There have been a number of high-profile incidents involving referees and players this season.
Shaun Livingston and referee Courtney Kirkland went forehead-to-forehead during an argument early in December, and big stars including LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, and Anthony Davis have all been ejected. Most recently, Draymond Green was tossed after two technicals in a 47-second span -- the second one of which was rather soft.
Draymond Green ejected, quick whistle pic.twitter.com/F1XoftP0TQ
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) December 31, 2017
The earlier incidents prompted the league's player's association and referee's association to meet back in December. According to an ESPN report, the meeting was over two hours long.
In light of his recent ejections, along with the earlier controversies, Green spoke about the relationship between the refs and players this season, saying the tension between the two groups is "ruining the game." He also proposed a bold idea to fix the issue: Get rid of every single ref and bring in an entirely new group. Via The Athletic:
On Saturday in Los Angeles, a few weeks after that reported meeting and hours after picking up his league-leading 11th technical foul, Draymond Green told The Athletic that the situation has become toxic and it's something the league must address immediately.
"It's bad," Green told The Athletic. "It's horrible. It's really bad. I don't know why it is. But I think it's ridiculous. It's ruining the game. ... It should be one of, if not the main priority, to be solved. It definitely should."
Green has grown so frustrated with the situation that, when asked for a possible solution, he threw out a radical idea.
"They can get a new crop (of referees), a whole new crop," Green said. "Too many personal things going on. Too much me against you. It just don't work that way."
While it's extremely unlikely that Green's bold plan to simply replace every single referee is going to happen, he does have a point that the increased tensions between the two groups are -- if not ruining -- at least hurting the game this season. Ejecting star players, especially early in games or after just one technical has a big impact on both the outcome of the game, as well as the enjoyment for fans.
The relationship between refs and players is definitely something to monitor as the season goes along. It will be especially interesting to see how things go once the playoffs arrive, when the stakes are elevated, and players are more likely to be emotional.