I listened to an interview with Tom Haberstroh, who's writing a book on NBA refs, and learned some fascinating info about them.No you're right.. basketball is too fast to ref and can only be done by the most absolutely elite officials ever...
- Four NBA refs (including Tim Donaghy!) went to the same high school - Cardinal O'hara in Philly
- Most NBA refs come out of the Ohio Valley Conference for some reason wink wink. Not the SEC or ACC or Big East - the most fertile reffing ground you can find is a Murray State vs. Eastern Kentucky game
- Tony Brothers, who Spencer Dinwiddie said called him a little bitch, has not reffed a Spencer Dinwiddie game since, which is basically statistically impossible (that's just a fun fact that shows how the league puts its thumb on the scales)
- Adam Silver has said it's very important for the league to have 50% female refs, yet not a single female ref has appeared in the playoffs in any season. This highlights, once again, the old boys network NBA refs have created (and also how Silver is an empty suit/PR weathervane)
So I agree with your sarcastic comment above. These refs are not the best of the best. They are a part of a tight-knit fraternity that chokes excellence out of the profession in favor of who knows who.
That's not to say the job of reffing isn't very hard. It is. But much like any other profession, it would be nice if these guys had less job security, were measured by the league on their performance, and if the league gave more opportunities to fresh faces (even the ones who are already reffing regular season games).