Refs are robbing us of a great NBA Finals

by Mitch Lawrence, Special to FOXSports.com

BOSTON

We’ve got a nice Finals here. We’ve got the NBA’s two flagship franchises.

We’ve got the Celtics and the Lakers, with more history than the 28 other teams combined. We’ve got Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Boston’s Big Three, and some kid named Rajon Rondo who’s turning out to be as much of a game-changer as all the big names up on the marquee.

Now, would somebody over at the league office kindly inform the refs who are working this series to stop screwing it all up?

Because if the refs continue to make a mockery of the games, the NBA is going to see its fans start abandoning the Finals and switching over to Flyers-Blackhawks.

Or NCAA women’s softball games.

I can’t say I really blame ‘em if they do.

Here’s what we’ve seen in the first two games of what should be a memorable Finals:

We had Game 1 go an interminable 2 hours and 48 minutes. That was not even an overtime game. Yet it dragged on longer than a hair restoration commercial at three in the morning. It featured 54 fouls and 67 free throws by both teams.

Right after the crew of Joe Crawford, Joe DeRosa and Derrick Stafford put its imprint on the opener, a memo with the game tape should have been sent to the Game 2 crew of Monty McCutchen, Mike Callahan and Ken Mauer, reading: Gentlemen, do not give us a repeat, under any circumstances!

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Officials drawing too much attention to themselves

LEFTOVERS: Officials drawing too much notice

BY MARK ANDERSON
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

It used to be officials considered it a good day if they weren't noticed.

Not anymore.

Whether it's an NBA referee tossing a ball at a fan or ejection-loving (and, apparently, thin-skinned) major league baseball umpires, those supposed to stay in the background are drawing way too much attention.

The suits in New York aren't happy.

One executive, baseball head of discipline Bob Watson, reportedly will call umpire Bill Hohn and let it be known his ejection of Houston Astros ace Roy Oswalt on Monday crossed the line. Oswalt was unhappy with a ball-strike call but didn't yell in Hohn's direction, and the umpire escalated the situation.

Baseball also recently fined umpire Joe West after he tossed Chicago White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle and manager Ozzie Guillen for arguing balk calls. West is the same ump who had criticized the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees for playing such long games.

Maybe he has a point about that, but West goes against umpire/referee tradition by being all too willing to grant interviews. He also is a country music singer and songwriter and has a publicist.

No doubt he's available for weddings and bar mitzvahs.

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NBA will review referee incident with Orlando fan and Ref Joe DeRosa

• • by David Whitley
  • National Columnist

ORLANDO -- History was made Tuesday night in a Man-Bites-Dog sort of way. A basketball official "attacked" a fan for yelling at him.

Joe DeRosa (above, center, between Bill Kennedy and Marc Davis) tossed the ball at a guy named Franz Hanning, who tossed it right back. DeRosa then really blew it by tossing Hanning out of his seat at Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

It raises two immediate questions: What will the NBA do to DeRosa? And just what did Hanning yell?

In a way it doesn't matter. Short of outrageously foul language, fans are allowed to scream anything they want at officials. If DeRosa reacted the same way to everybody who questioned his work during the Magic-Celtics game, he would have thrown 17,467 basketballs into the stands.

Wouldn't you love to know what Hanning yelled?

In case you haven't seen the video, he was walking behind the scorer's table at the end of the second quarter. The officials were heading over to get their jackets, and Hanning started jawing at them.

DeRosa picked up a ball and tossed it over the scorer's table at Hanning. I used the phrase "attack" because I'm still hoping Hanning shows up at a press conference wearing a neck brace while announcing he's suing the NBA for half the value of LeBron James' next contract.

In truth, DeRosa's throw wouldn't have knocked over Perez Hilton. But it might still qualify as "assault" in some jurisdictions. In that case, Hanning was only defending himself when he tossed the ball back.

Either way, unlike Phil Jackson, Dwight Howard, et al., David Stern certainly can't fine Hanning for criticizing the officials. He'd better suspend DeRosa, or at least fine him $5,000. That's what Kevin Garnett got nicked for in 2006 when he tossed a ball at a fan in Memphis.

And Garnett's a player. He's supposed to act like a second-grader. DeRosa is an 18-year NBA official. He's supposed to be a detached arbiter of the rules, an authority figure.

Now he's a historical figure. Since the invention of the ball, there have been approximately 5.9 trillion instances of fans screaming at officials, umpires and referees. The officials may have been boiling inside, but on the outside they acted like deaf mutes being berated by mimes.

This might be the first time an official let on that he not only heard the insults, but they got to him. That's why for sheer posterity's sake, it would be nice to know what Hanning yelled. He is the Neil Armstrong of referee critiquing.

One small insult for man. One giant leap for irate fans.

Unfortunately, Hanning isn't talking. He's not just some yahoo who paints his face and screams at every questionable call. He's the CEO of Wyndham Vacation Ownership, a giant time-share condo operation. He's also a buddy of Boston coach Doc Rivers, who used to coach the Magic and whose family still lives in Orlando.

"As many people in Orlando know, I am a huge fan of NBA basketball, and especially my home team, the Orlando Magic. I think the NBA officials do a great job. I'm looking forward to the Magic going to Boston and evening up the series."

That's the statement Wyndham put out for Hanning on Wednesday. Zzzzz. It's like Rush Limbaugh congratulating Harry Reid for doing a "great job."

Maybe Hanning wants to seem more like a CEO than a fire-breathing fan. My guess is he wasn't quite so appreciative of DeRosa's work Tuesday night. It would be great to know what caused the official to crack, just to give millions of hoarse fans some words to keep them going when it seems nobody in stripes is listening to them.

