Durant not a fan of NBA’s plan for refs OAKLAND >>
Warriors forward Kevin Durant is not totally convinced that the NBA’s five-pronged plan to address relationships between players and referees will ease the tension that exists this season.
“It’s a matter of what are they trying to get accomplished,” Durant said after Warriors practice Friday. “If they’re trying to go and have a therapy session between the refs and the players, it’s pointless to do that.
“No player is going home at night thinking about a ref, what they said to a ref, and going to sleep mad at a ref. And vice versa. They just need to make sure all the rules are clear because they switched up the rules this year.”
The league announced Friday that the plan will include referees meeting with all 30 teams before the AllStar break “to discuss rules interpretations, on-court conduct and the expectations of NBA referees.”
Durant, who has the second-most technical fouls in the NBA (10) and has been ejected four times this season, said it could be a good opportunity for some mutual understanding if it’s handled well.
“It’s good to let us know what they’re thinking out there,” Durant said. “And it’s good for us to let them know what we’re thinking as players as well. It’s about the dialogue, trying to make the game better.”
The Warriors have been struggling with the officiating all season long. Draymond Green leads the league in technical fouls with 11.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr called the five-pronged plan “great.”
“The more communication, the better,” Kerr said. “I think it will be really good for our guys to be faceto-face with some officials out of the arena, maybe on the practice court, for real conversation, a chance to get to know them, personalize the relationship a little bit. I think the league’s doing a good job with it.”
The plan also includes re-emphasizing “respect for the game,” expanding the league’s “rules education initiative” to make sure coaches and players have clarity, providing officials with conflict resolution training, and creating more opportunities for “engagement” through the NBA’s Officiating Advisory Council.
Kerr said transparency and communication will only help improve the game.
“It’s mainly just sitting in front of each other,” Kerr said.
“Like anything else in life, it’s much easier to just talk something out, and that way each side can bring up what’s important to them, and you can initiate a conversation and just figure some things out.”
• The Warriors listed Durant (left foot soreness) as probable and second-year guard Patrick McCaw (midback strain) as questionable for Saturday’s game against the Celtics. Nonetheless, Kerr said he expects them to play.