Sunday, February 27, 2005

Don Chaney suspended

I didn't see the game, but basically Chaney was upset with officials, so he sent in a goon to give some hard fouls. The goon broke someone's arm, so now everyone wants Chaney to be punished harshly. Jay Bilas, Pat Forde, Bob Ryan, Fran Fraschilla, and Mike Lupica are among the writers outraged at Chaney. But should they?

A coach thinks his opponents are getting too rough and the refs aren't doing their jobs, so he sends in a goon. Chaney is not the first person to do this. Charles Oakley has millions of dollars because most coaches do send in enforcers. Chaney was just dumb enough to admit that he did it, but the issue shouldn't really be all about Chaney.

Basketball is supposed to be a non contact game. Chuck Daly and Pat Riley in the NBA and Coach K in the NCAA changed that. Now the game is too physical where pushing, clutching, and holding are the norm. As teams get away with more and more opposing coaches will get increasingly frustrated. They figure if the refs can't do their jobs, maybe someone at the end of the bench can.

1 comment:

Alan said...

There always has been physical play in the NBA. My point is that there is much more of it. In the past physical play seemed to happen less often and at more appropriate times. Now physical play seems to be the norm.

Another factor is how players have changed. Because of an emphasis on athleticism and less college experience, today's NBA player is more athletic with less basketball talent and intelligence. Coaches play to their player's strength so they have their over-muscled players who can barely hold a basketball play very physical.