Should we be annoyed with Tatum for getting ejected, again?
For the longest time I railed on Jayson Tatum for complaining too much. As Tatum propelled into Star status and Superstar status this was no secret to anyone familiar with the NBA. The infamous flailing of the arms after quite literally every drive to the basket was becoming something of a signature moment for the young Celtic. However, in recent years I have been pleasantly surprised to see a vast improvement in this area of his game. Well, I guess the NBA officials didn’t get the memo.
This was 2nd time Tatum was ejected this year for arguing calls. Let’s get this out of the way. Tatum was followed on these plays. All of them. If we were talking about young Tatum we would have seen arms flying in the air like an octopus was on the court. Not here. Instead we get the standard NBA player response. A general disbelieve the whistle didn’t blow and a mean mug. But, after the 3rd atrocity Tatum handles his business.
That’s where I land on this. In year’s past it would have been an easy declaration of Tatum being a bitch. Sack up and play through contact. Not now. Tatum has matured and the embarrassment that is NBA officiating is starting to stank real bad. It’s like they aren’t even hiding their agendas, arrogance, or ignorance. The mandates from the league regarding contact and flagrants, blah, blah, blah doesn’t help. I get that. Replay is a crutch. But, this man is an MVP candidate. Does he need to flop around like a toddler to earn calls?
Tatum was not shy about it in the post game either. Both Brown and Tatum have been outspoken about the referring this season. Brown, specifically after the nonsense that went down in Indiana last week.
In conclusion, I am team Tatum here. It goes against my general philosophies regarding pansy professional athletes and “player empowerment”, but my disdain for refs and umps in modern professional sports outweighs those philosophies. Get off your knees ref, you’re blowing the game.