After the NBA’s experiment with replacement refs has seen some disastrous results, reports have emerged that suggest the regular NBA refs could return as soon as the NBA opens its regular season.
Confirmed: Referees Approve Two-Year Contract
The lockout is over. On Saturday,
referees accepted a two-year contract, and they appear prepared to hit the ground running. From Bloomberg:
Read Article >NBA Refs To Be Back For Opening Night If Deal Approved
Howard Beck of the New York Times tweets:
Read Article >NBA Refs are the Best, But Still a Problem
From Yahoo! Sports’ Ball Don’t Lie comes this reaction to the return of the refs:
Okay. A bit abrasive with his “doesn’t matter what you think” and “can it” commands, but hey, the man has a point. It would have been a full-fledged crime against basketball if the NBA had trotted out the replacements for the first few months of the year. Regardless of what you think of the NBA referees, they’re the best at what they do, and the league’s better off with them than anyone else.
Read Article >Derek Fisher (And Most NBA Players) Can Begin Jumping For Joy Now
Fans may be split on the idea of a refs strike — (frankly, I’m in favor of giving some newer, younger refs a shot, but I can see why others would disagree) — but players are probably pretty much in agreement with Derek Fisher’s comments from earlier this month, summarized quickly as: replacement refs suck.
Makes sense, though if I was a rookie, would I want to play with referees who “understand the personalities of the coaches and players” if I wasn’t one of those players? Maybe not. Everyone else can probably agree, though.
Read Article >Refs Vote On Proposal To Return Before Season Opener
NBA Refs Reportedly Close To Deal With League
Bye-bye scabs. Howard Beck of the New York Times reports:
And with that, we can retire the most played-out storyline of the NBA preseason.
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