Both Sides Getting Closer to a Deal

Yesterday's meeting with the NBA went better than expected, and in the wake of what was called a "very emotional" meeting, the referees union is doing its part to reach an agreement. At least, that's what they're trying show the public, adopting a demonstrative "lock-in" strategy to try and devise a proposal that the NBA deems acceptable.

From Howard Beck at the New York Times:

“The referees are locking themselves in, in an effort to get a deal done as soon as possible,” Lamell McMorris, the referees’ chief negotiator, said just after midnight, following the marathon meeting. [...]

“Every referee is here, from all around the country,” he said. “They’re not leaving.” [...]

“There was some movement, but not much,” McMorris said, after what he called “a very emotional” meeting. “We are staying here all night trying to come up with a counterproposal. We’re trying to meet the league halfway on all these issues.”

So what does this mean? Nothing, for now. McMorris, the referee's chief negotiator, still expressed the need for the NBA to "meet us halfway," and whatever counterproposal emerges from the marathon deliberations among the referee's union will likely require concessions on the NBA's side of the negotiations. And with David Stern sitting on that side of the table, it's unclear whether those concessions will ever be made.

Particularly given the showy nature of the refs public relations tactics; because make no mistake, this lock-in was devised to show you, the paying fan, that the referees are doing their part to resolve this conflict. With the implication being, look at us! We're staying up all night and working on a contract, it'd be nice if the NBA would put forth the same effort.

Stern doesn't take kindly to such tactics, and as we've discussed before, the only people less likely than the players to engender public sympathies are the refs. Stern knows this, and with more than a few people suggesting that replacement refs might not be the worst idea ("new blood" is what we keep hearing tossed around), you can bet that he'll utilze every bit of leverage he has. So get comfortable, refs, that lock-in may last longer than you think.