[TrueHoop] Day with Referees

Hayesfan · Sep 30, 2008

I didn't see this posted, so if it was lock it up.

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-34-107/Notes-from-a-Day-with-NBA-Referees.html

# A lot of calls that look like charges are correctly called blocks. When you rewind these plays on your Tivo, don't do what referees make fun of fans for doing: Trying to decide if the players feet were set before the contact. That's not the standard. What you want to know is: Is the defensive player's torso set in position before the offensive player begins his upward motion? The defense can not slide into position after the offensive player has reached this stage. Why did they set that standard at the moment of upward motion? Joe Borgia, the NBA's director of officiating programs and development, says "because we had to set it somewhere. He adds that "the moment of alighting is too late." In years of watching film, however, Borgia has confidence they chose the correct moment.

# Defensive players also have to let offensive players land.

# A standard for assessing if that contact was enough to warrant a foul call: Did it affect the players' "speed, quickness, balance, or rhythm?"

# Not too long ago, the president of the NBA, Joel Litvin, told me, of this season: "Expect the referees to be more available to the media. There are all kinds of ways we can do a better job getting the fans to know the referees better, and to increase the image of officials." I don't know if this is happening or not, and today didn't much help, although at one point new referee honcho General Ronald Johnson explained why he was not in favor of referees talking to the media after controversial calls. We'll see what happens.

# At one point, a member of the media told the organizers that these events were having the intended psychological effect. "Now when I see a guy make a bad call," he said, "I think: That referee made a bad call. But he's a hell of a nice guy."

# Eddie Johnson, the former player who broadcasts Suns games, points out that there has been a dramatic increase in the number of times players require explanations from referees of judgment calls. Referees in the room, nodded vigorously. It's something the league is watching, and may consider doing something about. As it is, captains are entitled to garner an explanation of judgment calls. But the hope is they won't need every judgment call explained.

# There was talk of certain referees being biased against certain teams. Joel Litvin said that they do not take that into consideration at all in assigning referees. And if they really did think a referee had a problem with a certain team, it would be much more serious than an assignment issue. "If we think a referee is biased against a particular team," he says, "he's going to be off the staff. That's a serious, serious issue."

# The main things I come away thinking: This is a great day to help us in the media gain confidence in referees. It's a system based on trust -- there's no way around that. But when trust is broken, and from my e-mail, the trust between fans and referees is well broken -- people don't want promises and smiles. They want evidence. And the NBA says it has tremendous internal evidence that these referees are worth trusting. Why not share that with the public? Why not put everything I saw today online or on TV? Why not prove how good these referees are, even if it means admitting some botched calls now and again?
Click to expand...

There's lots more at the link, it's sort of a long post.

I found what they said about blocks and charges interesting. I had always understood that planting the feet and body was essential. I guess with the speed of the NBA game it's not as important as your torso having the space occupied first??

Easy · Sep 30, 2008

# A standard for assessing if that contact was enough to warrant a foul call: Did it affect the players' "speed, quickness, balance, or rhythm?"
Click to expand...

Translation: Did the player act like it affected his speed, quickness, balance, or rhythm...

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[TrueHoop] Day with Referees

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