Unnatural acts
It’s easy to criticize the National Basketball Association — as Draymond Green did over the weekend — for the seeming inconsistency of its referees in applying the rules. After all, the league landscape is replete with examples of botched calls and non-calls leading to questionable outcomes. At the same time, however, it would be foolhardy to contend that the men in gray should get everything right; even as the ideal is clear, logic dictates that expectations be tempered given the impossibility of batting 1.000. With so much going on between 10 constantly moving players in a certain sequence, three watchdogs aren’t anywhere close to being enough to spot penalties with pinpoint accuracy.
The NBA cannot but be praised in trying to keep up with the athletes it polices. These days, it has a sophisticated Replay Center operation that keeps tabs on all its scheduled matches, overseeing reviews of whistles automatically triggered by a specific set of circumstances. It likewise holds continuous training of its officials, subjecting them to scrutiny and evaluation, and, in the process, identifying areas of improvement. Meanwhile, it proactively points out changes in the way the game is played, amending and adding to regulations as and whenever it deems fit.
In this regard, Green’s criticism of the way the NBA has handled unnatural acts is equally misplaced and unwarranted. It’s not simply because he knows its enforcement will affect him the most considering his predilection for flailing his appendages, and most especially his feet, in order to draw contact. It’s bad enough that he saw fit to lash out at arbiters following the Warriors’ loss to the Rockets last Saturday; he knew along with the teeming millions who watched the set-to that his kick to James Harden’s head merited a Flgrant Foul 1 call. Worse, he doubled down on his indefensible position yesterday, when he indicated in an interview after the Warriors’ shootaround that the league was targeting him with the crackdown.
The bottom line is this: If you stretch your arms and legs in an effort to buy a call, you’re fine. However, be prepared to suffer the consequences when you sell the play too much and hit an opponent en route. And, yes, the spotlight is on Green precisely because he has done so more often than any other baller. There’s no conspiracy to tag him. “We noticed last year that more unnatural acts, such as arm flails and leg kicks, [were occurring so as to draw the] attention of the referee. The competition committee looked at it and wanted to keep the rules fair for all teams, as well as make sure the health and safety of players were not jeopardized. We looked at it very carefully to take it out the game. Rules have to be applied to every player the same. There are no exceptions.”
Under the circumstances, Green would do well to temper his actions. He doesn’t need to resort to extra motions. He just needs to play, period. Heck, he’s so good that he doesn’t need anything but his unique skill set to get ahead. And the sooner he understands it, the better he and the Warriors can focus on the task at hand.
The bottom line is this: If you stretch your arms and legs in an effort to buy a call, you’re fine. However, be prepared to suffer the consequences when you sell the play too much and hit an opponent en route. And, yes, the spotlight is on Green precisely because he has done so more often than any other baller. There’s no conspiracy to tag him. “We noticed last year that more unnatural acts, such as arm flails and leg kicks, [were occurring so as to draw the] attention of the referee.