Did Joey Crawford Cross the Line Again?
We mentioned this earlier in Smack, as Kenyon Martin got tossed from last night’s game for extending his elbow into Big Andy Varejao’s chest on a screen. It was definitely a foul. But there’s no way that merits getting tossed.
K-Mart is completely right. He was totally within his right to give a tough time to the guy setting that screen. Some coaches teach to wedge your knuckle in a screener’s sternum every time. This wasn’t even that bad.
Joey Crawford is a habitual line-stepper. Fine me Stern, but he’s just a bad ref.
Did Joey Crawford cross the line again?
November 14th, 2008 at 12:47 pm
weezy f says:
NBA needs to investigate him
November 14th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
Bill says:
I’m not a big Joey Crawford fan, but I agree with him here. Nuggets were down around 10 at the time, and things could have gotten out of hand. K-Mart has just gotten a tech 30 seconds earlier…and his hit was definitely not a “basketball play”. 100% deserved. Good job Joey!
November 14th, 2008 at 12:52 pm
Jim says:
What lead up to this? Bill says he had just got a tech.
He probably overreacted here but we don’t know if they had just talked or anything. I’m sure I would be pissed if I was K-Mart, though .
November 14th, 2008 at 12:52 pm
Jim says:
Also Karl didn’t even look surprised.
November 14th, 2008 at 12:55 pm
Octopus Jonny says:
That was some bullshit. It couldn’t have been the foul, K-Mart had been jawing with him for at least a minute before getting tossed. Wonder what he said?
November 14th, 2008 at 1:10 pm
Michorizo says:
I watched the game but at the same time i was watching MNF and High as hell, but i remember this sequence and a few plays before it and it seemed like K-Mart was being that dick on the playground that is just out there to be an asshole.
November 14th, 2008 at 1:11 pm
Tbeezy says:
This also came on the heels of the Rockets/Suns game. The fight in that game started with the exact same play from Matt Barnes.
November 14th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
QueSt??? says:
he dint deserve to get thrown out
November 14th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
GEE...always smell it and look at it first! says:
Crawford is a hot head and we all know that! They probably would have already gotten rid of dude if he didn’t have the amount of years he has in the L.
Only other reason Martin got tossed was because of the Houston and Suns debacle. So they are probably now watching for how hard picks are set and how intent in which they are set.
Still he shouldn’t have been tossed!
November 14th, 2008 at 1:41 pm
QQ says:
Crwaford is in the L for quite a few years now, and for a reason: he’s one the best in the business. He can be an asshole, a dick and everything in between, but only a few refs would reach Joey’s level.
Fire him? Sure. Just make sure you’ll be a better ref than him.
November 14th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
E$ says:
I was going to make a video of it, but Joey Crawford has done alot worst
November 14th, 2008 at 1:48 pm
Hayesfan says:
I thought that was the second tech he had gotten in the game… isn’t that an auto boot from the game?
November 14th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
Big T says:
Like Bill previously mentioned, Kenyon had just gotten served with 1 about a minute prior. If he wants to act like a jackass, throw him out. Regardless if the ref is Crawford, I think the right call was made.
November 14th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
Big Shot BOB says:
Joe Crawford is a good Ref but he a little bitch straight up. LOL @ the Charlie Murphy “Habitual Line Stepper” reference.
November 14th, 2008 at 1:58 pm
rodnets says:
I think K-mart is a punk, Varejao is a 1st class flopper, and Crawford is one of those refs that think that the most importan actor in the game are not the players.
Put that in a boiler and you have that video sequence…
November 14th, 2008 at 2:33 pm
Ross says:
Yes, he crossed the line. Crawford screwed the Spurs in last season’s playoffs and screwed Duncan in that game against the Mavs. Its good to see its not just Duncan hate though.
Varejo definitely flopped on that play, too. Fire Crawford now, Stern.
November 14th, 2008 at 2:44 pm
Sho-Nuff says:
K-Mart had a few run ins earlier in the game. Crawford had enough because he was warned after the earlier scuffle. I forgot who it was with, maybe Gibson or Gibson was in the picture because LBJ gave K-mart the WTF?! look.
He loaded his shoulder up on Varejo though and that’s when he got run out of there.
