I guess the NBA wants to make my blog look bad. Either that, or they have a real failure to communicate internally. After I posted that Kobe’s pass off the backboard was illegal, the NBA confirmed to me it was a travel. So what happens in our game against the Kings? With the game still close, Webber gets stopped, thenthrows the ball against the backboard, gets it back and scores.
I asked the NBA about the playafter the game. They say it’s a travel.They just missed it. They also say they sent out a memo to the officials about it. So what went wrong ? These are all star refs, right?
But wait there is more…
One of the things that the NBA does every year prior to the start of the playoffs is to send a tape to all the teams with violations that they want all the teams to know will be called. Among the violations was an explanation of the jump stop. They did a great job of showing and explaining this move and it was very valuable.
They also said they wouldn’t allow the following travels. First, what was referred to as the “jump start.” In this case the player basically takes a step right then left, vice versa or a little hop before putting the ball down. Kind of a crossover without the dribble.Then they talkedabout switching pivot feet in the post. They explained how difficult it was to watch for these, since the officials were watching the body for contact, and because of this, they would have an off the ball official watch their feet.
All great stuff.
Unfortunately, there must have been a failure to communicate on all of the above. The many examples of both that occured by both teams weren’t called.
Where there wasn’t a failure to communicate was between our staff and players and the officials. We let the refs know these violations were reoccuring from a specific player. We told them it would happen. It did. Repeatedly. I’m sure the other team had comments regarding similar things our team did that weren’t called. Makes you wonder where the failure to communicate starts and stops.
If the NBA was going to bring these violations to our attention, shouldn’t they be prepared to make these calls?
It’s obviously early in the playoff season. I think it’s an adjustment for the officials, all of whom are used to being crew chiefs, to work together in a team. So it will be interesting to see if officiating gets better as games go on.
Just a quick officiating stat. I know its only 2 days of games, but Defensive 3 secs calls are down 81 pct from the regular season. It will be interesting to see if they have stopped calling it.
He’s not blaming the refs, he’s just pointing out the blatant inconsistencies with what the league says and what is done about it. The league said these things would be called, even sent out a tape to let the teams know what would be called, and then they miss something that is as obvious as passing to ones’ self off of the backboard. He never blamed the refs for that loss, the guys lost that one on their own…but I’m sure dealing with crappy officiating, and knowing none of the calls were going to go their way, didn’t help the situation.
Comment by Jordan -
Get over it Mark. Referees are going to make mistakes in any sport, baseball, football, soccer, etc. We don’t have machines referring the games, so you have to allow for some human error. They have so many things to watch for, plus fans, players, coaches, and owners yelling at them throughout the game that it’s surprising the do as well as they do.
When you lose like you did on sunday, you can’t blame the refs. Blame your team for their lack of defense, lack of rebounding, and thier inability to win on the road. You would think after last season’s playoff run, there would be some changes as far as the player’s attitudes towards defense and rebounding.
Give Jerry Sloan one of the “big 3” and there would be a finals appearance by Utah this year, yet Nelson can’t get there with 3 great players, AW, and AJ. Give me a break
Comment by Kim -
I think Mark has allot bigger concerns than a couple of questionalbe calls (which happen in every single game and will continue to happen). We have a team that has no consistancy and no longer has their heart and soul. The move to aquire Walker after trading away Van Excel was not smart. Walker is just another tall guy that can sometimes shoot, but couldn’t defend ME. Unfortunatly, Kings in 7.
Comment by Steve -
“”HAVE LITTLE RESPECT FOR US! MAKE AN ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT YOUR SHOW!
JEFF SAUNDERS
“THE GAY REDNECK” FROM GEORGIA””
If this is the kind of whining contestant I can look forward to seeing on your show I think I’ll just go out in the yard and poke myself in the eye with something sharp!
BTW> Gay Redneck..Get a life and get off the couch you freakin loser!!!!
Comment by samy0 -
My problem is that Chris Webber and Vlade Divacs travel more than anyone in the league besides shaq and karl malone. You cannot pass the ball to yourself off the backboard everyone who has ever played basketball knows that. The ball has to hit the rim. I am in college and I played high school basketball and I think high school refs do a better job than nba refs respectively(players are a lot different). Its very frustrating has a fan of the game to see such a lack of constistancy in referring. Mark if you ever read this I wanted to put in my two cents about the rookies,both great players but when you have dirk on fire you have to get him the ball, just my opinion.
Thanks and go mavs
Ryan
Comment by Ryan Burks -
Mark, unfortunately the rules are ambiguous.
Who’s to say in that scenario Webber was actually caught in mid air and decided he’d throw it up the at the rim and try and get his own rebound? It just didn’t hit the rim, and while getting the board he was already up there and jammed it in. This would be a field goal attempt (to cite a similar example: a player dunking another players airball would be the same thing; the original shooter was not “trying” to shoot an airball, just like Webber may not have been “trying” to miss the rim and hit only backboard).
BUT, the refs would have to know what was going on in his mind to tell if it was a legit FG attempt or not.
In the Kobe scenario (and TMac and Crawford etc) the passes were more blatant and so, given the travellign rule, should have been called a violation.
However, the Webber play was so close to the rim, it could have been either a legit field goal attempt that he tiried up, OR a pass to himself.
Very tough call for the refs given the current clarification of the rules, and the incredible athleticism of these athletes.
Further to all this, if he was not really attempting a FG and the ball hit the rim, would he have been credited with the rebound???
It just gets better, no?
Comment by Lemon -
After reading the previous blog entry about Kobe’s illegal move passing the ball to himself off the backboard, I started watching for it. I saw Webber do it in the game at a pivotal point for the Mavs, who knows what might have happened had this been called. It makes me angry that the league agrees that it is a travel and yet the refs still don’t call it. After the first one in the All-Star Game they should have made a huge point in stating that it would not be tolerated and it would be called a travel. That move is very obvious, if I could catch it any ref who is supposed to be watching every move of the game should have seen it. I think the officiating in basketball needs to be looked into and the officals need to be retrained if they are missing calls that the everyday fan can catch!!
Comment by Sheila Bozeman -
Bob Dinterman, you’re one piece of uneducated white trash (if that makes sense).
Comment by John -
You are a moron, “if that makes sense”. Weber’s pass is illegal because he did not attempt to make a basket. And if you use that lame excuse “It’s a pass to yourself, without being up-and-down if that makes sense”. Hey dumb ass, what does the rule book state? O THATS RIGHT, you can’t pass a ball to yourself.
Comment by Bob Dinterman -
Why did you trade me Mark? You could use me right now. Come on, Im Nick Van Exel Bitch!
Comment by Nick Van Exel -
well, its obvious…
Posted Apr 19, 2004, 5:53 PM ET by pimpy pee.
…why some of you will never be billionaires.
Give me a million dollars and I will turn it into a billion! If you don’t believe me then check out what I have invented on my website at http://www.webglue.com/iectvblog/archive/2004_04_07_concept.html
Check out my website.
Comment by Robin Hood -
Indiana is the best team in the NBA, not Detroit. This is our year.
