11/05/24
December 01, 2006
Sorry Mr. Stern but the players have had enough.: There has been two unfair labor practice charges filed against the NBA, do in large part to issues involving the new ball and the "zero-tolerance policy."
posted by Ying Yang Mafia to basketball at 07:30 PM - 17 comments
"I was surprised when they announced that they were changing the ball," Sacramento's Shareef Abdur-Rahim. "That shouldn't happen without some input from the players. I've never cared for the new ball, and I'm a big guy. When ballhandlers like Steve Nash and Jason Kidd are complaining about it, that says a lot." Poor guys. So tragic. I feel for them. Maybe I should organize a union at work and sue my employer when the move me to a new cubicle that doesn't have natural light, or raise the prices on the vending machines.
posted by psmealey at 10:28 AM on December 02, 2006
Not consulting the players when the league decided to change the ball strikes as being, well, stupid. Wouldn't you be interested in their input? You don't think they'd maybe have some experience with the device in question that would allow them to make a worthwhile contribution? I can't really think of another sport having this scenario and not including the actual players in the decision. You don't think an NFL QB would be consulted on a new ball? Or a hockey player with a puck or stick? An MLB player with a baseball or bat? The league has made it clear that they are making all the decisions. They haven't exactly given the players many other options - and they players deserve a say. Maybe I should organize a union at work and sue my employer when the move me to a new cubicle that doesn't have natural light, or raise the prices on the vending machines. Those are two pretty terrible comparisons. Not at all analogous.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 04:46 PM on December 02, 2006
The league has made it clear that they are making all the decisions. They haven't exactly given the players many other options Which makes no sense since without the players, the league is nothing. People don't go to games to see the league, they go to see the players. Making decisions without the players input can not only alienate the athletes, but the fans as well.
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 05:22 PM on December 02, 2006
To me its stupid how Stern and other executives are worried about so many little things.
posted by msusportsguy at 08:44 PM on December 02, 2006
And not worried about the fact that no one watches pro basketball much anymore.
posted by sfts2 at 11:49 PM on December 02, 2006
The decision to change the ball without the players input was just plain stupid.The players are the ones that have to use the ball andit it is not working then the quality of the game will suffer. (As if it is not bad enough already) However, the "zero tolerance" with the refrees is a good decision. Too often you see players berating officials as they are running down the court. Too often you see players using the officials "non-call" or "bad call" as an excuse. Trash talking and such has gotten way out of hand. I applaud David Stern for taking a stand. It is about time!!! My message to the players...."Shut the f--- up and play the game!!!!"
posted by patrickm at 12:54 AM on December 03, 2006
Maybe I should organize a union at work and sue my employer when the move me to a new cubicle that doesn't have natural light, or raise the prices on the vending machines. You're way off here sir. How about if they switched from PC to MAC, then said you can continue using your mouse, but we're reversing the buttons (right click now = left click),so you asked why (thinking there was some kind of money saving issue behind the switch), then they said, "no reason at all, we're just switching". I think the main issue with the players is that there is no substantial reason for the switch, and with that being the case, why try to fix something if it isn't broken? The ball switch ranks up there with Coke switching its "formula" a while back. At least they knew they messed up and switched back.
posted by Bishop at 04:29 AM on December 03, 2006
I don't watch NBA games for a couple of reasons, One is Kobe Bryant and two, it's boring until the final minute that always turns into 15 real minutes anyway. I don't care about foul calling and I understand why they keep a tight reign on these guys. If they allow it to get too sloopy they will be tempting all out brawls and then it will just end up hockey by another name. My final knock on the NBA is the players are generally pot heads. I know not all of them are high 24/7 but everyone knows the NBA and pot are an issue. I don't really care if a person drowns himself in smoke every night but I will not point my kids to games played by people that use it.
posted by mikemora at 09:14 AM on December 03, 2006
You're way off here sir. How about if they switched from PC to MAC, then said you can continue using your mouse, but we're reversing the buttons (right click now = left click),so you asked why (thinking there was some kind of money saving issue behind the switch), then they said, "no reason at all, we're just switching". or how about: CEO: "we changed the keyboard so all the letters are in different places". Employee: "But I've been typing since I was 5 and even studied it for 5 years in college?" CEO: "Sorry, we just felt like making a change. By the way, don't let this affect your performance either as we're still expected to represent the best typist in the nation" :-) This whole thing is like a big Dilbert joke...I guess Stern is that crazy haired boss.
