Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert was highly critical of the officiating following Wednesday’s loss in Phoenix and will likely be fined, writes Chris Hine of The Star Tribune.
The Wolves have felt they’ve gotten poor treatment from the officials all season long, so it wasn’t just about last night’s game, Hine writes. The Suns attempted 27 free throws versus Minnesota’s 12.
“It’s not fair. It’s really not fair,” Gobert said. “Every night. I’ve been in this league for 10 years and I try to always give the benefit of the doubt, but it’s hard for me to think they’re not trying to help [the Suns] win tonight. It’s hard for me to think they didn’t try to help the Warriors win the other night or Sacramento Kings the other night. It’s just so obvious. As a basketball player that’s been in this league for so long, it’s disrespectful.”
According to Hine, Gobert specifically pointed to how many moving screens he’s been called for this season, and he believes officials are favoring bigger-market teams.
“We understand that we’re not the biggest of the markets and we’re a team that — I think you want to see KD [Kevin Durant] in the playoffs, Steph [Stephen Curry] in the playoffs, you want to see LeBron [James] in the playoffs,” Gobert said. “[The] Timberwolves are not there yet. We got to keep putting our head down, keep playing through that and it’s frustrating for sure, especially for me.”
Here’s more on the Wolves:
- Reserve center Naz Reid injured his left wrist yesterday after taking a hard fall on a dunk attempt, Hine adds in the same story. Reid was able to keep playing, but was in noticeable pain in the locker room afterward. It’s unclear if the fourth-year big man will miss time with the injury.
- Prior to the game, Suns head coach Monty Williams praised Reid, Hine tweets. “He’s probably a starter in this league on some teams, if not most,” Williams said. If a rival team believes Reid can be its starting center, that might make it tricky for the Wolves to retain him, Hine notes (via Twitter). The 23-year-old will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, though he will remain eligible for an extension until the end of June. Reid was recently nominated for Western Conference player of the week.
- In addition to his chemistry with Gobert, the Timberwolves traded for Mike Conley because they wanted a mature veteran who “cared less about making flashy plays,” sources tell Kendra Andrews of ESPN. The three-team deal saw the Wolves send out D’Angelo Russell in exchange for Conley, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and three second-round picks. Head coach Chris Finch also strongly implied that Russell’s limitations as a point-of-attack defender played a factor in the trade, according to Andrews, who takes a look at the team’s outlook for the rest of the season.
- On The Ringer’s Off Guard podcast with Austin Rivers and
Gobert ain’t wrong…
Refs been slacking for years when it comes to the small market teams… Always swollow this whistle…
All the more reason to bring in technology to keep the refs honest…
Have 3 extra refs viewing footage in real time and allow them to over turn any decision and stop play to reset the score to when the mistake happened…
These players and coaches wouldn’t have to risk getting fined to get a couple of decent calls…
The situation would already improve a lot if teams retained their ability to challenge a refs decision after a successful challenge.
The NBA could learn a lot from the cricketing world…
Keeping the challenges after a successful one would help a little…
But using technology to help make the right call everytime is better becUse those reviews take up too much time… And replacing them with some on court action that doesn’t count towards the box score is a good idea…
Gobert has a point … MIN is +1.6 in PF differentials so far … except, GSW are +2.9 and dead last in the league. So I don’t think he wants whatever whistle the Warriors get LOL.
Lakers are -3.4 followed by Cavs at -1.7 haha.
Friday game: Lakers vs Wolves
The purpose:
He hopes that Lakers will not take advantage of Wolves on free throw attempts
Rudy definitely ain’t wrong! The Timberwolves have been on the wrong side of these terrible refs all year! Start to wonder if it’s part of the script but each night the Timberwolves get Tim Donaghy’d’
If Lakers defeat Wolves this Friday, Wolves are in deep, deep trouble.
Lakers and Pelican are likely 39-38
Wolves 39-39
Gobert is onto the truth about the refs helping GSW, refs don’t even hide it anymore!
Gobert is such a baby. T-Wolves took 8 more free throws in that game than the warriors. Gobert twice knocked Curry down and no call against him. Warriors and Suns have 2 of the lowest FTA in the NBA. So if the Refs are helping them the stats say a completely different story on that.
Rudy the Frenchman, ever a specialist in whine (get it?)
