I am going to try to be much less critical of NBA officials this season.
If there was anything I noticed while watching the preseason — other than staring in awe as my Rasheed Wallace technical-foul counter continued to climb to historic heights — it was that replacement referees just weren’t going to cut it.
I don’t think people appreciate how difficult a job officiating a game like basketball is. It is fast-paced, loud and the difference between a foul and good defense is about as narrow as the fairways at Bethpage Black.
The replacement refs, most of them coming from the NBA Developmental League or the WNBA, just didn’t seem quite ready to be full-time officials at the game’s highest level.
Luckily, the league and the union reached an agreement on Friday, which will ensure that our regular whistle blowers are on the court for the next two seasons.
Bad calls are going to happen, but having the experience of guys like Dick Bavetta, Joe Crawford and Bennett Salvatore out on the hardwood during key games will keep contests from getting out of hand.
Besides, those guys are used to getting yelled at.
