Since the NBA goes out of its way, except in the rarest of disgraces, not to make the refs the story, the only way the public will discover Jack Nies (71; 31 years in the league), Luis Grillo (61; 21 years) and Jim Clark (66; 26, including five in the ABA) notified the union they've retired is by reading this column — or if a college league hires them (see Violet Palmer) to run its officiating.

For the second straight year, Nies didn't work any playoff games, whereas Grillo got bumped from the postseason for the first time in my memory.

Clark was excised after one round where he was barely used; he rejected a last assignment as a cross-country alternate in Portland.

Joe Forte (65; 21 years) has not retired (nor has Bavetta), but he, too, chose to pass on his final task (alternate in Atlanta) during the opening cycle.

Is there any doubt their combined 133 years of savoir faire was somewhat missed during these flustered playoffs?

Smells like age discrimination to me! Who's next, anybody over 60? Are we talking lawsuit?

On second thought, maybe this dispiriting push out the door has nothing to do with age discrimination and everything to do with the refs' expiring Sept. 30 contract. Closing in on the end of a five-year deal, the league no doubt is looking to cut overhead; that might translate into making conditions intolerable for those making top dollar.

Timing couldn't be economically worse for the referee's union, represented by The Perennial Group, based in D.C. Negotiations figure to be completely one-sided. The best they can hope for is fairness from Stern, whose bona fide problem lies ahead with a new collective-bargaining agreement with the players.

At least free-agent players have a real option; they can go play in Europe without suffering financially. Where are the refs gonna work? They have no leagues to jump to, no legit options. Furthermore, the NBA has a farm system should a training-camp lockout occur.

Who's more specialized to recruit such scabs than Fryer, who came back into the league after being fired as a scab?