Blakely


Friday, November 03, 2006

Sheed sounds off...

2:50 p.m. 11/3/06

As you might expect, Rasheed Wallace had plenty to say about the league's renewed emphasis on giving out technical fouls, left and right, across the league this year.

Here's a few Sheedisms from today.

Sheed on the officials and what these new rule changes have meant: "All it’s doing is giving them more power than the majority of them can handle."

Sheed on player/official relationships: "If you already got a beef with a ref, then you gotta look out. And with me, that’s about 90 percent of them. It’s B.S., because you don’t really have to say nothing or really do anything. If they come in with an attitude, then you're S.O.L.”

For those unclear on what S.O.L. stands for, well, I guess you're just (fill-in-the-word-that-you-think-should-be-here) Out of Luck!

He also touched on something much deeper than technicals: discrimination.

Although he didn't spell it out clearly, I don't believe he was talking about racial discrimination.

Instead, I believe he was referring to what he believes is a league that targets him, and players like him, who are extremely emotional and don’t exactly fit into the cookie-cutter, idealistic views of corporate America. Rasheed is brash, he curses publicly and privately, and will not bite his tongue no matter how much money it'll cost him in league fines.

That's not the kind of player the NBA wants.

They want the clean cut, always smiling, jovial, kind of player that Rasheed Wallace will never, ever become.

That's why Dwyane Wade and LeBron James are their beloved cash cows, while Wallace is seen as something of a crazy, out-of-control thoroughbred that they would much rather see put out to pasture.

I don't totally agree with Rasheed on this one, but he does raise an issue that, since I've been covering the NBA, I believe to be very true.

Officials are no different than coaches or players. They come into every game with an agenda. While it may change during the game, an agenda still exists nonetheless.

And for players like Rasheed Wallace, that agenda is always aimed at trying to limit them from what many officials believe, is the player trying to show up the official.

I have no problem with officials having that mindset. Rasheed is a great player, but he does get a bit carried away some times and has had many blowups that warranted him receiving a technical. But when you hit a guy with a tech for laughing (which happened to Rasheed last year) during a game, and another time for yelling at his coach (instead of yelling at the official who pissed him off because he missed a call), it's clear those officials had agendas before the ball was ever thrown up.

This is not to paint Rasheed as some Saint or anything. Like I said earlier, he's done more than his share of dirt, and has deserved a lot of the technicals he’s received.

But that doesn't give officials the right to target him, which I believe is what we're going to see a lot of this season.

Sheed on the officials and what these new rule changes have meant: "All it’s doing is giving them more power than the majority of them can handle."

Well played Sheed, I think this is gonna help.

After watching a few games this season, its clear that the new rule is complete bullshit.

I would be fine with it, if it was consistent. But seeing Nocioni get teched for shrugging his shoulders and saying something like "What?" in the opener, and then in the Spurs games, Duncan would be shown after at least 4 calls arguing with the ref.

There is no fucking way that Sheed (amongst others) is going to get treated like the rest of the NBA - and for that, this rule is complete bullshit


Heres some interesting quotes to add...


Rasheed Wallace watched the Spurs-Mavericks game with high interest Thursday night. "Yeah, I watched that game," he said. "I didn't see no technical fouls given out there and I seen Tim Duncan do a lot of pointing and stuff like I did. All it is, is discrimination." Wallace, after holding his tongue for a day, finally had his say on his ejection from the season-opening loss to the Bucks on Wednesday. He was the first victim of the league's no-tolerance policy regarding disputes with referees. "In my opinion, it's really (garbage)," he said. "It's just given (referees) more power than what a majority of them can handle."


"I saw [Thursday] night with Carmelo [Anthony]. I thought they overreacted. It was crazy to see Carmelo kicked out, especially with the NBA really promoting Carmelo, Dwyane Wade, and LeBron [James]. It's a nationally televised game and Carmelo gets kicked out. I think the refs have to use better judgment with that. Then again, it's their call."
So basically, kick out Sheed, but not the posterboys... Isnt the NBA fun

+1

His first suspension should be around the All Star game.

Who cares how many techs he gets in the regular season?

If he misses a few games that means more time for Jason Maxiell, and that's a great fucking thing.

fuck that shit, I pay good money for season tickets and I want to see my boy rasheed play not get kicked out, absolute bullshit

Oh, poor boy. You've paid all this money to watch regular season games and if he misses a few it's the end of the world!

LMMFAO@you and people like you.

I would love to see Sheed have a few games off. It's better for the team. Nazr, Dice, Maxiell, Amir and Davis could hold it down for those games and both Max and Amir would be better for the experience.

But no, we can't have that. Gotta have Sheed play all 82, wear down before the playoffs and then suffer an ankle injury when we need him the most.

Un-fucking-believable

i worry more about Sheed's inability to STFU when he feels the refs made a wrong call......especially in the playoffs. let your case be known and end it. IMO, the refs are less likely to give you the benefit of the doubt when you're hootin' and hollerin' and acting the fool (no offense, Fool). no doubt, Sheed has a target on his back (you earn that when you lead the league in techs for several years), but that's no excuse to hurt your own team with your absence from ejection.

i love that Sheed plays with fire inside, but he needs to really adjust to the zero tolerance refs, during the playoffs. the team needs him, bottom line.

Oh, poor boy. You've paid all this money to watch regular season games and if he misses a few it's the end of the world!

LMMFAO@you and people like you.

I would love to see Sheed have a few games off. It's better for the team. Nazr, Dice, Maxiell, Amir and Davis could hold it down for those games and both Max and Amir would be better for the experience.

