SAN FRANCISCO – When NBA commissioner Adam Silver said Saturday that if he were a player for a day, he’d “stop complaining about officials,” there was laughter in the room. Even he grinned. Perhaps because he knows there is absolutely no chance of getting his wish.
There is no way on God’s green earth that NBA players will suddenly go mute on officiating. Questioning calls is part of game, has been since the first time one dribbles a ball. Beefing about calls is the soundtrack of playgrounds and gyms all over America.
There will be discussions about officiating as long as the famously probing and notoriously truculent Andre Iguodala as the executive director of the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA). And long as established stars like Stephen Curry and Damian Lillard are using their generally measured voices to express a desire for greater player latitude and a more transparent officiating process.
“I would probably want to see the refs’ grading system probably, let that be more public, the same kind of way our stats are shown on a nightly basis,” Curry said Saturday during Media Day at All-Star Weekend.
The NBA evaluates referees on a regular basis, but the process is private. So are the results. The most reliable way to grade the proficiency of officials – according to the league – is by peeking at their postseason assignments.
If an official is among the 36 on the postseason roster, it’s a soft indictment of their work. The 12 officials on the floor of the NBA Finals surely know the league considers them the best available.
But exposing the evaluations to the public – no major American sports league does that – is too transparent, according to Silver.
“Everyone in this room is familiar with human resources issues,” Silver said. “And nobody necessarily wants to have their employment record published. I think we just have to find the right balance there.”
The NBA can prove it is listening. It has in recent years moved toward transparency instituting a replay-review system, the option of coach’s challenges and the last-two-minute reports that are published on its website each day.
And there is at least the possibility of more features.
“I just will say that we welcome direct feedback from all players in the league, whether they’re top players or not,” Silver said. “And it is an ongoing discussion, and we’re always looking to improve officiating. NBA players are members of our competition committee, so we talk directly about it there, and we have our own conversations with Andre Iguodala and the Players Association about how we potentially can improve officiating.”
Yet one can understand Curry’s logic. His stats, like those of every player, are available and scrutinized immediately after each game. Judgment follows, sometimes praise and sometimes criticism. Coping with it is part of the deal when one becomes a high-profile athlete.
And Curry insists his reasons for transparency are pure.
“Not to make their job any harder because it’s a really hard job,” Curry said. “But it would be interesting from a fan and player perspective to know why a ref is a great ref and how they kind of rate their system a little bit.”
Players have varying levels of respect for officials based on personal interaction. They divide them into several categories, such as fair or awful, arrogant or cordial, low-key or look-at-me.
Lillard, if he were commissioner with the authority to make one change, would like more clarity in a fining process that many have implied is too subjective.
“I would change something about the fining system,” he said. “I feel like we get penalized for just about everything that comes with the emotions of the game.”
Draymond Green would agree. So would Kevin Durant, Anthony Edwards, Jayson Tatum, Ja Morant, Trae Young and many others.
The NBA will forever shield its officials from public scrutiny, but second-guessing is a part of the game. It is its own pastime, like debating music artists or fashion. The commissioner, deep down, knows that. Or he should. It’s not going anywhere. Nor should it.
