In the Golden State Warriors' loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday, Ky Bowman got a technical foul for staring at Kyle Korver after a slam. Head coach Steve Kerr responded using his trademark uncanny wit to lash at the referee.
Per Anthony Slater of The Athletic, Steve Kerr joked that staring at someone already warrants a technical foul in the new rule book.
“Apparently the referees have been told if someone stares at someone, that’s taunting and you have to call a T. Seems like a new rule. Seems unnecessary.”
Below is the play which, according to the referees, deserved a technical. Even NBA legend and commentator Marc Jackson disagreed with the call.
Ky Bowman had something to say to Korver after that poster 🔨 pic.twitter.com/uhuV9iqZGT
— ClutchPoints NBA (@ClutchPointsNBA) January 9, 2020
For the last several years, the referees have been continually been bashed and laughed at for being soft and overly sensitive when dealing with players' actions and their seeming abuse of power in handing out Ts with Kerr even daring an official to hand him one after being warned for celebrating excessively during a game. Fans, too, have jeered at the referees for handing out unnecessary Ts.
The relationship between the officials and teams continue to be a difficult one. Players always seem to disagree on every whistle blown against them. This, in turn, triggers the officials to T them up. Referees, meanwhile, continue to miss even the most obvious violations on the floor. Unlike players, referees are not sanctioned and asked to pay a fine. As such, some fans believe that referees should also be liable to the mistakes they commit on the floor.
Time will only tell if the NBA actually does something to address this. In the meantime, expect players to get a technical foul whenever they stare at someone.
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