They are. And now Stern has a bigger problem than Hanning wanting his money back for the second half.

DeRosa's ball toss has fired up the conspiracy theorists who insist the NBA wants TV-friendly teams to advance over Nielsen backwaters like Orlando. I think NBA officiating is good sometimes, horrible others. I don't think, however, the refs are fixing games so Kobe Bryant will be in the Finals.





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Phil Jackson knows how to work refs

By Patrick Hruby
Page 2

Serious question: is Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson actually a Jedi?

(Alternate question for Sacramento fans: is Jackson actually an evil Sith Lord?)

Prior to the Los Angeles Lakers' 128-107 victory over the Phoenix Suns in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals on Monday, Jackson was asked about preparing for Suns guard Steve Nash's frenetic playing style. The Lakers coach responded by making a basketball palming gesture and stating, "yeah, because you can't carry the ball like he does in practice. You can't pick up the ball and run with it."

While Nash dismissed the jab, others saw it as classic Jackson, yet another effort to influence officiating through subtle (and not-so-subtle) public lobbying. Indeed, Jackson has an oft-praised, oft-lamented habit of needling referees who don't see things his way, the better to -- ahem -- adjust their point of view. (And as someone who averaged 2.9 fouls and 17.6 minutes a game in his NBA playing career, Jackson knows hacks.)

Question is, does it work? Is Jackson, in fact, a mental master of puppets?

Or is he just whiny?

Page 2 reviewed Jackson's greatest verbal hits, as well as the on-court action surrounding them. Our conclusion? Nash wasn't whistled for carrying last night -- but if your Landspeeder is ever pulled over by Imperial Stormtroopers, it wouldn't hurt to have Jackson riding shotgun.

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Lakers Coach Phil Jackson Handed Another $35K Fine For Criticizing Refs

article by All Headline News

Los Angeles, CA, United States (AHN) - NBA executive vice president of basketball operations Stu Jackson slapped Los Angeles Lakers head coach Phil Jackson a $35,000 fine Friday, following his disparaging remarks against game referees.

Jackson drew the NBA’s attention once again, after he said game officials whistled too many calls in favor of Oklahoma Thunder superstar Kevin Durant.

"As far as the calls that he gets on the floor, I think a lot of the referees are treating him like a superstar; he gets to the line easy and often," Jackson told ESPN Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Durant fired back at Jackson, citing the coach's comments as “disrespectful on the way he plays the game.”

Durant, 21, has just become the youngest scoring champion in NBA history at 30.1 points per game, edging Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James at 29.7 points per game.

However, Durant, who averaged 10.3 free throw attempts per game, has been criticized for receiving too many free throw attempts during the regular season.

Boston Celtics forward Kevin Garnett was also fined last month for the same comments regarding Durant's appeal to referees.

The NBA fined Jackson for the second time in two weeks for hitting referees with expletive remarks.

Earlier this month, Jackson also received a fine for his postgame comments in a game against the San Antonio Spurs.

Jackson said game officials turned against them and even mentioned veteran referee Bennett Salvatore in his comments.

"With Bennett you don't know what you're going to get." Jackson told ESPN.

Jackson and the Lakers are set to start their title defense, when they face the Thunder in game one of their Western Conference first round playoff series Sunday at the Staples Center.

Hinrich banned, Gentry fined in incidents with referees

Hinrich banned, Gentry fined in incidents with referees

(AFP) – 4 hours ago

NEW YORK — Chicago's Kirk Hinrich was suspended one game by the NBA on Saturday for making contact with a referee and Phoenix coach Alvin Gentry was fined 25,000 dollars for improper conduct to an official.

Hinrich will not play for the Bulls when they visit Memphis on Tuesday as a result of his actions during a heated dispute with 4:43 remaining in the fourth quarter of the Bulls' 108-95 loss at Miami on Friday.

Miami's Dwyane Wade drove to the basket but was fouled by Chicago's Brad Miller. Wade began complaining. Hinrich argued the call against his teammate and officials began whistling fouls.

Hinrich was called for a technical foul. Miller was issued another for questioning why his foul on Wade had been declared a flagrant foul and Hinrich moments later drew a second technical foul, bringing an automatic ejection.

The Heat led 87-77 before the incident, then added six free throws and a basket by Wade before the Bulls saw the ball again.

Gentry's fine was for failing to leave the court in a timely manner Friday following an ejection and improper conduct to an official with 5:06 to play in the fourth quarter of his team's 102-96 home loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Referee Mike Callahan tosses Gentry, who had to be restrained by assistant coaches before departing. Gentry was upset that Lakers star Pau Gasol was not handed a flagrant foul when he barred Lou Amundson's drive to the hoop.

Mavericks Want a Do-Over With Rockets, File Protest

by Tom Ziller

The Mavericks lost a thriller to Houston last night, and owner Mark Cuban is not happy about it. But unlike most teams, who eventually accept defeat and perhaps rip a referee or two in the media, the Mavericks won't let this one die: ESPN's Marc Stein report the Mavericks will file a protest with the NBA to have a portion of the game replayed.

The call at the crux of this protest is ... an improper video review? Cuban tells Stein that when Rockets guard Aaron Brooks was called for a Flagrant 1 in overtime, the referees reviewed when league rules state that only Flagrant 2s are subject to review. The real issue is that when they reviewed the tape, the referees decided Dallas center Erick Dampier deserved a technical foul for a seemingly intentional elbow tossed Brooks's way. Dampier already had one tech, so he got booted with a minute left in overtime and the Mavericks down five. (The call also allowed the Rockets to choose a non-Dampier Maverick to shoot his free throws -- which might actually have been good for Dallas -- and Brooks did hit the free throw resulting from Damp's tech.)

