Apparently, Los Angeles Clippers head coach Doc Rivers is not alone in his fight with NBA referee Ken Mauer. Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban also has an axe to grind against Ken Mauer. Mark Cuban said that he wants the NBA office to punish Ken Mauer for blatantly missing a call in the first minute of the Brooklyn Nets game against the Los Angeles Clippers.
"Suspend him, demote him, make him ref a game in the D-League," Mark Cuban said on Wednesday night.
The play Mark Cuban was referring to involved Brooklyn Nets shooting guard Bojan Bogdanovic. In the opening minute of the game, Bojan Bogdanovic got the ball from a hand off from Brooklyn Net's center Brook Lopez beyond the three point line at the top of the key. Bojan Bogdanovic took one dribble with his right hand and then picked the ball up while being guarded by Los Angeles Clippers shooting guard J.J. Redick. He then dragged his pivot foot and dribbled again this time with his left hand before picking the ball up and passing it back to Brook Lopez. An obvious dribbling violation.
All of these happened in front of Ken Mauer who was just a few feet away. Ken Mauer just stood there watching and did not blow his whistle despite J.J. Redick signaling to him about the violation.
"That call? At the beginning of the game? Right in front of him?" Mark Cuban said. "That wasn't an error in judgment. Refs are going to miss things because there's other things going on, but there was nothing else going on. It was the first or second play of the game, and he was standing right there."
Mark Cuban declined to say the name of the referee involved on that play. But he was obviously referring to Ken Mauer. Mark Cuban just said to watch the viral video and see who the referee he's referring to.
Ever since Mark Cuban bought the Dallas Mavericks back 2000, he has been very vocal in criticizing officiating in the NBA. Usually it involves his team the Dallas Mavericks. This is the first time that Mark Cuban has criticized a referee that has not nothing to do with the Dallas Mavericks.
When asked to comment why he would care so much about a missed call in the opening minute of a Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Clippers game?
Mark Cuban just simply said, "Because the quality of officiating matters in this game, you know?"