But no, we can't have that. Gotta have Sheed play all 82, wear down before the playoffs and then suffer an ankle injury when we need him the most.

Un-fucking-believable

I was about to write a serious reply then I realized you had to be kidding. No one would seriously suggest that having a starter suspended early and often would be a good thing. Phew, that was close.

how is it better for the team? I dont know if we were watching the same game last night against memphis, but sheed won that game for us. I dont know about you, but I dont want to be the team playing cleveland or chicago in the first round. The energy used in trying to beat those teams in a series would be far greater than that of playing every regular season game, which he is paid to do. I also think you have a misconception about the purpose of this league, it is not about anything besides money. I am paying for 4 tickets a game at 80 dollars a piece which totals 320 per game, if carmello gets suspended for going over the tech limit that is going to cost me money, I have lost all respect for the league since the Wade Lebron rules were implemented. I got stuck with season tickets this year that were over priced and right now I am just trying to break even this season. I payed to see Rasheeds emotions, if you were to tell me before the season that rasheed was going to be kicked out of 10 games this year I would have been pissed, just like I am now.

I was about to write a serious reply then I realized you had to be kidding. No one would seriously suggest that having a starter suspended early and often would be a good thing. Phew, that was close.

I am serious.

We're not talking about having "a starter" suspended early and often". We're talking about Sheed acting like a fucking fool far too often.

If Sheed is suspended early and doesn't get the fucking message then that's a shame but it doesn't kill the season. It gives other guys (like Maxiell and Amir) a chance at real playing time, which speeds up their development.

Yes, the team will suffer some because Sheed got suspended. But long-term it could be a good thing. The more our young guys play the better they should be and when the playoffs come around they will have more experience and be better prepared for the moments that matter.

you seem to be taking a less aggressive stance in your previous post vs your first

personally, i love the no-bitching rule. yea, its two-tiered. but what nba rule isnt? and guess what, if shed went out there, busted his ass, and focused on the game and not the ref's, he would have the same credility as tim duncan. its his own damn fault that sheed vs refs exist.

incidentally, its funny watching ben adjust to the rule. you can literally watch him hit the breaks right before he's about to throw a tantrum. good stuff.

how is it better for the team? I dont know if we were watching the same game last night against memphis, but sheed won that game for us.

It's one game. There are plenty of times last season his moronic battle with the refs cost us close games and there will be plenty of times this season his ass costs us games.


I dont know about you, but I dont want to be the team playing cleveland or chicago in the first round. The energy used in trying to beat those teams in a series would be far greater than that of playing every regular season game, which he is paid to do.

First things first: You're fooling yourself if you think any player in the league today goes all out all the time through 82. The playoffs are all that matters and Sheed always has/always will save himself for the real season.

Secondly, I'm pretty sure he'd rather skip some games against the crap teams and only play the best of the best.

Is that good for the fans or the league? Of course not. But Sheed doesn't give a fuck if you or the league are happy.


I also think you have a misconception about the purpose of this league, it is not about anything besides money. I am paying for 4 tickets a game at 80 dollars a piece which totals 320 per game, if carmello gets suspended for going over the tech limit that is going to cost me money

Again: LMMFAO. I am well aware that the league is all about money. I've known that for a very, very long time. Yes, people who buy season tickets contribute greatly to that big pile of cash. However, you're highly unlikely to cancel your season tickets because Sheed or any other player got ejected.

Sure, you'll whine a bit about it but if you do ever cancel your tickets it won't be because Sheed got ejected. It will be because you are pissed about the direction of the league, the "superstar" treatment and the decline of your favourite team or players.

And BTW, quit your fucking whining about how much you pay to watch a game. Try living in Australia with no free NBA coverage. Go to pontel.com and work out how much it costs someone like me to buy EVERY fucking regualr season and playoff game Detroit plays. I bought over 100 games the season we won the championship alone so STFU.


I have lost all respect for the league since the Wade Lebron rules were implemented. I got stuck with season tickets this year that were over priced and right now I am just trying to break even this season. I payed to see Rasheeds emotions, if you were to tell me before the season that rasheed was going to be kicked out of 10 games this year I would have been pissed, just like I am now.

Well, the Wade/Lebron rules suck, but they were in place last season during the playoffs, or didn't you pay attention?

And while you paid to see Sheed and are gonna be pissed if he misses games due to suspension you should have known that he was likely to miss a few games anyway. It's not like Sheed has a history of playing 82 games every season.

EDIT: Less serious stance? Sheed's techs aren't a serious topic for me in the fucking first place. We've got plenty of bigs guys that can step in and play if he misses some games.

Some people think giving Maxiell and possibly Amir some quality playing time is a bad thing. I don't understand that.

Personally I'd rather all our starters get some rest, play as few minutes as possible while our young guys get playing time.

Obviously we still wanna win enough games to get a good seed so it's a balancing act.

Basketball isn't a faceless sport. Hats and helmets don't obscure the face, and it's one of the few sports where you see emotion. For a lot of folks, that's part of the appeal, even if they don't express it consciously. If Stern tries to legislate too strongly against it, he removes one of the core things that make basketball appealing.

I agree that Rasheed shoots off his mouth too much. But his first tech had nothing to do with that and everything to do with just -looking- mad about a call. If you don't say a word to a ref or player and don't threaten them, you shouldn't be getting T'ed up. Fans want to see intensity. They don't want robots and automatons playing basketball.

If you don't say a word to a ref or player and don't threaten them, you shouldn't be getting T'ed up.