Comment by Bill -
Mr. Patterson and others…. This is called sports. It is part of the game. The refs are part of the game, the human aspect of a game. Thats why we play the games we don’t just declair the better team the winner. If we did that, Detroit would of been world champs the day the playoffs started…… think about it
Comment by Jon -
Mark, thanks for educating us fans regarding the NBA memo to the officials. I appreciate your honesty on what’s going on behind the scenes and your relentless pursuit of fairness & consistency in NBA officiating. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out.
One point I’d like to make: ABC picked up this game on Sunday for a reason (as you know, most of the other games were on cable tv). Everyone in America wants to watch this series. The Mavs & Kings are the 2 most exciting teams in the NBA. Even if you are not a fan of either team, you still want to watch this series. It’s going to be a close, exciting race. If your team ends up beating the Kings, Sacramento fans will root for you to go all the way (as they did last year). But if the Kings end up taking this series, root for them. America is ready to see someone else win the trophy. It’s time for the underdogs to shine!
-Rebecca D.
(tired of the Lakers)
Comment by Rebecca Delozier -
If you guys are talking about the pass off the backboard in the 4th quarter at the end of the game, that is an entirely legal play and has always been. It’s a pass to yourself, without being up-and-down if that makes sense. I’m not sure of the Kobe play cause I didn’t see it, but the Webber play was entirely legal. BTW: KWhat’s the point of Kobe going to trial. Even if he is convicted he will just get some BS community service or something and will never miss a game.
Comment by John -
sorry about that, accidentally added the comment before i was done with it. my point was already made. 2 points often can be a lot more than 2 points
Comment by Rob -
Alright, so lets look at a couple things here. Defending someone is not kissing ass. And Mark Cuban doesn’t need to be defended, because really, he’s the one with the money, and you’re the one whining on HIS blog.
and while every foul is magnified by that much when it’s your team, that doesn’t change the fact that the refs are still biased. not just against teams, but also against players. now lets say someone like mike james of the pistons or earl watson of the grizz drives the lane and knocks over our favorite actor, vlade divac, and vlade is obviously in the half circle. more than half the time, refs will look the other way and call the charge. however, if allen iverson or say, kobe make the same drive, they’ll call the block. i don’t care what point of view you’re coming from, that’s wrong, and shouldn’t happen. but i see it 3 or 4 times in every single NBA game i watch.
finally, while it may “only be 2 points,” the difference between a travel and a point scored in a home playoff game in the west can get the crowd into it, and
Comment by Rob -
Mark is right on the money once more, I wish half the owners in this league cared about their teams half as much as Cuban does. If I owned a team and invested my money in it, I’d do everything possible to make sure that my investment is successful and that’s what Cuban is doing here by monitoring the refs. He pays people to keep the stats and then Cuban tells it how it is because people listen to him, not some random guy keeping stats. Keep up the good work Cuban, I’m an avid reader of your blog and enjoy reading your opinion, especially on the numbers concerned with officiating.
Comment by Brian Damhoff -
Thanks Travis for a great post! I’m not sure where I stand on whether or not it should be a travel. Tossing it off the board can lead to some spectacular looking plays, but it can also allow for sloppy play. I guess the question is whether or not putting up with the slop is worth it to see the golden plays.
Comment by Kevin -
…why some of you will never be billionaires.
Comment by pimpy pee. -
Let us all just thank Bob Sura for this conversation piece. If he hadn’t thrown the ball at the rim to get his 10th rebound, then the league wouldn’t have thrown a fit about it, and then Mark wouldn’t have thought it silly and refrenced a stupid play by Kobe, and then all of us wouldn’t have anything controversial to debate in our downtime at work.
It’s funny to me that all of you focused on the Kobe part of the debate instead of the Bob Sura part. Is it because Kobe is a more recognizable name to you all? Are you giving Kobe “Star Treatment?” I suppose you aren’t going to start Bob Sura on you Virtual GM squad next year?
Let us all rejoice in the fact that we are just like the people we despise.
Comment by Travis Richardson -
You can write what you want…this is my last reply…fyi…my husband and I both have educations…and even if I did work at DQ…what’s wrong with that…at least I’d be working! I just think it’s wrong to blast someone for caring about their team….I’m not kissing anyone’s anything either. You don’t need to be so bitter with people. We all wanted to be part of the show.
Comment by Krissy -
O.K. I am a huge Kings fan, always will be. Mavs are my second favorite team and it makes me really dissapointed that one is going to go down in the first round. I must admit that you are right about C-Webb’s “pass” to the backboard/to himself. The only problem is that he actaully took a shot that he tried to get it in. After the lax D by the Mavs next to him he simply made sure it went in. I agree that the refs are little shit heads sometimes, especially when playing the Lakers, but let it go and start bitching at your team to play some D.
Comment by KvM -
A lot of people are missing the real issue that Mark is pointing out in this post. He’s not simply whining about a missed call in a game, he’s pointing out an example of the inconsistency and favortism that exists within NBA officiating.
Look at one of his previous posts:
(No Triple Double? I have a question…Posted Apr 13, 2004, 3:39 PM ET)
“If the NBA cares about stats, then care about stats and be consistent. . . . If the NBA cares about enforcing the rules, then enforce the rules across the board. People wonder why there is a perception about a star system. Not a peep about Kobe, and a press release about Sura.” http://www.blogmaverick.com/entry/6573571713523336/
I can understand why Mark would be frustrated and post in this manner. The league sent out information about calls that would be made in the playoffs, and yet they aren’t being called. What is going to take for there to be some consistency?
Please think and evaluate the real issues before lambasting one of most progessive forces in NBA ownership.
Comment by Kevin -
How about putting a team together that can win championships rather than bitching about refs. Get over the fact the Mavs will be 1 and done shortly. Walker sucks and needs to go and w/out defense, you ain’t going nowhere buddy.
Comment by DallasMavs -
Some of the people on this board really need to go to some anger management classes. Please ladies and gents, let’s keep the personal attacks to yourselves, and contribute something worthwhile to this forum. Thank you.
Comment by Dr J -
I was irate when I saw Webber hang on the rim and slap the backboard. What the hell? That was more obvious than the Webber pass to himself. How could any ref miss the “slap”? Isn’t taunting illegal as well as hanging on the rim? That would be 2 technicals on C-Web, he would be gone…
Anyway, the Mavericks can win this series without any bias from the refs. Lets win the next 3.
Comment by justjump -
Krissy,
Oh and Krissy one more thing.
Dairy Queens hiring…..I’m sure Mark could get you on there if you can get your nose out of his ass long enough!
Comment by jeffrey saunders -
Krissy,
Suck my cock! and your husband can suck it too! Maybe thats why your so bitter! You need to get over yourself and under your husband. Maybe that would give you something to do other than pick others apart!
BITCH!
Comment by jeffrey saunders -
if anything there is ref bias AGAINST the lakers… look at javie, he T-d up the whole team against mavs earlier this year
Comment by Sam -
There is no such thing as an unbiased referee. Playing high school basketball only makes that blatantly obvious. It was because of bad calls that we missed the state playoffs. Sorry Mark, but the refs probably are out to get you. That’s theprice for speaking your mind.
