The 29-year-old, who missed over seven months due to a cruciate ligament tear in 2024 and has had several knee and hamstring injuries this season, was forced off during City’s 2-1 win over Arsenal on Sunday.
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NBA officiating is in crisis mode, and the players have a point <div id="zephr-anchor"><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">The NBA may or may not have an officiating crisis. But it definitely has a crisis of confidence, which is the only kind that matters.</p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">Even in the age of big data and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGbIrmC-L9o">AI-generated LeBron songs</a>, we still do not have a reliable way to track if an NBA game was officiated well. This isn’t automatic balls and strikes; we’re talking about whether Giannis Antetokounmpo’s elbow intentionally struck Al Horford in the head during that poster dunk, if Shai Gilgeous-Alexander initiated contact when his defender stupidly jumped at a pump fake for the 19th time, whether Jaden McDaniels gave Jamal Murray adequate landing space on his shot despite every player jumping different distances when they shoot and McDaniels understandably is not staring at Murray’s feet when he’s shooting a three. That kind of stuff.</p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">So people<a href="https://x.com/c2_cooper/status/2047296371800092675?s=46"> clamor for accountability</a>. Players freak out, including Devin Booker saying in a press conference that Alex Caruso asked the ref to call a technical on Booker <a href="https://x.com/mrbuckbucknba/status/2047160072631984471?s=46"><em>and he just did for some reason? </em></a>Fans of teams that feel they got jobbed lose it, demanding changes (what changes?), oversight (how?) and to please please <em>please </em>stop allowing Gilgeous-Alexander to magnet-pull himself to a defender and get two free throws!</p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">But refereeing is such a stupid concept that there is no possibility to improve, only to complicate. Sure, we have <a href="https://official.nba.com/2025-26-nba-officiating-last-two-minute-reports/">Last Two Minutes reports</a>, but those are simply compiled by other referees offering a different interpretation with the assistance of slow-motion replay — or as I like to call them, <em>completely useless </em>since no referee could ever review every single call of the last two minutes in slow-mo in real time lest they want to make the game completely unwatchable.</p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">Refereeing basketball games is not an exact science; in fact, it’s probably not a science at all. When you consider all the contact, all the dust-ups, all <a href="https://x.com/clutchpoints/status/2047155473775030295?s=46">the arm-flailing</a>, all <a href="https://x.com/BrickCenter_/status/2047154558439502244?s=20">the pump-fake magnetism</a> and <a href="https://x.com/protectedpick/status/2047135133086716249?s=46">all the floppity flops</a>, officiating this environment is far closer to oil painting than it is mathematical proofs. Fouls are interpretations of a fluid game in which contact is legal, and referees must use words like “wind-up,” “follow-through,” “incidental,” and “reckless” (what does any of that mean?) to determine if something is a foul, a flagrant, a technical or nothing at all.</p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">In short, there is really no way to officiate a sport where contact is <em>kind of </em>legal<em>. </em>It’s not like football and hockey (which have plenty of officiating problems), where contact is <em>mostly </em>legal and something has to be fairly heinous to result in a foul for being <em>too </em>physical; basketball allows contact <em>to a certain extent. </em>What that extent is has evolved over time, such as throwing elbows, hand checking, the block-charge and more fun stuff we all complain about. All NBA refs are really doing is trying to keep the game safe and reasonably fair; an impossible task, but one they are heroically trusted with anyway.</p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">The NBA has thus complicated officiating to no end, only watering the roots of an issue that have continued to grow. A blatantly incorrect reading of this situation is that the Oklahoma City Thunder foul-bait more than any other team — <a href="https://www.teamrankings.com/nba/stat/free-throws-attempted-per-game">they were 17th in free throw attempts per game this season</a>. Nor is it statistically provable to say that teams foul-bait more than ever, as team <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_stats_per_game.html">fouls-per-game has gone down sharply in recent NBA history. </a></p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">But teams have exploited the infinite complication of officiating to great effect, notably how pace, size and explosive super-athletes can create impossibly subjective interactions. Gilgeous-Alexander bears the brunt of this criticism, given that <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/nba/1110576/nba-awards-picks-mvp-rookie-coach-of-the-year-roy-dpoy-all-nbateams">he’s likely about to be the league’s back-to-back MVP winner</a>, but he wasn’t even first in free-throw attempts this season. Everyone does it, and I think we really peaked with 2022 Giannis Antetokounmpo, who, for two playoff rounds, barreled into Nikola Vucevic and Grant Williams and whoever else dared to oppose him with impossible speed, power and extreme arm-angles that were <em>always </em>some kind of foul. On who? On Giannis? Who knew.