NBA ready to replace all existing Ref's

[WayOutWest]

Didn't know this was an issue:

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/32918463/ns/business/

NBA to move ahead with replacement refs
By BRIAN MAHONEY

updated 28 minutes ago
NEW YORK - The NBA will hold training camp next week with replacement officials, saying the referees union has rejected its final contract offer.

The National Basketball Referees Association has been bracing for a lockout since talks first broke down last week, and lead negotiator Lamell McMorris called it "imminent and unavoidable" after no deal was reached Thursday.

A statement from the NBA on Friday made it clear the lockout was under way.

"It is extremely disappointing that the NBRA has ignored the economic realities, rejected our offer, and left us with no choice but to begin using replacement referees," executive vice president and general counsel Rick Buchanan said.

McMorris said the referees didn't view Thursday's negotiations as a final offer, yet wasn't surprised by the NBA's decision.

"I predicted that a lockout was forthcoming and yet it does not mean that both sides cannot continue to talk and work through some of these issues," McMorris said.

Training camp was scheduled to begin Sunday, but will now be pushed back into sometime next week to give the NBA time to line up the replacements and get them to New Jersey. The league did not say how many referees would be at camp. There are 57 active NBA officials.

The league began contacting replacements last Wednesday, the day after the last face-to-face meeting between the sides in New York, which commissioner David Stern abruptly ended because he said the officials reneged on a previously agreed to proposal.

McMorris said he "absolutely disputes" that, insisting replacement officials ? including some who had been fired by the league ? were contacted well before the last session.

The contract between the NBA and its officials expired Sept. 1, and the sides had been trying to reach a new two-year deal. They largely agreed on salaries, which would have held steady this year and given the refs a slight increase in the second year, but the union balked at the league's attempt to change retirement benefits.

The league also sought to lower costs through reductions in areas such as the travel budget and per diems, and the union also fought a league plan to develop younger officials. But the biggest difference was in the referees' pension and severance plans.

The NBA's statement said the previous deal gave the referees retirement bonuses of up to $575,000, on top of pension benefits that could exceed $2 million. It said that came on top of salaries of nearly $150,000 per year for entry level referees and more than $550,000 annually for the most senior referees.

McMorris was upset the NBA included salary information in its release, calling it a "distortion of the referees current compensation", since he contends the NBA gave raises and bonuses to the three men in the league office who oversee the referee operations department.

"I just thought that was an unfortunate low blow that they're attempting to do in order to create media spin and I guess to try to get fans to not sympathize with our plight," McMorris said.

Stern has said the league is trying to bring the referees' budget in line with other departments.

"The proposals we have made to the NBRA are extraordinarily fair and reasonable, given the current economic circumstances," Buchanan said. "Since late 2008, the league and our teams have made far deeper cuts in non-referee headcount and expenses than we are asking for here."

The first preseason game is scheduled for Oct. 1 at Utah. The NBA hasn't used replacement referees since early in the 1995-96 season.

"We're the ones who have given back money, put money back on the table," McMorris said. "I just don't know what else we can do."

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

[rickortreat]

Yes, the NBA is trying to get cheap with it's refs. Considering all the money the players get and the franchises make, I don't see why they can't afford to pay these guys as well.

On the other hand, maybe we'll get some better refs out of the replacements.

It's not an easy job reffing an NBA game and there is a lot of travel and unlike the teams a lot of nights spend somewhat alone. Few people like you and some even want to kill you after a game. You have to deal with a lot of spoiled children with the discipline of a saint, and you have to be able to run up and down the court along with the players. 

Also, the less they are paid, the more likely they are to take the path Donnaghey? took.

[WayOutWest]

Yes, the NBA is trying to get cheap with it's refs. Considering all the money the players get and the franchises make, I don't see why they can't afford to pay these guys as well.

On the other hand, maybe we'll get some better refs out of the replacements.

It's not an easy job reffing an NBA game and there is a lot of travel and unlike the teams a lot of nights spend somewhat alone. Few people like you and some even want to kill you after a game. You have to deal with a lot of spoiled children with the discipline of a saint, and you have to be able to run up and down the court along with the players. 

Also, the less they are paid, the more likely they are to take the path Donnaghey? took.

Exactly rick.  Why cheap out on something as critical as the refs?  Why don't they do a few less commercials or cut back on some of the All-Star game expenses, nobody really cares about stuff outside of the games and contests at the All-Star break.

[Joe Vancil]

Personally, I'm in favor of seeing if a new crop of officials will call the game better than the old crop did.

Let's face it;  most everyone here thinks the quality of the current officials has deteriorated significantly.  Sometimes, "out with the old, in with the new" makes for a good philosophy when dealing with something that isn't functioning as it should.

[rickortreat]

Joe makes a valid point, however, is the problem with the refs or the league office? The league hires and vets these guys, so if you have a problem with how they call the game, that is reflective of the league's choice.

Mark Cuban tried to do a statistical analysis of the refs and pissed off the league, but the truth is the league should have been doing that itself! 

In theory the NBA refs are the best of the best, good eyes, quick to make the right call, able to stay cool when fans and players are screaming at you. Able to take control of the game while letting the players play.

If they are the best, then why is the league dumping them in facor of a new crop? The motivation here isn't to improve quality, it's to lower costs. It is likely that we will see reffing deteriorate as a result.

[WayOutWest]

The motivation here isn't to improve quality, it's to lower costs.

