Referee meeting riles NBA officials

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Referee meeting riles NBA officials
Posted 9/11/2006 12:24 AM ET E-mail | Save | Print | Reprints & Permissions | Subscribe to stories like this



By Roscoe Nance, USA TODAY
CHICAGO — NBA referees are waiting to see if they will be called for a technical foul after their foundation held a non-sanctioned two-day conference last weekend.
Several NBA officials, including coaches and front office personnel, were either invited or scheduled to attend but were not allowed by the league to participate.

The conference was open to referees of all levels. The conference included panel discussions involving NBA referees and members of the media and an awards dinner.

"I don't anticipate any repercussions," said Lamell McMorris, executive director of the National Basketball Referees Association and the referees union spokesman. "We've given them no reason. There remains the question why (they took) this position for something that's good."

The NBA, in a letter to the union dated Aug. 17 and signed by Richard Buchanan, the league general counsel, said it was concerned the conference would be open to the public and referees would be discussing NBA business and operations.

When asked why the NBA did not sanction the conference and prohibited league officials from participating, NBA spokesman Tim Frank said, "It's an internal matter and we're not going to comment."

In an e-mail to teams dated Sept. 6, NBA executive vice president of basketball operations Stu Jackson said league personnel would not be permitted to participate in the conference and asked team employees to do the same.

Chicago Bulls coach Scott Skiles and Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers were scheduled to be panelists but were no-shows.

Lee Jones, an assistant group supervisor of officials for the NBA who officiated for 26 years, and Wally Rooney, who officiated for 23 years, were honored for their service. Jones didn't attend.

Terms of the collective bargaining agreement between the league and the referees union prohibit officials from giving interviews without permission from the NBA. However, several were disappointed that the league didn't endorse the event.

"Referees are stakes holders in basketball," McMorris said. "Don't they have the right to bring together other stakes holders? What's the harm?"

Fifty-three of the league's 61 referees and 23 high school and college referees registered for the conference. The conference was similar to what some referees do on an individual basis during the offseason when they participate in camps and clinics and perform community service.

The conference also gave the NBA officials a rare opportunity to discuss their craft among themselves, which McMorris said will help them become better officials and improve morale.

Panel discussions covered play-calling techniques, career paths for aspiring professional referees and ways to improve dialogue and enhance relationships between players and coaches during games.

The referees also visited a Chicago-area high school and a children's hospital. The National Basketball Referees Foundation, the charitable arm of the National Basketball Referees Association, donated $1,000 each to La Rabida Children's Hospital in Chicago and the Focus on the Future Youth Development Agency.