The chief negotiator for the NBA refs' union claims a lockout by the league is "imminent". But we know that the deadline for getting a deal done is still a couple of weeks away.
Pre-season games begin October 1st and the story can and will change many times until that date.
But to make the point that they are very serious about not waiting until the last minute, union members are staying in a hotel in Chicago and not leaving to show how willing they are to hang around and talk. Well at least for today.
NBA.com reports that negotiations were stalled for a week after David Stern said he'd never come back to the table.
That's more posturing as well and frankly, the big guy shouldn't do the micro-managing work. He should pull the strings behind the scenes and show up for a photo-op when it comes time to sign the final deal.
What I learned that I didn't know until today is that the union is doing more than merely staying resolute by occupying a Chicago hotel. It has released a summary of the number of suspensions issued and the amount of fines assessed the last time that replacement refs were used in a lockout/strike.
Here is the staggering comparison of a five week period during the 1996 season to the full '94-'95 season:
"According to the memo, the NBA issued more than $200,000 in fines and suspended players for a total of 26 games for fights in November of that year, compared to $147,000 in fines and 22 games in suspensions for all of the 1994-95 season." nba.com
The arguments are typical of acrimonious labor negotiations. But it isn't until you see the work product of replacement refs that you realize how happy you'd be if your favorite guy to hate in a striped shirt was back with a whistle in his mouth.
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