Joey Crawford is retiring IMMEDIATELY!!!

[Fallen Angel]

https://twitter.com/NBAcom/status/707980031079874560

[Im Still Ballin]

Godbless you champ. One of the best to ever lace them up.

[Fallen Angel]

:lebroncry:

[bigkingsfan]

Should have gone out like Kobe.

[JT123]

Should have gone out like Kobe.
Seeing as how Joey is responsible for most of Kobe's rings it only makes sense that they go out together.

[Zach LaVine]

My reaction:

http://cdn1.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1321811/JOEY-CRAWFORD.gif

[Overdrive]

1st round exit for Lebron.

[Adam Silver]

Today is a sad day for the NBA. The NBA family says goodbye to Joey Crawford as he retires from refereeing. This is the first retirement announcement of the season of somebody in the NBA's top 10.

[tomtucker]

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--2tzpz07U--/187020o1j2znvjpg.jpg

[HoopologyPhD]

Good riddance, I can't stand refs that draw attention to themselves, we shouldn't know who any of these guys are by their names.

[kamil]

GOOD.

The guy's a scumbag.

[Springsteen]

:hammertime:

[STATUTORY]

LeBatman just lost his Alfred

[sportjames23]

Why immediately? Usually when someone resigns like this, some shit's about to go down.

Either way, Joey gave me some lulz over the years, but like others said, he brought too much attention to himself. No one goes to the games to see the refs. Won't miss him too bad.

[Mr. Jabbar]

so this is it for lebron..

[Vancouver-Grizz]

Somewhere Tim Duncan is laughing on the sidelines.

[Zach LaVine]

Why immediately? Usually when someone resigns like this, some shit's about to go down.

Either way, Joey gave me some lulz over the years, but like others said, he brought too much attention to himself. No one goes to the games to see the refs. Won't miss him too bad.
Career ending injury.

[Derka]

Good f*cking riddance. Any referee who lives under the delusion that people paid money to see them should be publically executed at halfcourt on a Sunday afternoon nationally-televised game.

Has any referee ever been less objective than Joey Crawford? Not in my lifetime. Challenged Tim Duncan to a goddamn fight right there during a game...invented all manner of stupid excuses to blow his whistle and pretend he was James f*cking Brown while signaling a blocking foul he got wrong.

Screw Joey Crawford and everyone who looks like him. Dickk.

[JohnnySic]

Referees should be invisible. Just call the game and that's it. This guy had attitude like a baseball umpire. He thought he was part of the show.

[FKAri]

Let's be honest. There's only 4 guys in this league that are worth money to see: Lebron, Durant, Westbrook, and Curry. The rest make money because we've created competitive leagues that form storylines and needs players to fill. If there were no basketball leagues and they were all circus acts with a basketball or random pick up games those are the only 4 I'd go and watch.


Good riddance, I can't stand refs that draw attention to themselves, we shouldn't know who any of these guys are by their names.
I yearn for the day where refereeing is completely automated and people aren't needed. But the NBA rule book is garbage and with it being as nebulous and subjective as it is, we'll never have that.

[Zach LaVine]

I yearn for the day where refereeing is completely automated and people aren't needed. But the NBA rule book is garbage and with it being as nebulous and subjective as it is, we'll never have that.
The players can have suits with pressure sensors, motion detectors, and such to determine what is a foul. The suits will monitor the players' movements and contact along with body positioning and court positioning to determine the call.

[FKAri]

The players can have suits with pressure sensors, motion detectors, and such to determine what is a foul. The suits will monitor the players' movements and contact along with body positioning and court positioning to determine the call.

That can't happen right now because there is no proper definition for most fouls. It is entirely up to the whim of a ref as to how much contact is too much. How much is a push off and how much is incidental.

This is why the rules suck. This is why players flop. This is why strong players are penalized for not being put off balance while weak players are rewarded for faltering at the slightest touch.

[Straight_Ballin]

The players can have suits with pressure sensors, motion detectors, and such to determine what is a foul. The suits will monitor the players' movements and contact along with body positioning and court positioning to determine the call.

Suits.....that doesn't sound comfortable.

[Gileraracer]

Breaking News: Lebron also about to retire immediately!

[FKAri]

Breaking News: Lebron also about to retire immediately!

hurr durr

Too bad you can't retire. You never worked in the first place.

[HurricaneKid]

As an official myself I can tell you that Joey was the worst of the worst. With a 3 man crew there are fairly strict responsibilities. Joey ALWAYS goes outside of his zones. Which means he would make these demonstrative calls when he wasn't even the official that was supposed to be making the call (as other officials had better position). He was combative, plead guilty to a felony, and threw out a HoFer for laughing on the bench.

Good riddance. His existence was evidence of league-wide malfeasance as far as I am concerned.

[Ranked 12th]

Seeing as how Joey is responsible for most of Kobe's rings it only makes sense that they go out together.
:roll: :roll:

[Zach LaVine]

That can't happen right now because there is no proper definition for most fouls. It is entirely up to the whim of a ref as to how much contact is too much. How much is a push off and how much is incidental.

This is why the rules suck. This is why players flop. This is why strong players are penalized for not being put off balance while weak players are rewarded for faltering at the slightest touch.
Right, we are clearly talking about the future though.

[Zach LaVine]

Suits.....that doesn't sound comfortable.
Future suits. Obviously they won't be used until they are designed to be comfortable and allow for maximum abilities.

[FKAri]

Right, we are clearly talking about the future though.

My argument is that the rules are fundamentally subjective and thus there can be no automation even if the technology was there.

[f0und]

good *ucking riddance to that nazi *uck

:applause:

[smoovegittar]

Good riddance.

[sd3035]

He put the 2 in 2/6

[ArbitraryWater]

https://i.gyazo.com/b7c3c7e00598d298257e3cea5aab2830.png

[JebronLames]

Seeing as how Joey is responsible for most of Kobe's rings it only makes sense that they go out together.
Wow it all makes sense. I guess Kobe is actually 0/7. 0%

[Hey Yo]

Wow it all makes sense. I guess Kobe is actually 0/7. 0%
Nope...he's actually 2-2.

Was only legit first option in 3 Finals and took it upon himself against Detroit to be 1st option.

[MP.Trey]

Good.

[Genaro]

Lebron right now.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-UxzZzODn4U4/UTJ_IQ2FktI/AAAAAAAAAcM/b2tf2zlL8bMZ7PFQs2o4dGZCEpCTexFEgCCo/s280-Ic42/lebron1.gif
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Vn-ujVnOL6w/UTJ_2RGhJzI/AAAAAAAAAYA/eW-Xj1VWGDU6pYhFrKI2IZDN5ofamnctACCo/s320-Ic42/lebron4.gif

[SpecialQue]

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MQmXy-g7bHQ/U55YJiPhrAI/AAAAAAAAHmE/SxmlR-Ep7rk/s1600/leb.gif

[SpecialQue]

https://cdn3.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/VcNIPU6kT9WJEXvfB8wnbwVCHSs=/cdn0.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/3536588/sag_gif.0.gif