NBPA Hints At Legal Action If Rash Of Technicals Continues

Hunter May Seek Legal Action Against NBA’s On-Court Conduct Policy

NBPA Exec Dir Billy Hunter may “seek legal action” against the NBA if it does not “lighten up” on its new on-court conduct policy, according to Brian Mahoney of the AP. Through the first 51 games of the season, 122 technical fouls have been called, compared to 66 through 50 games last season. Hunter: “It’s incumbent upon [NBA Commissioner David Stern] to kind of tell the referees, instruct them they got to back off a little bit.” He added if the strict calls continue, “we will probably be compelled to bring an unfair labor practice action or something.” NBA Senior VP/Basketball Operations Stu Jackson said that the league has “heard only a few complaints from players, but Hunter said he has received plenty of calls.” Hunter: “My staff is talking regularly back and forth with [Stern’s] staff. If we think they’re not being sensitive at all, it usually requires a session between myself and David. We haven’t had it yet, but the way things are going, I’m sure I’ll be calling him in the immediate future” (AP, 11/8).

CODE TALKERS: ESPN NBA analyst Tim Legler said of the code of conduct, “As the season goes on, (the players and coaches) are going to get used to it and I think it’s actually going to end up being good for the league. It will speed up the flow of the game. People don’t want to tune in to watch guys whining and complaining all the time” (“Jim Rome Is Burning,” ESPN, 11/8). ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith said Stern “doesn’t deserve to be vilified” for the new policy, but he added, “By bringing up this stuff with the technical fouls, now you’ve got a lot of the ... haters, a lot of the critics, a lot of the cynics, that are looking at the NBA and finding yet another reason to point to the behavior of these players. ... I think that Commissioner Stern has brought the wrong spotlight on these players at the very worst possible time, considering the image issues that they’ve had” (“SportsCenter,” ESPN, 11/8). ESPN.com’s Bill Simmons listed the policy as one of the “biggest story lines coming out of Week 1” of the NBA season and wondered, “Is it a good idea to give complete and total autonomy to a group of people [referees] who, in some cases, are astonishingly inept at their jobs?” (ESPN.com, 11/8).

OH, AND THE BALL: Simmons also listed the new Spalding game ball and wrote, “There is no way in hell that the new ball bounces like the old one did. ... [The NBA] did this to increase scoring, no different than MLB juicing their baseballs back in the late ’90s. This particular ball might bounce correctly when being dribbled, but it strikes the rim and backboard like a semi-flat ball that’s been sitting in the garage for five years” (ESPN.com, 11/8). ESPN’s Jim Rome said Stern “whiffed badly” on the new ball. Rome: “Look Commissioner, nobody likes to admit they’re wrong, but in this case, you’re wrong. Just see if you can work up some sort of quid pro quo. You know, the players wear suits and leave their guns at home and you give them back their leather rock. It’s a win-win.” But Legler said, “I can’t imagine David Stern ever admitting that he made a mistake, or the league for that matter. Obviously, it was a financial decision going with that new basketball” (“Jim Rome is Burning,” ESPN, 11/8).