"FVV is crying tears of joy right now" - Fans lose it as Ben Taylor reportedly set to face demotion in assignments

Fred VanVleet didn't hold back when criticizing referee Ben Taylor after the Toronto Raptors' 108-100 loss against the LA Clippers on March 8.

Taylor issued a technical foul on VanVleet at a crucial juncture in that game. The Raptors guard had eight technical fouls this season at the time, three of them coming from Taylor's whistle.

VanVleet didn't hesitate to express his thoughts as he called out Taylor, saying:

"I mean, I don't mind. I'll take a fine. I don't really care. I thought Ben Taylor was f**king terrible tonight. I thought that on most nights, a couple out of the three [officials], there’s one or two that just f**k the game up…

"You come out tonight, competing pretty hard. Third quarter I get a bulls**t tech, changes the whole dynamic of the game. Changes the whole flow of the game."

Fred VanVleet was fined $30,000 for his outburst during the postgame press conference. However, Ben Taylor has also faced repercussions. During an appearance on Sportsnet 590 The FAN, Meadowlark Media's Tom Haberstrow claimed that the NBA has demoted Taylor in the assignments that he has received since VanVleet's public rant.

Fans were widely supportive of FVV's rant, as officiating has been an issue all year long in the eyes of many. Some calls have proved decisive in the eventual outcome of games, leading to social media outrage.

With reports emerging about Taylor's demotion in assignments, fans went into a frenzy online, posting hilarious reactions. One wrote:

"FVV is crying tears of joy right now"

More reactions followed:

What does a demotion in assignment mean for NBA official Ben Taylor?

Demotions in refereeing assignments could see an official call a game in a lesser capacity. For example, Meadowlark Media's Tom Haberstrow mentioned that Ben Taylor was the crew chief for 41 of 52 games this season before Fred VanVleet's public rant.

He was the crew chief four out of five times during this period. Over the last five games, he has been the crew chief just once. Here's what Haberstrow said (via Sportsnet 590 The FAN):

"In his last five games, Ben Taylor has only been the crew chief once. He's been the referee four times since that game, since that rant.

"It's a real abnormality with Ben Taylor. ... He was a crew chief four out of five times. ... Hadn't been a referee in back-to-back games all season. After the Fred VanVleet (rant), it's happened twice."

A few weeks ago, NBA commissioner Adam Silver mentioned that the league doesn't publicize punishments for officials. Their future assignments, like their appearance during the playoffs, are determined by the accuracy of these calls.

Taylor's demotion seems to be the by-product of some calls that the NBA may have determined to be inaccurate previously.