Sheed Tired of NBA 'Golden Boys' Preferential Treatment

Sheed Tired of NBA ‘Golden Boys’ Preferential Treatment
November 28, 2009 by Nick Gelso

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Rasheed Wallace is never one to pull punches. He is always on the front lines, calling out referee’s inconsistencies. Friday night, following the Celtics win over Toronto was no different. He told the media that he was assessed a technical foul unfairly, saying Hedu Turkoglu should have been given the T for flopping. He also broached the topic of Paul Pierce being issued a technical foul for “taunting” Chris Bosh with a ferocious stare after posterizing the Toronto star. Sheed went on to point out that “NBA Golden Boy”, LeBron James would never have been docked with a technical for the same play.

From the Boston Globe:

“I didn’t use no profanity, I just said, ‘He’s a flopper,’ ’’ Wallace said after Boston’s 116-103 victory at TD Garden. “And [Malloy] gave me a tech for that. The league should make that a rule – flopping.

“It’s watered down, with all that flopping [stuff],’’ Wallace said.

“I’m a straight shooter now,’’ Wallace said. “I ain’t going to [expletive] you all.’’

Asked if he was referring to Cleveland’s LeBron James, Wallace said, “Take a guess,’’ acknowledging that he was.

“They set rules on us to the point where you’re taunting. When Paul dunked it and then, Paul didn’t say nothing, he just looked at him. Let The Golden Child do that or one of the NBA [Basketball] Without Borders kids do that and it’s all fine and dandy.’’

“It’s not like I threw my shoulder into him, or it was a hard push, or real hard contact. Come on, now. Showing on a pick, I’m already there, he touches me – ‘Ohh,’ he acts like I shot him or something. ‘Ohh.’ That’s not basketball, man, that’s not defense, that’s garbage, that’s what it is.’’

Can’t say I disagree with Rasheed. LeBron James is always in the league’s top five in free throws attempted. The whistle seems to blow more often for LeBron then any other guard in the league– only trailing Dwayne Wade in guards free throw attempts.

As far as “golden boy’s” are concerned, if Kobe Bryant was whistled for every (phony) scowling look he gave out during the finals last year, he wouldn’t have made it to game two. Isn’t Kobe’s snarls (strategically) towards the camera considered taunting? He growled at the Magic, the camera men and the audience so often in the Finals last year that it was kind of comical.

I can’t wait to see what Sheed’s recent round of referee criticisms will cost him this time…

Hey refs! Call it both ways!