Refs, like the players, are adjusting to the bubble life
Another important group, one that’s often underappreciated, recently arrived to the NBA bubble and began its week-long quarantine inside a hotel room with a complimentary physio ball, jump rope and stretch bands.
Monty McCutchen, the NBA’s Vice President of Referee Development, drove to Disney World with an exercise bike in his car and rolled it up to his hotel room. It was a pro as you said, ‘Hello,’ that the volume of communicamove. The accommodasmile on a cell phone could tion will have to be adtions for the referees aren’t be interpreted a million justed in Orlando. as extravagant as what the different ways in people’s “I’m sure coaches and players enjoy, and Mceyes. So we are in a differplayers are going to figure Cutchen understands why ent hotel.” out how to be heard withthey must reside in sepaMore than half the out trying to embarrass us rate hotels for the next NBA’s 70 referees were or one another,” Mctwo-plus months. invited to the bubble for Cutchen said.
The optics of fair play the 88 seeding games and In 2018, McCutchen, 54, are especially important in subsequent playoffs. They started his executive posian unprecedented enviwere selected through the tion after 25 years as a top ronment. usual process of picking NBA referee. He’s in the
“Robert Frost, a great referees for the postseason bubble to oversee the offipoet, once wrote, ‘ Good — it was based on an ciating, not to actually fences make good neighaggregate ranking from the blow whistles. But he’s bors,’ ” McCutchen told referees’ office, a computcertainly confident in his the Daily News over the er-generated analytical crew, and believes there’s phone Thursday. “Look, profile and input from inat least one benefit to our players and coaches dividual teams. refereeing inside the buband b le. referee she rear every The bubble games pr eprofessional. If they were sent unique challenges“Our officials are going to run into each other, no that can’t be reconciled to be much more wellone is going to be talking through normal NBA exrested. We’re not going to about the calls last night. perience. The main differbe having to get up at 4 a.m. Our players are too classy, ence is the absence of fans to get to a game and having our coaches are too classy, and, by extension, the lack three flights canceled and for that. of background noise. having to drive from Ken
“That being said, in the Whereas coaches and nedy to LaGuardia,” Mcage of cell phones, if you players might have to Cutchen said. “That’s gohappen to run into each scream to get the referee’s ing to be a positive for our other, and you both smile attention in normal times, group.”