Exactly. fuck the nba.

http://www.need4sheed.com/savesheed.html

Dear Mr. Stern,

As NBA fans who Love This Game, we beg you to get rid of the Zero Tolerance Technical foul rule that you have put in place this season. We as fans understand you are trying to clean up the league, but we like the game with emotion and flair. How can you take the beloved game of basketball we love so much and sterilize it? We understand the need for technical fouls, but this has gone too far.

Do you expect fans to sit in our seats and not make a peep when our team wins a game on a buzzer beating shot? No we can't its the excitement of the game, we can't help but root for our team. If we can't keep quiet how do you expect a player to in the heat of battle?

We as fans would like to stop questioning calls that change the courses of games. You have put too much power in the hands of referees that are inconsistent and who at times seem unfair. It makes it hard for any NBA fan to question that a game has been called fairly.

Most of all please save Sheed. We happen to think that he's been treated unfairly over the past few years. Even you have rescinded quite a few of the meaningless techs he's gotten just for the fact that he is Rasheed Wallace. So Need4Sheed.com along with NBA fans around the world are pleading to you to SAVE SHEED and all the other NBA players that will surely be affected by your long arm of the law.

SAVE SHEED and the game of Basketball as we know it!

Sincerely,
The Undersigned
http://www.need4sheed.com/images/freesheed.jpg

I am serious.

We're not talking about having "a starter" suspended early and often". We're talking about Sheed acting like a fucking fool far too often.

If Sheed is suspended early and doesn't get the fucking message then that's a shame but it doesn't kill the season. It gives other guys (like Maxiell and Amir) a chance at real playing time, which speeds up their development.

Yes, the team will suffer some because Sheed got suspended. But long-term it could be a good thing. The more our young guys play the better they should be and when the playoffs come around they will have more experience and be better prepared for the moments that matter.

Maxiell is already getting minutes with Sheed in the lineup. Also, getting the bench integrated isn't purely a question of minutes but also developing a consistent rotation and having guys suspended isn't part of that.

Amir is still a project that won't do anything meaningful this year. Even if guys were injured/suspended when push came to shove they'd grab a big out of the nba spare parts bin before they'd rely on him. Save that fantasy for future seasons.

No matter how you spin it, Sheed's absence is bad for the team in the short/middle/long term.

Thats 4...

What was this one for?

So if Sheed is suspended for 1 game it's a bad thing?

If 1 game isn't a big deal, then how about 3? Or 4? Or 5?

At what point does it become a big problem?

Sheed missing 5 games via suspension all season is not a big deal to me.

If you see numerous problems with it then that's fine, but I'm not convinced.

Mon, Nov 6, 2006 at 10:10 PM
Chris McCosky
Javie's revenge (http://info.detnews.com/pistonsblog/index.cfm)

I hope somebody sends the tape of Steve Javie's technical foul call on Rasheed Wallace in the second quarter to David Stern. That was absolutely bogus. Sheed made a tough shot in the lane, thought he was fouled, and as he was running back he gave the and-one signal -- you know, the arm pump the refs use to signal bucket and a foul. Javie was out at center court and hit Sheed with the tech.

The call was a complete violation of the spirit of Stern's no-tolerance edict. Stern himself said that initial bursts of emotion would be allowed (within reason, of course). That's all Sheed did. He didn't show any official up. I go back to what I said about this edict -- it empowers referees to act out on their grudges. It's shameful. It's turning this game, one that I have loved for a long time, into a joke.

i didn't see the play in question.......was it that bad?

Currently on pace for 82 techs, lol.

Javie's a punk, but I'm guessing that the arm motion alone wasn't the reason for the tech, Sheed was yelling something too.

I say that call was totally bogus. He probably just said 'and one'. Sheed isnt on pace for 82 though, because at that pace he will be suspended about 20 games which puts him in the high 50s or low 60s. Maybe we should start a Stern assasination thread, with an over/under on when.

I say that call was totally bogus. He probably just said 'and one'. Sheed isnt on pace for 82 though, because at that pace he will be suspended about 20 games which puts him in the high 50s or low 60s. Maybe we should start a Stern assasination thread, with an over/under on when.

Good point on the tech pace.

Here's an interesting question.

If Wade or LeBron murdered Stern, would his lifeless body look the other way and let them get away with it?

yes matt- it truly was that bad. if that is a tech, then every player in every game would eventually get ejected each night.

absolutely disgusting how the refs are on this power trip. the nba is joke right now.

Blakely confirmed that Sheed said "And One" and that Javie was out at mid court when he called it (not under the basket where you might think that call would come from). That is total BS. I actually like the rule (i'm tired of all the complaining), but not when it is abused like that. If you aren't directly critisizing a ref, how can they call that?

I agree that the call was total bullshit but Sheed probably should of gotten T'd up later in the game when he went off and they just let it go. I was actually kind of surprised he didn't get booted.

Sheed likely wouldn't have gone off if he were respected by the refs.
It's a vicious cycle.

Blakley


Refs hate Detroit ... SO WHAT!
10:45 a.m PST 11/7/06

SACRAMENTO — I listened to Rasheed Wallace’s post-game rant from last night over and over again.

In between his cursing and the ‘Slave and Master’ references - which I don’t agree with, but that’s another blog entry for later - he said something that sums up where this Detroit Pistons team is at right now when it comes to officiating.

“It takes a toll emotionally,” he said.

Yes, it does.

You could see it on their faces, and in their body language after the 103-101 loss to Utah.

Joe Dumars stood in the tunnel area outside of the team’s locker room, knowing full well there was nothing he could say or do that would help matters.

