Sep

24

Donaghy Is In Prison But Controversy Is Not Over For Association, Or Stern

Posted by Jeff Sack under NBA Off The Court Issues, SDC COMMENTARY 

Remember that song from the ”Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer” Christmas Special “It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year“? Well right now the NBA should be singing that song every day of the year. The Association is coming off of an incredible season, which culminated in a NBA Finals Series between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers. It had the best TV ratings in years, this after a bunch of great playoff series that proceeded it.

Reigning NBA MVP Kobe Bryant while in China with Team USA, was so popular that he could have run for Prime Minister and probably won. The Association is filled with young superstars that barring injury should be on the hardwood for at least the next decade. LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul, Dwight Howard, Carmelo Anthony, as well as countless others, will put fannies in the seats, and sell merchandise for a long time.

Although “The Team Formerly Known As The Seattle SuperSonics” are now the Oklahoma City Thunder, other former NBA waste lands are doing quite well. Cleveland a city that until a few years ago was a place that you could not give away tickets to get people into the arena to watch the Cavaliers, is now a robust market. The New Orleans Hornets have helped revive a city. Even Atlanta made the post season last year, and actually drew fans.

With all the positives that I just mentioned NBA Commissioner David Stern should be salivating as NBA training camps open next week. Unfortunately all those positives are being balanced out right now by the 2500 pound elephant in the room. It’s the gift that keeps on giving; former NBA referee Tim Donaghy.

The “Associated Press” reported Tuesday that Donaghy began his 15 month sentence at Saufley Field a minimum security federal prison in Pensacola, Florida.  Back in July Donaghy had admitted to providing inside information to associates as well as betting on games himself.  He was sentenced to 15 months jail time, and 3 years of supervised release. Donaghy’s attorney asked the judge in the New York courtroom to give his client probation, instead of prison time. He said his client needed treatment not punishment. Judge Carol Amon instead gave Donaghy a 15 month sentence, much shorter than the maximum sentence for the crime which is 33 months.

Commissioner Stern is saying that Donaghy was just one bad seed, that the rest of the NBA referees are all beyond reproach. The problem is that Stern right now does not have a lot of credibility on the issue stemming from his actions during the Summer of 2007.

Up until last Summer, NBA referees lived their lives under a set of very stringent rules. Game Officials were to have no contact what so ever with gambling, not even going to the track or a casino was allowed under the old system. If a referee was found to be in violation of those rules, they according to the Association’s guide lines were to be immediately terminated.

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. 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!

More doubt surfaced during the NBA Finals. Donaghy’s attorney released a statement during that series, that took the spotlight off of the games, and back into the courtroom. According to Donaghy without specifically naming the teams, he claimed 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 crew.

Donaghy  claimed 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.

Stern vehemently denied the accusations, and said that Donaghy had zero credibility. He claimed that Donaghy was just trying to implicate others in exchange for a lighter sentence. As of this writing there has been no further information released on the situation.

You may remember that the Commissioner named a “Gambling Czar” a former federal prosecutor named Lawrence Pedowitz. Pedowitz has been conducting an independent investigation into officiating in the Association. He will release a report with his findings reportedly before the beginning of the season, on October 28.

This situation is not going to die, the fans and the media simply will not let it. During the Finals ESPN commentator Michael Wilbon echoed a sentiment that I have written many times on these pages. 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 have written before, 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.

The Commissioner can play ostrich and keep his head buried in the sand for only so long. If the Pedowitz Report comes back and says there have been no other violations by other officials, it will be looked at as a coverup by a majority of the fans, and the media. And for that David Stern has only himself to blame.

© Copyright 2008 thesackattack.net




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