Refereeing in the NBA is far from an easy job, and it’s a thankless one too. Players and fans alike can be harsh on the refs a lot of times, but sometimes, they deserve to be called out.
Toronto Raptors man Fred VanVleet recently called out referee Ben Taylor in an epic rant. And while he was fined for his comments, Taylor has since been demoted in his assignments, as pointed out by Tom Haberstroh.
"Since that Fred VanVleet rant… the NBA has actually demoted Ben Taylor in his assignments."@tomhaberstroh on how the #NBA has handled the Taylor/VanVleet situation with @JDBunkis.
— Sportsnet 590 The FAN (@FAN590) March 21, 2023
“Since that Fred VanVleet rant, the NBA has actually demoted Ben Taylor in his assignments,” Haberstroh said. “So in the last five games Ben Taylor has only been the crew chief once, he’s been the referee 2 four times… which is a real abnormality with Ben Taylor.”
“If you look at his previous 52 games this season, Ben Taylor was the crew chief in 41 of those games. Basically 4 out of 5 games he was the crew chief, but in the last 5 games since that rant, the NBA said, you know what, you’re gonna be the referee 2 in this one, and then again referee 2.
“He was the crew chief against the Celtics vs. Houston game the other night, and then Ben Taylor was the referee 2 for the next 2 games. To put it in perspective Ben Taylor hadn’t been a referee 2 in back-to-back games all season. After the Fred VanVleet [rant], it’s happened twice.”
It’s hard to say whether this move is an intentional one or not, but it is certainly interesting to look at. The NBA has been clear on not making reprimands for referees public, but it’s hard not to see the connection when it’s pointed out in this manner.
NBA Referees Have Been Called Out Quite A Lot This Season
Players and coaches have always complained about refereeing when calls don’t go their way. But this season has seen it happen quite a lot. The Los Angeles Lakers were on the receiving end of a string of bad calls, which led to even LeBron James speaking out. The referees even made a statement thanks to how many conversations there were about it.
The Lakers and James are far from the only people to say something, Monty Williams recently spoke out about the officiating too. DeMar DeRozan too openly questioned the referees after a call cost the Bulls a game. It’s a tough situation to resolve, but the NBA has to think about how to improve the officiating overall.
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