November 14th, 2008 at 2:50 pm
Ian says:
how the fuck does this man still has a job
November 14th, 2008 at 3:09 pm
BEdger says:
doesn’t anybody remember the malice at the palace? It was started at the end of a game that had gotten very chippy. There was on 55 seconds left in this game and the outcome was no longer in doubt, I say Crawford was right. Don’t let this escalate as it has no affect on the outcome of the game
November 14th, 2008 at 3:24 pm
fallinup says:
You fellas getting on Joey should have watched the game. Kenyon was just called for some elbow shucking on the previous Denver offensive play. He maintained to throw a shove again right in front of the hardest of the hard asses, Joey Crawford.
Bad move on Kenyon’s part. He was just being a punk anyway. Considering that there was a skermish the day before after a “hard leaning screen”….Kenyon was being dumb…and Joey doesn’t take that shit.
That’s on Kenyon..not Joey.
November 14th, 2008 at 3:26 pm
Lee says:
I think refs should watch this video and be humble !!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHWsvU3JLN8
November 14th, 2008 at 3:28 pm
jl90 says:
if you look at the replay, varejao totally flopped and fell backwards and kenyon didnt even fully extend his arm anywhere near anderson until after he was a good foot away.
a bad call but possibly understandable. i don’t know what crawford saw
November 14th, 2008 at 4:21 pm
GEE...always smell it and look at it first! says:
Yea course it’s all love till Joey throws your favorite playa out the game.
Reduce that cat to pre-season games.
November 14th, 2008 at 4:28 pm
doc says:
Sit his old ass down somewhere.He always calling bullshit and he think he’s supposed to be a star.Remember he tore his ACL running down court.(I think it was him).That was funny as hell.
November 14th, 2008 at 4:34 pm
dagwaller says:
From what everyone’s saying, sounds like K-Mart deserved it. But since I didn’t see the action personally, I couldn’t say for sure.
But if he had just gotten a T for throwing bows a minute before, and the refs told him to watch it, why would he even think to push off like that? Especially with the game out of reach like that. Put it together with his history of getting techs, and with Crawford’s history of being quick to T someone up, and the fight the night before (based on the same thing, no less), and the League’s supposed crackdown/escalation of Ts called (which apparently some people on this site have forgotten about), and I don’t see what the big deal is. At all.
November 14th, 2008 at 5:07 pm
JCARR says:
No, but i thought the NBA was going to fine players for flopping??????
***Dime what ever happened to the rule and sanctions they were going to give to player who flop??
Ex. MANU, OBERTO, Verajo…
November 14th, 2008 at 6:00 pm
JHov says:
Joey Crawford is an ass..and has personal vendettas against players and has forever! Dude thinks he’s bigger than the game as does Bevetta(in a different way) that dude puts on a show everytime he calls traveling! But to answer what Kenyon said it kinda went like: “F you you motherf’ing B. and so on” I think K-Mart had a fight with Trina though..he seemed ticked off the whole night and in the post game interview too!
November 14th, 2008 at 6:29 pm
sans says:
I think that was a good call–so long as Kenyon is getting tossed for his 2nd T, not for the elbow. The elbow shiver, especially if he’s been talked to about it throughout the game, been called on it, and already given a tech, then KMART shouldn’t have been surprised. The tossed elbow is a gray area tech, what would cause that to be thrown is the officials idea behind the elbows intent–whether it was intentional or incidental…and that ish looked intentional as all hell.
Also, as an official, being a dick is a part of the job. Shit, it is the job, that and never backing down. Never. Players and coaches only learn to respect you when you are resolved in every call that you make.
November 14th, 2008 at 6:32 pm
sans says:
@ Lee…
that is a federal crime in this country now. Minimum of 15 years. Like assaulting an officer or school official. That dude’s in jail in Uruguay right now.
November 15th, 2008 at 2:25 am
james says:
one of tha worst calls
November 15th, 2008 at 8:04 am
Dre says:
Stern will take a look at this and if there was no type of discussion before hand Crawford will be suspended. Stern has gotten better over the past couple of years about holding the refs accountable for their action and not giving them a blanket “do what you want and no one can criticize you”. Crawford is already on Sterns list and if he sees this as grand standing or taking out a personal vendetta Crawford will be suspended again.