Let the refs do their job, hunny. Maybe don’t give covid to everyone as a joke? Moron. This guy’s time in the league is done and he knows it.
Lol this guy thinks Rudy touching microphones caused the global pandemic
Well how many global pandemics were there before he touched them? Don’t you dare take a tone with me, “never washes” PU!
This was a useless comment
Thats kind of his thing
They were talking about you, smelly, not me.
Nah,.. bonercats is correct…
Just as useless as the Grizzlies conspiracies…
No, he’s not correct. Get your facts straight before you take a tone with me. I already said you’re in thin ice.
Nah… bonercats was right…
Thin ice? LMMFAO
Don’t you dare laugh. You haven’t earned the right. You probably fry up snake with your grandparents on Saturday afternoons.
Yeah, I went there, snake boy.
NBA officiating (even at its best) has always been formulaic, with only a causal nod toward the actual rules. But the formula has NOTHING to do with market size. It’s player (not team) based.
Because the formula is designed to make offense as easy as possible, the overall quality of officiating (and the overall watchability of the games) tends to fall off the rails whenever the league goes on the war path against defense. We’re in one of those cycles now.
The formula does invlove market size and especially team history…
It’s human nature…
Is a referee really going to be at 100% the same level for a Hornets vs Wizards game as a Lakers vs Warriors game?
No… There’s simply not enough pressure to…
Rigging the games was happening less often before the gambling revenue sharing took effect.
Now its often, and noticeable.
Using the refs to change the score is brilliant, and hard to prove without all of the refs full confession of the racket. No oversight either. Plus they probably sign NDA’s, and the NBA is listed as an entertainment company, and not a sports company for its corporate/commercial licensing.
I genuinely feel bad for you
You still haven’t explained how the NBA is placing or collecting bets at such a scale.
Come on… This is right up your alley…
Don’t you dare comment on my alley
You still haven’t explained how the NBA is paid through gambling revenue?
If the house makes a 100, and the NBA gets 15% of that?
Seems pretty simple that if they could manipulate 100 to 200 by using the refs it benefits the NBA, and they never place a wager.
You inferred laundering, and bet placing, and cash. I have no idea where you would get that from unless you didn’t understand sports betting, and how the gambling revenue sharing is doled out to the NBA. I never said placing black market, underground, cash bets. Those are your imaginations from your own lack of intelligence,understanding or informational resources
If you want to do anything to my face you’ll likely need a high-chair, or atleast a step-ladder.
What house are you talking about? There is no central gambling house. There are thousands of individual casinos and markets. You think NBA struck a deal with all of them? Ever think of using your brain for once?
And yeah I would need a step ladder because heat rises and you are full of nothing but hot air! And most of that air is dog farts!
Yes, that can’t even be a real question is it?
Of course they get a take of NBA revenue from every licensed house accepting NBA game wager’s. And the internet too. State lotteries, etc, etc.
Like I said you don’t inderstand sports gambling, and how the NBA receives revenue through licensed sportsbook venues.
All of the sports books communicate with each other so they don’t get burned on a betting line. Across the globe… This is a common understanding in the world of sports betting, and why a line will change from hour to hour, or day to day, etc, etc.
What is your obsession with the evacuation of waste from the human body?
Everyone who talks like that is a weirdo…
Just thought I’d mention it. Not sure what talking about poop, urine, and farts does for you, or what you are trying to relay to your readers, but it comes off as immature to me
You are the one who doesn’t understand sports gambling, stinky. Fixing matches doesn’t automatically generate more or higher bets. There are still gambling lines and odds to get people to spend, which, huh, they’re different at every casino? But…but…they talk to each other?
Post a link here to some sort of documentation or research that shows “the house” has had a greater than average winning percentage since covid. Show that it’s higher for the NBA than two other major sports. Or is everything fixed in your mind, which ironically seems totally broken.
And by the way, don’t put your body shame on me. If you aren’t comfortable with natural acts that’s your own cross to bear. Like when you bear down on the toilet and plop out these stinky, messy, watery takes.
The lines are not that different venue to venue, especially on the big games. You have definitely never been to Vegas, but I’m talking out of my behind?
