betED.com - The View from the Couch - by Gavin McDougald!
November 8th, 2006 - NBA Crackdown...
Steve Williams, the richest porter in the world, gets a lot of grief for the way he hassles fans who dare bother his boss, Tiger Woods. New Zealand?s highest paid ?athlete? has been known to chastise, shove, and even in one famous case throw, those who offend the easily distracted number one golfer in the world.
Golf is a gentlemen?s game - but only if you remain quiet.
It appears that that same sensibility is being applied this year, to of all sports, trash-sketball. David Stern saw what was left of his league?s image go up in flames in Detroit a few years back after Ron Artest took spectacular umbrage at being beaned by a beer cup.
The tiny perfect commissioner put his wee little foot down that day, suspending Artest for a record 72 games, and right there and then vowed to clean up his league. Gangsta mentality was out ? civility would be in ? or else. He cut down on the bling and the hip-hop clothes. At the start of this season he even took the major step of banning handguns. Odd as it may seem, the NBA had to actually make a rule for the players stating they were no longer allowed to carry their Glock?s around anymore. It was bad for their collective image. This after a certain shooting guard (ahem) fired off five shots at a strip club in the off season. There is no right to bare arms in basketball.
But all that is nothing compared to what came next. Stern established a strict dress code on the court. Wristbands are now limited in size and are to be worn on the wrists, not elsewhere, warm-up pants must be removed on the bench and not anywhere on the court or near the scorer's table. And Allen Iverson?s arm sleeves and Kobe?s leggings are now a thing of the past.
In other words, Stern is demanding uniform uniformity. Oh ya, and the players must be nicer to the zebras.
From now on, referees are always right, never wrong, and complaining isn?t just no longer welcome, it?s against the rules.
In a sport that had previously celebrated and revolutionized the art of trash talking, this is nothing short of revolutionary.
Kevin Garnett certainly thinks so.
"That's almost like Communism," he said. "That's like Castro."
Players who curse, throw their hands up, or make gestures that show disgust are now hit with quick technical fouls and fines: $1,000 for each of their first five technicals, $1,500 each of the next five, $2,000 each for five after that and then $2,500 for each technical starting with No. 16. A one-game suspension also comes at that point and for every technical after that.
Unofficially known as the ?Rasheed Rule,? the league?s leading whiner isn?t very impressed:
"In my mind, it's kind of like a slave and master or father and son. You've got your little son and (you say), 'Don't say nothing back to me.' And to me, that's totally wrong. It ain't like that in any other sport."
Clearly Rasheed ?Race Card? Wallace isn?t a fan of many other sports, probably any other sport in fact. There is no disrespecting of officials allowed in any of the big four. Taunting or showing a ref gets you an ?unsportsmanlike? call faster than you can say ?Terrell Owens.? In the other major sport, soccer, there is some official-bating allowed to some degree, but come on, those guys deserve it.
The impact of this dribbler wank-down has been dramatic. It has even cost team?s games. They have called 55 unsportsmanlike conduct technical fouls through Monday's games. Last season for the same time frame they?d called 18. Five players have been ejected thus far compared to one to start last season.
The players are now complaining about not being able to complain. Sports writers are complaining about how no one was complaining about the complaining so why change. And the talking heads are complaining about? well? talking heads complain about everything. They think it?s cute.
As for the fans, we?ve got to welcome this. These most recent changes to the NBA are the next step that Stern is taking in changing the NBA?s image from a league populated by uncivil, spoiled, disrespectful loudmouths.
His vision of the NBA is a league featuring professional athletes, performing at the peak of their abilities, without scaring the crap out of us fans.
Viva la revolution!
Cheers - Gavin McDougald - AKA Couch
Get your NBA Wagers in here!
November 8th, 2006 - NBA Crackdown...
Steve Williams, the richest porter in the world, gets a lot of grief for the way he hassles fans who dare bother his boss, Tiger Woods. New Zealand?s highest paid ?athlete? has been known to chastise, shove, and even in one famous case throw, those who offend the easily distracted number one golfer in the world.
Golf is a gentlemen?s game - but only if you remain quiet.
It appears that that same sensibility is being applied this year, to of all sports, trash-sketball. David Stern saw what was left of his league?s image go up in flames in Detroit a few years back after Ron Artest took spectacular umbrage at being beaned by a beer cup.
The tiny perfect commissioner put his wee little foot down that day, suspending Artest for a record 72 games, and right there and then vowed to clean up his league. Gangsta mentality was out ? civility would be in ? or else. He cut down on the bling and the hip-hop clothes. At the start of this season he even took the major step of banning handguns. Odd as it may seem, the NBA had to actually make a rule for the players stating they were no longer allowed to carry their Glock?s around anymore. It was bad for their collective image. This after a certain shooting guard (ahem) fired off five shots at a strip club in the off season. There is no right to bare arms in basketball.
But all that is nothing compared to what came next. Stern established a strict dress code on the court. Wristbands are now limited in size and are to be worn on the wrists, not elsewhere, warm-up pants must be removed on the bench and not anywhere on the court or near the scorer's table. And Allen Iverson?s arm sleeves and Kobe?s leggings are now a thing of the past.
In other words, Stern is demanding uniform uniformity. Oh ya, and the players must be nicer to the zebras.
From now on, referees are always right, never wrong, and complaining isn?t just no longer welcome, it?s against the rules.
In a sport that had previously celebrated and revolutionized the art of trash talking, this is nothing short of revolutionary.
Kevin Garnett certainly thinks so.
"That's almost like Communism," he said. "That's like Castro."
Players who curse, throw their hands up, or make gestures that show disgust are now hit with quick technical fouls and fines: $1,000 for each of their first five technicals, $1,500 each of the next five, $2,000 each for five after that and then $2,500 for each technical starting with No. 16. A one-game suspension also comes at that point and for every technical after that.
Unofficially known as the ?Rasheed Rule,? the league?s leading whiner isn?t very impressed:
"In my mind, it's kind of like a slave and master or father and son. You've got your little son and (you say), 'Don't say nothing back to me.' And to me, that's totally wrong. It ain't like that in any other sport."
Clearly Rasheed ?Race Card? Wallace isn?t a fan of many other sports, probably any other sport in fact. There is no disrespecting of officials allowed in any of the big four. Taunting or showing a ref gets you an ?unsportsmanlike? call faster than you can say ?Terrell Owens.? In the other major sport, soccer, there is some official-bating allowed to some degree, but come on, those guys deserve it.
The impact of this dribbler wank-down has been dramatic. It has even cost team?s games. They have called 55 unsportsmanlike conduct technical fouls through Monday's games. Last season for the same time frame they?d called 18. Five players have been ejected thus far compared to one to start last season.
The players are now complaining about not being able to complain. Sports writers are complaining about how no one was complaining about the complaining so why change. And the talking heads are complaining about? well? talking heads complain about everything. They think it?s cute.
As for the fans, we?ve got to welcome this. These most recent changes to the NBA are the next step that Stern is taking in changing the NBA?s image from a league populated by uncivil, spoiled, disrespectful loudmouths.
His vision of the NBA is a league featuring professional athletes, performing at the peak of their abilities, without scaring the crap out of us fans.
Viva la revolution!
Cheers - Gavin McDougald - AKA Couch
Get your NBA Wagers in here!