</p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">The root problem is that a shooting foul is the most valuable offensive action in basketball. With league-average shooting percentages, two free throws have an expected point-value of 1.57, while a three-pointer is worth 1.08 points and an at-rim look worth 1.20 points (<a href="https://fansided.com/author/ianlevy/">shoutout to Ian Levy</a> for pointing this out to me; it changed my life). If you can get your free-throw percentage up above average (>78 percent), now we’re really cooking something spicy. Gilgeous-Alexander shoots 88 percent from the line, so <em>by far </em>his best option on every possession is to get to the line.</p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">Like with tanking and the draft lottery, if the NBA’s rules provide a clear best option to succeed, smart players and teams will always figure out how to maximize their return. It’s like when the MLB figured out walks were actually good — whatever macho man mentality (and steroids) sustained the “always swing and swing for power” world died in the darkness wrought by sabermetrics and taking a 3-1 fastball that’s a little high.</p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">The NBA public freaking out about officiating these playoffs doesn’t actually want fewer fouls, they just want fouls to feel <em>like fouls </em>— you know, things that aren’t allowed, rather than the calculated, orchestrated manipulations of a subjective rule set and mathematical reality that they have become. A fix would be a point of emphasis from officials that <em>radically </em>expands the scope of “who initiated contact” and categorically refuse to call fouls when the offensive player visually initiates the interaction.</p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">But we all know how that would end: teams and players would reset, take some time to analyze the situation and then find whatever the new best way to get to the free-throw line is. Short of a literal <em>free-throw quota</em>, an insane idea that would turn the game into gladiatorial combat, teams will figure out how to foul-bait even if foul-baiting is outlawed. But an emphasis against offensive player-initiated defensive fouls would be a good start, given that this is all a visual question anyway — as said before, the total number of fouls has decreased in recent years. We’re solving a crisis of <em>confidence, </em>not an actual crisis.</p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">Sports have their own built-in honor codes that are unique and deeply personal, but not flopping is generally agreed upon as lame by the people of the world. And those same people will shed blood, sweat and tearful Tweets when they believe the sanctity of the game they love is under assault. Maybe it isn’t, but it looks like it is. And keeping up appearances is key.</p></div></div> #NBA #officiating #crisis #mode #players #point
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#Deadspin #pledges #star #Cale #Makar #finish #career #Avalanche">Deadspin | GM pledges that star Cale Makar will finish his career with Avalanche 
May 11, 2026; Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar (8) looks on during the second period in game four of the second round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Minnesota Wild at Grand Casino Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
#Deadspin #pledges #star #Cale #Makar #finish #career #Avalanche
May 11, 2026; Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar (8) looks on during the second period in game four of the second round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Minnesota Wild at Grand Casino Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images The Colorado Avalanche want to sign star defenseman Cale Makar to a contract extension so he completes his career with the team, president of hockey operations and general manager Joe Sakic said on Thursday.
Makar, 27, is eligible to sign an extension on July 1 to his six-year, $54 million contract that runs through the 2026-27 season. He has played his entire career with the Avalanche, who selected him fourth overall in the 2017 NHL Draft.
“Cale is going to finish his career here,” Sakic said. “We’re already talking to his agent, so we’re confident that something’s going to get worked out at some point. I mean, he’s got another year, but this summer we expect to have him signed.”
A two-time winner of the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defenseman, Makar totaled 79 points (20 goals, 59 assists) and a plus-32 rating in 75 games this season. He was a finalist for the sixth consecutive year and fell just short on Tuesday to first-time winner Zach Werenski of the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Makar added five points (four goals, one assist) and a plus-5 rating in 11 playoff games while dealing with an upper-body injury.
He has 507 career points (136 goals, 371 assists), a plus-168 rating, 134 penalty minutes, 664 blocks and 377 hits in 470 regular-season games. He has 26 goals and 90 points with a plus-28 rating, 24 penalty minutes, 147 blocks and 100 hits in 90 playoff games.