Comment by Josh K. -
I agree with some of the posts in here about possibly the NBA keeping track like Mark does now. I love Mark’s style and intelligence as a basketball owner. Living in Az, we’ve had Jerry Colangelo as the owner out here and he will do whatever it takes for his team to win as Mark does. I’m a huge Cuban fan, but honestly it does get old hearing you whine about the refs every other week. Your team lost by more than 2 points. It’s got to be tough being an NBA ref. Obvsiously it’s their job and they’re paid good money, but we all make mistakes. Let the NBA handle the ref situation and work on picking up a couple players that play defense and rebound! I am a Mav’s fan ONLY because of Mark, but the ref’s aren’t losing these games for you guys.
Comment by Matt -
exhibit A. Los Angeles Lakers
Comment by Brian Dimm -
“what we have here is a failure to communicate, theres just some men you just cant reach, so we get what he had here last week, which is the way he wants, well he gets”
i think they let it go because its the way he(the league) wants
mark, i dont think that a pass off backboard is bad for game and should be let go, and i am no hipocrit, so good for webb on his play and good for kobe, its an exciting play that enhances viewing pleasure, which is what you do with your team, you field a team that is fun to watch but not exactly best team, considering their lack of defense.
by the way…
I love GNR.
Civil War is a kick-ass song.
Comment by Sam -
What about the missed technical foul on CWebb for hanging on the rim? I know I wasn’t the only one who watched him chin himself on the rim after a dunk with his left hand while he slapped the backboard with his right. There was no one underneath him, so the safety exception was not a concern.
Jamison also got called for a travel when the ball nicked the rim after his shot. Finley was arguing it was a “slip”, but regardless the ball glanced off the rim before Jamison caught it.
The NBA has allowed the players to get away with more and more over the course of the years while they were marketing the “flash” of the game. Now that the game is popular, they can’t reign it in because the bar has been set so low.
Mark’s on to something here, and I for one am glad he is voicing these opinions. Seems like the Mavs got hit with three or four defensive 3 second calls the game after he posted the ref’s stats for the first time. Draw your own conclusions…
Go Mavs!
Comment by Bruiser132 -
Of course by:
“wondered why HE wasn’t in federal prison…”
I meant C-Web, not Cuban.
Comment by Joe Schueller -
When I saw CWeb on SC this morning, I wondered, “What did Cuban have to say about that one?”
I also wondered why he isn’t in federal prison or if he’d refund all the U of M student’s season tickets from the year his actions kept them out of the tournament, but I digress…
Mark, does the leauge still maintain that they have to interpret the player’s intent to score (almost impossible at game speed) vs. hitting the rim (easily interpreted)???
Comment by Joe Schueller -
It seems that Robin Hood has not learned that in life details matter. They matter especially to people that are told one thing and then see it demonstrated differently on the court. The NBA machine is slow to change, if at all, so as I see it Mark has to work ten times as hard for them to even take trying to change seriously. If they ever do it will be slow and I’m sure they will say it was their idea.
Comment by andy chiabotta -
Here’s a great website for you to visit.
http://www.monster.com
I’m sure you could find something there!
Comment by Krissy -
Alright, I see how you want to voice you opinion on the refs, and how they are inconsistent and have a lack of communication in the NBA, but there has always been issues. Actions speak larger than words == get in thier face next time, and thenwrite about how you did and why.
BUT == if we are talking about lack of communication, lets get on the Jeff Saunders band wagon == way to go my vocally gay friend. We all want to know, there are many people on the realitytvmagazine.com boards that are griping, there are people here and there are sure people on the sideline that want to know. I am just taking my own advice about actions, but getting to a billionaire is quite hard, so I applaud you for this forum.
The way it has been outlined is that today is decision day? o maybe I am jumping the gun and should wait for a post tonight? I am not expecting my phone to ring == but I do want closure. Supposedly LA was this weekend, can you not let us in on that?
unfortunately, myself and many others feel like we are being toyed with and left in the dark. you had ripped on mckeever for duping you and us, but at least he was straight and clean the whole time. Are you trying to see what a million dollars and the chance of a life time will do to people? well, that is an easy one, it will drive us crazy and make us want it more, especially when we dont know if the door has been shut.
Please Mr. Cuban, make an update and dont pull some Willy Wonka riddle.
Jay
If there was any offense in this, it is just from a weeks worth of nerves, I dont apologize, but I do not mean it to be taken with the worng impression.
Comment by Jay -
Jeff, get off your high horse. Mark was involved with his team long before the Benefactor. How dare you blast him for caring about his team. Get off your couch and go get a job. You can’t bank on someone else to bail you out because you are unemployed. Your probably collecting unemployment checks and costing the rest of taxpayers money! I also applied for the show ….. BUT I was a Maverick fan long before and will remain one long after. I too, could use the money but I work and so does my husband…. yet we can still barely make it! We will both continue to work … and will both continue to watch basketball and even though I wanted to be on Marks show so bad that I could barely stand it I am not holding it against him that he didn’t pick me….my gosh…get real…they had a ton of well deserved applicants!
Sorry if this sounds harsh but you need to get over yourself…there are plenty of places you could work!
Comment by Krissy -
i couldnt agree more…let the players play. but if the refs are gonna make calls…at least make them fair. you cant argue that the refs let the players play when they call a foul on one end, and then the exact same thing happens on the other end with no call. thats not right.
Comment by Jordan -
The league’s had plenty of time to get this rule enforced if it wanted to…Tracy McGrady did it during one of the NBA’s biggest events last year during the All-Star game. I wonder if Mr. Cuban pointed that out to the NBA?
Comment by Keino -
… the Fans come first and the Mavs belong to the FANS, and I am a FAN of the MAVS, but I am also entitle to my opinion about his over zealous opinions on the Ref’s. I mean come on now… Tell me he is not overboard on the Ref’s. The guy almost has a coranary after every call. I am as much a MAVS fan as anyone out there but damn…. let the players play…
Comment by Robin Hood -
Now I ain’t gone kiss M. Cubans ass (thats not my style) but He is the owner of the Mavs and ‘YOU PEOPLE BETTER BACK OFF”! Incase you didn’t notice, this his blog and he is simply voicing his opinion. Get off my Team!
Comment by Michael Patterson (Alplication #12) -
I’m glad I’m not the only one that has noticed that the refs tend to be biased, and that the Mavs never seem to get that side of it. It’s awful and it pisses me off. I’ve e-mailed the NBA before about the blatant miss-call and non-calls and always get the same “they are professionals/ we teach them not to be biased” crap. Like hell they’re not biased. They are human, of course they have a team that they prefer, but damn…leave it at the door. It’s supposed to be a fair game, although it never will be. I’ve come to the conlusion the entire NBA just really dislikes the Mavericks. For what reason, I’m not completely sure. Because Mark is outspoken and doesn’t dress “appropriately” for an owner…I’m sure that has something to do with it. But I also think that the league just got too used to not liking the Mavs when they were so bad for so many years, that they just haven’t managed to get over it yet. It’s a shame, but it’s probably true. F’em.
Comment by Jordan -
Let’s see here… The buy is a billionaire has a wife and a kid and spends most of his time counting basketball reff statisticas… and needs you to defend him…
If I have his billion I would be watching the Mavs games from Balli and have someone else manage the ref statistics.
