Posts tagged JoeyCrawford at FanHouse

We've been discussing the referees a lot lately, so something would be amiss if I failed to mention the assignments for this evening's Game 6. And here they are, in all of their controversial glory:

Joey Crawford, Eddie F. Rush, and Bennett Salvatore.

Wow. Where do I begin? All three of these guys have a history of being involved in their share of controversies over the years. Let's just hit on the most recent for each, shall we? Crawford was the one suspended last season for ejecting Tim Duncan for laughing, then was assigned to the infamous Brent Barry-Derek Fisher game in this year's Western Conference Finals. Salvatore was the one that basically gave the Miami Heat the championship in 2006 with about eight controversial calls that favored the Heat in Game 5. And Rush has been called out for his inconsistency as recently as last season.

You've gotta love Spurs' fans. So worried are they about losing to the Lakers in this series and feeling insecure about their chances in Game 4, one local writer is actually starting to complain about the officiating before the game has even started.

It's the news every Spurs fan has dreaded - the team is fighting for its season tonight in Game 4, and blowing the whistle will be one Joey Crawford. To recap, he was suspended for last year's playoffs ... after throwing Tim Duncan out of a regular season game because he thought Duncan was laughing at him on the bench. Then in Game 5 against New Orleans, he T'd up Gregg Popovich between the first and second quarters over an argument over a delay of game warning in which Pop was essentially correct.

Conspiracy! David Stern wants the Lakers in the Finals! Come on, people. Sure the Spurs and Crawford have a bit of a recent history together, but can we at least wait to see if there are actually any game-deciding calls made by Crawford before we begin with the histrionics?

Besides, as is noted in the same article, Crawford actually ranks eighth out of 62 officials in terms of making calls that favor the home team. Now if Steve Javie (who is a notorious anti-homer and number 59 on the same list) were to be working tonight, then you would have something to be seriously worried about.

[via Awful Announcing]

As you may have heard about, Isiah Thomas got the boot on Wednesday after making contact with a referee as he was being T'd up. The league reviewed the tape, though, and determined the since the contact was incidental (and actually initiated by ref Joey Crawford, no less), Zeke would not be suspended, which, as the New York Times says, is actually punishment in itself:

But a suspension would have almost seemed kind. Then Thomas would not have to listen to chants of "Fire Isiah" when the Knicks play host to the Toronto Raptors on Friday.

Thomas also disputed a random rumor (originating out of Oregon, of all places) that suggested Zach Randolph was headed to the Bucks. Not only is Z-Bo safe, but it seems that all of his teammates are, too:

"There's no truth to that," said Thomas, who is also the Knicks' president.

Asked why he viewed his players as untouchable, Thomas said, "Because that's how I feel."

Not sure I believe him there. And I'm also not sure that's the best strategy for motivating his players. If he told the press that anyone is expendable, they might actually pick up their play, fighting to attract attention and earn that plane ticket out of town.

Rumor has it that the NBA is close to reinstating hot-headed referee Joey Crawford. Crawford, you might recall, was suspended last season for hilariously challenging San Antonio Spurs superstar Tim Duncan to a fistfight in the middle of a game. Crawford was apparently mad at Duncan for having the gall to laugh at some of his calls.

NBA referee Joey Crawford is expected to meet with commissioner David Stern next week in Manhattan for what could be the final step before the veteran ref is officially reinstated.

A league spokesman would neither confirm nor deny that Crawford and Stern are scheduled to meet.

Instead of going through all of these trivialities for reinstatement, I have a much better idea: Put Crawford in a small room with Tim Donaghy, and whoever comes out alive gets their old job back. Tim Duncan could even referee the whole thing. Like you wouldn't $49.99 for the Pay-Per-View of that rematch.

David Stern's press conference on all things Tim Donaghy begins at 11 a.m. Eastern, and you can watch it on NBA TV, NBA.com or ESPN. In the meantime, ESPN.com's Marc Stein drops an atomic shard into his 'questions for Stern' column published this morning:

One colleague insists he was known at league level as an undeniable "problem child" in spite of his relative anonymity, since Donaghy is also said to have exchanged blows with fellow Philadelphia native Joey Crawford at a refs' meeting years ago.

Um, what? Actually, this tells us much more about Crawford than about Donaghy. Now we know not to mess with Ol' Joey -- he doesn't discrimate, saint or idiot, you're ass is going to get beat.

