Donaghy's book re. referee treatment

by yaggiefresh on Oct 29, 2009 5:17 PM PDT

http://deadspin.com/5392067/excerpts-from-the-book-the-nba-doesnt-want-you-to-read?skyline=true&s=i

It's an impressive read. Even if half of it's true or slightly fabricated the entire idea of it is disturbing. The way Donaghy describes "superstar treatment" and how league officials would purposely send certain referees out to particlar games.

We all know the NBA is out to make money. We get it. But at what expense (no pun intended) do we as fans have to see our respective teams fail so the status quo can thrive?

Kind of makes sense after seeing the calls the Lakers get. All. The. Time.

Tweet Comment 17 comments | 2 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

Interesting stuff. I hope it gets published.

by Polish Rifle on Oct 29, 2009 7:38 PM PDT reply actions

I hope this book gets published, a lot of it seems pretty factual and understanding the star calls..

by Goosebumpz on Oct 29, 2009 7:59 PM PDT reply actions

Sadly not.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4603209

Looks like the “powers that be” won’t have anything to do with this. Is there really any surprise there?

by yaggiefresh on Oct 30, 2009 10:18 AM PDT up reply actions

yeah this was

put in a fan shot… no need to re post

by ChrisS.Oaks on Oct 29, 2009 10:51 PM PDT reply actions

money-making attempts of convicted felons

Aren’t very interesting or credible.

by Jax on Oct 30, 2009 8:45 AM PDT via mobile reply actions

Not all about money

Now that he’s in jail, he has nothing to lose and is willing to name names and expose the corruption. Maybe take some others down with him. Donaghy is the scapegoat and probably just the tip of the iceberg.

You could argue that since he has nothing to lose, he can make anything up. However, a lot of it does seem possible and could be corroborated. There’s a lot of video evidence and people he named can back him up. I wouldn’t toss it all out just because he’s in jail. That’s the David Stern argument, and it’s illogical.

by Polish Rifle on Oct 30, 2009 4:18 PM PDT up reply actions

Really?

I guess people are going to believe what they are going to believe. The FBI already conducted an extensive investigation into his allegations and determined that there was nothing to them.

by Jax on Oct 31, 2009 7:37 AM PDT up reply actions

Yes, really

You are wrong about the FBI. They only investigated Donaghy’s illegal activities. They did not investigate any of the other referees (http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/article/114288) and it looks like they did not investigate his allegations either, although one former FBI believes his claims (http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/5169/fbi-veteran-tim-donaghy-is-telling-the-truth)

by Polish Rifle on Oct 31, 2009 11:24 AM PDT up reply actions

Be careful making such strong statements . . .

Your first link didn’t work – here’s the actual link: http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/article/114288 – and if you read it the article indicates that the FBI investigated other refs but didn’t find anything.

Here are other links that confirm the FBI looked into other refs at the time:

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_kmafp/is_200806/ai_n26680167/?tag=content;col1

The league also hired another former prosecutor to investigate:

http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/sports/July-08/Donaghy-Receives-Prison-Sentence-but-Scandal-Isn-t-Over.html

Your second link doesn’t say anything meaningful about anything other than one former agent’s opinion.

Again, you can certainly believe whatever you want to. Some people are into conspiracy theories. That’s fine. But at some point there have to be facts, otherwise it’s unfair to tar the image of respectable professionals who don’t deserve it.

by Jax on Nov 2, 2009 12:05 AM PST up reply actions

Ever heard of lying?

If by “investigating” you mean asking questions, then it doesn’t take much to convince you either.

There are facts to back up some of the subjective officiating claims. A great example is the anti-rookie treatment, since even the announcers are willing to admit on the air that being a rookie means you will not get the benefit of the foul calls. They are not fined by the league in response, and you don’t even need to review game tape or statistics, because it happens almost every game. However, I’m willing to bet no ref will admit to it (which is proof it does not actually happen, right???). Or is that a “conspiracy theory” too?

by Polish Rifle on Nov 2, 2009 6:19 AM PST up reply actions

Um, no

You are referencing certain facts that are true, such as favorable calls towards veteran players, and extrapolating from that that there must be an illegal conspiracy then to fix basketball games. There are about ten thousand leaps of logic there.

Stated another way, you’re confusing favorable treatment for certain veterans with illegal gambling / betting / fixing of games. Those are two completely different animals and I for one believe it’s unfair to tar veteran officials with allegations of illegal fixing based on nothing.

Re the FBI investigation – at least you have now conceded that the FBI did investigate. Indeed, that’s a big part of what an investigation consists of – asking questions. I trust that the FBI can do its job. Apparently you don’t. That’s what makes the world go round.

by Jax on Nov 2, 2009 11:17 AM PST up reply actions

Eh

I never use the favorable calls to back up anything that Donaghy claims. I used it to show that some of the things he says are true (favorable calls), so you can’t discredit him unilaterally like you’ve done due to his being a convict. You did say that “convicted felons aren’t … credible,” right? I’m saying they can be credible.

And of course I have faith in what the FBI can do within the system. But I also trust that if someone does not want to admit wrongdoing and possibly face jail time, they will lie when questioned by the FBI. You can’t really be naive enough to think otherwise.

You should have made note of the second link you had, which mentions Jose Canseco. He was a cheat (so a bad guy in your world) yet he made allegations against other players of steroid use in his book. Guess what? He was right.

by Polish Rifle on Nov 2, 2009 12:45 PM PST up reply actions

The difference is

that he’s not the only one who is saying there is favoritism. That’s a commonly known fact.

I trust the FBI investigated the matter. What facts do you have to corroborate what the convicted felon has been saying?

by Jax on Nov 2, 2009 2:06 PM PST up reply actions

See Jose Canseco

And reread my posts, since you still don’t understand what I’m saying.

by Polish Rifle on Nov 2, 2009 10:28 PM PST up reply actions

So Jose Canseco was involved in fixing NBA games?

Hmm

by Jax on Nov 2, 2009 10:39 PM PST up reply actions

Yeah, and he said you were a biggest juicer

by Polish Rifle on Nov 3, 2009 7:55 AM PST up reply actions

Some of his allegations can be checked...

For example, you can probably analyze Bavetta’s record of games that he officiated. Compare those games’ margin of victory against the rest of the games during that period. If Bavetta’s games are much closer or he has a higher ratio of overtime games, then there might be something to Donaghy’s allegations.

The reason that allegations of wrongdoing by the league referees are taken seriously is due to David Stern’s obsession with the league’s success, image, and its revenues. From interviews with Stern, you get the feeling that he was forever scarred by being the league counsel during the bad old days in the 70s; when NBA Finals games were on tape delayed at midnight and the league was on the verge of bankrupty, and when most mainstream Americans saw the league as too black and too out of control. Like a millionaire who has survived the Great Depression, Stern still has nightmares of breadlines and save his buttons for the inevitable return of the bad old days. It is why he reacted forcefully against the Artest-Detroit brawl incident, against Donaghy, against anyone who can threaten the survival of his league.

Watching NBA TV and its band of cheerleaders is a stark contrast to the NFL Network. The NFL guys are willing to call a dog a dog when they see it. The NBA guys are all about much love for the players and The Game. Even the doormats get props. It is almost unwatchable.

by MichaelCage on Nov 1, 2009 9:01 PM PST reply actions