Before I get started, let me clarify that I am not over the atrocities committed by NBA officiating in this year's playoffs. If Big Ben signs with the Bulls, it is likely that I will be taking at least a one-year break from the NBA, simply for the sake of my own sanity. Yes, it's sad that sports affect my life so much. But they do, get over it. And because they do, I need some time apart from the league. Consider that the "it's not you, it's me" speech.
However, an idea popped into my head and I just couldn't resist writing about it. If this could ever be implemented correctly (and no I'm not delusional enough to think of it as anything other than a joke/fantasy), it would immediately become my favorite sporting event of the year. In the spirit of this past week's NBA Draft, allow me to unveil my big idea (if the title didn't give it away already)...
The NBA Playoff Referee Draft!Here's the initial concept - teams get to draft which referees will officiate their playoff games. Since everyone knows there are specific referees who clearly affect games, this draft could actually have more bearing on who wins the title than the actual NBA draft. Granted you have to draft good players just to get into the playoffs, but stick with me on this. That was the light bulb that went off in my head as I was thinking about the NBA draft and venting to myself that it doesn't even matter now that Vince McMahon has taken over the NBA. Now there are obviously a few kinks that would have to be worked out, so let's get this all figured out.
1) Draft Order: I've thought a bit about this one and could probably go either way, but do you reward the top teams from the regular season with the picks or do you try to even out home court by letting the seeds select? I'd prefer to let the team with the best regular season record pick first. It's already bad enough that half the league makes the playoffs. (Despite this year's entertaining first round, I've always been a fan of baseball, which requires you to actually be good to make the playoffs. In basketball the better teams still usually win, this year aside, so it's not as bad as hockey where a 7 or 8 seed could easily win if their goalie steps up. But this is a whole different topic.) I think you could balance it out by letting every team select (starting with best team) their refs and the pick is valid for your home games only. So the better teams get to select who will help them out the most on their home court. That's how I'd do it.
2) Length of Contract: How long should a pick be worth? It would be most exciting if there were only one draft for the entire playoffs, and the team was stuck with whomever they drafted throughout. But if it were done that way and a top team went out in the first round, why not have a new draft for the second round so that referee could be picked up instead of letting your best referees sit at home and not officiate. I'd say you have a big event to kick off the playoffs. As the playoffs go along, teams could swap out for officials whose teams have lost. Again, draft order would dictate who gets first choice.
3) Crews vs. Individuals: The next decision is to run the picks. I think this is a no-brainer. A team drafts one official per round and then the next round is drafted in reverse order. First-round selections are automatically the chief ref for their crew. This would really make things interesting, but the NBA would likely want to mandate that certain guys be required first-rounders (like Bavetta).
There you have it, the NBA Referee Draft. I'm telling you, the ratings would be through the roof. You don't think teams would push for a couple extra victories just to get to pick who is officiating their games. Now if you have guys the NBA clearly want to promote, like Wade or LeBron, your choice is clear: Bennett Salvatore or Dick Bavetta. But if you get unlucky enough to be stuck with that last pick, say hello to Steve Javie. At least the NBA would be a little less like the WWE if this were done. Sending out Bavetta these days to do a game is like Vince wrestling and naming his son guest referee. So, David Stern, let's go ahead and get this done and we'll no longer have to be taking a break. But until then, I need my space. Let's call it an "open relationship."