Here's the play:


Cuban has two other, ahem, "misapplications of the rules," which is Stu Jackson for "bad calls." I sense an ulterior motive, though. Dirk Nowitzki, talisman of Dallas, left in the first quarter with an injury we will refer to as "Carl Landry's teeth in his elbow." Dirk didn't return. Presumably, however, in a replay of the final minute of overtime in, say, March, Nowitzki would be available for re-entry. A 4- or 5-point deficit with a minute, the ball and Dirk Nowitzki? That's a result that could change. Cuban knows what he's doing, though I doubt the league will grant a replay considering the referees -- no matter how they got there -- ended up making the appropriate call on Dampier.

The NBA had its first do-over in decades in the 2008 season, when Shaquille O'Neal (then with Miami) was wrongly disqualified on his fifth foul, which referees believed to be his sixth. The Heat and Hawks got together later in the season to replay 51.9 seconds, despite the fact Shaq had been traded to Phoenix and both teams had several new players. Hilariously, no points were scored in the replayed 51.9 seconds, and the Hawks won, as they did in the original game.

NBA Referees - 13 Accused of Betting Scandal, Source Tells TV Station

nationalledger.com By Josh Hart and Sophie Eager Nov 27, 2009

NBA referee Tim Donaghy is out of jail, but the NBA is still taking heat and now 13 referees are accused by a "source" of being involved in a betting scandal. The New York Daily News reports, "Jimmy Battista, a former professional gambler who first met Donaghy when they attended the same Philadelphia-area high school," and claims it wasn't difficult to get him to participate, but where does this new number of a baker's dozen come into play?

NBA Referees - 13 Accused of Betting Scandal, Source Tells TV Station

The details are in a 7News Sports report from Boston and they cite a source that "says Battista showed him what the gambler claims are phone records and game notes confirming the names of all 13 referees involved." See here for the details.

***

More sports fix...David Beckham and other soccer stars (footballers) could lose millions of pounds after buying expensive apartments in Dubai. The 34-year-old is not the only footballer that has invested in the £1 million villas on the islands shaped like a palm tree.

Other Premier League players to have bought property include Michael Owen, David James, Joe Cole and Kieron Dyer. However, the developer Nakheel has now run out of money and said it is no longer able to pay its debts.

There are now fears that the Palm Jumeirah project may not get finished. The players' expensive pads could then be situated next to an unfinished construction site, which could see the price of their properties dropping.

Stern hopes regular refs ready to work

October 23, 2009, 7:23 PM ET

Stern hopes regular refs ready to work

Associated Press

NEW YORK -- David Stern is pleased with the performance of his replacement referees, though ready for his regular staff to come back to work.

The NBA's referees union will vote Friday night on a contract proposal from the league. If they accept, as expected, the officials will be back in time for the opening of the regular season Tuesday night.

The league has used replacements, mostly from the NBA Development League and WNBA, during the lockout. Stern said the 62 backups have "responded very well" and predicted that many would referee NBA games again.

"We of course knew we have to provide them with extra support, coaching and training, but they've responded very well," Stern said during his preseason conference call. "We're very pleased with the effort, and we know you'll be seeing many of the people who you've seen on our court as future NBA referees.

"All of that said, we're looking forward to our regular referees ratifying the agreement that we reached and being on the court Tuesday," he said.

The contract between the league and the National Basketball Referees Association expired Sept. 1. The league decided to go with replacement officials after the referees rejected a deal the league said its negotiators had already agreed to.

That raised the possibility of the league starting the season with replacement officials for the first time since 1995. But progress was made in a meeting this week at league headquarters that included Stern, who had previously pulled out of the negotiations after referees lead negotiator Lamell McMorris criticized the commissioner's behavior.

Stern rejoined the talks this week at the request of the referees.

"It was always our intention to make a deal and our hope. I thought that perhaps the rhetoric had gotten a little bit too heated and it would be better for me to withdraw," Stern said. "But it was requested by the other side that I return and that they were coming in to make a deal and they asked me to be there, and I thought I owed them out of my respect to them to honor that request."

The referees' contracts have usually been for five years, but the NBA consented to a two-year deal at the request of the union, which hoped it could renegotiate sooner with the economy in better shape. The sides agreed on a salary structure that would give the refs a slight raise in the second year, but they remained apart on proposed changes to the referees' pension and severance packages, as well as a plan to develop younger officials.

The replacement officials were criticized for calling too many fouls, though the amount decreased later in the exhibition season, which ended Friday night.

"As the preseason went on, they were better," Houston coach Rick Adelman said. "I don't think they were arrogant, or anything like that. They gave the explanations and they were doing the best they could.

"The first couple [games] were just foul after foul and call after call and there was no rhythm to the games," Adelman added. "After that, I thought it settled down fairly well. They just called things differently than the normal officials. They're pretty much going by the book."

Some of the replacements likely will get another chance. The current staff includes 17 referees who started as replacements during previous work stoppages.

NBA slaps $25K fine on Grizzlies' coach

Updated: October 14, 2009, 8:16 PM ET

NBA slaps fine on Grizzlies' Hollins

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Associated Press

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Memphis Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins was fined $25,000 by the NBA on Wednesday for comments about officiating made earlier this week.

The comments came after his team's 102-83 loss to Orlando on Monday night and came when someone asked the Memphis coach about rookie Hasheem Thabeet's time on the court with Magic All-Star center Dwight Howard.