BINGO!!!  I totally disagree with Joe!  rick posted exactly what I was thinking, we are NOT getting a "new crop" we are getting a "cheaper crop".

[westkoast]

Personally, I'm in favor of seeing if a new crop of officials will call the game better than the old crop did.

Let's face it;  most everyone here thinks the quality of the current officials has deteriorated significantly.  Sometimes, "out with the old, in with the new" makes for a good philosophy when dealing with something that isn't functioning as it should.

 The 'lets make each team score as many points as possible' mentality that has sweeped over the leagues front office is just as much of a problem as them being old IMO.  I think some of the rules the league has put into place and how they have instructed their refs to call certain plays has done just as much damage as Joey Crawford not being quite as sharp as he was say 10 years ago.  Just my take....

Rick brings up a good point about lowering costs as opposed to improving quality, if the intentions were not so clear I would agree with you Joe.  I think a shake up would do some good *IF* the intent wasn't based on a dollar amount.  Some of these refs have developed an ego from having name recognition so it may not be a bad thing to let some of them go.

[Joe Vancil]

I'm sorry, but the old crop needed to go, whether the new group is cheaper or not.  Even if the officials aren't as "good," the fact that we've just booted a lot of bad history out of the league isn't a bad thing.

I've seen kids serving as volunteer referees that do a better job of calling games than some of the "professional" referees the NBA sends out there.  And I'm convinced the only reason the NBA refs are so expensive is because of the union contracts - not because of some "professional quality" that they show.

[Lurker]

Then why is the old crop fighting training for younger refs.  like most unions it is to protect the current workers.  $150,000-550,000 ain't chump change.

[Reality]

Preseason is on with 62 replacement refs.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4522763

[rickortreat]

It will be interesting to see if the new refs aren't as star struck as the old ones. Too many players got the benefit of the doubt because they were stars. The Kobe's, LeBron's and Wades of the NBA got away with murder with the old refs. If the new ones call double-dribbles and traveling against these guys, and call offensive fouls on them as they should have by the rules, it will actually improve the quality of the game, but that is a big IF.

It is very difficult to get the calls right consistently in the NBA, even with three sets of eyes, they blow a lot of calls.  The game moves so fast and there are so many different things to watch it takes great skill to be a good ref.

Since the players don't know these guys or have a relationship with them, it could really clean up the game and stop all the whining that the players do, and we may see a change of the guard as to who the top players are, aside from LeBron and Kobe.

[westkoast]

It will be interesting to see if the new refs aren't as star struck as the old ones. Too many players got the benefit of the doubt because they were stars. The Kobe's, LeBron's and Wades of the NBA got away with murder with the old refs. If the new ones call double-dribbles and traveling against these guys, and call offensive fouls on them as they should have by the rules, it will actually improve the quality of the game, but that is a big IF.

It is very difficult to get the calls right consistently in the NBA, even with three sets of eyes, they blow a lot of calls.  The game moves so fast and there are so many different things to watch it takes great skill to be a good ref.

Since the players don't know these guys or have a relationship with them, it could really clean up the game and stop all the whining that the players do, and we may see a change of the guard as to who the top players are, aside from LeBron and Kobe.

Star players are going to continue to get away with murder....

1) Everyone in the building, including the refs, pay more attention to them

2) The league is structure in such a way that these individual stars is how they choose to market the league so there would be no reason for the league to straight out condone the practice of giving star players better treatment

3) Many of the star players also double as captains of the team.  They are able to walk up to the refs to discuss calls and plays.  Their influence is still going to be there.


Honestly, I don't think Gilbert Arenas, Dwayne Wade, and Dirk are stars in this league because the refs help them.  Pretty sure Dwayne Wade doesn't become Harold Minor over night.

[Joe Vancil]

Pretty sure Dwayne Wade doesn't become Harold Minor over night.

And Harold Minor doesn't become Dwyane Wade. 

We're just hoping that if Wade fouls Minor, it's a foul on Wade, and if Minor makes a clean play on Wade, there's no foul call on Minor.

If these guys really are stars, they don't need the league's or referee's help.  They just need the game called correctly, so they can dominate it fairly.

[westkoast]

Pretty sure Dwayne Wade doesn't become Harold Minor over night.

And Harold Minor doesn't become Dwyane Wade. 

We're just hoping that if Wade fouls Minor, it's a foul on Wade, and if Minor makes a clean play on Wade, there's no foul call on Minor.

If these guys really are stars, they don't need the league's or referee's help.  They just need the game called correctly, so they can dominate it fairly.

Until they bring back hand checking and remove a few of the other ways they call plays against a defender it will never happen.  Aside from star or not a star, the offensive player is clearly favored by the rules/refs regardless.

[rickortreat]

Pretty sure Dwayne Wade doesn't become Harold Minor over night.

And Harold Minor doesn't become Dwyane Wade. 

We're just hoping that if Wade fouls Minor, it's a foul on Wade, and if Minor makes a clean play on Wade, there's no foul call on Minor.

If these guys really are stars, they don't need the league's or referee's help.  They just need the game called correctly, so they can dominate it fairly.

Until they bring back hand checking and remove a few of the other ways they call plays against a defender it will never happen.  Aside from star or not a star, the offensive player is clearly favored by the rules/refs regardless.

That's fine as long as it's called the same way on both ends. If an offensive player pushes off to get a shot and isn't called on it, and then his defender does it to him on the other end, that's fine. If the one player gets the call but the other doesn't that's where there a problem.