EWING OUT TO SHOW THAT HE'S HIS OWN MAN IN CBA TALKS

          Patrick Ewing's election as NBPA President "comes at a
     very pivotal time for the players association," according to
     Mike Wise of the N.Y. TIMES.  With the "growing possibility
     that the league will reopen" the CBA next year, "he could be
     at the forefront of securing a new deal and coping with a
     potential lockout."  Ewing, who led a move to decertify the
     union in '95, was accused with others "of essentially being
     a tool of what many perceived to be an agent-led movement." 
     But Ewing and others "feel that many of their predictions
     regarding the league turning into a caste system under the
     current agreement have come true" (N.Y. TIMES, 9/17).
          WOMEN'S DAY: NBA VP Rod Thorn confirmed that "the
     league is preparing for the potential introduction of female
     officials this season," according to Ira Winderman of the
     Fort Lauderdale SUN-SENTINEL.  The final referee roster will
     be determined later this month, but Winderman writes that
     the league is "expected to add a significant number of new
     officials" in the wake of the IRS investigation of several
     veteran referees (Fort Lauderdale SUN-SENTINEL, 9/17).