In the aftermath of a 113-104 loss to the Cavaliers on Friday, Rudy Gobert had a lot to say about referees and the state of NBA officiating. According to Gobert, the normalization of sports betting has compromised the integrity of the game and it’s hurting the product for everyone involved.
“My reaction, which I think is truth, it’s what I truly believe, even if it’s the truth, it wasn’t the time for me to react that way. I should have not done that. I cost my team the game… That was an immature reaction,” said Gobert. “I bite the bullet every game. I’ll be the bad guy again that speaks what I think is the truth. … Once again, I’ll take the fine. But I think it’s hurting our game. I know the betting and all that is becoming bigger and bigger, but it shouldn’t feel that way.”
Gobert threw a fit during the game and earned himself a technical after mocking the official and making “money” gestures while on the court. The whole scene cost Minnesota the game and Gobert made sure to make his frustration known.
All-in-all, the Timberwolves are still having a great season at 44-20 and 2nd in the West but there are some signs that they may not be built for a long playoff run. This season, Gobert has not been part of the problem and while he occasionally lets calls get to him, his defense is what’s keeping the Timberwolves within the top three in the standings.
In the past, Gobert has been vocal about officiating before but now he has taken his campaign to another level. With a fine likely on the way for the All-Defensive star, it remains to be seen if this sacrifice will amount to any kind of change but Rudy is just one of many players who have joined the movement to update the rule book.
NBA Officiating Is More Controversial Than Ever
The NBA has experienced a lot of change over the past few years and the way games are called is arguably one of the most glaring differences. In today’s three-point-oriented game, the restrictions on defenders and contact on the ball have gotten a lot tighter and it’s led to some division over an “imbalance” between offense and defense.
Of course, the real problem for players is the growing amount of missed calls this season. Recently, the officials have been caught in a number of costly mistakes and several teams have even filed protests over the results of their games. In a famous rant, Pistons coach Monty Williams went off on the officials forming a blatant foul that would have sealed the win for his team.
These types of mistakes are not exclusive to this season, of course, but we are seeing more and more of these missed calls, and guys like Rudy and other critics believe the NBA’s embrace of sports gambling has something to do with it.
For now, there’s nothing that Rudy, or anyone, can do about this unless the NBA itself decides to take a look at their own officials. But after years of standing by their refs, the NBA is unlikely to abandon them now and the players will just have to live with whatever calls are being made.
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