NBA referees preparing for lockout?

**garnett_21** · 09-11-2009, 11:16 AM

NBA referees are prepared to be locked out for the start of the season after negotiations with the league on a new contract broke down this week when David Stern ended the latest bargaining session.

No further talks are scheduled—and when they do resume, it’ll be without the commissioner.

Referees spokesman Lamell McMorris accused Stern of acting childish and not negotiating in good faith, so Stern removed himself from the process.

Stern said Thursday he told McMorris that, “In fact if it was going to get personal—which apparently he’s decided to make it by calling news media and leveling a series of inaccurate allegations—that I would absent myself from the negotiations, which I have.”

“Hopefully we’ll make a deal with the referees, or we won’t, but it won’t be on the basis of personality, it’ll be on the basis of economics,” Stern added.

The league’s contract with its referees expired on Sept. 1, and McMorris said the sides have basically agreed on salary issues for a new two-year deal. He said the league wanted to freeze salaries for the first year with a 1 percent increase in year two.

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Wow...wonder what this means for the players association contract if the NBA and the refs can't come to an agreement...