NBA Replacement Refs

[grunewar]

"West missed a game that featured a total of 55 fouls called by replacement officials, with Cleveland shooting 41 free throws to Charlotte's 24. Larry Brown got a technical in the final minute of the third quarter for arguing a call on a Bobcats player, and continued to ride the officials the rest of the game.

"They're learning,'' the Charlotte coach said about the replacement officials, who are working preseason games while the regular officials are locked out. "They're trying to get better. This is not an easy game to officiate. All you want as a coach is consistency, but this is not an easy thing for them. We have the best officials in all of sports, and this is the way it is.''

Entire article is at:

Shaq's Debut Overshadowed by Delonte West, Replacement Officials -- NBA FanHouse

[tballump]

Seems like Shaq is the only one giving the regular officials their due and realizes their importance to the NBA game and the game itself. This carries over into realizing the importance of all officials at all levels and their contribution to the game.
Once again, don't let the NBA drag other experienced officials in the farm system or in the amateur system into the controversy to do their bidding for them. Let them negotiate. If they need people to officiate during negotiations, let them get people off the street and put them through a 2 week training course (since they think so little of officials just think officials are just a necessary evil and expense anyway). The replacements can work until the strike is over and then decide if they really like officiating and could sign up with their local officiating group and then later apply to be a regular NBA ref and go through the minor league system themselves.