Comment by Robin Hood -
Awww, you guys are killing me, the post about does it seem like the Mavs are always short handed when it comes to the refs. Come on guys. EVERY team feels that way, you cant go anywhere without someone saying “oh i think the refs are out to get duke” or someone else saying “oh i think the refs let duke get away with murder”. The problem is EVERY call becomes magnified when its YOUR team. I doubt the Mavs get anymore or less calls against or for them than any other team,, and what ever the difference is im sure its small % points either way. …….And in regards to Mark getting a life, I think keeping the refs stats are revolutionary. Its a great idea and I hope the NBA catches on to the demand that we need some sort of system of keeping the refs accountable for their calls.
Comment by Scott Sewell -
Mark, With all due respect! Nobody gives a crap about a stupid basketball game right now. Many of us have been sitting by our computers and phones all weekend waiting on a call about the Benefactor!
Get your priorities straight! You say you want to work with people who are not afraid to yell at you to get your attention…..WELL CONSIDER THIS YELLING!
I have banked a lot on this tv show! I want to be on the Benefactor so bad I can literally taste it!
I am unemployed! I got very far in the audition for the Benefactor……and then all of a sudden NOTHING!
What is going on? Make an announcement about that! For just 5 minutes, put your precious basketball team on the back burner! You have a lot of people hanging here that spent a lot of time and effort to audition for your show!
HAVE LITTLE RESPECT FOR US! MAKE AN ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT YOUR SHOW!
JEFF SAUNDERS
“THE GAY REDNECK” FROM GEORGIA
jwsaunders@Yahoo.com
BENEFACTOR WINNER!!!!! (if I am given the chance)
Comment by jeffrey saunders -
Is a jump-stop a travel? That’s a tough one, because so many players have been doing it for so many years with nary a call. As I understand it, this occurs when a player drives to the basket, picks up his dribble and takes one large step. But then instead of taking the second step and elevating he lands on both feet and power-jumps off both feet for the shot. The problem is when that first step covers SO much ground (ahem, Kevin Garnett), it really makes this move A) very very effective and B) very very suspicious looking. For refs to start calling this now would render a lot of superstars’ signature moves unusable. It will be interesting to see what happens…
Comment by Jesse Leo -
a failure to play defense! You ” call” the refs on their mistakes.
It embarassing.Payback is a B***h. BTW Sterns nose hairs are used for Trumps “piece”
Comment by NoLife -
I’ve had a problem with the ref’s both in the NBA and just High School ball. I don’t think that there are really un-biased ref’s as it always seems the teams that have the stars seem to get away with a lot. I’ll update again later once i’m out of school.
Comment by A.J. Burrington -
“Makes me wonder if you need to get a life.”
basketball is his business, and he’s a billionaire. he already has a wife and kid as well. what more of a life does he need to get. he just wants to see the general quality of the product he does business in increase.
Comment by MG -
Do it sometimes seem as if either the refs or the NBA Staff (commissioner in particular) have favor for a team. If you agree do you also notice that our Mavericks are never in favor but always dealt the bad hand whither that be refs bad callings or poor team exposer (NBA promotions). I think its just sad and somebody needs to dig a little deep into this issue (cough er-rumm Mark Cuban cough:)
Comment by Michael Patterson (Alplication #12) -
a failure to communicate the rules cost kwame (and troy) a true shot at sitting next to trump.
(ie. kwame didn’t know he could “fire” someone)
mark, sometimes the failures may help hurt you, sometimes those lapses can help. i concur on your thoughts and your due diligence.
Comment by Cheryl Giuliano -
I actually saw it also and wondered to myself what the scoop was. I do have to say though you are really paranoid about the refferring aren’t you Mark? Keeping the stats the way you do and such. Rather odd if you ask me. Makes me wonder if you need to get a life.
Comment by Robin Hood -
Look, being a referee in the NBA is a very tough job and I am not about to say they don’t mistakes. I am sure if you ask these guys whether they have made mistakes or bad calls they would be the first one to admit it.
I even believe they may be a VERY SMALL MINORITY that are a little embittered at Mark Cuban for the attack he makes on their character on a game basis.
Is that really fair, no it’s not. I don’t think Mark intends to attack the character of NBA officials but that is almost assuredly what they perceive it as. I am almost sure he is really trying to say that the level of quality that officiating is at in the NBA needs to be raised. That officiating in the NBA should be at a much higher level then it currently is. His post of this topic is a good example of such in saying there is a failure to disseminate information properly and then act accordingly on said information.
The situation is this. There are much better avenues to raise the level of quality officiating then doing it in a public forum. In doing it properly he would not be perceived as attacking the character of officials that work very hard to make the NBA what it is.
• He could gather indisputable statistical information that could be presented during a private meeting of the owners.
• He could ask the owners to create an unbiased task force to observe the gathering of these statistics and then report to the owners independently.
• He could actually privately address the referee’s union and ask for them to work with him in addressing some of his concerns, or gathering this information.
• He could make a proposal to the owners that “Instant Replay” in introduced to the NBA on a trial basis.
• He could privately work with the Players Union to see if they wish to participate.
I could go on with numerous more. The thing is this Mark and I say this directly to you. When you play a pick up game there are no referee’s and you are expected to have certain amount of honor in accepting, voluntarily acknowledging when you foul someone. Most of us, you included, know the rules when we play and it is a matter of character regarding admitting you fouled someone. The same can be said for the referee’s; they are trying to do the best they can. If they need improving then channel your suggestions and methods for improvement through private channels without attacking the character or intelligence of the referee’s.
It is a matter of fair play….
Comment by Robin Hood -
As far as Cuban keeping stats on ref tendencies.
That is not obsessive. That’s professional sports.
All teams keeps stats; Cuban is just extending that
to referee crews as well as players and teams.
Comment by wow powerleveling -
What is going on? Make an announcement about that! For just 5 minutes, put your precious basketball team on the back burner! You have a lot of people hanging here that spent a lot of time and effort to audition for your show!
can’t even read your post with a straight face. Are you kidding, the Hawks are terrible.
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Comment by cntexcel -
Huh??? Are you not held accountable at your job?
The officials must review EVERY SINGLE PLAY that they call – and must also document the ones that they sometimes miss. It’s time-consuming, but necessary for them to realize what they’re doing right – and what they might be doing wrong.
Not only that, but there are observers at every game that track the plays – as well as NBA management watching and tracking the calls (no-calls… yes, there are good no-calls!).
Not only are their stats computed from game to game, but their ranking and playoff standings are generated from play-calling (among other variables: if the teams’ owners/coaches like them or not – no need to ask Cuban).
Another thing to consider: Where else but professional sports do we have officials making the equivalent of less than a one-game “salary” of a player… and you expect the players or the coaches/owners to respect the officials??
When Cuban can shout profanities from the stand and get a slap on the wrist (ok, a drop-in-the-bucket fine that goes to charity) – meanwhile the officials cannot respond, even while being escorted from the floor by security.
After watching game 4 in the AAC, it’s obvious that the name calling of the officials, including the continued use of the “N” word for the black officials, just masked the real problem: the Mavs choked, and choked the entire 48 minutes.
