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no joey crawford next year???? that sucks
NBA locks out refs
By Adrian Wojnarowski
The NBA has locked out its referees, Yahoo! Sports has learned.
After failing to reach an agreement with its game officials, the NBA will start referee training camp with replacements next week.
Talks ended on Thursday, when the league and NBA Referee’s Association were unable to come to terms on a new collective bargaining agreement. The NBA will use Developmental League and WNBA officials to start the preseason, and perhaps, the regular season.
“The proposals we have made to the NBRA are extraordinarily fair and reasonable, given the current economic cir stances,” the NBA’s Executive Vice President and General Counsel Rick Buchanan said in a league memo. “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.
“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.”
The union believes that the NBA is asking for too many give backs in the league’s current proposal, and voted 57-0 among its officials to reject the NBA’s latest offer.
no joey crawford next year???? that sucks
It may get even more complicated for the Raptors because of Labor Laws in Canada.
Updated.
NBA to move ahead with replacement refs
By Brian Mahoney
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 compensation totaling 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 cir stances,” 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.”
Last edited by duncan228; 09-18-2009 at 11:46 PM.
This might not be such a bad thing.
SBJ: NBA Locks Out Referees
SportingNews
This piece, written by Liz Mullen, first appeared in SportsBusiness Daily’s Closing Bell on Friday.
The NBA has officially notified the National Basketball Referees Association that it has declared a lockout of the referees, National Basketball Referees’ Association Executive Director Lamell McMorris told SportsBusiness Journal Friday afternoon.
"We have just been officially locked out by the NBA," McMorris said. He added that he just received an official letter from the NBA "locking out the referees."
McMorris declined to comment further, saying he had to talk to the union members before issuing any further comment. The NBA declined comment on McMorris’ statements, but the league did announce Friday afternoon it will begin referee training camp Sunday with replacement referees because the NBRA rejected its final contract offer Thursday.
Earlier today, McMorris said the NBRA has had “initial discussions” with the Teamsters and other unions about not crossing the picket lines if NBRA members are locked out.
“We are already in discussions. We know who is not going to cross the picket lines—the folks who deliver liquor, the folks who deliver food,” McMorris said.
The referees were scheduled to report to training camp on Sunday, but McMorris said there is not enough time to get a deal done for that deadline to be met.
McMorris said he has not yet made a formal request for the Teamsters or other unions to honor the referees picket lines. But he added of the Teamsters, “They do not cross picket lines, that does not happen. Without a doubt we will have picket lines if we are locked out. … I don’t think I need to tell the NBA that.”
McMorris said that he has talked to players’ union executive director Billy Hunter but has not asked NBA players to honor the referees picket lines “nor would I make that request.”
McMorris said that players are concerned about the potential for increased injuries and increased fines if replacement officials are used. “The players know what replacement officials look like and they don’t want to go there,” he said.
this is great news
officiating should be much better
or it could be bad news and much worse officiating if stern gets to hang around these guys
but i think it will be great
the only thing that would top this is if duncan228 would stop posting 400 articles every hour
I don't know how deeply this will impact the overall quality of the officiating but it certainly doesn't help the league's image one bit. The conspiracy nut fans will be able to point to every call against their team or for some media darling as the result of a rookie ref who is either directly in Stern's pocket or who is directly or indirectly trying to please their boss because they don't have any sort of seniority yet.
What horrible news. I hate the reffing, but its not as much about the refs as it is how they are influenced and directed by top management. This is just gonna be bad call after bad call because the rookies are giving in to coaches, players and the crowds.
The Referees Association is crazy. Seriously, what kind of leverage did they actually think they had? There's no special talent needed to ref, and the rules of basketball are no secret.
The NBA Refs Association is screwed and all of a sudden these $150,000+ refs are out of a very lucrative job.
The NBA needs a youth movement in the refs anyway.
I don't know about that... If there was no special talent needed to ref, anyone could do it well and that doesn't seem to be the case now, does it?
Seems to me, reffing is more difficult than it looks. I'm not saying they are right here because I know jack about their demands, but good refs are hard to come by.
I can't feel bad for this just though of not having to see Joey Crawford, Nies, Salvatorre ref a spurs game seems exciting. Seriously I don't know anyway these refs can be any worse then the current NBA refs. Worst case scenario they suckass which is pretty much how NBA refs are today.
NBA level players aren't easy to come by but NBA qualified refs I think would be a dime a dozen.
The Players have extreme leverage because you can't teach NBA talent. But you can teach NBA reffing..if the NBA uses the NBDL refs, I don't think they'll even miss a beat.
To us fans, it's going to be business as usual just with new names for the black and whites.
The NBA desperately needs fresh new blood, but I sincerely doubt whatever new refs they bring in will be any better than what we have.
The grass is always greener on the other side.
You've no complaint coming, Z,,,you've benefited more than anyone (save us) from the rigged officiating. Don't even start with your fake outrage & umbrage.
Yes, because you know Stern wants the boring, small-market, Finals-ratings-kryptonite Spurs standing at the end of the race.
Sterns reasons are his own. You've taken the hand downs, don't even try to deny it.Yes, because you know Stern wants the boring, small-market, Finals-ratings-kryptonite Spurs standing at the end of the race.
No Bavetta the Laker hater!!!!! Thank the lord. that guy always gets kobe in foul trouble
nba refs crying over 550k salary? hahahahhahahaa
Those assholes called a foul on Chris Paul after Kobe pushed him to the ground--Paul's sixth. them. The Hornets lost that game months ago, and I'm still mad about it.
another spurs championship!
The funny thing is, the refs thought Stern was negotiating. He wasn't. He was telling them how it was going to be. I hope they commit career suicide and dig in their heels. Joey Crawford never working again is my happy thought.
Don't ferget the Mavsssssssssssss...
tee, hee.
If you thought the officiating was bad before...
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