Draymond Green has had his incidents with NBA referees, but he believes they should stop trying to make things personal with the players.
Players have seemed more critical of the officiating this season than any before. The reasoning is unclear. A handful has spoken out against suspect play calling down the stretch of games, among other things. On Saturday, Draymond Green joined that list.
He spoke with The Athletic’s Anthony Slater (behind a paywall) about how some referees have grudges against particular players. It, of course, has an impact on their officiating.
“It’s bad,” said Green. “It’s horrible. It’s really bad. I don’t know what it is. But I think it’s ridiculous.
“It’s ruining the game. It should be one of, if not the main priority, to be solved. It definitely should.”
Green is the NBA’s leader with 11 technical fouls. His teammates, Kevin Durant, is second with eight. DeMarcus Cousins, who’s never had a good reputation with the officials, is tied for third with seven. It’s unfortunate, but also not a surprise that some referees have negative biases toward certain players. They’re human.
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“A lot of it is personal,” continued Green. “When you give someone so much authority and they make it me against you, you can’t overcome that.”
Spencer Dinwiddie, the Brooklyn Nets budding point guard, is the latest to have issues with the way games are called. His comments aren’t directly related to Green’s, but they still illustrate how powerless the players are at times.
Dinwiddie had a lot to say following their game against the Boston Celtics on Saturday, according to Anthony Puccio of NetsDaily, and one line stands out the most:
“But when you approach somebody, and they shush you or they wave you off like you’re not a man or something of that nature, that’s also very frustrating.”
Seeing this as a growing problem in the league, Draymond Green proposed a solution. “They can get a new crop (of referees), a whole new crop,” he said. “Too many personal things going on. Too much me against you. It just don’t work that way.”
The logistics surrounding that make it tough to accomplish in one summer. However, because the NBA is progressive, Adam Silver and everyone else will surely be looking at how to improve the dynamic between the players and the officials. Both are instrumental in how fans consume the product.
The players are who the fans want to see, and they have the most significant impact on the game. Officials may not be able to control the outcome as well as the players, but they have influence. And that plays into the result of the game just a bit.
Nightly Notables
- Stephen Curry still owns the Los Angeles Clippers and dropped a 45-piece on them on Saturday while playing just 29 minutes. He also added six rebounds and picked up three steals.
- LeBron James, looking to overtake an injured James Harden in the MVP race, had 33 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists against the Orlando Magic. It was his 92nd career game with at least 30-10-5, tying Wilt Chamberlain for second-most since 1964.
- Giannis Antetokounmpo powered his Milwaukee Bucks to victory with 34 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists. He remains the league’s second-leading scorer with a career-best 29.1 points a night.
Scores
GSW 121 - 105 LAC
BOS 87 - 85 BKN
HOU 101 - 108 DET
CHI 86 - 125 IND
CLE 131 - 127 ORL
MIL 110 - 103 WAS
NOP 98 - 116 MIN
DEN 98 - SAC 106
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