The Referees are expected to return to work next week after an unexpected meeting between David Stern and Lamell McMorris of the referees’ union which led to a tentative agreement.
According to sources at ESPN, the League officials will not officially address how quickly veteran referees will be ready to call games until after Friday’s vote, but sources close to the process said that the veterans will indeed be back at work in time for Tuesday’s opening night.
After rash of complaints from coaches and players about how tightly games have been called in the preseason, this development will likely to be widely applauded throughout the league.