Filed under: NBA Media Watch, NBA Preseason, Sports Business and Media
Count Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy among the unimpressed with the NBA's new policy on technical fouls.The frequently feuding ESPN NBA analyst duo has found common ground in decrying the league's plan to up the ante on technical foul fines, as well as instructing officials to call more techs on players who protest too much or are too demonstrative.
"If I was a guy like (former Indiana Pacers guard) Reggie Miller, I would love this rule, because that only adds three more points a night to my scoring average because I'd be shooting technical fouls," quipped Jackson on a Tuesday conference call to promote ESPN's upcoming coverage.
Jackson said the technical fouls that have been called in the preseason, to date, have been quick, citing a recent Celtics-Knicks game in which Kevin Garnett was ejected. The former Knicks and Pacers guard said he hoped the league would back off on the current policy
Van Gundy, meanwhile, said the NBA has lost a number of good officials, and that the remaining refs should be treated like players and have their work schedules lightened. For instance, Steve Javie, considered one of the NBA's best officials, is returning from injury and shouldn't return to action until February, so that he will be fresh and rested for the playoffs, when "you need your very best out there just like with your very best players."
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