Rasheed sat at his locker, face down, looking like a man trying to make sense out of what, to him at least, seems senseless. Chauncey Billups, about as politically correct a Piston as there is, couldn’t hold back his frustration with what he feels is his team being punished because officials sometimes get calls wrong, and he and his teammates don't waste time in letting them know.

“They want us to smile and be happy every time they make a terrible call,” Billups said. “They want us to sit there and be like, ‘ah, great call.’ Nah, ain’t nobody going to do that.”

And that, people, is where the problem lies.

The Pistons have a rebellious spirit, a team that will just as soon bite your head off rather than bite their tongue when they feel they are being wronged. This group has been that way for years.

But there are powers-that-be who are getting sick and tired of the Pistons act, even if they won't admit to it publicly.

You’re going to hear some local media come to the Pistons defense and talk about how this team is getting jobbed every night by the refs, and how officials like Steve Javie have it in for Rasheed while others approach Piston games with a shorter whistle matched by an even shorter tolerance for anything that can be even remotely perceived as being overly demonstrative.

Those are valid points, but I have one thing to say about that ... SO WHAT!

This team has always talked about not being about excuses, even when they were in the middle of making them.

Well, it’s time to put up or shut up.

They know there are many who want to see them fail - and we’re not just talking about the teams they play against, either.

It was that way when they won a title in 2004. It was that way in 2005, and it didn't change last year, either.

The only difference now is, the game has changed to where it’s even harder for them to stay at the top.

I have one thing to say about that ... SO WHAT!

Being a champion isn’t supposed to be easy. Every great team has some mountainous hurdle to overcome. For some teams, it’s injuries. For others, it can be egos.

For this group, it’s a league-wide effort to bottle up some of their emotion, which this team feeds off of more than any other NBA team.

And don't get it twisted.

It's not like Detroit is the only team to be hurt by this increased empowerment commish David Stern has given to his officials.

You look at the struggles of Dallas, maybe the only other team in the NBA who plays with as much emotion as the Pistons. The Mavs were picked by some to win an NBA title this season. Three games into the season, and they're still looking for their first win.

And in those three games, they've been whistled for five technical fouls, not to mention Jason Terry was ejected last night.

Coincidence?

I don't think so.

But again, being a great team was never supposed to be an easy proposition.

It takes hard work, perseverance, some luck, and maybe most important, mental toughness.

Detroit has proven to be just that time and time again. And now, more than ever, they have to lean on that experience.

Because right now, all their complaining is falling on deaf ears. And the powers-that-be are looking on, with only one thing to say about Detroit's plight ... SO WHAT!

Blakley is a turd. Yeah there are other teams affected, Melo got ejected too... but what about Timmy and other league favs who are still complaining and not getting whistles? Thats what irritates me the most.

The problem with the zero tolerance rule is that refs use a double standard when they call games. If they didn't give superstar calls all the time (thanks Stern), then players wouldn't have complained as much and Stern would have never resorted to this rule. Since the officiating is bogus (in general, not just against us), players whine. The whining got tolerated until it was too much. Instead of fixing the cause (bad officiating rules), the NBA simply created a rule eliminating your right to complain about the cause.

I think Sheed just got another tech during lunch.

^LMOA. The Pistons will probably file a protest for the Javie TO and the league will give him another one.

The rule sucks. Let the players bitch and moan a little. If it gets out of hand, T them up. It worked fine. Stern is trying to make a perfect world out of the NBA players. Stern is full of himself.

The rule sucks part 2, because they will not be consistent with it. They refs aren't very consistent with anyting else, how can they be with this?

Let them bitch and moan.

Is there anyone out there not named David Stern even trying to make a case in support of the way techs are being handed out now?

When the dress code came along, there were reasoned arguments on both sides of it. When they moved the goalposts on techs last season there was a good case to be made that (rasheed) people (wallace) shouldn't be racking up that many T's anyway.

It really seems like the latest directive has crossed the line where it fails the sniff test universally among players, coaches, fans, pundits, writers... hell, I bet even Stern's own wife would admit he needs to loosen his cock ring if you caught her in a moment of candor.

A couple of tidbits from Charley Rosen.


Q:What do you think of the NBA's "No Tolerance" rule? With the season less than a week old, I'm already tired of it. It slows down the game, takes away an emotional aspect, and is unfair to the players. I do not agree with players swearing at officials, but to get tagged with a technical foul for a natural human reaction or for simply arguing with a call is ludicrous. — Herb, New Milford, Conn.

A: I wholeheartedly agree. Over-the-top complaints and gestures should certainly be penalized, but the rule goes too far. Does David Stern believe that disallowing the players' protests will fool fans into accepting the infallibility of the refs? Banishing a star player for an instinctive reaction to a marginal call compromises the integrity of the competition.

Among its other aspects, the game is indeed an exercise in emotion, and to artificially curtail the expression of these emotions is dangerous. The resulting frustration could very easily manifest in more physical play and extra-hard fouls. Hopefully, the refs will lighten up as the season progresses.

Calling out bad refs by name, lol.


Q: How about naming the ten worst referees of all time? — Jojoc, Manila, Philippines

A: Referees are not my favorite folks because they concentrate on recognizing the mistakes that occur in a game and miss the beauty. Because they tend to be arrogant, biased, and to be anticipators instead of being reactors. And since there were numerous incompetent refs in the early days of the BAA/NBA, I'll limit my suggestions to more recent times. Rookie and second-year refs also get a free pass.