Charlotte coach Larry Brown was also fined on Wednesday by the league. He was hit for $60,000 and the Bobcats organization another $60,000 after Brown was ejected from an exhibition game.

Hollins said Wednesday night before the Grizzlies game against the Atlanta Hawks that his comments were taken out of context and were intended to be sarcastic towards a questioner asking to compare the play of a rookie against a player the stature of Howard.

"It was not even directed at the officials," Hollins said. "But, I was quoted, and I have to pay the consequences."

The coach noted that his team was down throughout the game, and believes calls usually even out. He couldn't recall being fined before, particularly as a coach, and the scenario of a preseason game and his team not playing well didn't warrant him criticizing officials Monday.

"I've never had any issues with officiating," Hollins said. "I didn't have any issues in this particular game with officiating. We were down 20 points at the end of the game. I had some issues with some of our players and their efforts at times, and their execution."

The league currently is using replacement officials because of a lockout of the league's regular referees. The replacement group has been under scrutiny to see if they can measure up to the locked out officials.

The league doesn't allow criticism of officials anytime and routinely hands out fine for such comments. That policy was reinforced before the preseason schedule when the replacements took the floor.

While acknowledging he said it, Hollins said the comments were not intended to cast a bad light on the officials in the Orlando game.

As for the fine, "It hurts," Hollins said with a chuckle. "I don't like to lose money at all. I hope they take it in installments."

Brown fined $60K; Murray out for preseason

Updated: October 14, 2009, 9:27 PM ET

Brown fined; Murray out for preseason

ESPN.com news services

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The NBA has fined Charlotte Bobcats coach Larry Brown $60,000 for his actions surrounding his ejection from an exhibition game on Monday.

The NBA fined the Bobcats an additional $60,000 on Wednesday.

Brown was hit with two technical fouls by replacement referee Kevin Scott, then lingered on the court after being ejected in the third quarter. Scott called for security before Brown left for the locker room on his own accord.

The NBA fined Brown $35,000 for verbally abusing game officials and failing to leave the court in a timely manner. He was fined another $25,000 for publicly criticizing the referees.

The preseason incident is one of several involving replacement officials. The NBA has locked out the regular officials in a labor dispute.

The Bobcats also learned they will be without guard Ronald "Flip" Murray for the remainder of the preseason because of a left shin injury.

Murray was examined Wednesday and team doctor Glenn Perry determined Murray shows early signs of a stress reaction. The team has provided no timetable for his return.

Murray began experiencing pain in the last few days. He missed Monday's preseason loss to Atlanta and did not practice Tuesday.

The Bobcats signed the veteran just before the start of training camp and expect him to serve as a scoring shooting guard off the bench and a backup point guard.

Murray's injury comes as Bobcats starters Boris Diaw and Tyson Chandler are close to returning from ankle injuries.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report

Magic, Van Gundy fined $35,000 for bashing on refs

Updated: October 16, 2009, 6:44 PM ET

Magic, Van Gundy fined $35,000

Associated Press

NEW YORK -- The Orlando Magic and coach Stan Van Gundy have been fined $35,000 each for his criticism of referees earlier in the week.

The fines were announced Friday, a day after Van Gundy's comments about the replacement officials were published.

Van Gundy became the third coach in three days to be fined. The Charlotte Bobcats and coach Larry Brown were each fined $60,000 on Wednesday for Brown's verbal abuse of officials and refusal to leave the court in timely manner after he was ejected during a preseason game, and his subsequent postgame criticism.

Memphis Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins was also penalized $25,000 on Wednesday for his critical comments.

Replacement Refs Struggle in Detroit

Posted Oct 08, 2009 6:45AM By Matt Watson (RSS feed)

Filed Under: Bucks, Heat, Pistons, NBA Referees

For the second game in a row, replacement officials have completely botched routine free-throw procedures in Detroit.

During Monday's game between the Pistons and the Heat, the referees failed to whistle a dead ball after Ben Wallace tossed up an air ball on a free-throw attempt in the first half. Worse yet, in the fourth quarter, the officials allowed Will Bynum, a career 77.8% shooter from the stripe, to shoot free throws for Maceo Baston, only realizing their mistake after Miami's bench complained when Bynum drained them both. After conferring, the officials took the points off the board and sent Baston to the line, where he missed both attempts.

Bynum pleaded innocence after Monday's game, telling FanHouse he heard a referee tell him to take the line. From the officials' perspective, I'm not sure what's worse: Bynum telling a fib, which shows how easily they were fooled; or Bynum telling the truth, which proves that all three refs weren't on the same page. Either way, it looks bad ... but not as bad as what happened Wednesday.

From the recap:

Ersan Ilyasova was fouled while shooting a jumper and awarded two free throws. During the next timeout, more than 90 seconds later, the officials decided he had been taking a 3-pointer, and gave him another shot.

He made it, but [Tayshaun] Prince pointed out that the error was only correctable within 24 seconds, so the point was taken away from Milwaukee.

``I told him that they couldn't change it after five minutes or whatever it was, and he said 'yeah, you're right,''' Prince said. ``Then I had to remind him to tell the scorer's table to take it back off the board.''

So the refs not only blew the initial call, but they didn't know how to fix their mistake, needing a player to set them straight. For some reason, I'm thinking Steve Javie or Dan Crawford gets that right the first time.

Will embarrassing miscues like these force the NBA into a corner and lead to a new deal being struck with the regular referees? Perhaps, but even if a new contract is signed before the start of the regular season, it may be a coincidence.

