He nailed it. This is exactly how I feel at this point. I don’t think its overboard at all… Heck, he didn’t even mention the traveling call problem!

I’ve been reading this blog for two years anonymously and after reading Simmons’ article I finally felt compelled to join and say “it’s about time someone with a worldwide audience addresses this disaster.” I used to be a big fan of the NBA in general but for the past 5 years I’ve usually tuned out after the Suns were bounced. For reasons like horrendous officiating and pathetic attempts to clean up a game that didn’t need it. Even the NFL gets more calls right and that’s with phantom holding calls and invisible pass interference infractions. Even MLB has a better grasp of the reigns when it comes to rules and punishment and they hardly get anything right. I wish I was more of a stat geek because I’d gladly research the referee assignments so we could see once and for all who the “coolers” and “closers” and “extenders” are in the referee ranks. They’ve taken a great sport and turned it on those that matter most; the players. We as fans suffer because they suffer and it’s just not right. What a waste of talent and entertainment.

This piece in particular:

Blame the NBA’s arrogance: not just its failure to acknowledge any officiating woes until the Donaghy scandal (and even then the league just shuffled a few Titanic deck chairs and called it a day), but its refusal to come up with a better infrastructure for evaluating and developing referees. And by “better,” I mean “competent.”

“Anyway, that’s what Stern does. He just gives us his spin over and over until we either come to believe it or just give up on that particular complaint. Then, when a similar complaint comes up, we go through the same process.

I have totally given up hope on the NBA officiating system. It will never change while David Stern is running the show. The same problems will keep happening, we’ll keep hating them, and then we’ll keep loving the game."