Former Lakers Player Explains How The NBA Could Fix Mistakes From Referees

If there is one thing that brings sports fans together, it is bashing the referees. No matter what team you support, you tend to think that the officials are against them, and they draw the ire of fans after almost every game.

The officials were back in the spotlight when the Los Angeles Lakers took on the Boston Celtics on Saturday, as they failed to call a pretty obvious foul late in the game. The fact that LeBron James was on the receiving end meant the situation was amplified, and it led to a statement being released by the officials, which read that everyone makes mistakes and that this one would cause them sleepless nights. That hasn't stopped LeBron from repeatedly taking shots at them, as he is clearly not over what transpired. Former Lakers big man Samaki Walker put forth an idea on how the NBA can ensure these mistakes don't happen during an interview with Basketball News.

via Basketball News:

"But the way technology has evolved, the refs could call up to headquarters and make sure they get the call right quickly so it doesn’t even slow down the game. This problem could be easily fixed." 

Something like this might be doable for standalone games, but if there are quite a few going on at the same time, you are looking at extended delays. There are already way too many stoppages during an NBA game, but it might well be the only solution if you want to get every call right.

NBA Fan Explained Why Fining Referees For Mistakes Would Be A Terrible Idea

Everyone on the Lakers was pretty annoyed with the officials after that blunder against the Celtics, and Dennis Schroder took to Instagram to state that the referees should get fined for mistakes. While quite a few fans would have agreed with him, there is a reason why this isn't done in any top professional league.

Being a referee is an incredibly difficult job, and it isn't a career that too many would want to pursue. Fines being levied on them for mistakes would just push more people away from the role, which isn't ideal. An NBA fan also explained that slapping fines on them for mistakes would put extra pressure on these individuals, and it would inevitably make them even more nervous in the big moments of the game.