Slam Dunk Central

I don’t watch a lot of episodic prime-time network TV. Two main reasons, first and foremost the lack of time. I constantly say to my beautiful bride of almost 25 years, that I wish that there were 28 hours in the day, then I would get at least 2 hours of sleep at night! If I am not on the site, or watching sports on TV, then I usually find myself watching MSNBC (our condolences to the family of Tim Russert from those of us here at Slam Dunk Central.) I am trying to get as much information on the upcoming election, so much of my down time is spent watching the news.

However, I have to admit to a guilty pleasure, there is a part of me that is still an 11 year old geek! I read DC Comics as a kid, Superman, the Flash, Batman, Green Lantern, and the Legion of Super Heroes were my favorites. My top TV shows as a kid were Lost in Space, and the Time Tunnel. I love the Back to the Future trilogy, as well as the Matrix trio of films. I was big time into Quantum Leap, and Sliders. My current TV fixation is Lost, I was hooked from the first episode on. Although according to the Nielsen ratings it is a Top 20 TV show, my one friend who shared my passion for the show stopped watching after last year. Unfortunately for him, he gave up too soon, for this season the show was superb.

In case you have never seen the show, the basic plot line is a Commercial Airliner crashes on a mysterious, mystical, and somewhat magical island. The survivors of the crash are divided into two groups, one that wants to get off the island, and return home. The other group wants to stay on the island thinking it is their destiny to be there. In the season finale last month, some of the survivors were on a helicopter trying to leave the island. The chopper was running out of fuel so they dumped everything out of it that was not nailed down, and they still were carrying too much weight over the ocean. At that point one of the characters “Sawyer” a con man with a heart of gold (on television are there any other kind?) jumped from the chopper into the ocean, and swam back to the island. He sacrificed his well being for the good of the whole.

Right now the NBA is kind of like that helicopter, it is going through some major turbulence. As I wrote in a piece earlier this week, the post season has been superb for the NBA, with great performances from Chris Paul, LeBron James, among others. The Finals are the Association’s and ABC’s dream match-up, the crown jewel of the NBA Celtics vs Lakers. Ratings are up, and the series so far has been great. However Commissioner David Stern found has himself trying to put out a fire, and engaging in massive spin control.

The Association’s favorite sleazeball surfaced Tuesday as former NBA referee Tim Donaghy talked of NBA playoff games that he says were fixed. According to Donaghy without specifically naming the teams, he is claiming through his attorney that game six of the 2002 NBA playoff series between the Sacramento Kings and the Los Angeles Lakers had the outcome determined by the officiating. Donaghy is claiming that the Association wanted the series to go seven games, if the Kings had won the game the series would have ended in six. According to Donaghy, the officials called the game with a bias towards the Lakers, assuring them the win. The Lakers would win the series and the NBA Championship.  Former Kings’ center Scott Pollard said he was not surprised by the news, that he had suspected all along the game’s outcome was determined by the officials.

This is not going away, the media won’t let it, and more importantly the fans won’t let it. ESPN commentator Michael Wilbon echoed during half time of game four Thursday night what I wrote earlier in the week. There has been a deep rooted perception in the minds of many NBA fans that the Association is somehow fixed. These feelings surfaced long before Donaghy’s crimes were discovered. As I wrote earlier in the week, for years, intelligent knowledgeable sports fans, as well as some of my peers in the media, have asked me if I thought the NBA was “on the up and up“. I have never been asked that about the officiating in MLB, or the NFL. My response has always been, that if I did not believe in the integrity of the NBA, I could never cover it, at that point it’s the WWE.

After the Donaghy situation surfaced last year, Stern instigated an investigation into other officials transgressions. The information that came back to the Commissioner, was that a very large segment of NBA referees were guilty in one way shape or form. So instead of firing the officials or fining them, Stern swept the information under the rug. Then he changed the rules, so that the former transgressions were now allowed. Needless to say this did nothing to restore the credibility of the NBA.

Commissioner David Stern had the chance last Summer to rectify this situation, and forever take that cloud of doubt that has hung over the Association away forever. He failed miserably! In my opinion, there is only one thing left for David Stern to do, jump from the chopper to save the NBA.

I am also nominating the perfect man to be the next NBA Commissioner, Bill Bradley! A former U.S. Senator, former Presidential candidate, Rhodes Scholar, Eagle Scout, and former NBA player with the New York Knicks. The man ran for President, and the only bad thing they could find on him is he was too boring! The man will instantly restore credibility to the Association.

Commissioner you have been in office for a long time, and you have done a lot during your tenure. The Association, has a global presence now, and that is all your doing. But Commissioner, it’s time to jump, before you get pushed!

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