HOOPSWORLD | Basketball News & NBA Rumors

NBA referees aren’t perfect, so commissioner David Stern is working toward a solution. During his stop in Philadelphia on Thursday night, Stern told CBSsports.com’s Ken Berger that coaches may have the ability to throw a challenge flag in the future.

However, that doesn’t mean that Stern is critical of the officiating in this year’s playoffs.

“The officiating has been how officiating is,” Stern told Berger. “We have this issue. We have humans that officiate our games and they don’t catch everything. But they’re the best at what they do.”

But Stern also said that the goal is to have accuracy, and that might mean the use of a full-time replay official and challenge flags.

“Eventually, you may have someone sitting at a desk rather than having a Talmudic discussion of three referees every time there’s a disputed play,” Stern said. “We might have one person whose job it is to keep the headphones on and always watch. And you might let a coach throw the flag in the last two minutes. We’re striving for accuracy.”

Holding onto a colorful flag or handkerchief for an entire game is something that late DePaul coach Ray Meyer could get behind, but will fans put up with more stoppages in play? Could challenge flags leave NBA viewers enduring more commercials during the most crucial moments of the entire season? Yes, accuracy is king, but are we prepared for another “Green Lantern” ad just because Nate McMillan thinks Wesley Matthews was fouled?

Well, thankfully, Stern doesn’t sound like he’s completely willing to sacrifice the speed of the game.

“We have to find a way to speed the game up, and get it right,” he said. “That’s the most important thing.”

What are your thoughts on replay? Ray Meyer’s wardrobe? Please leave your comments below.

(note: No one is taking a dig at Meyer. 724 collegiate wins is nothing to sneeze at.)

Bulls Spar With Jeff Foster

Pacers center Jeff Foster didn’t make it to the NBA because of his sweet jumper or crossover dribble.

He does the dirty work, and Thursday night against the Bulls Foster was as filthy as ever in a Game 3 loss.

Now, according to Mark Montieth of ESPNChicago.com, the NBA is reviewing two incidents where Foster may have crossed the line: One in which he hit Bulls point guard Derrick Rose across the neck and head while defending a layup attempt, and another in which his elbow came down on Luol Deng’s head.

“He’s so fast, I just went in there and ended up hitting him,” Foster said about fouling Rose. “He reacted. It’s the playoffs. I’m sure he’s going to get hit plenty of times.”

Interestingly enough, the Bulls’ collective reaction to the hits has been a window into the team’s emerging character

Rose dismissed the foul as “a little irritating,” while coach Tom Thibodeau practically applauded Foster’s aggressiveness.

“This is the playoffs; there are going to be hard fouls,” Thibodeau said after his team increased it’s lead to 3-0. “In my eyes, that’s what they’ve been doing the whole series. They’re fouling hard. That’s part of the game. When it crosses the line, I think the officials will make the call.

“I have a lot of respect for Foster,” Thibodeau continued. “He’s a hard playing guy, a tough guy. He’s been a good player in this league for a long time.”

It sounds like Chicago is using Indiana as a sparring partner. The Bulls are happy to let Foster take his shots now, knowing full well that Dwight Howard, Kevin Garnett and Erick Dampier pack a much harder punch down the line.

The Best Closer in the World?

Bulls center Joakim Noah gave legendary Bulls writer Sam Smith of Bulls.com an interesting quote after Thursday’s narrow Game 3 win over the Pacers.

“We have the best closer in the world,” Noah told Smith of Rose, who broke an 84-84 fourth-quarter tie with a twisting left-handed drive and layup. “Everybody knows it. They know it. We know it. Their coach knows it. They all say it. They have no problems saying it. We all know it. That fives you confidence in your team.”

Noah may have a point.

Who on earth didn’t know Rose was headed for the hole with less than 20 seconds remaining in a tie game? Pacers fans cried for their team to clog the lane, and no matter how obvious it may have seemed, Rose’s drive couldn’t be stopped.

“The whole time I was just thinking, ‘go to the hole,’” Rose told Smith. “It was tough the whole night the way they were playing me. I missed shots I usually hit. At that time, I saw space and an opportunity and I just went.”

Once Upon a Time

The Knicks have been down 2-0 to the Celtics in the first round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs before.

In 1990 the higher-seeded Boston whacked New York, 157-128, in Game 2 before going on to lose the next two games at Madison Square Garden. The series went back to the Boston Garden for the fifth and deciding game, in which the Knicks outran the Celtics, 121-114.

Of course, that was a different Knicks team altogether: Mark Jackson, Patrick Ewing, Charles Oakley, Maurice Cheeks, Rod Strickland and Gerald Wilkins didn’t mind playing some defense for coach Stu Jackson.

Can New York muster enough defensive energy to cut Boston’s lead in half? The Celtics and Knicks tip-off tonight at MSG with the visitors holding a 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven series. 

{AUTHOR_BOX}Let’s Hear it for Caron

Mavericks forward Caron Butler was never really expected to recover from his knee injury this season, but that didn’t stop him from vigorously working toward a postseason return. Now Butler has improved to the point where he felt comfortable doing a “rigorous workout” at Portland’s Rose Garden, according to Eddie Sefko and Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News.

Butler’s knee isn’t strong enough for contact drills yet, but he could still make it back this season if the Mavericks can stay alive. 

A lot of players would have taken the check and went about a lengthy comeback from injury, so Butler deserves some credit for working so diligently.

The NBA’s Visit to Sacramento is Over

Thunder owner Clay Bennett, who has been listening to both sides of the debate concerning the Kings proposed move to Anaheim, has left California’s capital according to KCRA.com.

Bennett and an NBA lawyer met with the Maloof brothers at Power Balance Pavilion, but they were seen returning to the Sacramento Airport by 11:20 AM local time.

KCRA writes that Bennett and the lawyer were to receive a tour of the Kings’ current facility and hear details of the proposed move to Anaheim. Bennett, of course, moved the Seattle Sonics to Oklahoma City in 2008.

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