The Battle Gets Ugly

Today, the NBA referees released a public statement criticizing Stern and other league executives for their handling of this matter. Tom Ziller at AOL Fanhouse continues with his sharp analysis:

The union struck the first blow, issuing a release torching the league for putting the pinch on referees while it signs major marketing contracts and gives its executives raises. (The release specifically mentions three league execs charged with overseeing refs: Ron Johnson, Joe Borgia and former NBA ref Bernie Fryer.) [...]

As someone who has observed the league for a while, I would never recommend jabbing Stern with a sharp object as a path toward getting what you want. Even the stars of the game can't pull that off. (See: the 1998 player lock-out.) And the referees know this. But it doesn't seem like they will be backing down, not after this round of cannonfire.

Indeed, as someone who's observed the NBA for a lot less time than Ziller, even I know that much: publicly criticizing David Stern and his business partners will get you nowhere. Stern is a rather intimidating figure, and David, if you're reading this, I wish you the best of luck with the upcoming season, and I hope that you can resolve this unfortunate situation as quickly as possible. Don't worry, the refs will come to their senses.