Makar was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as most valuable player of the Stanley Cup playoffs in the 2021-22 season.
A three-time All-Star, Makar was Calder Memorial Trophy winner as NHL Rookie of the Year in 2019-20 and top defenseman in 2021-22 and 2024-25.
The Avalanche won the Presidents’ Trophy this season with the league’s best record (55-16-11, 121 points), then eliminated the Los Angeles Kings in four games and the Minnesota Wild in five before getting swept by the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference finals.
Sakic, who previously had served as Avalanche general manager before becoming president of hockey operations, took over as GM earlier this month when Chris MacFarland became president and GM of the Nashville Predators.
Sakic on Thursday said the coaching staff is staying intact, including head coach Jared Bednar, who is going into the final season of his contract. Bednar, 54, has coached the team for 10 regular seasons (445-262-75) and nine playoff runs (60-41), including capturing the Stanley Cup in 2022.
“He’s got the confidence from the players,” Sakic said. “It’s clear from everybody, from players, the staff, that he’s the right guy. They respect him, they love playing for him, and that’s a big thing. And when we look at it for this group, he’s the best coach. He’s the best coach for the group, and we’re confident in that decision.
“He’s not just the coach, I mean, he’s the voice of the of the organization, and, like I said, the players really believe in him, and I’m going with the players.”
–Field Level Media
Here is a full list of the referees, assistant referees, and video referees at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Who are the head referees at the 2026 World Cup?
52 referees were selected for the 2026 World Cup. The majority of them, 15 in all, are from UEFA countries. That includes Szymon Marciniak from Poland, who was the referee for the 2022 World Cup Final.
This list includes 12 referees from CONMEBOL and nine from CONCACAF. New Zealand’s Campbell-Kirk Kawana-Waugh is the lone OAF referee.
This list also includes Omar Abdulkadir Artan from Somalia, who was denied entry into the United States. While Canadian politicians have offered that he could referee matches in Canada, at the time of publication it is unclear if that will be arranged.
Who are the assistant referees at the 2026 World Cup?
All told, 88 referees were selected as assistant referees for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. All six confederations are represented.
12 of the assistant referees come from the AFC, while 11 come from the CAF. CONCACAF has 15 assistant referees at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, including four from the United States (Corey Parker, Kyle Atkins, Kathryn Nesbitt, and Brooke Mayo), two from Canada, and three from Mexico.
Once again UEFA has the most assistant referees, with 29, while Isaac Trevis is the lone representative from the OFC.
Who are the VAR officials for the 2026 World Cup?
As such, FIFA has assigned 30 video match officials for this year’s World Cup. Five confederations are represented here, as OAF does not have a video match official for the 2026 World Cup.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup gets underway later today, when host nation Mexico takes on South Africa in the opening match.
Here is a full list of the referees, assistant referees, and video referees at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Who are the head referees at the 2026 World Cup?
52 referees were selected for the 2026 World Cup. The majority of them, 15 in all, are from UEFA countries. That includes Szymon Marciniak from Poland, who was the referee for the 2022 World Cup Final.
This list includes 12 referees from CONMEBOL and nine from CONCACAF. New Zealand’s Campbell-Kirk Kawana-Waugh is the lone OAF referee.
This list also includes Omar Abdulkadir Artan from Somalia, who was denied entry into the United States. While Canadian politicians have offered that he could referee matches in Canada, at the time of publication it is unclear if that will be arranged.
Who are the assistant referees at the 2026 World Cup?
All told, 88 referees were selected as assistant referees for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. All six confederations are represented.
12 of the assistant referees come from the AFC, while 11 come from the CAF. CONCACAF has 15 assistant referees at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, including four from the United States (Corey Parker, Kyle Atkins, Kathryn Nesbitt, and Brooke Mayo), two from Canada, and three from Mexico.
Once again UEFA has the most assistant referees, with 29, while Isaac Trevis is the lone representative from the OFC.
Who are the VAR officials for the 2026 World Cup?
As such, FIFA has assigned 30 video match officials for this year’s World Cup. Five confederations are represented here, as OAF does not have a video match official for the 2026 World Cup.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup gets underway later today, when host nation Mexico takes on South Africa in the opening match.