The worst ref ever has to be Sol Levy, who worked in the league in the early 50s and was booted for fixing games. Other of his contemporaries were likewise in league with gamblers but escaped detection. To continue: Violet Palmer, Jim Wishniak, Ron Olesiak, Dee Kantor, Hank Armstrong, Dick Bavetta, Louis Grillo, Ted Bernhardt, and Junior Garretson.

Mothers, don't raise your sons to be either cowboys or referees.

what about Timmy and other league favs who are still complaining and not getting whistles? Thats what irritates me the most.
Thats exactly what shits me so much. I would be completely fine with this rule - if it were applied consistently. Knowing that wont happen, whoever, this rule is complete bullshit...

Chris McCosky

Working back to normal

Keep your fingers crossed, but I think we will start to see the officials and the league relaxing just a bit on this no-tolerance edict. There has been a flood of negative press on this. Even ESPN and TNT, whose coverage of the NBA is filtered through the league office, have been critical.

On Tuesday, after the debacle in Salt Lake, the league suddenly sent out the word that it was wrong to classify the new emphasis as a no-tolerance policy, and that it was never intended to be that. They even went as far as to suggest that it was the media who dubbed it a no-tolerance policy. Wrong. David Stern himself, while not exactly saying the phrase zero tolerance, made it clear that the league would longer stand for post-call harangues and histrionics from players. He inferred, strongly, that the league would no longer tolerate such displays -- thus the term no-tolerance edict.

But the bigger point is, the league seems to be backing off somewhat. They are saying that initial outbursts of emotion are OK -- though you wouldn't know that by all the techs they've slapped on Rasheed Wallace. They are saying it was never the intent to suck the emotion out of the game. They are saying that they just want to cut out the demonstrative gesturing and the prolonged debates over calls. Hopefully, we can slowly work our way back to normal, because the first few weeks of this season have been utterly crazy.

Here's what really bothers me about this, though. Stern made a big point of cleaning up the image of the league starting a few years back -- even before the brawl. He wanted to showcase all the positive things players do both on the court and in the community, the Read-to-Achieve programs, the mentorship programs, etc. But this new no-tolerance edict (I don't know what else to call it anymore) has had the exact opposite effect. It is diverting attention away from the games and onto the so-called bad boys. That was a wonderfully entertaining basketball game the Pistons and Jazz played Monday. But the story the next two days was the technical fouls and how Steve Javie clearly had it in for either Wallace, the Pistons or both.

You cannot tell me this edict hasn't helped further villify Wallace across the country. Nobody is talking about how great he played -- his 25 points, 12 rebounds and 4 blocks. They are talking about his technicals, about how he whines and carries on. Wallace long ago sealed his fate with officials. I know that. He doesn't get a do-over for all those years in Portland when he tormented officials. But Wallace hasn't deserved three of the four technicals he's gotten this year, in my opinion. But the league has further cast him in a bad light, making him out to be some kind of thug. That's not who he is. He is a good man, a family man, a proud man and a most generous man. He's done as much or more good things for the kids and for the needy in Detroit, in Philly and in Portland than any other player in the league. He's a great player (even now when he's nowhere near in shape), and a good teammate. He cares about the right things, about playing the right way. Does he have a bit of a persecution complex? Yeah, probably, but given what's gone on this year alone, it's hard to fault him for it. You don't have to like Wallace, but I think this edict has been used against him by officials who have long been sick of his act.

Besides casting some of its players in unnecessarily bad light, the new emphasis has increased the frustration level of the players on the court -- which of course feeds into more technical fouls. The whole thing just doesn't make any sense. Referees already had the power to slap technical fouls on players and coaches whose arguments crossed the line. There was no need to put a mandate on calling them. Last year, the NBA enjoyed record attendance and record TV ratings across the country. Apparently, the people liked what they were seeing -- arguments and all. Why in the world, then, did Stern feel compelled to make this change?

Hopefully, whether he admits to it or not, he realizes he miscalculated on this one.

Through Tuesdays games, the amount of Ts more than tripled compared to last year through the same amount of games. Nice to see that Stern is backing off a bit, it would be better to see the 68 techs across the league reviewed.

The good news is that it looks like the players are going to push back in a big way. With any luck this might get toned down before the end of the season.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2654551


Hunter: labor union may take action on techs rule
Associated Press

NEW YORK -- Now, NBA players are fed up with what's happening after the whistle.

With technical foul calls nearly doubled compared to the same point last season, union director Billy Hunter wants commissioner David Stern to lighten up on the NBA's crackdown on complaining -- or he might even seek legal action against the league.

Players are fined for every technical foul they receive, and there were 122 of them called through the first 51 games of the season, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. There were 66 through 50 games last season.

"You say you want to deter it, curtail that kind of conduct on the court and now it's kind of dipped down so the slightest little inclination ... a guy throws his hands up, the refs are now calling a tech," Hunter said. "So I really think it's incumbent upon the commissioner to kind of tell the referees, instruct them they got to back off a little bit."

And if he doesn't?

"I think what may ultimately happen if it continues to occur is we will probably be compelled to bring an unfair labor practice action or something," Hunter told The Associated Press. "Try to seek some relief, at least to have the issue either heard or at least elevated so that it gets a lot more public attention than it's currently getting."

"or something"... sounds like he's talking out of his ass. but if the players are all upset about it, im guessing the league backs down.

unforunately, lost in the mix of tech-fever, is that Sheed has been hitting the boards lately. through five games, he's averaging 10.4 rebounds per game. that's excellent, considering he has a career rate of 6.9 per game.

