You read it right, that's $100,000. The fine is for his comments about Yao being officiated unfairly by the refs. <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> DALLAS -- The NBA fined Houston Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy $100,000 -- the largest amount ever for a coach -- on Monday, a day after he accused officials of targeting center Yao Ming this postseason and said Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was to blame. Speaking to three reporters at the team hotel in Dallas on Sunday night, Van Gundy said a referee not working the playoffs called him and warned that officials "were looking at Yao harder because of Mark's complaints" to the league office. He said that Cuban "has been hard on them," and "he's gotten the benefit." "I didn't think that really worked in the NBA, but in this case it has," Van Gundy said, declining to identify the official he spoke to. At a shootaround Monday before Game 5 of the series, Van Gundy said: "I stand by what I said. I believe it. I know what was told to me, and I've seen how it played out."</div> http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs2005...tory?id=2051807
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting chineseafro:</div><div class="quote_post">Watch, were going to find out that cuban paid off the refs after all this is said and done.</div> LOL are you serious do you really know if Mark Cuban payed off the refs. How would you know that?
Even though I find this fine blatently excessive, what Jeff Van Gundy did could actually work in the Rockets favor. Lets think about it....say you are a referee in this league usually the only people who you have to look out for are your co-refs and your boss at the league office. When someone's goes in public and calls you out (such as JVG did) that is going to put everyone's eyes on the situation even more so than already. Now not only do the referees have thier bosses looking at thier calls with regard to Yao Ming but now the entire NBA world will be, especially after JVG was fined 100k for his thoughts. Sometimes to get what you want, you have to piss off the refs in order to get it done. Take Mark Cuban for example, he publically voiced his opinions to the public about the screens and wouldn't you know the next game the refs started calling the illegal screen. The same applies during a game. If a ref refuses to make an over the back call on the other team a lot of times a coach will get a technical foul in order to put pressure on the ref to change how he is calling the game. I think that was the objective of JVG in this case, and if everything holds true to form, I think the refs will call a really easy night on Yao.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Hunter:</div><div class="quote_post">Even though I find this fine blatently excessive, what Jeff Van Gundy did could actually work in the Rockets favor. Lets think about it....say you are a referee in this league usually the only people who you have to look out for are your co-refs and your boss at the league office. When someone's goes in public and calls you out (such as JVG did) that is going to put everyone's eyes on the situation even more so than already. Now not only do the referees have thier bosses looking at thier calls with regard to Yao Ming but now the entire NBA world will be, especially after JVG was fined 100k for his thoughts. Sometimes to get what you want, you have to piss off the refs in order to get it done. Take Mark Cuban for example, he publically voiced his opinions to the public about the screens and wouldn't you know the next game the refs started calling the illegal screen. The same applies during a game. If a ref refuses to make an over the back call on the other team a lot of times a coach will get a technical foul in order to put pressure on the ref to change how he is calling the game. I think that was the objective of JVG in this case, and if everything holds true to form, I think the refs will call a really easy night on Yao.</div> Yep, that's what I was thinking...Perhaps there was no referee that called him up and told him about Yao, maybe he's making it all up...But if he did, that's smart, but then again I might be wrong, maybe there was a referee that called him up and told him about Yao getting the wrong calls, but in my opinion I think he made it up...Still a smart strategy. I do agree that the 100k fine is too much though, I don't know how much a coach makes a year though, i'm sure if he struggles to pay it off the team will help him out...maybe.
100,000 dollars!? Come on, that is a big exageration. He made one comment and you go crazy!! This is absurd. How can you fine the guy so much. It definetly has some prejudice in it. I mean come on, lets be practical here. He is just saying how he feels and you treat it like he made a death threat. That is some serious hating, and it just proves his point. The refs do hate yao. I am just happy that they didnt suspend him at this point. That kid in my class who looks like mark cuban is gonna get it now.
On JVG's statement about the officials, Im pretty sure he made it up. Think of the 100,000 dollars as the cost for fair calling from tonight and probably the rest of the series. The officials will be glared at and right after the accusation, one or two unfair call is all JVG needs to rise further questions not to mention those from Stern. The real question is only faced by the officials tonight, is this call worth my job? If anything theyll actually help Yao.
Its a bit excessive in my opinion. 100K is a lot for one statement. I actually didn't even think it was that bad, Van Gundy was just complaining about the calls- kind of what Mark Cuban did. Instead, he gets slapped with a fine. I just guess Stern was more P/O'ed at his comments. After reading what Hunter said though, this might be able to help us, although I'm not sure if the refs will really be more lenient or aware really. Its not like in the middle of a heated game that the refs will not call Yao for something just because of this.
so much for fair calling from now on... the Rockets got completely raped by the officials tonight in Game 5. 100K, and a game lost not to dallas, but to the officials....can it get any worse for JVG?
