I'm just saying, everyone thinks this is out with the old, in with the new, but that just likely means a lot more ticky tack fouls and a huge learning curve. If that makes the games less enjoyable, no one wins.
...well, it was, Prof, cept for you, I, & the Celtics.
tee, hee.
I'm just saying, everyone thinks this is out with the old, in with the new, but that just likely means a lot more ticky tack fouls and a huge learning curve. If that makes the games less enjoyable, no one wins.
If replacement refs start the regular season, you guys are going to be screaming bloody murder to get the old refs back within a week.
Shaq siding with refs?
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.''
- fanhouse
*********************
The fanhouse piece.
Shaq Backs NBA Refs in Contract Talks
By Tim Povtak
Cleveland center Shaquille O'Neal -- with his four championship rings -- threw his considerable weight Friday morning behind the NBA referees union, which is facing a possible lockout after the latest contract negotiations with the league broke down.
O'Neal said Friday that he was surprised and disappointed the league was asking the officials to make significant concessions and take reductions in their pension benefits.
O'Neal knows first hand what can happen during a lockout when the league turns to replacement officials. People get hurt.
The NBA used replacement officials at the start of the 1995-96 season, and they were rounded criticized for being unable to control the games. During a particularly physical exhibition game that season, O'Neal had his right thumb fractured when he was karate chopped by Matt Geiger before he went up for a dunk. It was the start of O'Neal's final season with the Magic. Geiger was playing for the Miami Heat.
O'Neal had surgery two days later, and he missed the first 22 games of that regular season.
Lamell McMorris, lead negotiator for the union, told FanHouse Friday that a potential lockout "should scare everyone because of what could happen.''
"The refs have been vital to this league for a long time. They should be treated accordingly,'' O'Neal told FanHouse Friday morning. "We need perfection out there. We don't need second best (replacements). The league needs to get this done.''
O'Neal was back home in Orlando, preparing to play golf in his favorite charity event -- his mother's fundraiser that provides nursing scholarships at several colleges in Florida and New Jersey -- when he was asked Friday about the officials.
"I feel for them. They work hard out there, just like we do,'' he said. "When you look at all that's going on with the league. This is a big year. We need them out there.''
Without a new deal, replacement officials will be used when the exhibition schedules begins Oct. 1. The NBA has not begun a season without its regular referees since 1995.
a player should not speak in favor publically for the refs
Shaq wins a championship next year.
The games are "less enjoyable" until about Feb/March anyway.
Translation: "Damn Stern, how am I gonna get away with lowering my shoulder to get a dunk with these new guys out here? The "real refs" accepted that as "part of my game" a LONG time ago. I'm screwed if a deal doesn't get done soon."
As long as the "new refs" don't practice the "star treatment" when calling fouls, I am ALL for this change. I'm sick of seeing one guy get almost as many FTs as the entire opposing team combined.
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.![]()
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greedy ers. good riddance.
Fired ref on list for replacement training camp
By Brian Mahoney
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.
Stern re-considered when he realized the error gave the game to the Lakers.![]()
Yeps. Do people remember what happened the other time they brought the replacement refs? It was horrific.
NBA refs are the best basketball referees in the world by far and away. Fans just have unreasonable expectations. Basketball is just a tough game to officiate; controversial calls and mistakes will always be part of it.
They didn't have a ref pipeline back then from the d-league, which uses the same rules as the NBA.
I don't have a problem with mistakes. I have a problem with refs who have an obvious bias against players or organizations. Spurs fans hate Joey Crawford. There's a reason for that. In 2006-2007 Duncan shot 568 FTs. He and Horry laugh at Crawford's ridiculous calls in the final game. Crawford runs him, and gets suspended for the playoffs. Flash forward to 2007-2008. Tim shoots 463 FTs. He's never shot less than 500 in anything that qualifies as a full season. He was perfectly healthy both seasons and played about the same mpg and the same number of games. Coincidence? I think not.
I'll wait thru mistakes and any break in period if those egotistical rank-closing assholes are gone.
Ain't that rich...without ["star treatment" when calling fouls] you'd be O & forever.
Sure it's no coincidence. Duncan's usage rate declined by 1.3%. His offensive rebounding rate declined by 1.4%. And he took more 80 jump-shots in 07/08 than in the previous season. So, he had the ball less, he was playing and taking shots further away from the basket and crashing the glass less. He got about 1 less free-throw attempt every 36 minutes. It seems pretty natural to me. His decline on FG% was steeper.
D-League refs are for NBA refs like D-League players are for NBA players.
^This.
The NBA game may be the most difficult to call as a referee due to the speed of the game(I understand this), but the problem's lie with inconsistency and call's being made based on player's and team's reputation's rather than whats actually going on in the game's.
Stern and his referees.
The NBA needs a "once-every-100-years" forest fire to clean out the s and allow it to grow back a cleaner,more legitimate game to watch.
Stern for possibly ruining what looks to be one of the most exciting seasons in NBA history. You have three loaded teams that have each won a le in the last three seasons and a fourth with the MVP and a top 3 all-time center. This season is seriously shaping up to be as good as if not better than 2006.
Or, you need to follow the rules and keep your ass on the bench. San Antonio too, though they didn't get cuffed for it.
tee, hee.
It's not like the new guys have never ref'ed a game before.
NBA refs|||Professional rasslin' refs:::six of one,,,half dozen of the other.
I can't believe all the boo hooing for the poor refs, and the mean nba.
starting salary 150k to 550k for senior refs... that makes it 350k for average ref's salary.
boo ing hoo. what's their ing problem?
That's not how you compute averages.
yeah I know. It's still got to be a couple hundred K average though.
What's their problem. Most people would kill to make that.
Tee hee?Shame on you Mr C.
Anyway, I would venture to say that if you were to poll 1,000 NBA fans who proclaim that they aren't fans anymore the #1 reason would be preferencial officiating and not allowing the players to dictate the pace, and possibly the outcome of many games.
This is what i hear time and time again from fans my age.....Middle-aged men who'd rather watch pro football.
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