●02/25-02/26

●02/25

http://articles.ocregister.com/2010-10-19/sports/24819888_1_nba-vice-president-technical-fouls-fines

Welcome to the new NBA, where whining about officiating — and showing contempt through "overt" reactions — is no longer acceptable.
Five years ago, the league instituted a new dress code aimed at cleaning up its image, requiring players to dress for success on game nights. Coats and ties, collared shirts and sweaters, dress slacks and hard-soled shoes were in; baggy jeans, T-shirts and hooded sweatshirts were out.
This year, David "Very" Stern's image reparation edict revolves around cleaning up behavior on the court.
Specifically, the NBA is cracking down on whiners, complainers and on what it deems unsportsmanlike conduct.
This is the way Stu Jackson, NBA vice president of basketball operations and the league's czar of discipline, recently explained it: "We're going to expand the universe of unsportsmanlike actions that will be penalized. They will include air-punching at an official. Waving him off as a sign of disrespect. Running up to an official from across the court to voice a complaint. Flailing arms in disbelief. Jumping up and down and pirouetting in disbelief or clapping sarcastically at an official.

"Those are some of the types of actions that really have no place in our game."
And, of course, straightforward objections to perceived bad calls will not be tolerated, either. Essentially, verbal complaints about whistles and demonstrative reactions to them will be uniformly penalized. And all of the above will henceforth earn technical fouls — and free throws for the opposing team — as well as increased fines.

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Reaction to the crackdown has been predictably varied. Initially, Lakers coach Phil Jackson was in favor of the idea and said he believed players eventually would adjust to what the refs were calling. But Tuesday night he didn't sound convinced when I asked him if the new guidelines could be fairly enforced.

●02/26

http://articles.ocregister.com/2010-10-19/sports/24819888_1_nba-vice-president-technical-fouls-fines/2

"It's another one of those interpretive things that makes it very difficult to call," Jackson said before the Lakers' exhibition game against Utah at Honda Center.
"We had a situation the other night at the end of the game against Utah where consecutive fouls were called against (Lakers rookie) Devin Ebanks, and both of them were suspicious calls. He got upset, threw his hands up as a gesture (of protest) and got a technical."
The technical came with 45 seconds left at Staples Center, and the free throws put the game out of reach of the Lakers in a 99-94 loss.
It was only an exhibition game, but Jackson said, "You don't want to see something like that change the course of a game."

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It's been happening in exhibition games around the league. Four technicals were called in a 16-second span in a Boston-New York game last week. So you have to wonder if the NBA is overdoing it. Are NBA games destined to become stop-and-start whistle-fests?
What's next? Is Lakers guard Derek Fisher going to be called for a technical for smiling after a questionable call, as he likes to do?
Fisher tiptoed around the subject when I talked to him before Tuesday night's game, not surprising considering he is president of the NBA Players Association executive committee.
What he would say is he thinks there should be more discussion between players and owners about the new policy on technical fouls.
"The fans deserve to see the game played a certain way," he said carefully. "For the best basketball to be played, there should be a way we can be ourselves on the court."
And be allowed to show emotion?
He nodded. Then Fisher mentioned that Billy Hunter, director of the NBAPA, had released a statement decrying the "new unilateral rule changes as unnecessary and unwarranted overreaction" by the league and that there would be an "appropriate legal challenge."

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Stay tuned for the next whistle.