Previously on FanHouse:
Tim Donaghy is the NBA's Alleged Dirty Ref
Joey Crawford Wants to Fight Tim Duncan

Over at ESPN.com, Marc Stein's reporting that Joey Crawford might be hanging it up. That's not all, though. According to the same "informed sources," Crawford's unrepentant about ejecting Duncan. In fact, if give the chance, he'd do it all over again. He made as much clear to Stu Jackson yesterday.

So that's pretty juicy. But it has nothing on what follows: claims of a deep-seeded rivalry between Crawford and fellow refereeing elder Dick Bavetta:

Crawford also blasted fellow referee Dick Bavetta in the e-mail obtained by ESPN.com, hinting at divisions among referees between those who do and don't support Bavetta and writing that maybe Bavetta will wind up as the crew chief in Game 7 of the NBA "which is a travesty in itself you even being in the finals."

A little advice for Crawford: after Bavetta's epic race against Barkley, he's definitely winning the war of public perception. Maybe Duncan's far more of a pain in the rear than the league will ever let on. But as I said yesterday, Crawford's outburst was exactly the opposite of what people want refs to be. And even if Bavetta's no less mortal, he gives the impression of keeping order without placing himself above the game.

Then again, so did Don Corleone. Could Crawford be onto something after all?

Previously at the FanHouse:

Crawford vs Duncan: The tale of the Tape
Potential Reasons that Joey Crawford Has It in for Tim Duncan
What Should the NBA Do About Joey Crawford?
Joey Crawford Wants to Fight Tim Duncan

Weird things happen when expectations are high and results are low. Players get frustrated, coaches get frustrated, and managers challenge radio talk show personalities to fights ... happens all the time.

Wait, what?

Manager Charlie Manuel's frustration was evident after the game. The normally mild-mannered manager challenged a radio talk-show host to a fight. Manuel had to be restrained by hitting coach Milt Thompson at one point.

"We're going to win," Manuel could be heard yelling in his office.

Apparently, the radio talk-show host was WIP's Howard Eskin, which explains how a "normally mild-mannered manager" is suddenly going all Joey Crawford on someone ... as Eskin has accused the Phillies of being run like a department store, and he isn't known as one of the more docile Philadelphia sports radio personalities. An account of Manuel's run in with Eskin after an 8-1 loss to the Mets on Tuesday comes from The 700 level:

Eskin reportedly asked a number of legit questions but followed them up with more provoking, wise ass type questions. When he asked a question along the lines of, "Don't you think it would help your players if they saw you fired up a bit more?" and Manuel responded with something like, "I think they see me fired up a lot more than you think. You can stop by my office later and I'll show you." After the press conference, Eskin went to his office and Manuel reportedly challenged him to a fight and Milt Thompson had to restrain the coach.

If Crawford vs. Tim Duncan needed an undercard, I think we've got one now. All we need is Don King to promote this and we have an event. Let's get ready to rumble ... Philadelphia style!

Arm Bash: The 700 Level

Previously on The Fanhouse:
Joey Crawford suspended for challenging Tim Duncan to a fight

I personally can't stand refs, but they've kind of been jerked around by Stern over the year or so. At the end of the 2006 postseason, plenty of fans were convinced that the Heat had been handed the Larry O'Brien by the officials. From a public relations standpoint, it was almost as bad as when the Lakers were supposedly predetermined winners.

Then, he up and hands down the zero tolerance policy. It upset the flow of games and bugged a lot of fans. However, it also proved the refs were in charge, took a stand against whining, and just generally reassured the enemies of thugs and hip-hop. By the All-Star break, though, things had eased up a bit, and the game reached a happy medium between the two.

Joey Crawford conducted himself like a moron. But the suspension, warranted as it was, also sends a message to refs on the eve of the playoffs: don't step out of line. The swift response from the commish, as well as his pointed words against rogue officiating, were not to be taken lightly. He wants the refs, and the fans, to know that the zebras won't be deciding any games this May.

So if I were an NBA referee--and believe me, I would sooner go work on a lobster boat--I'd be kind of confused right now. It's not like I was planning to pull a Crawford, or go down in history as the man (or woman) who helped throw a playoff series. But this season has had me go from Stern's enforcer of decency to a potential problem running scared. It'll be interesting to see how the refs respond to this latest sequence of events--and what the next stop on the roller coaster is.