12/12/09

NBA referees...let the discussion begin. We all love to hate them. Seriously though, the NBA needs to get their officiating figured out. Each year there is a point of emphasis: palming, hand-check, shuffling feet off catch and pump-fakes, illegal defenses, and high screens. Yet they seem to forget the basics. Watch Lebron James. Is it natural ability to go from the 3-point line to the rim with one dribble? At first glance, absolutely. But watching replays, it is clear that he is given three full steps. Last I checked, basketball only allows two and a half steps. While Lebron is merely an example, this is seen all over the league by various players.

Second basic rule lost in emphasis...the pivot foot. A few weeks ago I watched Josh Boone catch the ball at the top of the key and change his pivot foot not once, not twice, but three times. Was there a whistle? Nope. Maybe it's a given that NBA players won't change their pivot foot. Regardless, it is a fundamental rule that should be called without being emphasized.

The third basic rule lost in emphasis...over the back dunks. This is a play that will land you on ESPN's top ten plays of the day. Yet somehow, the basic rule of over-the-back is lost in translation. The shot goes up, the defensive player blocks out, yet the offensive player comes down the key, skies, and throws it down over the top of the defensive player with inside position. If the offensive player comes down with the rebound without dunking, or the rebound is lost to another player, the whistle blows with an over-the-back call. As it should. But for some reason, that rule is left out when there is a top-ten play to behold. This is once again, a basic rule left out as flare has become more important in the NBA.

There are so many "ticky tack" points of emphasis, that the basics are being left out. I'm not saying that reffing in the NBA is easy or that they do a horrible job. I just think that they are making things harder than they need to be, and instead of having so many points of emphasis that they are forced to watch, maybe go back to the basics. Keep things simple, and make the calls that break the FUNDAMENTAL rules of basketball.

Signing off.