Officiating basketball at the highest level is an impossibly difficult task. There’s a violation on each and every play of a game containing some 90-odd possessions. Not all of them get called, and sometimes the more innocuous ones get blown for a whistle than others that are more obvious to the naked eye.
That’s inevitable, but also leads to widespread scrutiny directed at NBA referees from players, coaches, upper management, fans, and more. Is the criticism fair? Sometimes. On the other hand, just think how hard it is for officials to manage a wildly intricate game played at a breakneck speed and with unrelenting physicality by the best athletes in the world – and do so flawlessly.
These guys don’t stand a chance. Still, some are clearly better than others, as the Los Angeles Times’ Broderick Turner found out after asking almost 40 players and coaches to anonymously select the league’s three best and worst officials.
Unsurprisingly, those polled favored a trio who have had ample time to hone their nearly hopeless craft: Danny Crawford (31 seasons), Joey Crawford (39 seasons), and Monty McCutchen (23 seasons). Each of those game-callers should be familiar to long-time hoop-heads; they’ve been in the league for ages and are frequently found officiating its most high-profile games.
Joey Crawford’s selection, though, is likely shocking to many given his penchant for signaling dramatics and numerous verbal confrontations with superstars – including a run-in with a laughing Tim Duncan that he says “probably changed my life.” But respondents obviously appreciate the foremost-veteran referee nonetheless.
“There’s no nonsense when Joey is doing stuff,” a player told The Times. One head coach singled Crawford out for not getting “intimidated” by the home crowd. The same coach praised the 64 year old for his improved willingness to communicate, which has been the biggest bugaboo against him for years.
Scott Foster, Lauren Holtkamp, and Marc Davis polled as the three worst officials. The former garnered a staggering 24 votes votes compared to the 14 and 12, respectively, of Holtkamp and Davis. Why? Foster suffers from the same affliction that used to plague Joey Crawford.
“You can’t talk to him. He’s never wrong,” one player said. Another offered the same damning critique of Foster: “You couldn’t say anything to him. Hell, I don’t think you could even look at him”
Holtkamp, one of two female officials, was in headlines last season after some thought Chris Paul questioned her qualifications because she’s a woman. One player who spoke to The Times didn’t directly equate Holtkamp’s supposedly poor job performance with her sex, but thinks her inevitable status as an outlier clouds her attitude toward player interaction.
“When you’re young, like an NBA player or a ref, you’ve got to come in seeking knowledge,” the player explained in reference to the second-year official. “You can’t come in blowing the whistle. She came in like, ‘I’m a female and you’re not going to talk a certain way to me.’ No one called her a bad name. No one disrespected her. It’s her terrible calls.”
A head coach seemed to agree: “She’s got no feel for the game and she’s terrible.”
In time, perhaps Holtkamp has a chance to develop into a favorite among her peers. Players and coaches, after all, seem to agree that officials get better with age and experience. As for Foster? Well, let’s just say you should pay special attention to the officiating when the 22-year man is on the floor with your favorite team.
(Via Los Angeles Times)