I'll keep saying it until I'm blue in the face: as long as their is a superstar system, there will be whining. All these players want is fair treatment - and the star system that has been implimented in the last 20 years has made a lot of players feel less important than other players. It's hard to break a 20 year habit in the first 5 games of the regular season.

Just give these players equal treatment and they'll stop whining.

I hate to go cliche, but Stern can't have his cake and eat it too.

Well, it's 5 techs for now at least


Most likely, the technical foul that was assessed to Rasheed Wallace on Saturday will be given to assistant coach Ron Harper . The Pistons have petitioned the league to get it changed.

back down to 4, if I'm reading this poorly crafted sentence correctly.

:lathamjahnke:


TECHNICAL CHANGE: The NBA rescinded a technical foul charged to the Pistons' bench and changed it to Rasheed Wallace on Saturday. "Last I heard, they're giving it to the media," Saunders joked Monday.

back down to 4, if I'm reading this poorly crafted sentence correctly.

:lathamjahnke:

Minus one L-J point.

I've read that 4 times. I'm not sure if she's saying that the tech was rescinded altogether, or if she's informing us that the tech was originally on the bench and now it's on Sheed (something that most of us knew already).

Anybody got a good read on this?

Thank you, Mr. Blakely.


Saunders said the technical foul assessed to Rasheed Wallace by official Leon Wood on Saturday has been rescinded, which keeps Wallace's technical foul count at four.

that's six

When did 5 happen?

5 was against the Heat on Thursday after the 2nd Q.

Yup... forgot about that because it happened at the half. Rasheed protested against another call that was clearly referee bullshit.

#7 just happened in a badly called game in Orlando. Sheed was pushed, should've gotten a foul call but didn't, bitched to the refs.

updated

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think he's at 12 now.

Nope, you're right. According to Daily Dime, he's on pace for 27 and Hamilton's on pace for 18. I'm 95% sure on those numbers, but someone may want to check that.

They were saying 13 in the game the other day, but I wouldn't trust ESPN announcers.

Looks like it's 13 for Sheed.

This is a cool stat to keep track of.

http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/sortableStats?league=NBA&stable=fouls&stat=technicalFouls&dir=descending&low=1&high=50&showPlayers=min&position=all&season=regular

Dyess has 4? Dude really is getting militant about not getting that 'ship.

Sucks that two Pistons lead the league. There has been bias though, and thats no homerism. Not saying towards the team, but Ive seen other stars pull some shit that Sheed would have been tossed for let alone not even get a tech.

There's always a bias towards Sheed when it comes to the refs. Wade, LeBron, Timmy Duncan, all of them can bitch and moan and say whatever the hell they want, but Sheed can give a ref a dirty look and get a T. I've seen him get T'ed up without saying a word.

Well, we're 2 techs from having the suspensions start.

That might take care of our logjam of bigs right there.

:mccosky:


Joe Dumars has contacted the league in protest of the technical foul called on Rasheed Wallace Sunday night. They hope to get it rescinded; and it should be. It was another weak, cowardly whistle against Wallace by referee Sean Corbin. I don't know if Wallace has challenged Corbin's manhood in some way in the past, maybe making fun of Corbin's skinny physique or whatever, but clearly, Corbin has a low threshold for Sheed. Wallace was playing his butt off right out of the gate Sunday. He had three blocks and three rebounds in five minutes. He was engaged and aggressive. Then he was whistled for his second foul, which he knew would send him to the bench. He was upset by that, especially given the ticky-tack nature of the call. But Wallace didn't throw his arms around. He didn't gesture at all. He discussed the call with Corbin. From where I sat, it didn't look like he was cursing him at all, and Sheed admitted after that he did not curse him. Still, Corbin rung him up. It was the third time this season Corbin has T'd Rasheed -- three of his 13, by one official. Interesting.

But what really got Wallace fired up was when, later in the game, Jermaine O'Neal clearly cussed at Corbin after a call. Corbin simply ran the other way. When confronted by Wallace, Corbin said O'Neal didn't cuss him. Which, anyone courtside could tell you, was a lie. Later, O'Neal blew up at another call and was finally given a tech. "Bout time," Wallace yelled, loud enough to be heard on the radio, I am told. "It only took two and a half (bleep) quarters."

As I have written before, a lot of what Wallace deals with from officials he's earned from his actions early in his career. These guys are human beings and the good ones can forgive Wallace for some of his past transgressions, but none of them truly forget. I wish there was a statute of limitations on some of his stuff, but there isn't. There's not an elite-level player in the game who gets worse treatment from the officials. That's just fact. Wallace doesn't go inside every possession, but when he does go in there (and he goes in there enough), he takes a beating. Teams know they have a license to bang on him down low. Wallace has taken just 81 free throws in 40 games. That's ridiculous. Jason Maxiell has played 900 fewer minutes and gone to the line 77 times.

I don't blame Wallace for being frustrated. I don't blame him for feeling persecuted at times, even knowing that he has brought some of this on himself. I see him making an effort to point out to officials when they make good calls. I see him forcing himself to be calm when you know he wants to blow up. I see him trying to talk calmly to officials during timeouts. I see him trying, in his own way, to mend some of these fences. I wish some of these officials (and, to be fair, some have) would try to meet him half way.

I remember him yelling that but I couldn't quite make it out on TV. He does get the shaft out there on the whistle. Yes, he has a bad rep, but he's changed a lot and still gets crappy calls. Someone should tell Sheed if he wants better treatment he should think about stopping the "ball don't lie" comments. It's funny, but it also shows up the refs. I'm surprised they've never rung him up for that.

