League has plan to help player-ref relationship
Rules education, conflict resolution offered
MIAMI — Kevin Durant was steaming mad over officiating this week, then eventually apologized after realizing he could have better handled his frustrations.
The NBA hopes all players and referees take the time for such reflection.
The league introduced a fivepronged plan Friday to try and improve how players and referees get along in games. It comes during a season where one of the storylines has been the ongoing deterioration of the relationship between the sides, with stars such as Durant, Lebron Jamesandchrispaulnotshyabout expressing their frustrations.
“What we’ve basically done is taken a bit of a step back,” NBA President of League Operations Byron Spruell said.
The league’s plan comes less than a month before the players and referees are set to meet in Los Angeles during All-star weekend. The NBA isn’t expected to have an official role, though clearly it wants more civility.
“Time is of the essence,” said former referee Monty Mccutchen, now an NBA vice president overseeing referee development and training. “This is an important issue.”
Mccutchen and NBA senior vice president overseeing referee operations Michelle Johnson will be among those starting to meet with teams, one of the five steps in the plan:
Discussing rules interpretations, on-court conduct and the expectations of referees with all 30 clubs.
A re-emphasis of the NBA’S “Respect for the Game” rules, with hopes of more consistent enforcement of violations.
Expansion of rules education by the NBA Referee Operations department for coaches, players and team personnel to provide better clarity of rules and interpretations.
Enhanced training for referees on conflict resolution.
An additional reliance on the NBA’S Officiating Advisory Council, which will be tasked with getting all parts of the league more involved in finding solutions to problems.
“That nature of public discourse these days is a bit rough,” Johnson said. “So what tools can we provide them to deal with this changing landscape? Over the course of the season, as the chippiness has gone on, we say there’s no time like the present to not just communicate with the referee staff but to talk with teams. This dialogue is all the more important right now.”