved, it wasn't being called. But in a game like this, it's so frustrating because it's going back and forth, and you're trying like heck to get a win. The thing I was upset about was the moving picks because they move all the time trying to free up Reggie.
"If they move at all, it should be a foul. There should be no hedge. If you move sideways, backwards, wherever and cause contact, it should be a foul."
On the other side of the floor, the Pacers argued the Kings were setting illegal picks to try to get Stojakovic open and going over their backs to grab offensive rebounds.
In huddles Saturday, Adelman said his players discussed letting the officials' calls go and playing through them. The coach said he didn't think his team complained any more than any other team, and Petrie agreed.
Entering Monday, 11 teams had been cited for double-figure technical fouls, led by Seattle's 17. Sacramento, Dallas and the Los Angeles Lakers had been whistled for nine each.
"I'm here watching four, five and six games a night," Petrie said Monday afternoon, "and I think that whole part of our game is pretty ubiquitous. I don't know that our team argues any more than any other team. I'd be hard-pressed to pick out a team that is any better or worse, for that matter. There are some guys, individually, who complain on every call."
Arguing doesn't accomplish anything, Petrie said.
"I don't think it's beneficial for you in any way," he said, although he acknowledged that releasing frustration might provide some relief. "Sure, officials miss some calls, but they also get a lot right."
Through instant replay, watching games on TV often shows officials make correct calls as well as incorrect ones.
"They get a lot of calls right that look like something else when you first see them," Petrie said.
When it comes to questioning officiating, guard Bobby Jackson is one of the Kings' most persistent players. Saturday, Jackson had just committed his sixth and disqualifying foul early in overtime and then, during a break in the action, was explaining how he got all ball when he reached in for a steal. Upon being informed that a replay showed him grabbing all arm before touching the ball, Jackson laughed and said, "Really?"
"I know we have individuals arguing more consistently than others," Adelman said. "Yeah, Bobby, whether it's a game or practice, he's going to argue with officials, no matter who they are."
Jackson said his complaints usually stem from officials saying one thing and calling another. "They'll ask you before the game what you want them to watch for," he said. "OK, when we shoot, watch them for touching our wrists. The (Pacers) did it every time, and they still didn't call it. So that's why I was mad. They ask you that, and then they don't do it. OK, we'll watch it. Hey, I don't shoot airballs from the free-throw line."