One popular theory among NBA folk is that the league isn't as concerned about forcing the referees' union into making concessions so much as proving to the players' union that they're willing to play hardball once it comes time to negotiate their deal. It's a risky maneuver from a public relations standpoint, but the more I think about it, the more I'm convinced it's possible.

Consider this: if I didn't tell you about the mistakes made by the replacement crews, would you have heard about them? Hardly anyone attends these games -- arenas are generally half full, regardless of reported attendance figures -- and most teams only have two or three preseason games televised. TV highlights are distilled to a handful of key plays, and sports talk radio is dominated by football and MLB playoffs.

In other words, your average fan won't have a clue how awful the stand-in officials are until the regular season, and even then there's a grace period of at least a month before casual fans really start paying attention, meaning David Stern can make his stand now without massive public outcry. If the interim weren't so abysmal for those of us paying attention, I'd almost say the strategy is genius.

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Preseason starts with 62 backup refs

Associated Press

With its regular referees locked out, the NBA is confident in its roster of replacements -- even the two it previously fired.

The NBA begins preseason play Thursday night with 62 referees. The league said more than half have officiated in the NBA Development League, and all but five have worked the summer league.

It also said the two with league experience, Michael Henderson and Robbie Robinson, were some of the best replacements available.

Realizing the scrutiny the backups face, the league reminded teams Wednesday about its rules against publicly criticizing the officials. But senior vice president of referee operations Ron Johnson believes the teams won't have much to complain about.

"I think some people rise to the most amazing level of performance at amazing times," Johnson said on a conference call. "So we'll see."

Denver visits Utah in the first game, and Tre Maddox, Deldre Carr and CJ Washington will officiate. The replacements will be paid $1,100 per game, same as first-year officials and more than they were paid in the D-League or WNBA.

The league had the replacements in training camp last weekend, but thought it wouldn't need them. The NBA said the referees union agreed in principle on a new contract last Friday, but backed out of the deal two days later. The league then told teams Tuesday it was going ahead with the backups.

"The teams and we in the best of worlds would like to have our current staff opening the season, of course. They're the best 60 referees in the world. But having rejected the agreement reached by their negotiators, we're left with no choice but to use replacements," president of league and basketball operations Joel Litvin said.

"That's not ideal, but this is part of the sports business and we're moving on with this group. We have plenty of confidence in this group."

Still, Litvin said he expected some players to vent about the quality of officiating, so the league sent a memo to the teams warning them of the penalties for comments about the referees in hopes of preventing the frequent complaints that were heard during the last lockout in 1995.

"I can assure you, there will be less of that this time around," Litvin said.

The NBA expects the officiating to be stronger this time because it is relying on replacements from within its own system. While the 1995 backups were mostly from the Continental Basketball Association, this time 50 are from the D-League, WNBA or NCAA Division I.

"When you work in an NBA summer league, or work in the D-League, you are essentially working for our referee operations staff," Litvin said, "applying our rules, the NBA rules, our call interpretations, our mechanics, and these are all people who have officiated NBA players before."

Only Henderson and Robinson have done it in NBA games, and their rehiring was a disappointment to the union. Johnson said while they were fired because their performance didn't measure up to regular referees, it fits with the replacement group.

"People don't just get fired because they're incompetent, they get fired because relative to the performance of the staff standard," Johnson said. "I was not here when they were released. We know why they were released. Indeed, they've gotten some experience, they've stayed in the community of practice. I think they're ready to go."

Litvin said no further talks are planned with the regular referees, whose contract expired Sept. 1. So the replacement officials could be around awhile -- and the NBA is OK with that.

"We are very, very familiar with the abilities of referees at every level. We know these guys," Litvin said. "We didn't reach out to anybody who we didn't think could handle this job."

Replacement refs to start season

Updated: September 30, 2009, 3:01 PM ET

Replacement refs to start season

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By Chris Sheridan
ESPN.com
Archive

The NBA told its teams in a memo Tuesday that it was proceeding forward with plans to use replacement officials in the upcoming season after referees shot down the latest offer from the league.

Locked out NBA referees voted 43-14 to decline the league's proposal, and a changed vote by one member of the union's executive board played a major role in scuttling the deal, ESPN.com learned Tuesday.

The vote took place Sunday in Washington as the league's 57 referees met to review a new offer made by the league last Friday.

Sources told ESPN.com that executive board members Joey Crawford, Bob Delaney and Bill Spooner initially voted to accept the proposal, while officials Steve Javie and Bennett Salvatore gave it a thumbs-down.

But Spooner then switched his vote, the sources said, and the entire body of refs voted 43-14 to decline -- a sequence of events that prompted lead negotiator Lamell McMorris to announce Monday that he was withdrawing from the talks.

Negotiations for the union are now in the hands of McMorris' associate, Brian Lam, and as of 8 p.m. ET Tuesday there had been no further discussions between the league and the union.

ESPN.com also learned details of the concessions made by the NBA in its most recent proposal, made at a secret negotiating session held in Philadelphia last Friday that included deputy commissioner Adam Silver representing the NBA.

The league agreed to cut the number of game assignments given to D-League and WNBA referees from 75 to 50 (it had previously asked for 100), and it made changes to its severance proposal that would have allowed six current referees to retire over the next two seasons with severance checks of $575,000 rather than the $350,000 previously proposed.

Also, referees with fewer than 10 years of service who chose to retire during the proposed two-year labor agreement would be eligible for severance payments from $50,000 to $100,000. The NBA's earlier offers on severance payments excluded that group.

