The NBA Refs Are Back. Yeah ... I Guess

Who needs the preseason? The roster of NBA referees certainly don't. The refs union agreed to a new two-year deal with the league.

They will somehow be ready for the start of the regular season this week.

While the officials were locked out, the NBA used replacement refs during the preseason. For the most part, they did a good job. I mean, how much worse could they possibly be? It was nice watching refs that didn't show ego, took berating better (imagine the stuff players would say to a replacement ref) and controlled the game fairly well. Yes, it would get a bit choppy with some non-NBA decisions (last night after J.R. Smith slipped on a wet spot, the refs never called time to ensure the spot get cleaned. NBA refs would have done so to ensure safety).