The offered bets and strategies do differ from venue to venue, but they are still mostly the same. 1-2 point differences are what I mostly see. And smaller outlets offering less options of betting action. NBA still gets a piece…
This is why I said you don’t understand sports betting and need to explain how you think it works, or I have to write a book guessing what piece of information you don’t know or have to make this a simple concept for you. Or this is intentional idiot play? I can’t tell, other than if you’re being honest you appear to have little to no knowledge of sports gambling.
There is no Black/White win/lose proposition when you are the house. That comment alone shows you have little exposure to the sports-betting world. If you get too much action on a particuar line? close the betting, change the line, alter the score so it favors the house. All possible, and happening along with other manipulations. All legal
The NBA shares in the revenue of it like the NFL & NCAA have for a very long time. In exactly the same way.
Okay so like I thought you have not even a silver of proof of higher returns for the house since Covid, with the NBA helping them out. Gotcha. Just as I suspected, more hot air.
You’re just gonna have to take the L on this one hunny. So sorry ;(
Yeah, you could look up if they are an entertainment company or not, or do your own work, but to call me a liar and make me present evidence in your lap that you would not ask of your propagandists even?
Why would I, or do I have to do more than I have already provided? And what they won’t even provide you with before you regergitate it as the truth?
Now you know how the NBA gets its money from gambling, and you still believe the refs fixing games in no way could pad NBA bank accounts through the gamblimg revenue share?
If you can’t even say its an obvious possibility, you are not wanting discussion, just banter, and ego circulation
I never said it wasn’t a possibility, nincompoop. In fact if you page back to an earlier post I basically agreed and said, yes, it’s totally possible, and refs have even been caught in the act.
The problem is that none of your explanations are practical. It’s possible for me to go on a date with Gwyneth Paltrow (and I did once, but that’s another story…), but it doesn’t mean it’s true.
Nba is entertainment company. Great. They get revenue share from gambling. Sure. They increase their revenue share by fixing games. Huh? Because the refs do it on behalf of Adam Silver, and these corrupt zebras have never opened their mouth when they shouldn’t. Uhh… but no, they signed an NDA. Okay, and so when they go to court the news can report its because NBA is enforcing an NDA to cover fixing games. Wait…
So really, unless the NBA is making materially more revenue by increasing house winnings, which you can’t prove other than saying NBA is an entertainment company, they are risking their entire product for what, a few more dollars in the short term? And every owner has signed off on this?
Like I said, take the L. You’re just wrong.
NDAs are notoriously hard to enforce and if you think a league as big as the NBA is relying on that and some crooked refs to make a few extra bucks you are seriously touched.
Your entire argument is mainstream media not informing you?
In todays day, and age with the fakery, body doubles, photo-shop, and other click bait?
Is that right?
The “news” (which is a tv show, newspaper, sitcom, opinion, dried-up rag of the past, not truth, research, and information) has an agenda, and many of them through their opinions, and reputation to not inform their constituents when they are caught lying, or distributing false information. Its entertainment!
Yes, refs are hired to do a job, it isn’t illegal, dishonest maybe, and they are 100% threatened with retirement, and health benefit loss for violations of the NDA. 100% percent enforceable in exactly this way by any judge in the land. Its an international contract. Its what is called iron-clad. Not gonna weasle out of that NDA, and I didn’t know NDA’s were so easily side-stepped? News to me, never seen one fail if the subject matter jurisdiction is evident…
Yes, even petty referee salary, and employment benefits is enough to keep it quiet. Easily.
That entire argument of “everyone would know then” always leaves out how shallow, narcissistic, and easily bribed most average people are.
A billionaire can buy a lot of peasant silence without dropping below the Mendoza line.
Imagine billionaire’s $$$ working in unison, as a team, with focused strategy. Why wouldn’t they? That’s literally what investment banking is.
Immorality has never stopped anyone from making a buck in my experience.
I think a thief is a thief, and crook is a crook. Whether its 1 million or 1 I think thieves steal
In this case its not stealing where the NBA is concerned… Its legal entertainment, and the wagers on games is extra fun for the fans. (That is a loose interpretation of the legal description)
This is where buyer-beware comes from. It isn’t just an aphorism.
The NBA hasn’t always been as extreme, or obvious, but they are doing everything but hitting fans over the head with a hammer exposing themselves in the last 2-3 seasons.
You have truly gone off the rails. I’ve stopped being able to make sense of your response. Seek help.