"On Friday of last week, we reached an agreement in principal on the terms of a new two-year collective bargaining agreement with the negotiators for the National Basketball Referees Association," the league told teams in a memo that was obtained by ESPN.com and other news organizations.

"On Sunday night, the membership of the NBRA voted to reject that agreement. As a result, we have no expectation of concluding a timely labor contract with the NBRA, and are proceeding with replacement referees."

The memo continued:

"The agreement in principal reached with the NBRA's negotiators would have resulted in overall savings in the NBA's referee program costs next year of approximately 3.5 percent, plus additional savings from agreed-upon attrition. Modest increases in referee salaries (by 2 percent over two years) would have been offset by decreases in health and welfare benefits, air travel and per diem policies, and playoff compensation. In addition, structural changes would have been made to referee retirement benefits, including converting the existing defined benefit pension plan to a defined contribution plan.

"This is not the first time that commitments made by the NBRA's negotiators were not met. Earlier in the negotiations, NBRA representatives reneged on previously agreed-upon concessions in the areas of pension, severance, and training opportunities for D-League officials," the NBA memo stated.

The contract between the league and its officials expired Sept. 1. The NBA held referees' training camp with replacements last weekend, and three of those officials are now expected to be on the court when preseason play begins Thursday with Denver's game at Utah.

Kenyon Martin: Games With Replacement Refs Will Be 'Terrible'

Posted Sep 29, 2009 11:00PM By Chris Tomasson (RSS feed)

Filed Under: Nuggets, NBA Referees, FanHouse Exclusive

DENVER -- Kenyon Martin can joke a little about replacement officials. Overall, though, he doesn't think it's too funny.

In an interview with FanHouse, Martin said he believes games will be "terrible'' with the replacements.

"I joked the other day with [Tim Grgurich] and Jamahl Mosley,'' the Denver Nuggets feisty forward said about talking to a pair of assistant coaches. "I'm going to get suspended in the first month of the season. I'm going to have 15 technicals in the first month just for the simple fact [replacement officials] don't know how I run my mouth. They don't know how I approach the game.''

They might find out in a hurry. Martin and his Nuggets play Thursday at Utah in the NBA preseason opener and first game using replacement referees.

Martin isn't too happy the NBA hasn't been able to reach an agreement with officials over a new contract. With officials not agreeing to some monetary concessions, the league has locked them out and brought in replacements.

"If they want the extra benefits, I don't know why they can't get it,'' Martin said. "Give [the officials that] in order to keep the game the same way. Because the game is going to be terrible with those replacements.

"It will be terrible. I believe guys will get more technicals. But that's probably what [the NBA is] looking for, more money. There are going to be more ejections. Tempers are going to be even worse. Attitudes are going to be even worse.''

Martin was told the NBA donates money from fines to charities so the league wouldn't make more money off technicals and ejections. But that didn't slow down Martin.

"It's going to be pretty bad,'' Martin said of NBA games. "The replacement refs, there's no way they're used to the pace of the game. ... The guys, except the rookies, they know the guys [in the NBA]. They know how to call the game if I'm playing, if Chauncey [Billups, a Denver guard] is playing, if [Allen Iverson, a Memphis guard] is playing. They know because we've been around.

"They know how we can talk to certain refs. Certain guys know me. I don't mean no harm sometimes. I might get out of line sometimes. But, for the most part, I get a little leeway. But with the [replacement officials], I don't have that leeway. ... You know how you can approach certain refs, what you can say to certain refs.''

Despite any leeway, Martin has incurred many fines, ejections and suspensions over his nine-year career. He had 10 technicals last season, five shy of the number that results in a one-game suspension.

Teammate Carmelo Anthony reached 15 last season, but NBA rules did not call for a suspension because No. 15 came in Denver's final regular-season game. But Anthony isn't worried about replacement officials."To me, I think the players should just, at least in the first four to six games, not worry about it and just play through it."
-- George Karl

"It's refs,'' Anthony said. "They'll learn the game. They watch films. Some refs, they've reffed [the NBA] game before. We got to play. They got to ref.''

Nuggets coach George Karl also isn't getting too bent out of shape about the replacements.

"I think there will be just more emotion in the game, more verbal confrontation of calls,'' Karl said. "To me, I think the players should just, at least in the first four to six games, not worry about it and just play through it. Understand we'll get good whistles and we'll probably get some bad whistles. ... Coaches think refereeing is bad no matter how good it is.''

Karl sees a positive in that some replacements who do well later could become regular officials. Still, he's hoping "sooner than later we'll have the first-class guys back in the league.''

Until then, Nuggets guard Anthony Carter believes there could be some rough patches.

"It's always going to be tough when you have a whole new set of refs,'' Carter said. "The other refs kind of know what other players do and what their moves are. Who's flopping? It's going to be a big challenge for them. ... They're going to be cursed out a little bit. They just have to have thick skin. They're going to miss calls, and we're going to be complaining. But that's part of the job.''

Martin sure is complaining. He's pointing a finger at NBA commissioner David Stern to get the lockout settled.

"To get [the officials] back, it's ain't on nobody else,'' Martin said. "It's on David Stern to get it done. Ain't nobody else but on him to get it done.''

Former Replacement Official Says Refs Will Be Tested

Posted Sep 29, 2009 4:30PM By Tim Povtak (RSS feed)

Filed Under: Nuggets, Pacers, NBA Referees

Bert Smith has been there, done that, so when an NBA replacement official calls him this week to ask for advice, on what to expect from star players and volatile coaches, on what it's really going to be like doing the games, they would be wise to listen closely.