:mccosky:

Sheed's tech stands
Joe Dumars contacted the league in protest of the technical foul called on Rasheed Wallace Sunday night, hoping to get it rescinded. But league spokesman Tim Frank told me about 10 minutes ago that it would not be.

DING!

3rd quarter vs Bucks

Still some debate as to how many T's Sheed has.

The local hacks keep saying 14, this link (Fox Sports) says 15.

http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/sortableStats?league=NBA&stable=fouls&stat=technicalFouls&dir=descending&low=1&high=50&showPlayers=min&position=all&season=regular

:mccosky:


Suspension pending

Even though the Pistons escaped without a technical foul Sunday, Saunders is resigned to the reality that Rasheed Wallace is going to miss one game -- and probably several more -- due to suspensions resulting from his technical fouls.

He currently leads the league with 14. He will draw a one-game suspension when he reaches 16, then another for every second tech thereafter.

"There's nothing we can do about it," Saunders said. "He understands the situation. The positive is the play of Antonio McDyess and Jason Maxiell . It's always going to hurt us to lose Rasheed. But I feel confident other players will step up."

I'd like to see him suspended to get Max and Nazr some PT anyway. I'd like to see what we have there when Sheed/Webber/Dyess finally retire and extended minutes is the only way to do that.

Maybe Amir gets 5-10 minutes on the nights Sheed is suspended.

I doubt it. DD or Nazr would start and the other and Max would get all the backup minutes.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070211/SPORTS03/702110690/1051/SPORTS


'Sheed gets 15th tech, 28 points in win

February 11, 2007

BY CHRIS SILVA
FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER

Rasheed Wallace picked up his 15th technical foul of the season late in a tight contest against the Toronto Raptors Saturday night.

And what follows after Wallace receives a technical foul is up in the air, Pistons coach Flip Saunders said.

Wallace can dominate. Or he gets ejected.

"It's a Catch-22 with Sheed," Saunders said. "He gets fired up like he did tonight and he's unstoppable, and I'm not just talking about offensively. His defense was just as good."

Wallace used his energy and emotion to score a season-high 28 points, helping the Pistons gut out a 98-92 win over Toronto at the Palace.

"Yeah, I love to feed off that," said Wallace, who shot 12-for-22 from the field and grabbed seven rebounds. "They all know that by now. Every time they call some B.S. on myself or any of our players, I'm definitely going to feed off that."

Saunders said that the team will probably petition the league to rescind Wallace's 15th technical foul; if the foul stands, he would be one shy of a one-game suspension.

Wallace received it with 4:41 left in the game, and the Pistons clinging to an 85-82 lead. He was whistled for an offensive foul. A few seconds later, he got the tech.

"It was crazy, man, all I said was, 'Woo,' and gave the ref the ball and then it's a tech on me," Wallace explained. "But, you know, (Raptors coach) Sam (Mitchell) was in his face third-quarter -- nothing. ... And then, with the offensive charge on the young fella, T.J. (Ford), and he slammed the ball or something, it was nothing. But I already know I'm a target, though. I ain't worried about these cats."

This link still says he's got one more than that: http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/sortableStats?league=NBA&stable=fouls&stat=technicalFouls&dir=descending&low=1&high=50&showPlayers=min&position=all&season=regular

:mccosky:


Rage on, Sheed

Joe Dumars has contacted the league and asked them to review the technical foul called on Rasheed Wallace Saturday night by referee Courtney Kirkland. It was his 15th technical foul of the season, and if it's not rescinded, Wallace will be suspended after the next one, and for every second one thereafter. Because it's Sunday, you never know how quickly Stu Jackson (head of operations) will get around to it. Dumars expected to hear something either late tonight or tomorrow. Check back.

If the league goes by its own definition, this one should be rescinded. Players are allowed spontaneous bursts of emotion after a disputed call. Obviously, the burst has to be within the realm of basic human decency. Wallace, after being called for an offensive foul, ran away from Kirkland and gently flipped the ball to Scott Foster. His only verbal uttering was "Woo," or something to that effect. Come on. No way did he deserve a tech on that. A minute later, T.J. Ford went ballistic at Kirkland with no tech. But what happens with Sheed, just about every technical foul against him is sort of a lifetime achievement thing. He has built up so much negativity with the referees over the years, he's never going to get an even shake. Sheed was chirping at the refs almost the entire game Saturday. None of it was overly malicious. None of it, as a single act, was tech-worthy. But the accumulation of it over the course of a game wears on the refs' nerves. That's what got him that tech. Which is why I doubt the league will rescind it.

It's a shame that we are talking about technicals instead of Sheed's game. He was brilliant. He took it to Chris Bosh at both ends. He completely dominated the Eastern Conference's starting All-Star center. That's what we should be talking about today. Not some silly tech. Hopefully, Sheed will just keep playing. Let the fires burn. If it means he will have to miss three to five games, so be it. It's no accident that the Pistons' two long winning streaks -- an eight-gamer earlier and this six-gamer -- coincided with a hot streak from Wallace. It's been this way since he got here. When Sheed's on, the Pistons are a great team. When he's not, the Pistons are much more ordinary. So, rage on, Sheed, rage on.

1) How many techs have the Pistons asked to be reviewed? I know this isn't the first but I haven't kept a running tab

2) How many have been recinded, 2 so far?

3) McCosky loves this shit. It gives him a chance to recycle the same blog entry over and over.

Actually, I was thinking that a recinded tech is probably the reason that Fox link shows him with 16. They must have missed one that got recinded.