Or maybe it’s what you want? More obfuscation because your argument is built on a pile of farts.
Crooked refs who are worried about a pension won’t say a thing, in an Era where thanks to that same technology you mentioned, privacy doesn’t exist and neither do secrets.
Ed Snowden. Stormy Daniel’s. #meToo. Get with the program.
Take the L. Sorry sugar.
Is that CNN/FAUX/ABC/NBC/CBS/AP wire tripe you are claiming to be real, and true?
That is funny, there is no evidence to those stories, other than they were mass distributed, and ego-maniacs told you it was true, but I have to give you evidence? They didn’t have to…
Talk about crazy. I pointed out clear opportunistic facts supporting a theory, and your response is Ed Snowden is telling the truth?
How would you know? Ed Snowden is what is called controlled opposition, and so is the other propaganda, and agenda’s you listed.
News is true, factual, and real… Ha,ha,ha ha,ha! I love it, Ed Snowden is a hero, and Me Too is revolutionary, please…
Controlled opposition… Its News alright, but not the truth, information, or factual. Nor has it ever been.
If its covered by a major media outlet, or majority owned, funded by, or has big $$$ in its bank accounts, that media is garbage if the truth is what you are after.
If you want entertaining stories? Party on Wayne.
It pretty sad that first sports betting venues aren’t working in concert, then the News has to validate it. I doubt truth is something easy for you to find, or a comfortable thing when confronted with it.
My old man is the same way, thought by your fart talk you were a lot younger, and more capable of critical thought
So according to you nothing reported on by the media is true. Only what goes on inside your head?
They don’t have to provide evidence, but they’re wrong. You don’t have to provide evidence, but you’re right?
Something smells. And if it isn’t you and some slimy skidmarks in your panties, it must be this story you are serving up.
I win.
If they don’t, they’re right, and if I don’t I am wrong?
Seems like exactly the same.
The story that the NBA can increase its revenue without getting into legal trouble, plus they have all the business relationships, ability, and arms of operation in place to do so, but they wouldn’t because its chump change, and petty?
According to me the propaganda agenda’s you listed were only covered by lying media networks, and were all AP “wire” stories fed to all the networks.
They don’t always lie, or they would get caught, but they do most of the time, and the Snowden, Daniels, Me Too are all 3 known as controlled opposition.
Not Snowden so much, but Daniels, and Me Too was to distract from Epstein, Weinstein, and Maxwell trafficking, and pimping children to Billionaire’s. Prove me wrong
You have brought us wayyy off course.
I am saying: the NBA is not fixing games to increase revenue they earn through gambling agreements. That’s all.
Why? Because the risk is not worth the reward. If they get caught, the product loses all credibility and lasting damage is done. Owners lose a lot of money. You say it’s ok because it’s legal, because it’s entertainment. Doesn’t matter. Fixing games looks really bad and hurts everyone.
Let’s say they pull it off. They are fixing games, successfully. They’re raking in the cash. How long before someone talks? If a ref is crooked enough to fix a game, why would you expect them to be a Saint in every other aspect of their life? People get greedy. It’s a tale as old as time. This is how these things fall apart. And they always do.
So is it possible? Yes. Is it likely? No. Look at how much back and forth there is over the legal CBA. You really expect Silver who is angling for Disney to get all of the owners to agree to sabotage their own product? You have owners agreeing to have losing seasons? To lose ticket sales? There’s just so many practical implications you ignore.
So forget any media. Forget farts. Just common sense. Use it someday.
I win.
Yeah, that’s what I thought.
The refs have been terrible this season… But this conspiracy just isn’t taking place…
There is favouritism but it’s not rigged… The refs can’t put the ball in the net…
Or is the ball just a drone being controlled by someone out of sight? Lol
Look at the Celtics game where Tatum fell to the ground when someone looked at him and it was a penalty.
Wait… if the refs trying to help big market teams why are they helping Sacramento?
Maybe people would take Rudy’s complaint more seriously if he didn’t use the KINGS as an example of big-market bias…
Does he not know the kings are always on the wrong end when come to ref. They either don’t get calls or they get called for something that didn’t happen red hate the kings ever since they got played
*ref
That late offensive foul on Rudy was a joke and indicative of the state of NBA officiating.
…. and Mike Jordan (really) retired to play baseball, right?