Lakers’ JJ Redick Blasts NBA Officiating During Press Conference
Tension between NBA officials and NBA head coaches is nearing a boiling point of late.
On Friday night, Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch went viral for going ballistic and getting ejected over a terrible no-call in the Wolves-Thunder game. Finch was widely supported across social media for his efforts.
Earlier in the week, Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka was fined $25,000 for his post-game comments about officials for the Rockets-Nuggets game on Monday. Udoka said that two of the officials had “no business being out there” and that a third was “star-struck.”
On Saturday night, Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick joined in on the fun after watching his Lakers fall to the LA Clippers.
Redick was far more diplomatic and composed in his remarks, which certainly didn’t take away from their effectiveness. Redick’s main point was that there is no consistency between different referee crews, particularly when it comes to the process around challenging calls.
Redick also claimed that while the league has a built-in system to respond to queries from head coaches about officiating, the system appears to be artificial in nature.
“The consistency needs to be addressed,” Redick said. “I keep asking the league to please reach out to me and respond. … I don’t get any response from the league. Nobody ever reaches out to me. … The definitions just get changed every single night.”
Among the most problematic official-related issues facing the league is the foul-baiting epidemic. It’s a dilemma that’s had many fans pointing fingers at reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who has turned foul-baiting into something of an art form over the past year or two, which many fans believe is ruining the integrity of the sport.
San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama received a ton of support for his recent veiled criticism of SGA and the Oklahoma City Thunder. After defeating the Thunder in the NBA Cup semifinal, Wemby told reporters that he was proud that his Spurs play “ethical basketball,” which fans collectively understood as a dig at SGA and OKC.
Finch has previously been outspoken about the fact that the Thunder “foul a lot” on the defensive end, which contrasts sharply with the sense that “you can’t touch Shai” (i.e. defend him) on the other end. In essence, Finch has pointed out a double standard that officials take when dealing with Oklahoma City.
It’s clear that things are reaching a breaking point with NBA officiating. What’s unclear is what’ll be done about it (if anything). At the end of the day, this isn’t a new problem facing the league, even if this iteration of official-related issues is unique to the modern game.