I can remember one for sure that was recinded, but maybe there is more.

And I agree on McCosky and this stuff, gives him a prime ballwashing opportunity.

I'm possitive the "And 1" tech got recinded, I think there was another though. He got one for looking at a ref this season, that might have been taken off.

I'll take the bogus techs if he gets fired up and drops 25+ every time. I'll also take the extra PT for Max. just don't get suspended in the playoffs and we are fine.

http://www.nba.com/pistons/news/reprieve_070212.html

now 14.

It was the second time this season a technical charged to Wallace has been rescinded. The first came on Nov. 18 in a win over Houston when Leon Wood pointed at the Pistons’ bench and told the scorer’s table that the technical foul was “on all of them,” but it was officially charged to Wallace before being rescinded.

I had forgot about that one.

I don't think this one will get erased. 1st quarter OMag.

We should start tracking Rip's techs at the rate he's going.

Is there a bias against the Pistons? Here are the team techs through yesterday, top five listed.

Pistons: 42
Hornets: 37
Knicks: 31
Nuggets: 30
Bobcats: 28

Counting tonight the Pistons have 45. Only 13 teams have at least 21 techs.

http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/sortableStatsTeam?league=NBA&sort=technicalFoulsPlayer&stable=fouls&dir=descending

We just bitch a LOT.

It's funny how all those other teams with techs have a lot of young players.

Yeah, we bitch too much. Sheed does get crappy calls, but Dyess, Prince and RIP bitch way too much.

I think :mccosky: is losing it...


Sheed's 15th
You can stop with the emails, already. Yes, I was at the Pistons-Magic game. Yes, I saw all the fouls in that first half. Yes I saw Rasheed Wallace get his 15th technical foul. Yes I reported it. No, it didn't get into the paper. It happens like that sometimes. Things get cut because of space limitations. Stop killing me over it. It wasn't like I was sitting there daydreaming or watching porn on the courtside monitors. Please.

All of a sudden, Amare is sitting on 14, jut two techs from a suspension.

Make that 16 now on Sheed. A cheap one too.

if the league doesn't rescind the last tech, the refs need to call a tech everytime he yells "ball don't lie", to be consistent.

if the league doesn't rescind the last tech, the refs need to call a tech everytime he yells "ball don't lie", to be consistent.

Don't give Stern any ideas. :)

I think that tech was a cumulative thing. Sheed had been yapping all game long, and Delaney had heard enough. The "ball don't lie" was the final straw. The Denver announcers were correctly pointing out that several refs would have ejected Sheed for his outburst afterward.

i think the point remains though: the ball DON'T lie!

LMAO- that has to be my favorite basketball expression EVER!

Don't give Stern any ideas. :)

I think that tech was a cumulative thing. Sheed had been yapping all game long, and Delaney had heard enough. The "ball don't lie" was the final straw. The Denver announcers were correctly pointing out that several refs would have ejected Sheed for his outburst afterward.

I disgree that several refs would have ejected Sheed for his outburst afterwards. They knew that he was sitting on 15. I think that it was a very weak tech, even if cumulative. The officials knew and know that it was a weak tech and they let Sheed's outburts go. If they would have ejected him for that, it would have gotten ugly. This is Sheed saying and has been for years. To all of a sudden call a tech on that and then eject Sheed would have been seen as a personal attack on him and you would have seen the player association get involved etc. With all of that being said, I thing that it will be recinded.

McCosky was on WDFN this morning and said Sheed was ripping into the refs from the opening tip basically. He wasn't surprised they got sick of it eventually.

McCosky was on WDFN this morning and said Sheed was ripping into the refs from the opening tip basically. He wasn't surprised they got sick of it eventually.

Well then Sheed is a dumbass which isn't surprising. I wish we would get rid of him.

Talk about a change of tune within two posts.

Kobe never won without Shaq and he elbows people a lot.

Sorry, Arch's sig distracted me.

Shaq was an over-glorified bench player last year. :P

Shaq was an over-glorified bench player last year. :P

wade is better than kobe, he gets to the line more ^_^

Talk about a change of tune within two posts.

Not really. My post talked about the possibility him getting a second tech and getting ejected.

I have no love for Sheed. It was a weak call but Sheed needs to shut up and play. I used to have "Trade Sheed" in my sig but changed it. I still think that he brings a certain poor attitude that we really don't need.

wade is better than kobe, he gets to the line more ^_^
If that's the logic, Wade is better than LeBron because he makes more free throws than their entire team. Granted, they only shoot 67% from the line.

Kobe never won without Shaq and he elbows people a lot.

Sorry, Arch's sig distracted me.

Did you see Kobe got in trouble for another elbow last night (i think it was for a previous game)? He must be studying Malone's tape or something.

Kobe never won without Shaq and he elbows people a lot.

mqqEsZrdQ9Q
Y6FOsBjD3ik
6YbIpXxMm1M
CtIZf-rDu1w
gUUah2xtLqY

Can't find one on Korver, haven't seen it yet myself.

Thanks for this -- hadn't seen that angle of the Jaric foul, which made things a lot more clear for me. The initial angle I saw it from kinda looked liked Jaric fouled him as he was taking the shot, in which case I'd have given Kobe a bit more lattitude if an elbow came up in fighting for the ball.

Up to 17

Kobe's going to be in the UFC after his career in the NBA........

Sheed will watch today's game from the ho-tel.

Rip might be joining him soon.

He joined him today.

No harm, no foul?

I wouldn't mind seeing Rip get a few tech suspensions. Gives him some much needed rest. Plus it gives Carlos some run.

19