Per Chris Haynes: https://www.nbcsports.com/northwest...llard-will-not-be-fined-nba-referee-criticism Well, at least the league got that right.
They didn't want to put the fire out with gasoline i guess. But all they did now is start a slower burning fire that will create bigger problems.
Actually, the league clearly got that wrong by every measure and precedent. I imagine they're taking the approach of "two wrongs make a right" and hoping the storm will settle if they don't fan the flames further with a fine.
They definitely opened a can of worms on this one as now every time there is a bad call they have opened the door for players to berate the refs after the game and as long as the call is proven to be bad, how do they turn around and fine a different player for essentially the same thing?
Dame was right, and the refs were wrong. Im in agreement with the guys above though, the precedent this sets may not be good long term for the NBA.
Oh I fully expected him to get fined and I can bet that Lillard was fine with that. It will be interesting to see how things are handled going forward.
Seems to me that it was the right thing to do, but only if the league uses it to open more discussion about officiating and ways to improve the accuracy of the calls. They need to inform everyone involved that getting calls right is their prime goal in officiating games. They should also point out that they understand that this was a significant error at a critical juncture of a game with great importance to the Blazers and that because of that they are waiving their normal fine. They should be clear that there are important reasons for not allowing public criticism of referees and that this is an exception, not the norm.
I don't think there are important reasons for not allowing public criticism of referees. I think it's fair to disallow players/coaches/front office people from alleging referee corruption, but criticizing calls/referees as incorrect I think is perfectly reasonable (though whomever does it could be labeled an excuse-maker if they do it when it's not particularly egregious, so the person would have to decide if they really want to bring it up).
I don't think that the league wants or needs to have players questioning officials or missed calls publicly after games. Guys are usually given some latitude to make a point with the refs during the game. It doesn't change the call they're complaining about, but it can get the refs to watch for certain things and it gives the players a bit of room to blow off steam. The league wants to keep post-game complaining about bad calls to a minimum so that it doesn't detract from the game more than it already does. As TBF and others have said elsewhere, there are always multiple reasons for a loss. Making it all about the calls detracts from the integrity of the game. That said, there's a lot of room for improvement. Hopefully, this incident and the ones in Orlando recently gets the league to looking for ways to use replay more effectively. As Ric Bucher said after this blown call, if the "Command Center" can't jump in to fix something as egregious as this, how can it be called a Command Center. I've read some ideas about how to use replay more effectively after this incident. Hopefully, the league gets on it and makes changes before next season.
I said they wouldn't. They'd be fools to do so. The NBA wants this to go away. They aren't going fuel the flames by fining him. That would cause a wildfire.
I hate when we agree, but we agree. What a terrible precedent to set. My theory is fear of a diss track...which is a reasonable fear.
It’s like a ref not giving a coach a technical when he’s fishing for one. Dame wanted the fine, to light a fire in the team.
Oh, I agree that one call never is the reason for a loss. I think it would be silly for a player or coach to allege that. I still think, though, that a really blown call should be suitable for discussion, including by players and coaches. I don't think that detracts from the integrity of the game--the game's integrity doesn't hinge on referee perfection, especially since perfection is impossible. What would detract from the integrity of the game is anyone associated with the game claiming referee bias or corruption. I think that should be disallowed.
They can have always been able to say, oh I wouldnt have called it that way this is what I saw, but he saw it differently. Its the way the argument is presented that is fineable, and honestly Dame’s reaction that last long after the game was not a discussion it was showing up the officials and less has been fined before. I think it could set a precedent that is unhealthy for the league, but who knows.