Way to foster such a great environment, Cuban…
Comment by Jay -
Hey Cuban, tell your huge team of coaches that Finley and Dirk might want to actually put their hand up in the air when they run over to a wide open player and look him in the eye…. pathetic defense, embarrassment… you know what exciting run up and down offense wins?? NOTHING
Comment by Steve -
I can’t even read your post with a straight face. Are you kidding, the Hawks are terrible. I understand you are a loyal fan but you are just making a fool of yourself. It doesn’t matter how many stats you find or how many teams that are worse then them, the point is that 13 NBA teams are still playing, and the Hawks are at home watching.
Comment by Jon -
I SEEMED TO HAVE LOST MY LITTLE FRIEND AND THOUGHT YOU COULD HELP ME FIND HIM. HE GOES BY THE NAME OF CHRIS MCKEEVER. I HAVE LOOKED EVERYWHERE.
Comment by ME PAM -
e.g., http://www.onelook.com/?w=refutation&ls=a
and
“And yes, please tell me that the Hawks are shit when they are clearly not in the league.” (The NBA or the league of sh*t? Does the league of sh*t have its own cable channel?)
and
“I’m not really seeing how 43 percent from the field is bad in the NBA today, that is 20th in the league, so there are teams with worse percentage.” (That’s true, and there are women uglier than Roseanne, but I wouldn’t parade her around in a bathing suit based on that premise)
and quite good
“Look at the Hawks record in the close games, they were 0-6 in overtime so its not like they weren’t competitive.” (No, it is like they weren’t competitive”
and dumbass is one word.
but I do stand corrected; the Magic, Wizards AND Hawks are all shit. Good point.
Comment by Josh -
If you are going to say that I used refute in the wrong sense, then get a dictionary. Refute is a transitive verb so when you link it with an infinitive (to be) like I did it is grammatically correct. Good try though on claiming I used the word incorrectly, maybe next time you can use a word that is in the dictionary (where is refutation??? good luck finding it asshole). Messenger shot down because he is a dumb ass.
And yes, please tell me that the Hawks are shit when they are clearly not in the league. Let’s see, they didn’t even have the worst record in the league and yet you claim that they are shit, not seeing that. Look at the Hawks record in the close games, they were 0-6 in overtime so its not like they weren’t competitive. They were a competitive team whenever they had a healthy roster, and they still beat some teams with only 8 players (Detroit pops into my mind). You claim no “go to” guy, look at the stats dumb ass, after the ‘Reef trade Stephen Jackson was a top 10 scorer, but I guess in your “objective” way of measuring this a top 10 scorer isn’t a go to guy. I’m not really seeing how 43 percent from the field is bad in the NBA today, that is 20th in the league, so there are teams with worse percentage. And its fairly obvious that you are a western confrence fan, so tell me then why the Hawks had a BETTER record against the west than the east??? Well uhhh….maybe you should do a little better research next time when you make such a stuborn comment about the Hawks. Look at how the Hawks performed over the last month, if anyone is the shit of the league its the Magic or Wizards, but for a westerner that only watches sportscenter I guess its understandible that you can think the Hawks are the worst team in the league, its not like you can just open the paper and see the standings.
Comment by Bob Dinterman -
Get over the non-call. I understand that if it was illegal it should have been called, but the game was basically over by then. Why not rant about your team’s inability to play defense or play on the road?
Comment by Samia -
Atre there certain posts that get deleted or bo not actually get posted? I have made a few that did not show up on here.
Comment by John -
A suggestion – when you flame on a guy for his use of words, make sure the sentence that follows the crack on the guy makes sense, e.g., I think “You kind of need an argument for their to be a refute” meant “there needs to be an argument made before a refutation of that argument is required.” Don’t shoot the messenger, I’m just passing along what my third grade teacher taught me.
I’m sure Sam doesn’t need anyone to defend him, but I believe his point (and my point a few posts back) was that the argument that the Lakers went out and bought free agents and this somehow diminishes their title run this year is a bogus argument. It’s also funny that this thread would appear on a Mavs board, a board related to a team which has, to the detriment of team chemistry, the salary cap, and apparently, defense, spent money like a drunken sailor the past four offseasons to no avail.
If the argument that people are bandwagoners is tossed into the mix, then the length of time that a person has been a fan of the team they are just hopping on the bandwagon of is a relevant topic. So the fact that Sam can remember Cedric Ceballos’ playoff roadtrip to the River, the Kobe Bryant rookie airball flameouts, and of course, my fave, Nick Van Exel bitch-slapping Steve Javie, means it is certainly appropriate to bring up these memories to refute an allegation of being a bandwagon Laker fan. (Note the proper use of the word “refute”)
I also don’t believe you correctly understood the thrust of Sam’s contention that L.A. and San Antonio are the only two teams likely to win the title. I (and the rest of the non-slack jawed folks on the board) realize that he did not literally mean that they were only two teams left in the playoffs, I think he meant that because they’ve won the last five titles, they are the only two teams with consistent post play, they have a history of not choking in playoff series (as opposed to a Minnesota or Sacramento), they are not in the Eastern Conference, and they play some form of defense (foreign concept in Nellieland), that they have the greatest chances of winning the title.
I would like your feedback on the reasons the Hawks don’t deserve to be called sh*t. By every objective measure, they seem to play like sh*t: 28 wins (would have been tied for the worst record in the West, but luckily they get to play in the developmental league that is the Eastern Conference); no bonafide go-to guy (they traded the human turnover machine that is Shareef Abdur -Rahim); they get outscored by an average of 4 and a half points a game; and they shoot 43 percent from the field.
But maybe you meant they weren’t shit in some sort of subjective way, like they are a classy franchise, or have the greatest fans, or something like that. This is belied by the worst attendance in the league. Their history does not help them either; it consists of such notables as the human carnival freakshow Spud Webb, Dominique Wilkens (he looked great on a poster, not so good in the playoffs), and, oh yes, Bob Petit, who no one on this board is old enough to remember, but who did beat the Celtics . . . in the 50s. Remember the Hawks choking in games 6 and 7 of the ’88 playoffs against a gimpy Larry Bird and the Celtics? That was special. And the new ownership is certainly going out of its way to put shine back in the old mantle, slashing all that payroll the season to sign such big ticket free agents as, um, well, no one this offseason. But I’m sure Steve Belkin’s telling the truth when he says that they are slashing payroll not to save money, but to get quality free agents to entertain a half-empty arena of apathetic fans.
I think you might be insulting sh*t by comparing it to the Atlanta Hawks.
Comment by Josh -
well your not invited to my birthday party anymore. so there…
Comment by Sam -
I saw that move, both when Kobe did it (and I growled in anger) and when Webber did it.
Look, I’m always going to root for the Kings – but you’re absolutely right about this. I would be furious if it had been the other way around (Dirk getting away with an off-the-backboard travel, or something like that), and I understand. Fouls have to be called consistently and accurately if the playoffs are to retain the integrity of the game.
Comment by Ben -
When did I ever mention I was a maverick’s fan??? Hmmm…nope not registering. FYI I’m a Hawks fan, you know the team that everyone calls shit but they don’t deserve it. Why does anyone care how long you have been a Lakers fan? They don’t. And why should we refute the fact that the Mavericks spend more than the Lakers? You cannot refute that, ITS A FACT like you already said(maybe you should spend less time looking up rhetoric, preposterous, petty, and absurd and spend more time learning what they mean). You kind of need an argument for their to be a refute. All of your previous arguments have been shot down anyway so I’d suggest you try not to continue this, its going nowhere. Oh and nice way to back up your argument that the NBA Champs will either be LA or San Antonio, I especially like how you backed it up by saying ” “, it really convinced me that those are the only two teams left in the playoffs.
