Thunderous Intentions
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NBA will test coaches challenge at Vegas Summer League

By Tamberlyn Richardson

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - APRIL 25: Russell Westbrook #0 of the Oklahoma City Thunder argues a penalty call with referee Ed Malloy #14 during the first half of game 5 of the Western Conference playoffs against the Utah Jazz at the Chesapeake Energy Arena on April 25, 2018 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by J Pat Carter/Getty Images)
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - APRIL 25: Russell Westbrook #0 of the Oklahoma City Thunder argues a penalty call with referee Ed Malloy #14 during the first half of game 5 of the Western Conference playoffs against the Utah Jazz at the Chesapeake Energy Arena on April 25, 2018 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by J Pat Carter/Getty Images) /
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The NBA will test out coaches challenges at the Summer League in Vegas to decipher the effectiveness.

Hallelujah! For those who follow this site or for that matter anywhere I post you know adding a coaches challenge to the NBA has been an ongoing rant of mine. Of all the North American Major League Sports every one of them has a coaches challenge except the NBA.

Funny, all it took was one correct call being reviewed and not benefiting the Cavaliers and LeBron James for the NBA to fast track this method. Not to look a gift horse in the mouth, but let’s get real.

Majority believe there is a star bias:

The outcry over the block-charge call on LeBron James is almost humorous. Every single team the Cavaliers beat along their route to the Finals was penalized more egregiously than Cleveland. And, in those cases the teams (particularly the Pacers and Raptors) have an argument it cost them games.

For example in Round 1 versus the Pacers, in three out of the four Cavaliers wins they received close to double the free throw attempts. Making this discrepancy more curious is the points in the paint (PIP) scoring.  As a rule of thumb teams winning the paint battle gain the advantage at the line. Yet, in those three wins Cleveland’s advantage in free throws were 88-49, but Indiana’s PIP advantage was 154-100.

The irony about the Cavaliers uproar over the Finals Game 1 on (again a correct) block-charge was Kyle Lowry (the leader in NBA charges taken) stood upright to the oncoming full speed LeBron James who got the block call on an obvious charge.

And, of course there was the Kevin Love elbow to DeMar DeRozan‘s head (Game 1) which officials refused to review, but DeRozan was summarily tossed via a flagrant two in the final game. Boston has a beef here, because JR Smith’s push of Al Horford was far more dangerous than the DeRozan play, but he was not assessed a flagrant two.

So, when Ty Lue took to the post game podium in Oakland after Game 1 citing his team playing their hearts out and felt robbed of the victory no doubt the Raptors and Pacers could relate.

My point is every fanbase feels disrespected at times by the officials.

OKC Thunder burned by officials:

Case in point, two specific incidents stand out for the OKC Thunder this season and one in the postseason. The first came early in the season when Karl-Anthony Towns threw an illegal screen on Paul George. This resulted in Andrew Wiggins having a straight, unimpeded path up the floor for what became a hail Mary game winning trey.

The second came courtesy of Giannis Antetokounmpo clearly stepping out of bounds prior to scoring in a game where that basket also decided the game. In the playoffs it was Paul George getting fouled on possibly two occasions while taking perimeter shots. Neither were called and because they weren’t the OKC Thunder lost possession of the ball and subsequently the game and series.

Why Coaches Challenge needs to happen:

There are numerous reasons I’m an advocate for the Coaches Challenge. Although Adam Silver talked of transparency and introduced the last two minute report it did nothing to affect game outcomes. Rather, the only purpose it served was to upset fan bases when missed, or bad calls led to losses. In fairness to the officials the game is played at break neck speed in this generation.

Therefore, imagine coaches and teams having the ability to change a games outcome via a fair action. The OKC Thunder could have at a minimum two additional wins this past season. The other effect would be teams who rely on ‘star’ calls wouldn’t be able to rest on their laurels. Instead, coaches challenges could theoretically change the outcome and reward teams who deserve the win.

League under pressure to produce resolutions:

This isn’t a new narrative, every season there are games lost on calls. It’s the nature of the beast so to speak. A game played this fast with so many moving parts can’t help but experience missed calls. But, this season and throughout the playoffs complaints about officials reached unprecedented levels.

During Game 1, Jeff Van Gundy told viewers the NBA goes through every game monitoring correct and incorrect calls and create a report like the ‘last two minute” report the league releases. This wasn’t common knowledge and again brought further attention to the matter. The subsequent two days between games allowed for endless discussion about officiating. Perhaps this added awareness puts more pressure on the league to take action.

With the uproar created over the block-charge in Game 1 of the finals the spotlight became brighter on the subject. Shortly afterward USA Today writer AJ Neuharth-Keusch broke news of the NBA’s plans to test the coaches challenge.

"In the wake of the controversial block-charge call involving Kevin Durant and LeBron James late in the fourth quarter of Game 1 of the Finals on Thursday night, NBA executive vice president of basketball operations Kiki VanDeWeghe revealed that the league is planning to “look at” a challenge system for coaches during the 2018 Summer League, which tips off in July."

Coaches Challenge unlikely to be introduced until 2020:

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The article states it’s unlikely the system would be adopted next season. And, there are still holes within the plan. For example, non calls won’t be something the coaches can challenge. Therefore, a player egregiously fouled but uncalled won’t be in the mix. Likewise getting only one challenge isn’t enough.

If it were my decision I’d introduce a system similar to Tennis where the player gets a number of challenges per set and retains the challenge when correct. Obviously the NBA won’t want unending challenges, but perhaps two or three challenges per game would be fair, with the “tennis caveat” of the coach retaining the challenge if they are accurate.

"The G League currently allows coaches one challenge per game (only fouls called, goaltending/basket interference and out-of-bounds calls can be challenged)."

A coaches challenge may not completely erase these issues. Still, baby steps toward resolution is better than no steps at all. Plus, it sure would go a long way to making players and fan bases feel more confident the games end result can be determined via their efforts.

It also feels like a necessary step given the legalization of gambling. The NBA cannot be seen to turning a blind eye to these matters and a coaches challenge feels like the appropriate first step.

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