The NBA's regular referees return to work tonight, having
missed the first six weeks of the season due to a contract
dispute. As Tim Povtak writes in Orlando, "Most everyone
believes it should end weeks of whining by players and coaches
alike" (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 12/12). In USA TODAY, the refs' return
gets equal billing with Shaquille O'Neal's first game back
tonight after an injury (USA TODAY, 12/12).
WHO WON? While noting that the league won in the contract
settlement, Dave Krieger of the ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS writes the
refs were the "big winners" because their reputations among NBA
players and coaches were "enhanced considerably" (WASHINGTON
TIMES, 12/12).
ANY DAMAGE? In Toronto, Craig Daniels writes, "The game
survived the entirely avoidable 72-day labor stoppage that made
it all necessary. Today, things return to normal with the
locked-out refs back on the job -- in other words, no change at
all" (TORONTO STAR, 12/12). In Vancouver, Lowell Ulrich writes,
"The message to the replacement refs is clear: Don't let the
door hit you on the way out. Never have so many around the
league agreed on one topic" (Vancouver PROVINCE, 12/12). In
Detroit, Terry Foster writes, "After the brawls and bad
officiating, my only question to [David] Stern is, was it worth
it? The NBA and its officials were split on salary demands that
differed between $3,000-$34,000 per man, per season, depending on
seniority. That's chump change when you consider the NBA is this
high-glitz, billion-dollar industry that thinks nothing of
dropping millions at the feet of such flops as Stanley Roberts
and Benoit Benjamin" (DETROIT NEWS, 12/12).