Comment by Bob Dinterman -
Cuban, you sure know what you are doing.
Comment by Not Kobe -
i hate to say this, but it looks like our beloved mavs are going home after round one. i didn’t expect to be in this position because the kings-mavs series is always fun to watch, and we have done well against the kings this year. *but* obviously there are some problems with the team right now and i hope that they are dealt with in the off season.
above all, i’d like to give you, mr cuban some unsolicited advice. first, spend the money and get us a center please. i’m sorry but we just aren’t going to win a title in the west without some big bones in the middle (and i don’t mean big skinny bones like shawn bradley, okay?). second, please dump the baggage. bradley must go and so must walker. bradley hasn’t *ever* contributed much to the team and we’re wasting money on him. antoine walker is this year’s nick van exel – a selfish ball hog with a crappy attitude. and i hate to say this, but it’s time to trade eddie najera (too many injuries and he will never be 100% again). but aside from that, i think we have a really good core of players this year. if we could just take them and build from there with some *smart* acquisitions, we just might be good to go next year.
and P.S. you’re right about the refs. they are wildly inconsistent and it’s not fair to any of the teams.
Comment by anna -
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Comment by kelvin -
Rob said
“But the refs bad calls usually don’t have a direct impact on the final score because the calls even out over 48 minutes”.
If you know the “Vegas line” the calls at the end of the game are VERY important. Game 2 2.5 seconds left Allas down by 4,Allas fouls Kings,one ref signals the foul,But the free throws were never taken byu the Kings Why? The line was 5 points.You want to get a handle on the Refs follow the money.
Isn’t that from Deep Throat? The Watergate guy not the XXX movie.
Comment by Dan -
If you’ve ever spent time at some Vegas hotel pool on a Saturday, you’ll see some beautiful young women with older, short fat men. Apparently, women aren’t as superficial as most of us guys. Although I suspect that these men aren’t bus drivers or teachers.
Refs will always be a problem when they don’t make consistent calls for the rookies and the veterans. Anyone remember a foul called Palming? AI does it on his crossover dribbles. Never called. But the refs bad calls usually don’t have a direct impact on the final score because the calls even out over 48 minutes.
Comment by Rob -
how am i on the bandwagon if I’ve liked the lakers since I can remember??? I loved magic and remember being little and being so upset over his retirement. I remember the in between years with sedale threat, nick, peeler, magics attempted come back, ive been through it all with this team, and for you to say that I am the one on the bandwagon is preposterous and absurd. If anything some of you are bandwagon fans, fans that like the new high scoring, high priced mavs, though i am sure many of you have been around for quite some time.
Comment by Sam -
who cares. reffing is tough, but so is minesweeping. except nobody bitches at minesweepers. it’s a friggin’ game. do you really–REALLY–think referees care who wins the game, knowing simply that their jobs are on the line if they make the wrong call, regardless of which team is the benefactor of the call? Notice I said ‘wrong’ call, not ‘bad’ call. Wrong is more objective. Granted, an out-of-bounds call is black and white; they either get it right or they don’t. The other stuff is not so black and white. However, it’s much easier to grade the refs based on ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ rather than ‘bad’ and ‘good’ since the former terms can be much easier defined. For example, the ‘right’ call can be a ‘bad’ call if you’re Mark Cuban. I’ve seen him get pissed at refs for calling one of his players out-of-bounds. Now that’s hypocrisy at its finest right there. “Call things my way, but not when they’re against me!” is what he is saying in essence. I understand his heart is with his team, but his tactics are more at home at the local hoops park, not in an NBA facility.
Comment by patrick -
^that url will take you to an espn article about jamison being named 6th man. dont know how to make it an actual link…sorry.
Comment by Jordan -
I don’t think the aquisition of jamison was a mistake. I do however think walker was. Jamison has accepted his role with out question and will named on friday the 6th man of the year. he provides a lot off the bench…we need a quality player like him. walker is a problem…he is getting better, but i dont tihnk he fits with the philosophy of this team well enough. the jamison deal was great!
sports.espn.go.com/nba/ne…id=1786929
Comment by Jordan -
“If a chick told me she messed around with Gavin Maloof, I’d probably laugh my ass off. That is the posterchild for short, fat people.”
Get ready for your ass to come off, my friend… Gavin and Joe are known around the league as playas.
“And by the way, the majority of their wealth is inherited from their father who died in 1980.”
Yeah, I know.
http://www.blogkings.com. Still available… Get them online, Mark!
Comment by James Kung -
Mark, I gotta love your site and you have done a heck of a job putting together a fun team. But can you PLEASE stop complaining about the rep’s. I’ve never seen a championship won or lost from an overabundance of bad or good calls. It’s Defense that wins championships!! And good old Nellie will NEVER win a championship because he does not know how to teach team defense! Dallas is toast, ’nuff said.
Comment by Pet -
Everything you need to know about NBA refs and how they work can be found here:
http://espn.go.com/page2/s/simmons/020606.html
Scroll down to “Question: What was the most disturbing subplot of the playoffs?”
And yes, I know Mark would post on this when I saw it happen in the game. Throwing the ball off of the backboard and catching it again is going to happen a lot — guys are starting to think it is cool.
Comment by Nick Hodges -
If a chick told me she messed around with Gavin Maloof, I’d probably laugh my ass off. That is the posterchild for short, fat people.
And by the way, the majority of their wealth is inherited from their father who died in 1980.
Comment by John -
some of you guys are so petty its actually pathetic, and do you really think the pistons are gonna win it all? Its gonna be lakers or spurs. I can take all your laker misconceptions but I notice that none of you has been able to refute the fact that the mavs spend much more money than the lakers. interesting??? I’d like to see your rhetoric here.
Comment by Sam -
Chain of events for the Maloof brothers:
Weblog–>Newfound interest in the Internet–>Investment of net worth into failed Internet startup–>Startup stock plunges–>Maloofs bankrupt–>Kings disbanded–>Kings forfeit WCF against Mavs–>Mavs beat Pistons in 6…NBA championship, Nowitzki Finals MVP.
See? It only helps you. Please get them to blog! For the sake of the Mavs!
Comment by James Kung -
Please, for the love of God, tell the Maloofs to have a weblog. They are possibly the second most energetic owners in the NBA, second only to undisputably the most fervent, enthusiastic, dedicated young billionaire owner in sports today… Gordon Gund.
Anyway, tell them they need a weblog!! I know they’re incredibly busy people who may not have time between their trips to Vegas, Kings games, partying, women, partying, women, and women, but I want to have contact with them. We, the Kings fans, need representation! No taxation without representation! And believe me, after that Webber contract, there is definitely taxation.
In short, Maloofs –> Weblog. Please. For the sake of the Kings.
