NBA Officials and the Tech Foul

We all know that being a referee isn't an easy task. It takes training and a lot of concentration is involved in making a decision in a split second. They don't always have the luxury of the right camera angle or a slow motion replay like we have. Mistakes will be made, that's a given. However, this season I've seen a lot of officiating that I am unhappy with. Inconsistent calls, poor decisions or unnecessary technical fouls have altered the momentum or outcome of a game. I've seen referee's lose control of games, to the point where the fans chant "these refs suck" (Chicago vs New York, 22nd December). I wish to make it clear that I understand how tough their job is, and that they generally do it well, but something needs to change.

Noah vs Chandler

Let's look first at the Chicago vs New York game last December. It was a physical game from the start and the referees made the decision to let a bit of pushing and shoving go. I was fine with this decision. One of the things I love about basketball is how fast paced it is compared to other sports. Seeing the whistle blow and stop play all the time is irritating. I'm not opposed to seeing a bit of contact between players. Where this all went wrong, was when the officials changed the way they were calling the game. Suddenly, any form of contact wasn't being allowed. The whistle was blowing every thirty seconds, calling fouls on plays identical to one's earlier that weren't deemed fouls then. This was of course frustrating for players and coaches on both teams. Yet, any time a player or an coach argued a point, the refs weren't shy about giving a technical foul. Several players received techs, along with both coaches. Mike Woodson (coach of the Knicks), was ejected from the game after getting his second tech foul. Tyson Chandler was ejected after a brief fight with Joakim Noah (who also received a technical foul for the scuffle). The fans began to chant "these refs suck" and no one could really blame them. Every one has a bad night, but the officiating that night was terrible and they lost control of the game. Security had to escort the refs away after the game. Whilst it was nowhere near as bad as the "Malice in the Palace" incident, it was still not a good sight and upsetting as a fan.

Dwight couldn't believe it either.

Everybody is familiar with the Dwight Howard ejection against Toronto on the 21st. I didn't see the game myself, but when I watched the replay of his second technical foul I could not believe it. From my eyes, I saw two players fighting for a rebound. Yes they got a bit annoyed at each other, but it was diffusing as quickly as it began. It was harmless contact, no different to what we see every single game. Yet the referee saw fit to call a technical foul on both players. Unfortunately for Dwight, it was his second, meaning an automatic ejection from the game. The struggling Lakers, lost their big man, arguably costing them the game against Toronto. Also for any Dwight Howard fans in Toronto, they lost their only chance to see him play this season.

Tom wasn't happy.

Indiana Pacers vs Chicago Bulls, 5th of December last year. 14.1 left in the game, Chicago trailing by 2. Coach Tim Thibodeau draws up play, executed successfully by his team. The play was supposed to end with Luol Deng, taking a base line jump shot or layup. However, on his way to the basket, he was met and stopped by Pacers Roy Hibbert. After the contact, Luol fell down and lost the ball out of bounds. No call was made and the Pacers went on to win 80-76. There are two sides to every story. The officials maintain Hibbert played good defense, and the Pacers agree. Luol felt he was fouled and coach Thibodeau was furious, describing the incident as a "train wreck". In my eyes, it was very clearly a foul. That contact is called every other game, this one should of been no different. However, it was called differently and cost Chicago the chance to tie up the game.

These games and decisions are just three of many this season. As a fan its very frustrating to see this happen, especially down the stretch of a game. Now I don't believe any official is doing this intentionally, like the unfortunate Tim Donaghy saga. I don't believe allegations made against the NBA implying they instruct referee's to favor one team or certain players in order to make more money. I do believe a change needs to be made, not only to the officiating of matches, but also to the rules in regards to the technical foul.

I love the fast-paced action of basketball, so I certainly don't want to see every play reviewed to make sure the right decision was made (and lots be honest, even after replays the bad call can still be made). I believe in order to get a better performance out of the referee's, they just need more incentives. The average salary of an NBA referee, varies between $100,000 and $550,000, depending on how long they have been in the company. Not a bad wage, but what if instead of being based on how long they have been in the NBA, it's based on how well they perform? I certainly think more money would encourage better decisions from the refs, regardless of their age. Better NBA players receive more money than the less talented ones, doesn't make sense that it would be the same for the officials?

Long time NBA referee Dick Bavetta

A poor performing NBA player, as well as receiving a smaller contract, usually spends a lot more time on the bench or is sent to D-League until he improves. If it was the same for the referee's, maybe they would try harder to get the calls right. And what about the games the referee called? Maybe the NBA should give a choice to the better performing referee's of what games they would like to call. Now I'm not saying we should punish a referee for the occasional bad decision, they are human and it will happen from time to time. If it continues to happen, is when the punishments should occur. Just like if they continue to perform well, they should get some of the mentioned benefits.

Joe Crawford calls a Technical Foul

What about the technical foul rule? After Dwight's ejection, I think the NBA needs to change this rule. Let's look at an example. Player A receives a technical foul for flopping. Later on in the game, player A picks up his second technical foul for hanging onto the rim too long after a slam. Now this doesn't seem necessary to eject him, but NBA rules states that after two technical fouls he has to go. Doesn't seem fair does it? Wouldn't it be better if we had different levels of technical fouls, ejection being optional depending on the severity? Don't get me wrong, I don't care who the player is, they do need to be held accountable for their actions. I think the NBA should have technical fouls still, just a little different. For example, a player's first technical remains the same - one free throw and possession for the opposing team. Now the second technical foul could be something like two shots and possession plus a fine for the offending player. Third technical foul? Four shots, possession and another fine. And so on. Ejection still remains an option, and the punishment seems severe enough to deter the player from re-offending. I think this would be a much better option for the NBA and would prevent unnecessary ejections happening in the future.

As a general rule, the NBA officials do an outstanding job of making tough calls in a matter of seconds. Majority of the time, they make the right call. Lately it has just seemed that the same level of care hasn't gone into every game, and calls are being made poorly and inconsistently. I believe the above mentioned incentives and punishments will make a huge difference in some of these games. Add that to a change in the technical foul rule, and the game will do nothing but benefit from the changes.