NBA replacement referees very costly

It’s only the preseason and the replacement referees are not off to a good start.  In three separate incidents, poor officiating has cost NBA teams and coaches a total of $215,000.  Yes, I said preseason.  And actually, I do need to say ‘preseason’ because with the MLB playoffs and the NFL season going on, nobody really knows what’s going on with the other sports.

PHOTO CAPTION:  It’s tough, these replacement referees just don’t get it

Memphis Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins was penalized $25,000 on Wednesday for critical comments about the referees.

The Charlotte Bobcats and coach Larry Brown were each fined $60,000 on Wednesday for Brown’s verbal abuse of officials and refusal to leave the court in a timely manner after he was ejected during a preseason game and publicly criticized the referees after the game.

The Orlando Magic and coach Stan Van Gundy were fined $35,000 each for Van Gundy’s criticism of referees earlier in the week.

Well, we have until October 27th for the NBA referees to strike a deal or more money is going to be tossed around like Courtney Love’s salad.