Suddenly, the occasional bad call doesn't seem like such a big
deal.
NBA referees' competency has always been criticized. After three
high-profile negative stories in the last three months, the
questions have shifted to their credibility.
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One official was suspended after allegedly challenging an NBA
superstar to a fight, and an academic report suggested a bias by
referees against players of the opposite race.
Now, most damaging, a referee's at the center of a potential
point-shaving scandal.
With the FBI investigating Tim Donaghy for allegedly betting on
games that he officiated, confidence in the guys blowing the
whistles may never have been lower.
Lamell McMorris, leader of the referees' union, said he recognizes
the perception of officials has been damaged.
"We are going to work hard to restore the public's trust in the
integrity of the officials in the NBA," he said. "We're going to do
our part to gain and regain the public trust and confidence and to
make sure that this is not the final word regarding how referees
are defined in the public eye."
Last year, commissioner David Stern said the NBA had "the best
officials, the best-monitored officials, the best-developed
officials in all of sports."
But now it's their judgment, not their performance, that needs
defending.
Stern plans to do just that at a press conference next week. The
NBA and the referees' union want to make sure Donaghy, who McMorris
confirmed has resigned, is the one taking the heat, not his
co-workers.
"Bad apples exist in every barrel," McMorris said. "I've never seen
a barrel of apples, grapes, anything, and all of them were in the
greatest shape and the most beautiful."
But Donaghy's mess isn't the league's only trouble involving its
officials.
Stern had to suspend Joey Crawford, who had worked more postseason
games than any active ref, after Crawford ejected San Antonio's Tim
Duncan from a game in April. Duncan, who was on the bench laughing
when hit with his second technical foul, later said Crawford
challenged him to a fight.
Then came details from a study done by Justin Wolfers, an assistant
professor of business and public policy at Penn's Wharton School,
who found white referees called fouls at a greater rate against
black players than against white players.
But a defense came Friday from, of all people, Dallas owner Mark
Cuban.
Cuban long has been critical of referees, racking up more than $1.4
million in fines, mostly for comments about the officiating. That
included a $250,000 hit after Game 5 of the 2006 NBA finals, when
Miami had a 49-25 advantage in free throws attempted, with Dwyane
Wade taking as many as the whole Dallas team.
But in a blog entry titled "Calamity as Catalyst - My Vote of
Confidence in the NBA", Cuban wrote: "The NBA took a hit today.
Behind that hit is a catalyst and opportunity for significant
change that could make the NBA stronger than it ever has been. It's
a chance to proactively put in place people, processes and
transparency that will forever silence those who will question the
NBA's integrity."
Cuban declined to discuss what any of those might be, simply
saying: "The NBA is fine and will be fine. In fact it will continue
to get better" in an e-mail.
It's not clear what affect, if any, the Donaghy allegations will
have on the relationship between players and officials, which was
contentious early last season after the league ordered officials to
call more technical fouls. The players' association even filed an
unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations
Board against the NBA over the crackdown on player complaints.