posted by bdaddy at 09:20 AM on December 03, 2006
Poor guys. So tragic. I feel for them. Maybe I should organize a union at work and sue my employer when the move me to a new cubicle that doesn't have natural light, or raise the prices on the vending machines. Comment icon posted by psmealey at 10:28 AM CST on December 2 Actually, another way of stating this is "Maybe I should organize a union at work and sue my employer over poor working conditions" to which I would nod in agreement. The ball change is strange. Has the league ever given a reason for its decision? I'm torn about the technicals, I think the players often get out of line, and that should be cut out, but at the same time I don't like that the league is actively working to reduce passion in games. Let them play fired up!
posted by sic at 10:42 AM on December 03, 2006
You're way off here sir. How about if they switched from PC to MAC, then said you can continue using your mouse, but we're reversing the buttons (right click now = left click),so you asked why (thinking there was some kind of money saving issue behind the switch), then they said, "no reason at all, we're just switching". This is the closest analogy in this thread to what's been done, except the "manager" in question didn't say "no reason", he said, "we think it's a better computer". And speaking as an experienced computer professional who doesn't have Mac experience -- if my company handed down that directive, I would have about two week's worth of training/adjustment/practice before I became productive again. Not "power user" productive, but I could do my job with a semblance of the same efficiency. Some of the details are different, but fundamentally, it's the same equipment. These are professional basketball players, people who have been on the court for most of their lives. No one's told them to play with a cube or hit the ball with their head. Minor equipment variance, same game. Stern has said the players will adjust, and so far, empirical evidence suggests they have. Comparing this year's numbers (through about 18 games) to last year's shows: individual FG% slightly up, TO's/G right around the same, Assists/TO slightly better, team scoring slightly down, but team FG% slightly up. Yes it's early in the year, but from what I see, the ball is just different, not worse. The players may not like it yet, but they've adapted like true professionals, and at the end of the year, the stats may even show slightly improved play.
posted by cybermac at 01:51 PM on December 03, 2006
The "Zero-Tolerance" policy thing reminds me of when a school tries to get control of extremely poor behavior after it's gotten out of hand; they have to overcorrect and target everything initially to make a harsh statement. It seems the NBA is doing the same thing. If they're going to crack down on all bitching in the refs faces, or about every call, they can't be picky and choosy to start with. That only causes more confusion. I assume they'll consequence everything for a year or so, then possibly pull back from some of the less-offensive stuff. That type of behavior by NBA players has gotten WAY carried away, though, and it needs to be stopped. It's funny, though, how these guys act almost like it's their god-given right to mouth off and cuss-out refs. Ridiculous.
posted by dyams at 02:03 PM on December 03, 2006
mikemora, were you high when you wrote that
posted by Debo270 at 10:39 AM on December 04, 2006
The NBA does have an image problem, but it's certainly not marijuana that comes to mind.
posted by swerve at 05:40 PM on December 04, 2006
My final knock on the NBA is the players are generally pot heads. I know not all of them are high 24/7 but everyone knows the NBA and pot are an issue. I don't really care if a person drowns himself in smoke every night but I will not point my kids to games played by people that use it. Whoa!! That was outta nowhere! I can remember maybe a handful of incidents with Mary Jane and NBA players. It seems like MJ is just the drug of choice among all athletes. One potential reason is the fact that athletes are often exposed to "alternative" healing, living, eating methods. Also, it's a lot easier to recover after smoking a bunch of pot than it is after getting piss drunk. If you find a sport in which no players have been busted for posessing/using marijuana for your kid to play, you'll be lucky. I guess your kid will be the next curling gold medalist!!
posted by yay-yo at 06:25 PM on December 04, 2006
to change the ball could possible be one of the worst decisions ever made. end of story
posted by dealemslim at 09:52 PM on December 05, 2006
175 T's through the first 225 games this season versus 120 last season? While that is a 46% increase I'm not sure if the players' union can make it stick.