The NBA's foul mood

[Woodmonkey]

For a league that cares enough about its image to mandate a dress code for its players before and after games, the NBA's response to allegations by former referee Tim Donaghy that numerous refs have fixed games is baffling and shabby.

Granted, Donaghy — who is awaiting sentencing on charges that he bet on games and gave inside tips to bettors in return for cash — is hardly the most credible source. And, granted, the league and Donaghy are in a bitter legal fight over whether he should be forced to pay restitution.

(Photo - Donaghy: Accuses other refs of fixes / AP)

Even so, his charges are simply too incendiary for the league to be seen as reflexively dismissive, which is precisely the impression left by Commissioner David Stern's scornful responses so far.

Since he was caught, Donaghy has insisted that other refs have been involved in cheating as well. His most recent charges, which erupted during the NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers, allege that the league itself was involved.

In a letter filed in court by one of his attorneys, Donaghy says the NBA encouraged referees to use their ability to call — or not call — fouls to manipulate results. Most notably, he cites a game in 2002, believed to be Game 6 of the Western Conference finals, which he says refs sympathetic to the league's interest conspired to help the Lakers win. Los Angeles' victory allowed for a seventh game, which L.A. won, and the additional revenue it generated.

Game 6 was so badly officiated that suspicions were raised at the time. Yet when Donaghy's accusations were leveled, Stern dismissed them, saying the Justice Department had already investigated fully. But one of the three refs in that game, Bob Delaney, told ESPN that he has never been contacted.

A more appropriate response would have been to say that the league would go to extraordinary lengths to remove suspicions. An independent expert, along the lines of former U.S. senator George Mitchell, who looked into the steroids issue in baseball, could evaluate NBA officiating, examine whether some refs are too cozy with individual players (some of whom provide marketable autographs and other gifts), and determine whether Donaghy was indeed a lone bad apple.

The NBA has much more at stake than winning an argument with a felon, which, after all, should not be hard to do. It is about showing the fans that its games are fair and that it has nothing to hide. If the league can get its players to stop wearing baggy jeans, surely it can accomplish that.

The Source

[Shooterman]

Pro Basketball can best be summed up thusly; Push, Pull, Grunt, Shove, and Shoot. Really don't watch it any more, nor Pro Football.

Mrs Shooterman is an Astros fan, and as my oldest grandson plays baseball, we watch the Astros, ( she quite a bit ).