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting indianbrain1988:</div><div class="quote_post">so much for fair calling from now on... the Rockets got completely raped by the officials tonight in Game 5. 100K, and a game lost not to dallas, but to the officials....can it get any worse for JVG?</div> Agreed. The officiating will favor Dallas for the rest of the series. That's the worst part of it. NBA referees will remember this for the rest of Van Gundy's career. Not to mention David Stern who is fuming mad at Van Gundy. Mark Cuban said, "It's nice to see someone else buying the coffee and danish for the NBA," I just hope Jeff Van Gundy's actions don't carry over to Stan & the Heat. The Heat have always had beef with the refs since Pat Riley got fined $50,000 (highest $$ before this incident.) If you remember, Riley accused the league of a similar conspiracy against his team. Riley said referee Steve Javie, told him "it's going to be a pleasure to watch your team <font color="Red">die</font>"(when the Heat were rebuilding and winning 25 games a season) <font color="Blue">NBA referees have always had favorites in this league</font>. NBA Officiating has to improve drastically to match the level of play of the athletes. David Stern is a punk. If he does not get his way with the age limit this offseason, there will probably be another strike. <font color="Red">The NBA needs a new comissioner</font>. How long has Stern been at the throne? (I'm available if no one else wants to do it.)
I thought the fine was a bit much, but I also think what Van Gundy did was wrong. Criticizing refs publicly will mostly get you in trouble, but after that he said a ref told him which got him into even more trouble. I think Stern did it to send a message to everyone else who has intentions of doing what Van Gundy did.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting heatfan:</div><div class="quote_post">Agreed. The officiating will favor Dallas for the rest of the series. That's the worst part of it. NBA referees will remember this for the rest of Van Gundy's career. Not to mention David Stern who is fuming mad at Van Gundy. Mark Cuban said, "It's nice to see someone else buying the coffee and danish for the NBA," I just hope Jeff Van Gundy's actions don't carry over to Stan & the Heat. The Heat have always had beef with the refs since Pat Riley got fined $50,000 (highest $$ before this incident.) If you remember, Riley accused the league of a similar conspiracy against his team. Riley said referee Steve Javie, told him "it's going to be a pleasure to watch your team <font color="Red">die</font>"(when the Heat were rebuilding and winning 25 games a season) <font color="Blue">NBA referees have always had favorites in this league</font>. NBA Officiating has to improve drastically to match the level of play of the athletes. David Stern is a punk. If he does not get his way with the age limit this offseason, there will probably be another strike. <font color="Red">The NBA needs a new comissioner</font>. How long has Stern been at the throne? (I'm available if no one else wants to do it.)</div> David Stern is an idiot. During the whole Pistons-Pacers debocle he gave out toe harshest penalties to Pacers players. While I agree that Artest and Stephen Jackson had no right to enter the stands, Jermaine O'neal didn't deserve his suspension, reduced sentence or not. He was too soft on the Pistons, trying to protect their image. Dallas is more marketable, they play a flashier game, why not support Dallas? David Stern is a businessman, thats it, and thats not enough to be an NBA commish. You have to be a fan, and a judge as well. The thing I'm most worried about is this supposed lifetime ban on JVG.
Of course he was fined too much. I think too much are these refs looked at as "gods". I see no wrong in a coach criticizing them. Yes, refs are humas and make mistakes, but it seems too much that they are above everyone else. Everytime you criticize a ref, your fined or something of the sort. Maybe Van Gundy went a bit too far and went public with it, but the fine was definitely too big.
David Stern must take people for idiots. His only agenda is to force Van Gundy to give up his source, and is abusing his authority to get a name. The problem is not what Van Gundy said, the problem is the refs being influenced by the owners and trying to make up for missed calls. This is not an isolated case, it even happens during games. We've all heard "oh that was a make up call." Saying Van Gundy is jeopardizing the integrity of the game is a typical spin-doctor move by Stern. Van Gundy never said the refs have an agenda in the playoffs. If you break it down, Stern is saying it's ok for Mark Cuban (NBA owner) to file numerous complaints, but Van Gundy (a coach) cannot complain about the refs. Van Gundy could have been more tactful, but Stern is making this out to be far more than it really is. Unless of course Stern is actually hiding something?
Does anyone else think that the way David Stern punishes coaches and players for critisizing or even just questioning officiating borders on fascism?
at least everyone knows Houston stands by their man... "Rockets, city rally around Van Gundy Many step forward to support their embattled coach" http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7739930/
