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Ms Palmer, if she were the worst ref in the NBA, she wouldn't still be there. THey've got a number of very good women refs in their D league, and they certainly don't need to keep her for political reasons.
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I don't have an opinion on Palmer because I've rarely seen her and also because I haven't got the foggiest idea of what a good NBA official is and what a bad one is due to the league's officiating being so screwed up. However, I disagree with both statements you've made here. The worst ref isn't always fired. If you are going to have any ranking system, someone will be last. How many NFL Referees (white hat) are fired every year or two? Few, if any, because the position is filled with people that are so damn good, even numbers 16 and 17, by rating, are well thought of. If they fired the worst, there's never be any new official make it past a year or two.
Second, I do think a big motivation for her initial hire was politically based, and they COULD still be keeping her for that reason. Perhaps they do believe she is one of the better ones, but your statement here isn't necessarily true.
The NBA is an entertainment venue first and a competitive professional sports league second.