Who referees the referees?

by conspirator5 on Dec 12, 2008 11:07 AM PST

Before you say, "Nobody!!!" take a look at the following comment from last Sunday's game against the Raptors:

Everytime says:

I was at the game yesterday and thought that there was a push off.
What is interesting and I don’t know if this is common place or not was that there were two guys sittings two rows behind me who were taking notes and grading the officials. They had NBA pass around their necks and were taking lots of notes during the game.
What caught my attention was a drive during the first half where a Rap was called for a charge on Oden and they noted the time and would review to see “if Oden was in the restricted area or not”.

Now this observation doesn't make it necessarily so that these guys are NBA referee "auditors" or some such. They might be scouts, or some type of video coordinator. My question to the BEdge crowd is this: Have you ever seen guys like this in the seats at the Rose Garden? Is this a hopeful sign for (eventual) improvement in NBA officiating?

The original page can be found here:

http://dimemag.com/2008/12/did-steve-blake-push-off/

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after the donaghey(sp?) fiasco

the league said that (sorry i can’t find the link) it would have a review process where people at each games in the stands would record the questionable or dubious calls by the officials to be reviewed later. They said that they would go over the tapes of these calls and then discuss them with the officials to improve their ability to make the correct call.

However as a typical ref-hater i don’t really see much evidence of the calls getting better. Of course helping the refs to be able to make better calls does nothing to address the league telling them to influence given games one way or the other to get the matchups they want COUGH fakers-celtics COUGH.

Skadoosh

by postup on Dec 12, 2008 11:42 AM PST reply actions

They've always reviewed the refs.

The problem is that it’s done in secret, with no transparency into the results, and no real sign of consequences (since some argue that the worst refs have been with the league for 20+ years).

It’s all about the transparency and consequences for bad performance that’s missing.

by Timmay! on Dec 12, 2008 11:55 AM PST reply actions

Darn Commie refs

We need a free market system of risks and rewards to break open their system of socialist stagnance!

".. is gumby an alien?" - Sophia

by staylost on Dec 12, 2008 12:10 PM PST up reply actions

True Hoop

had some good stuff on this last summer ad even went over some 06 finals calls with Salvatore

I know Cuban had hired some ex refs to grade refs as well

supposedly the refs watch the entire game that they just reffed and go over calls

I agree that the league needs more transparency in their officiating process. We all know that there are blown calls so why not just admit it?

Life is exhausting when you are this stupid.

by jonestr on Dec 12, 2008 1:03 PM PST reply actions

Ok so lil' story.

During High School I worked for Portland Parks and Rec as a Lifeguard and swimming instructor. The company that trains and certifies the lifeguars is called “Ellis and Associates” which contracted w/ Portland Parks and Rec obviously to provide that service. During training we were often warned that “secret and private audits are randomly given at each Portland facility at least once a year so make sure you ALWAYS stick to the 10/20 rule”. . .(scan your section left for 20 seconds and back right for 20 seconds) or something like that, i dont really remember. Anyway, the Ellis reps videotaped a lifeguard one summer at my pool (SELLWOOD! ) and caught her slackin’. Not moving her head on 10/20 talking to patrons and so forth.

The point is, I would not be surprised if the Ref’s are threatened with this type of auditing to try to convince them to make the most objective calls and so foth. . .

Unfortunatley the Ref’s are owned as part of the NBA, right?

Sophia

Though patience be a tired mare, yet she will plod. - William Shakespeare

by BlazerFan1 on Dec 12, 2008 2:15 PM PST reply actions