It will range from obstacle course to gauntlet.

Smith was a young, promising official working college basketball games in the Big 12 and Conference USA when the NBA plucked him to be a replacement in 1995 during the last referee union lockout.

He worked 16 games that year, including a Sonics-Pacers game Nov. 18 in Indianapolis when he ejected then Seattle coach George Karl, who kept riding him over a call he didn't like, got a technical foul, then drop kicked the ball into the stands to show his displeasure. Smith tossed him.

"George was the only guy that year I had to eject,'' said Smith, now a veteran NCAA official who works mostly in the Southeastern Conference. "It's going to be interesting this time. It's not going be be easy. The replacements have to realize they are going to be tested, really tested. They have to understand that Kobe (Bryant) wants to be yelling at (regular official Steve) Javie, not a replacement guy. Phil Jackson and Doc Rivers (coaches of the Lakers and Celtics) don't want replacements doing their big game.''

The NBA will start the exhibition schedule with replacements this week in Utah when the Jazz play the Nuggets, now coached by the same George Karl. His Seattle team in 1995-96 won 64 games. His Denver team played in the conference final last spring, and should be even better this time.

"I don't remember (kicking the ball and being ejected in '95). I'm getting too old to remember,'' Karl said earlier this week. "Go back and get the video. I've gotten thrown out in Indiana a lot.''

Smith wasn't asked by the NBA to be a replacement this time. He left the NBA's developmental program several years ago, deciding to focus on the college game and his other career. He knows several college officials who rejected requests this time from the NBA, but he also knows some who accepted and will be among those starting the season.

"It's a touchy situation (for guys with NBA aspirations). If you're asked and tell them no, it's like saying, `I don't want this job interview.' And they just say, `if you don't want to help us out now, then why should we help you out later?''' Smith said. "If you don't come through for the boss, the boss is going to remember.''

Despite the trials, Smith still looks back at '95 as a positive experience for him. Until December of '95, they were working with two-man crews instead of today's standard three-man crews, which automatically made the job tougher.

They were easy targets for fans, players, coaches and broadcasters who didn't like the way games were going.

"We were just a means to the end for the NBA, but I have no regrets at all. For the most part, guys (players and coaches) were respectful. But it's really a no-win situation. We missed calls. Games weren't officiated as well, but regular officials miss calls, too. They (players and coaches) will want to see what you're made of, what kind of intestinal fortitude you have. All you can do is be honest with them when you miss a call.''

Locked-Out Wife: Stern Doesn't Appreciate NBA Referees

Posted Sep 21, 2009 11:25AM By Tim Povtak (RSS feed)

Filed Under: NBA Referees

After failing to negotiate a new contract with the referees union, the NBA locked out its officials Friday and began making plans to start the season with a group of replacement referees.

The league has been asking for significant concessions from the union, most notably a reduction in pension benefits. The league has said that it wants the union to accept a deal that is more in line with the compensation awarded its office employees and administrative staff.

In responses to the league's demands, Julie Davis, the wife of veteran NBA official Marc Davis, wrote this letter to the National Basketball Referees Association executive board to provide a family's perspective.

FanHouse obtained a copy of the letter from the NBRA.

"These past few weeks have been a very trying time for our family, as I am sure they have been for the families for all of the 57 NBA referees. The stress of worrying about a lockout has been, at times, overwhelming. We have three small children to feed, clothe, and educate. Like most American families, we have a mortgage and bills to pay. These bills do not know what the word "lockout" means.

"What has been most disheartening, however, is accepting the fact that the sacrifices that all of our families make year in and year out appear to be meaningless to the NBA and David Stern. The 'offers' made by the NBA are insulting to our families.

"The NBA has repeatedly stated that their goal this year is to bring the referees compensation and benefits more in line with the rest of the NBA office employees and its administrative staff. But referees are not office and administrative staff. They do not wake up at home each morning and see their kids off to school before heading to a job from which they get to return home each night, if not for dinner, then to tuck their kids in and kiss them good night. They do not get to sleep in their own beds with their spouses by their sides.

"While I don't know for certain, I would guess that most of the NBA office employees do not miss their kid's school plays, parent-teacher conferences, sports practices and games, graduations, Christmas mornings, and other holidays. Their husbands and wives do not have to explain to their children each morning and night for 10 months of the year that daddy or mommy will not be coming home again today and won't be home again for the next ten days either. I can tell you from first-hand experience that three, four and five year olds do not get that concept very well. All of this is not to diminish the value of the NBA office and administrative staff. They obviously play a crucial role in the day-to-day workings of the League. But in reality the jobs of an office worker and an NBA referee are not the same. Comparing the two is not comparing apples to apples, but instead it is trying to make an apple an orange.

"By even making the comparison in the first place, David Stern runs the risk of changing a 'craft' into a job. Though the NBA office staff is some of the best in the world, you can find anyone to do a job, not everyone is a true craftsman. The men and women who work this job are true craftsmen. Though frequently criticized by fans and the media, they are the best in the world at what they do and I am proud to be the wife of one. They cannot be replaced by placing an ad in the classifieds and picking out a new hire from the folks who line up at the door. If they could, then perhaps the deal the NBA is offering makes sense.

"It does not, however, make sense given the sacrifices our families make every day. I would even go so far as to say that the sacrifice we make is larger than that that made of anyone in the NBA, including the players. Whatever the public perception may be, the referees do not have huge contracts, fly on private planes, or get to work half of their games at home. They are regular people, who trek around from city to city, airport to airport, arena to arena, and practice their craft to provide for their families.

