How could it have turned out otherwise?
The little martinet David Stern ordered his cops to crack down. Zero tolerance, he said. You, the refs, are the bosses. The fans may pay exorbitant prices to see their favorite players play, but you are hereby empowered to T up a superstar if he dares so much as toss his headband toward his own bench.
For better or worse, suspensions have become commonplace in the NBA. But a referee? The enforcers of David Stern's zero-tolerance policy? This is not your everyday suspension. Was the punishment too harsh? Appropriate? Is this just another example of David Stern exerting his authority? Here's your chance to voice your opinion.
Also...
You shall rule through fear. Whistle as nightstick. Make examples of some guys and the others will step into line.
They will become obedient automatons. You can break them. Never let them forget who is in charge. If they see weakness, they will exploit it. You own that court. Now go knock heads.
Wally Szczerbiak waves his hand in a dismissive manner after a terrible foul call? T him up. Steve Nash turns his palms to the heavens in a plea for a call after playing through three fouls? T him up. Tim Duncan laughs incredulously on the bench after a foul call on a teammate? T him up. Toss him. Toss 'em all!
And then this. Joey Crawford is suspended indefinitely for having zero tolerance.
What? Joey Crawford stepped over the line? We're shocked, simply shocked that one of our enforcers, I mean, officials went too far. He will be dealt with harshly!
David Stern will now hang Crawford out to dry and pretend his zero tolerance policy had nothing to do with creating this problem in the first place. Crawford is the fall guy, the NBA's Scooter Libby. Stern, meanwhile, is now as big a hypocrite as he is an autocrat.
Make no mistake, I think Crawford can be a petty, grudge-holding thug and I've screamed at him by name courtside in L.A. and Phoenix. (Though he's always highly rated, I don't think he's that great an official either. He's basically a less-talented Steve Javie, who at least earns his quick trigger by being one of the league's best.) But Crawford's pugnacity, grating as it may be, was emboldened by Stern's ill-conceived zero tolerance policy.
The problem was Crawford really bought in. He was a true believer. He thought he was the boss. Until Stern reminded him who was really in charge.
Stern's "no complaining" edict was the dumbest directive to come out of a league office since baseball decided it was high time to start enforcing the balk rule according to the letter of the law in 1988.
A veteran player like Tim Duncan should be able to have a spirited disagreement with a veteran official like Crawford without it resulting in banishment. Just as a player should be able to slap the floor in disappointment after sacrificing his body to draw a charge only to get whistled for a block. Just as a player should be allowed to throw his headband into his bench. Or give a "get outta here" wave on a dubious call. Or react passionately to a call that genuinely surprises him.
Because if there are two things that are definitely not Fan-Tastic, it's watching superstars get banished to the showers and watching players shoot technical free throws.
Is Duncan, his choirboy rep notwithstanding, an inveterate whiner who deservedly earns most of his technicals? Sure. Does the hot-headed Crawford need to be reined in a bit? No doubt.
But you can't tell your employees to have zero tolerance and then have zero tolerance for them having zero tolerance.
It's been reported that Crawford asked Duncan if he wanted to fight, which is fairly comical if you take a second to think about it. Stern reacted as if Crawford sucker-punched Duncan.
It makes zero sense.
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