Here is a full list of the referees, assistant referees, and video referees at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Who are the head referees at the 2026 World Cup?
52 referees were selected for the 2026 World Cup. The majority of them, 15 in all, are from UEFA countries. That includes Szymon Marciniak from Poland, who was the referee for the 2022 World Cup Final.
This list includes 12 referees from CONMEBOL and nine from CONCACAF. New Zealand’s Campbell-Kirk Kawana-Waugh is the lone OAF referee.
This list also includes Omar Abdulkadir Artan from Somalia, who was denied entry into the United States. While Canadian politicians have offered that he could referee matches in Canada, at the time of publication it is unclear if that will be arranged.
Who are the assistant referees at the 2026 World Cup?
All told, 88 referees were selected as assistant referees for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. All six confederations are represented.
12 of the assistant referees come from the AFC, while 11 come from the CAF. CONCACAF has 15 assistant referees at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, including four from the United States (Corey Parker, Kyle Atkins, Kathryn Nesbitt, and Brooke Mayo), two from Canada, and three from Mexico.
Once again UEFA has the most assistant referees, with 29, while Isaac Trevis is the lone representative from the OFC.
Who are the VAR officials for the 2026 World Cup?
As such, FIFA has assigned 30 video match officials for this year’s World Cup. Five confederations are represented here, as OAF does not have a video match official for the 2026 World Cup.
The ICC World Cup 2027 is likely to run from October 4 to November 21, according to reporting by ESPNCricinfo.
The quadriennial 50-over showpiece will be hosted across South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. South Africa’s eight venues (Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Centurion, Durban, East London, Gqeberha, Johannesburg, and Paarl) are expected host a bulk of the games, with Zimbabwe hosting eight to ten games, and Namibia three.
ALSO READ: Unfazed by World Cup snub, Vastrakar focuses on recovery for India comeback
According to the report, the dates were finalised at the ICC board meeting in Ahmedabad earlier this month, and the finer details will be agreed upon at the AGM in Edinburgh later this month.
The ODI World Cup will return to a 14-team format in 2027, with teams split into two groups of seven teams each. The top three from each stage advance to the Super Six stage, followed by semifinals and a final.
This is the second time South Africa and Zimbabwe have co-hosted the World Cup after 2003, while Namibia will host for the first time.
Published on Jun 11, 2026
The ICC World Cup 2027 is likely to run from October 4 to November 21, according to reporting by ESPNCricinfo.
The quadriennial 50-over showpiece will be hosted across South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. South Africa’s eight venues (Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Centurion, Durban, East London, Gqeberha, Johannesburg, and Paarl) are expected host a bulk of the games, with Zimbabwe hosting eight to ten games, and Namibia three.
ALSO READ: Unfazed by World Cup snub, Vastrakar focuses on recovery for India comeback
According to the report, the dates were finalised at the ICC board meeting in Ahmedabad earlier this month, and the finer details will be agreed upon at the AGM in Edinburgh later this month.
The ODI World Cup will return to a 14-team format in 2027, with teams split into two groups of seven teams each. The top three from each stage advance to the Super Six stage, followed by semifinals and a final.
This is the second time South Africa and Zimbabwe have co-hosted the World Cup after 2003, while Namibia will host for the first time.
Published on Jun 11, 2026
The ICC World Cup 2027 is likely to run from October 4 to November 21, according to reporting by ESPNCricinfo.
The quadriennial 50-over showpiece will be hosted across South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. South Africa’s eight venues (Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Centurion, Durban, East London, Gqeberha, Johannesburg, and Paarl) are expected host a bulk of the games, with Zimbabwe hosting eight to ten games, and Namibia three.
ALSO READ: Unfazed by World Cup snub, Vastrakar focuses on recovery for India comeback
According to the report, the dates were finalised at the ICC board meeting in Ahmedabad earlier this month, and the finer details will be agreed upon at the AGM in Edinburgh later this month.
The ODI World Cup will return to a 14-team format in 2027, with teams split into two groups of seven teams each. The top three from each stage advance to the Super Six stage, followed by semifinals and a final.
This is the second time South Africa and Zimbabwe have co-hosted the World Cup after 2003, while Namibia will host for the first time.
Published on Jun 11, 2026
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