Officiating in the NBA has become an increasingly contentious topic in recent years. Wrong calls and inconsistent whistles have marred a lot of games and incensed a lot of players, with Stephen Curry probably one of them at some point.
Media day for the All-Star Game saw the Golden State Warriors superstar take the podium and get asked what thing he would change in the league if he were commissioner for a day. Interestingly, he brought up the referees.
While Curry didn't offer any suggestions for the on-court product, he did hint at wanting to see how referees are assessed. He stated, "I would probably want to see the refs' grading system probably, like let that be more public, the same kind of way our stats are shown on a nightly basis."
Stephen Curry seeks more transparency about how refs are rated
Charlotte Hornets fans know all too well what the two-time MVP is talking about. The general sentiment among them, particularly social media users, is that the officiating is often too biased against the Hornets. While there's no stat to back up that argument, some folks have pointed to the squad being the third-worst in average free-throw attempts as evidence. There are even a few who forecast that the Hive is in for a rough night whistle-wise based on who the assigned officials are.
Curry didn't go as far as to lambaste the men in the zebra stripes, though. He acknowledged how referees have such a tough job, but he seems to be hoping that players and fans will be able to see what makes a ref great or not. After all, player stats are out in the open for the world to see.
According to Ben Dowsett, in a piece he wrote for FiveThirtyEight, the NBA uses an advanced analytical system that polices and rates the game officials. However, not much detail has been divulged to the public, which Curry obviously wants to see change.
Hornets fans might want to second the motion to put Charlotte on a level playing field when it comes to getting favorable whistles. That might help LaMelo Ball average more than 5.3 free-throw attempts per contest and prevent its players from unnecessarily falling into foul trouble.
Of course, it's still better for Charlotte to control what it can and not be bothered too much by what it can't. Perhaps finding ways to be more aggressive on offense is what Buzz City needs to be better in drawing the refs' whistles.