Nba Suffering From Referee Lockout
The fight during Tuesday night’s Bullets-Bulls exhibition game indicates the need for the NBA to get its locked-out referees back on the court, veteran official Mike Mathis said Wednesday.
The NBA’s 54 referees have been locked out since Oct. 1. The league has hired replacements, mostly from the ranks of the Continental Basketball Association, to officiate exhibition games in groups of two.
The replacements are simply not as experienced as the NBA’s regular game officials, Mathis said, and that leads to problems such as the altercation between Washington’s Chris Webber and Chicago’s Luc Longley.
“One of the marks of a veteran referee is sensing problems and getting to them before they escalate,” said Mathis, who has worked NBA games for 19 years.
Webber said after the game that Longley started elbowing him in the first quarter.
In the final minute of the first half, the two players were battling for position in the lane and began pushing before each threw a punch. While they grappled, Washington rookie Rasheed Wallace tomahawked the basketball at Longley’s head. Even Michael Jordan got involved, trying to keep Wallace from getting at Longley.
Both Longley and Webber were ejected from the game, and Mathis expressed hope that the Bulls-Bullets fracas - coupled with growing complaints from players about the replacements - might spur ongoing contract negotiations.
“The support we’ve gotten from players and coaches has been overwhelming,” he said.
Patrick Ewing, Dikembe Mutombo and Charles Barkley are among the players who have groused publicly.
Late bloomer
Seat installation problems at Portland’s new Rose Garden arena forced a 1-hour delay in the tipoff for Wednesday night’s exhibition game between the Trail Blazers and Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Blazers issued a terse news release under the heading “URGENT!” at 3:30 p.m., PDT, blaming the problem on the Irwin Seating Co., which supplied the 21,300 seats for the arena.
Coleman seeks second opinion
Derrick Coleman’s agent says he may seek another medical opinion to confirm the diagnosis that the New Jersey Nets star has an irregular heartbeat.
“Everybody has only one heart,” Harold MacDonald said. “I just want to talk to the specialists and find out who they are just to be a little more comfortable with the whole thing. It is his heart and you want to make sure the diagnosis and treatment are correct.’
Fast break
Toronto acquired guard Harold Miner from Cleveland for center Victor Alexander. The Raptors will also get a secondround 1996 draft pick along with cash… . Washington finally gave up on Kevin Duckworth, trading the 7-foot center to Milwaukee for forward Bob McCann… . Forward Jerome Kersey, who has spent all 11 of his NBA seasons with Portland, signed a oneyear contract with Golden State for a reported $225,000… . Michael Rowe, one of the executives who helped transform the Meadowlands into a sports and entertainment giant, was named the Nets’ president and chief operating officer.