Comment by James Kung -
Mark’s points are valid (anybody remember the years 1989-1995, when teams stressing defense, errrrr, thuggery, rose to prominence as refs sat on their whistles?). Refs have always been inconsistent. God Bless Earl Strom’s consistent corpse.
Jon, don’t be a tool. One, it’s “role” players, not “roll” players. Example: A “role” player has role in the team’s system, while the Western Conference “rolls” over the Eastern Conference every year. Second, let me know when those Tayshaun Prince and Darko Millicic picks start paying dividends.
It is very ironic that on a Mavericks board people are questioning the “honor” of a team signing free agents. Who will the next crop of overpaid stars to be shipped to Dallas next year?
You know, I’m buying into this whole honor in team building thing. I don’t think any team that ever signed a free agent or traded for a player who later blossomed can take any pride in winning a title. The Bulls traded for Scottie Pippen, so they should be ashamed. I’m sure all those Seattle fans who got to watch Olden Polynice work on his vertical leap can take solace in the cheapness of the Chicago titles. Houston signed Clyde Drexler, so they should cut their banners down. RIP City can take pride in knowing that all those times they choked was due to the sneakiness of other teams signing quality free agents rather than adhering to the honorable Portland method of developing underachieving juvenile delinquents through the draft.
That being said, Mitch Kupchak is a tool.
Comment by Josh -
Are you really Cuban?
Comment by James Kung -
I love the Mavs and am happy when anyone gets as excited as I do about them. Mark, I love that you take the time and effort to keep track of the stats of refs, it can’t do anything but help the Mavs. It shows that you consider it a privalage and a joy to do something to help the team you own. That guy who said you need to get a life doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Keep on going the way you are and maybe one day it’ll really make a difference in the NBA.
Comment by Sarah -
It is very apparent even to the casual fan that the NBA sort of sways a ref unofficially on how they want a game called. I’ll give you two examples. In Tim Duncans rookie year they should have one that series against Utah. The refs practically handed them the game by bad or no calls. And in Jordan’s hay day how many times would he push off on a defender and drain a jumper. Remember in Championship series gansit Utah when the nation saw him knock down Russell and drain a three. All people want is game called fairly. Any way I would be concern if I was a Dallas fan is why bring Antawn and Antoine. Most people thought it was a bad move then and definitely think it is now.
Comment by Rizzo -
The NBA refs are on a power kick. They want to be able to make a difference in a game. This can be done by calling a foul or refusing to call one. They want to be a part of the action.
Comment by rafmex -
if we get the all defensive final that i predict (spurs, pistons) i don’t see detroit making too much noise. spurs are playing better than anyone in the nba right now, though no one seems to notice. pistons could take a game or two from minnesota, maybe even one from LA, but the spurs are going to roll through everyone. did you forget how they completely dominated detroit last month?
Comment by ryan -
maybe this isn’t the place to say this nor do i know if mr. cuban mind. but to your comments, it’s simple, mr. cuban is in charge of a multimillion/billion dollar enterprise and he can run it any way he feels fit. if he feels that the ref is hurting his bottomline, he can voice it or dissect it, which most of us would do in order to improve the situation. until you are in his position, just enjoy being a fan. plus aren’t you fan or a bigger fan due to the fact that mr. cuban have improved the team since he became an owner. i have watched the mavs way back in the day when they couldn’t break .500 with only michael finley carrying the team. so stop being a critic in an area that you are not an expert.
Comment by tom -
Yes Bob Yes go with that. LA thinks is they just sign a bunch of “good” players they will all come together in a happy winning team. Only the Red Wings can pull that off, but that is because their young players contribute just as much. The problem with the Lakers is the Lack of roll players. Every night each one of those players it trying to get back the spotlight. They could care less about the W or the rest of the team. They play with no passion, as long as they are going home to their fancy cars and slutty girls, they are happy. The best move in basketball this year Sheed to the Pistons. That signing alone will take the Pistons from a playoff contender, to World Champions this year.
Comment by Jon -
Sam I was bringing up the fact that your argument had no basis. The only teams that I can think of that didn’t make big signings and were successfull were the Spurs, Bulls(with MJ), and Jazz(Malone and Stockton ERA). So your Laker greatness is like everything else in hollywood, fake to all those that do not do a little research. Just go back to your bandwagon with all the other mainstream fans.
Comment by Bob Dinterman -
I want to know why on earth Marquis Daniels was still in the game at the end after he had already blown 4 layups during the game. if we had just made all of our damn layups we would have run away with this game. This is the first time I’ve ever admitted it, but I blame this loss on bad coaching. Stupid mistakes by Nellie.
Comment by Jordan -
Hey tough loss tonight…What I want to know is how come toine wasn’t in the game during clutch time? Hopefully you guys can win the next 2 games. KINGS SUCK
Comment by Karma -
You said it yourself, you’re a purist. You love the game on the court. Most people are there for the rest of the show. They don’t really care about travels and Def.3 seconds, and they love it when T-Mac or Jamal Crawford throw it off the glass…and bring the noise.
The NBA will continue to protect it’s product the way it sees fit…Keep the product profitable. Purists are S.O.L
Comment by Christopher Churnick -
karl and gary, for what 6 million, i.e. what tariq abdul-wahad is gettin paid by the mavs. and let me remind u that the lakers payroll is 15 million below mav’s, plus what is wrong with making smart trades? cuban trades for more big name players than anyone
Comment by sam -
“I also wondered…if he’d refund all the U of M student’s season tickets from the year his actions kept them out of the tournament, but I digress…”
I’m sure Webber would be happy to refund the money if the University would give him his share of number 4 U of M jersey sales (apparently one of the top three selling jerseys in college sports history). That’s not counting all of the other Fab Five merchandise that was sold.
One of the reasons many people, including Cuban if I recall correctly, advocate a more advanced farm system for the league is the hypocrisy of offering a college education as compensation for players who will receive no use (rather than money that players could use to pursue a college opportunity or other business ventures if their careers fail). Hopefully, Joe was being flip.
Second a question for everyone else reading the blog. With the plethora (sp?) of quality wing man that appear available, would the Mavs be prudent to make a deal in the off season for one of those guards in the offseason (especially with Nash’s contract expiring). Excluding Kobe (who the Lakers probably wouldn’t deal in conference), Iverson and McGrady both appear available, and with Howard and Daniels stepping up, the Mavs have expendable pieces for a player of that caliber. Just wondering, considering the Mavs lack of size will and lack of true go to wing man seem to be the factors that will prevent Mark from reaching his first championship.
Comment by Jeremy Anderson -
Let’s see, who out of Magic, Kareem, Worthy, Shaq, Kobe, and Karl did the Lakers actually draft??? Uhhh….mmmm…Magic and Worthy. Who did they buy? Hmmm….uhhh….Shaq and Karl. Then they traded for Kareem and Kobe. Granted the Kobe trade was basically a draft move, but still, the Lakers have never built a team on just drafts, they always go out and buy players. Whatever argument you had is completely flawed since 3/4 of the Lakers that are worth having on a team were bought (Shaq, Karl, and Gary).