"In any given season, we are lucky if my husband works three home games in a 75-game schedule. We are lucky if he is home more than five 24-hour periods a month. Who else on the NBA staff can say they do the same? Players can't. David Stern can't. Office staff can't, nor can anyone else who works for the NBA. Referees are unique in what they give to and what they give up for the game.

"And so what are all of these sacrifices for? Why are we missing holidays together and games and school events? So that the NBA can tell all of us that our sacrifice is meaningless and that it is worth no more to them than what the office worker, who jumps on and off the train, each day does? That seems ludicrous by any rational measure.

"It was not my dream to be an NBA referee. It was not our kid's dream to have a father who is one either. But it is a dream we are fully committed to supporting because it is my husband's dream. I take on single parenthood and being a 'referee widow' because I love my husband and believe in him and his dream. All that has happened with this contract just has me questioning whether the NBA realizes the sacrifices 57 families of their employees make to continue to put out the 'best product in the world.'"

Fear the NBA Replacement Officials

Posted Sep 18, 2009 4:40PM By Tim Povtak (RSS feed)

Filed Under: Cavaliers, NBA Referees

In case anyone has forgotten, the last time the NBA started a season using replacement officials -- 1995-96 -- it was not a pretty sight.

It was close to chaos.

With the league Friday officially notifying the union that the lockout has begun, it's a certainty that the exhibition schedule -- and likely the regular season -- will start next month with new officials calling the games.

The league has lined up officials from the D-League to come to a revamped training camp next week. The preseason games start Oct. 1. The regular season doesn't begin until Oct. 27.

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"It is extremely disappointing that the (union) has ignored the economic realities, rejected our offer, and left us no choice but to begin using replacement officials,'' said NBA executive vice president and general counsel Rick Buchanan in a statement.

The NBA used replacement officials for more than two months during the start of that 95-96 season. During that time, players, coaches and fans -- more than ever -- were criticizing officials, who struggled to control games from getting out of hand."The level of play will be severely affected with replacements. Every fan knows that. We hope the NBA knows that. I don't think that's something anyone wants to revisit.''
-- Lamell McMorris

Injuries, ejections and fines all went up during that period.

"From our perspective, the door is still open to talk, but it sure doesn't look good right now,'' said Lamell McMorris, lead negotiator for the union. "With replacements, everyone should be concerned.''

It's one reason veteran Shaquille O'Neal, who played with replacements refs during his fourth and final season in Orlando in 1995 -- urged both sides Friday to come to a quick agreement. O'Neal spoke at a charity function near his home in Orlando organized by his mother that raises money to provide nursing scholarships at various colleges and universities.

"The refs have been vital to this league for a long time. They should be treated accordingly,'' O'Neal said. "We need perfection out there. The league needs to get this done.''

The two sides already have agreed on many parameters of a new, two-year deal, including salary terms. But they are still far apart over reductions to the pension benefits and severance packages paid to retiring officials.

O'Neal had his right thumb broken in a surprisingly physical exhibition game that was officiated by replacement officials in 1995. It happened when Matt Geiger karate chopped him across the hands before he went up to dunk.

Also early that season (with replacements still on the job), Chris Webber missed a month with an injured shoulder that he hurt during a fight with Luc Longley; the league suspended 16 players for their role in a fight that occurred during a Kings/Pacers game; David Robinson was ejected during a game in which 22 fouls were called in one quarter alone.

Players were fined a combined $202,500 in November of 1995. By comparison, player fines totaled only $147,000 for the entire 1994-95 season.

"The level of play will be severely affected with replacements,'' said McMorris. "Every fan knows that. We hope the NBA knows that. I don't think that's something anyone wants to revisit.''
All 57 NBA officials met earlier this week in Chicago, and rejected a proposal by the league. They met again Thursday morning to discuss a counterproposal before dispersing to various parts of the country.

They originally were expected to reconvene Sunday for their annual training camp, but that camp, which will be rescheduled, will start only with replacement officials.

The contract between the union and the league officially expired Sept. 1. According to the league's statement Friday, referees were getting retirement bonuses of up to $575,000 on top of pensions, which is something it is trying to change in its next contract.

"We've got serious problems now,'' McMorris said. "But it's not one we can't get over. We're not in a shut-down mode. There still is dialogue going back and forth. No one has turned their phones off yet.''

Fired ref on list for replacement training camp

By BRIAN MAHONEY, AP Basketball Writer 1 hour, 27 minutes ago

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NEW YORK (AP)—A referee who was previously fired by the NBA is among the group of replacements who have agreed to participate in training camp next week.

Michael Henderson is one of 44 who was sent an e-mail from the NBA’s referees operations department on Friday. The Associated Press obtained a copy of the e-mail, which provides the replacements with details about the meetings, scheduled to begin Thursday in New York.

The NBA announced Friday that it would train replacement officials after failing to reach an agreement on a new contract with its referees union.

NBA spokesman Tim Frank said he could not confirm any names on the list because the league hadn’t finalized it yet.

Henderson missed three games—the union called it a suspension—after he was called to league headquarters following an incorrect call in a game between Denver and the Lakers in February 2004. He mistakenly whistled a shot clock violation on a Denver shot that brushed the rim and was rebounded by a Nuggets player. The officials huddled and ruled it an inadvertent whistle, resulting in a jump ball. The Lakers won the tip and made the game-winning shot with 3.2 seconds left.

After the league publicly acknowledged the error, nearly all the officials responded the next night by wearing their jerseys inside-out with Henderson’s No. 62 on the back.

The league would not say why Henderson was fired.