The standard last year was pathetic. So far this season we've seen some mistakes as always but overall it hasn't been nearly as bad as 09/10 IMO. Good to see.

Might still be early days tho Xztatik to compare to 09/10, but i do agree i havent thought its all that bad.

According to Boti's article there were much tighter calls being made, and winder is having trouble adjusting as he is more of an aggressive baller. According to Sixers twitter on the sixers web page there is going to be a section on winder on tonights ten news where he will be talking about the troubles he is having with the referees

They should interview Gabe Freeman. I think he's just about ready to knock a ref out.

One of the biggest worries for me last year was how often they were calling a shooting-foul on shot blockers almost automatically, even if it was clean. So far this year they're letting them go a bit more and we've seen some massive rejections.

A good game is one thats a bit more physical with fewer calls as long as its consistent. also have the rules changed in the NBL with regarding to travel? is it still 2 steps or is it 3 now? i swear ive seen 3 steps taken a few games or am i mistaken?

There was one call by Phil Haines against Perth that actually had quite a few people around me laughing out loud. You know you're not travelling too well as a ref when that happens.

That one apart, I don't think it's been too bad so far, but the season is yet young.

They called it tight yesterday in the Blaze game and thats fine, as long as its consistant!

Ive always disagreed with the "call less and let the game flow' argument, if there is contact and its a foul, call it that way.

Funny how Boti is now trying to find excuses for Winder, if he is getting called for fouls because hes agressive then he needs to change the way he plays. I seem to remember a few years ago when Goorjan coached teams had 'agressive ballers' and every Sixer fan screamed when those guys seemed to have contact ignored to 'improve the game flow'

Yeh true, well made point Statman. but by free flowing i mean i hate those games where they call a foul that is so weak that it shouldnt have been called. but i guess it comes back down to was it a foul or not though? its always tough but i think the refs have been doing good.

The standard last year didn't bother me too much and I haven't been distraught about any calls this year either. They let a lot go but it balances out.

There will always be mistakes made - it's a fast and subjective game.

Resisting the urge to verbally explode.

Yes. I beleive they are pretty horrible.

That is all.

Since Winter wrestled Larry Davidson pre-season,
he has been drawing an excessive amount of attention.

Did anyone happen to catch Winder on ten news last night? i missed it, just wondering if it was anything interesting?

He just said that the calls didn't bother him too much and that he'd continue to be aggresive on D - added that if the fouls are for "reaching in" he should stop doing that - which is fair comment.

Cheers phidap, didnt think it would be anything major, good to hear he is going to work on it and make the refs here happy.

WOW, Boti isnt happy about the more recent calls judging by the article ive read.

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport/basketball/us-talent-enhances-our-comp/story-e6frect3-1225943810172

Watching the Tigers v Perth the other night, it seemed to me that hooking and arm barring by the player with the ball are no longer fouls. Is that the case? It seemed every time the player with the ball used his elbow to make room to dribble, it was let go. And it happened a lot. Have the rules or interpretations been changed on those?

Interesting too to see Redhage line up a player in the circle under the basket and take him out, knowing he couldn't get a charging call. In AFL, he would have been before the tribunal this week. I still think if you're allowing the charging player to create contact and not get called, then the defending player should be allowed to take evasive action without subsequent contact being called as a foul. Having been concussed by a driving player who intentionally delivered just such a hip and shoulder bump with impunity, I feel it's a reasonable allowance to make.

SRT070 - just read the article. Thanks for the link. I think it's an over reaction. When I changed jobs, I had to learn new ways of doing the same things I did with the old employer. Some things I used to do were okay and some were not. I adjusted.

Did I feel like I was being picked on because I'd come from a different way of doing things? No.

Did I like having to adjust? Not always and some of the rules I still think are dumb. But I like the pay and the people, so I'm still there.

Are imports being targeted by refs in the NBL? I doubt it. Mostly the same refs as the last few years and it hasn't been touted as a problem in recent years.

Are aggressive defenders more likely to attract fouls than other players? Well, yeah. Are this year's batch of imports more defensively aggressive than past years? Maybe - I don't know. Did Boti consider that as an explanation? Probably not.