Comment by Bob Dinterman -
“I want you to thoroughly realize how disappointed you are going to be rooting for a has been team when we are rooting for a will do TEAM!”
nice…but then again as i have pointed out, I am a lakers fan, yes eventually this era will end and we may not have a great team for a few years but I will not be dissapointed because I know that eventually my organization will return to prominence with truly great players that will go down in the history books, Magic, Kareem, Worthy, Shaq, Kobe, Karl, and many others, while you will enjoy the new “stars” that cuban will buy for the team on a year to year basis, but never become truly great and continue to fail to bring you a title. oh and if they care so much about the team how come your defense is so poor, defense is very much a team effort?
Comment by Sam -
First off let me just say props to Mark Cuban because you are just a freak and you’ve earned your success and I love reading your blog. I hereby declare you the peoples billionaire.
That said your public obssession with the refs is annoying me. They have such a tough job as it is. It seems heavy handed to bash them publicly all the time without them even being allowed to defend themselves.
I’ve watched alot of basketball and they aren’t perfect but if someone else can do a better job then go out and hire them! Otherwise these guys are the best and deserve respect and support! Basically you are telling your customers that you have second rate officials on the floor. Why don’t you publicly bash your coaches or players everytime they make a mistake? Or yourself? I haven’t seen you hoist any championship banners yet so apparantly you aren’t doing a perfect job either but for some reason the focus is always the refs mistakes.
The NBA game is so great and your team is in the playoffs and all you can talk about is the mistakes the refs are making. Your team will be golfing soon and it won’t be because of the refs so maybe you should spend some of that energy somewhere else. The refs aren’t going to ever be perfect so I hope I don’t have to listen to you cry about them for the next 25 years.
Comment by Jason -
Consistency is all that we as fans can possibly ask. If a rule is in the book then it should be enforced. I also have noticed the lack of 3second defensive violations. Cuban has offered to solve this problem by creating a task force to look at the referees and things. Traveling is HORRIBLE in the NBA.. Iverson, Ewing, Jordan, Malone, Shaq, all walk way more than its called. This is the NBA not the AND 1 mix tape series. Something needs to be done about it
Comment by Brandon -
Man, the Steve Javie lover obviously does not pay to watch
basketball. He’s a fan of egotistical referees who
think they are bigger than the game. I hate refs with short fuses.
The best ref is one whose name you don’t know. That means he’s
blending into the background and doing his job.
As far as Cuban keeping stats on ref tendencies.
That is not obsessive. That’s professional sports.
All teams keeps stats; Cuban is just extending that
to referee crews as well as players and teams.
Comment by Javie Hater -
for the league. It’s pure and simple. He’s applying business practices to the game itself. There must be consistency, and fouls and violations should be flat out called on a consistent basis.
Here’s the problem: right now, players pull, tug, hold, and push each other any and every way possible until they figure out the “threshold” for when it is no longer acceptable for that referee for that particular night. The physical (and illegal play) would create a lot of ugly ball because of all the missed shots.
Right now though, its a self fulfilling problem. The referees call the games a bit tighter at the beginning of the year, but as the games go on, the league doesn’t want 3-4 hour long games where the players are fouling like crazy. There’s no enjoyment out of it.
So either the players change, or the refereeing. I’d like the referees to bite the bullet and call the fouls all the time. Yes, it will slow down the game quite a bit for some time. But if we can get the calls much more consistent, we will have much more enjoyable games in the long run.
Comment by Just Me -
next to football, basketball is tough to properly officiate. if you were to call every violation, the game would take hours. the physical play alone would guarantee trips to the foul line for hours. now, I dont watch too many of the mav games but they dont play inside if at all, they shoot too many jumpers, dirk needs to take it to the rack, alone with antoine (I would take a four point shot if they had one)walker
Comment by Maurice Riley -
Actually I rooted for the Mavericks before they were the Mavericks they are now. Many people do not realize that the original Mavericks team with Tom Nisalke as coach moved to San Antonio in the 70’s. My father knew Tom and we went to the very first practice they had in San Antonio. A year or so later I moved to Dallas and rooted for the Mavericks back when Brad Davis played for them as he actually grew up 2 houses down from my cousins in Monaca PA, and actually dated my cousin Nancy Hood. I digress…
Although Cuban doesn’t need his ego stroked, I have said it before and will say it again. What Mark Cuban did/does for the Mavericks organization and the Players is unprecedented by any other NBA owner!
He gives them only the best facilities, resources, tools, equipment, and only asks one thing. THAT THEY WIN! With that incentive, WE, THE MAVERICKS, will bring the ring home very soon.
Can you say the same about the Laker organization or the pistons, knick, nets, kings, etc.
HELL NO!
That is why you hear all the whining and complaining from Shaq and Kobe. Talented as they are they have individual star mentality and not TEAM like the Mavericks!
So when you go back and watch your LA Lakers play again I want you to think about how good the Mavericks have it with an owner like Cuban.
I want you to remember how every player on the Mavericks roster thinks of TEAM first and themselves second.
I want you to remember how the Mavericks are approaching their prime while the LA Lakers are descending from theirs… into utter darkness as Shaq retires…. and Kobe decides to play for another team that offers him more money.
I want you to thoroughly realize how disappointed you are going to be rooting for a has been team when we are rooting for a will do TEAM!
Comment by Robin Hood -
i just thought it was possible to like cuban and frequent his site because i agree with many of his thoughts and the way he manages his team, and still hold my allegiance to the lakers, the team I have been a fan of back to the Showtime days. I expect to get crap, but i dont worry as much as you guys do about your opponents cuz i know my team can only beat ourselves. Also, where were all you guys when the Mavs sucked ass, pre-cuban era?????????????
Probably rootin for the admiral, figures…
Comment by Sam -
Dude, you are on the wrong bat channel if you think you are going to get any support for the LA Lakers here….
I will keep my comments clean but the only thing I want the LA Lakers to do is lose and go away…
This is Mavericks country Big Daddy and we don’t need no stinkin Lakers, Pistons, Knick, Nets, Kings, or anything else but Mavericks!
So all you wannabe champions that want to spout off about your team… if it ain’t the Mavericks…
THEN THIS AIN’T THE PLACE!
GOT IT!
Comment by Robin Hood -
I’m uneducated? Please, tell me who said that you can pass a ball to yourself? Right, that was you. And if I am just “one peice of uneducated white trash”, then you take the cake, “if that makes sense”. Reply back once you’ve asked your 8th grade english teacher what that last comment really meant.
Comment by Bob Dinterman -
whoever mentioned javie… we need more refs like him. He doesn’t take the crap from the “star-studded” LA squad that every other ref takes. In fact; he’s the guy that used to eject Barkley whenever he got the chance. MORE REFS LIKE –> JAVIE <-- I think it's pretty clear that anybody who has anything to do with broadcasting or commentary for the NBA KNOWS that what's good for the lakers is GOOD FOR THE NBA. I'm pretty sure I watched an entire season go by and heard only one thing over and over. LA LAKERS. The league wants them to win.
Comment by Brian Dimm -
If he was doing a better job with his team, a simple call would not effected on him. Refs make bad calls all the time (again the haman aspect) you can put your whole game on the back of the ref. Just do a better job Cuban, and instead of using ure time crying about bad calls, do somthing to make those calls not matter.
Bill your out of your element, At this moment, Detroit is one of the best teams in the last 4 years. You just sit back and watch the domination start.
Comment by Jon -