Donaghy & the Fixed Games

[pramis123]

What would improve if you take the ref's out of the NBA and set them up as an individual/separate/independent entity without direct supervision by NBA?

1. At the end of games, superstars might not always get every foul. This is an automatic in the NBA, which is purely subjective to helping to promote the marketability of the superstar.

2. Calls might not always favor in key times the home team. In no other sport do calls favor the home team in key times than in basketball. You might do a study and find out that the calls are about even +/- any team; but in key moments in a tight game, the calls go to the home team. Way to improve home attendance by generating exiting finishes.

Listen, as I have said in other posts, basketball is the toughest sport to officiate because of the speed, the contact, and the fact that the fans are right there in your face screaming at you unlike other sports where you might have more fans but due to the stadiums, are not as close/or as loud. Heck, I would not want to be an official. For that reason, I think it should be a separate entity for ref's outside of being employees of the league.

[Lane1974]

with the new Bavetta hub-bub, here is an old article that might get your blood pressure up this morning, as it did mine

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketba ... semi13.htm

[HEATVols865]

Let's face it. The league is about money. Refs cheat, teams pay off refs and players who don't care about winning or that have won before if they get paid under the table to lose, they will do it in a heart beat, no questions asked.
It's silly to think the league is clean and honest. They are all dirty scumbags.

[GameTime_3]

NBA has a Problem and if David Stern does not do somethign he will loss alot of fans. The NFL has this problem before and fixed it. David Stern seems to me scared of the Refs. I do no think the NBA is Fixed but i belive that some refs have a problem with certain teams and can be very biased at times. 90 % of NBA officals are good but the problem is 10% are Horrible. Why is it that if a player has acouple of bad years and mess up, He losses his job but a nba officals can mess up a million times and keep his job? Why? Why are they so special? Why can Crawford insist on being part of the Game? How can this be good for the nba?

[Heat11114]

NBA has a Problem and if David Stern does not do somethign he will loss alot of fans. The NFL has this problem before and fixed it.

Until someone actually comes out with some kind of any evidence; Any league or corporation would be smart to just ignore and sweep something like this under the rug. Stern would NEVER admit guilt it would have to be investigated. Firing officials is admitting guilt.

He losses his job but a nba officals can mess up a million times and keep his job? Why? Why are they so special?

The NBA has their own scoring system where they do just that. Remember when they fired the 2 female officials a couple years back because they were the lowest scoring? You may not like their system, but they have one.

Why can Crawford insist on being part of the Game? How can this be good for the nba?

Unfortunately ref's have personalities too, at this point getting rid of any official who's been there 20 years is admitting guilt of some kind. At the same time sweeping changes with veteran officials could cause all officials to band together and then we'd get to see replacement officials. I somehow doubt they'd be any better.

[DeJuanderful]

Until someone actually comes out with some kind of any evidence; Any league or corporation would be smart to just ignore and sweep something like this under the rug. Stern would NEVER admit guilt it would have to be investigated. Firing officials is admitting guilt.

What type of evidence could ever be pulled? Something in writing? A memo? Come on.

Actually...now that I think about it...The testimony of a formal official IS evidence. The footage from those games is evidence as well. I agree that Stern is doing exactly what he should be, but the integrity of the game is in doubt.

In fact, I personally wonder whether the Celtics would be up 3-1 if this incident wasn't a hot issue at the moment.

[Heat11114]

-= original quote snipped =-



What type of evidence could ever be pulled? Something in writing? A memo? Come on.

...Yes. How about more than the word of a felon? SOMEONE else other than Donaghy has to know something. Keep in mind this man didn't ref game 6 of the WCF yet he knows it was fixed? Surely he isn't the only person in the NBA that heard something.

Actually...now that I think about it...The testimony of a formal official IS evidence. The footage from those games is evidence as well. I agree that Stern is doing exactly what he should be, but the integrity of the game is in doubt.

The word of a felon, Stern is gonna break down because of the word of a felon? Really?

In fact, I personally wonder whether the Celtics would be up 3-1 if this incident wasn't a hot issue at the moment.

What's interesting is that some of the games Donaghy said are rather low key (in the grand scheme of things). Example, he only says game 6 of the WCF was fixed to make it go 7 games, he says nothing of game 7. He didn't ref game 6, if he knew game 6 was fixed shouldn't he know if game 7 was fixed? Yet game 7 was the one that decided the WCF, and no one is really saying anything about the officiating in that game. Nor is anyone saying it was fixed. It is largely the fans who are drawing connections to other games, series, championships etc.

[DeJuanderful]

[quote="Heat11114]Nor is anyone saying it was fixed. It is largely the fans who are drawing connections to other games, series, championships etc.[/quote]

I don't disagree with what you're saying.

My point is that most fans already questioned the integrity of the game. Games are called one way for this player, and they are called another way for this other player. They are called one way for this team, and they are called another way for this other team. You have officials giving 'make up calls', just to stop one team from whining. You have players such as ZO (who gets hammered in the post every play by Kurt Thomas) or Mashburn (who was thrown around like a ragdoll) and nothing gets called. Yet we have a player like Kobe who gets just about every foul call that he wants.

For a former official to allege these things...to come out and say that these games weren't just badly officiated, that they were influenced by administration...then it does bring up questions. That's why there is an investigation.

As for the felon thing..Aren't almost ALL informants are felons?

[Heat11114]

-= original quote snipped =-
My point is that most fans already questioned the integrity of the game. Games are called one way for this player, and they are called another way for this other player. They are called one way for this team, and they are called another way for this other team. You have officials giving 'make up calls', just to stop one team from whining. You have players such as ZO (who gets hammered in the post every play by Kurt Thomas) or Mashburn (who was thrown around like a ragdoll) and nothing gets called. Yet we have a player like Kobe who gets just about every foul call that he wants.

I think thats true of all sports though. Is a strike for Barry Bonds the same as one for Juan Pierre? Is a strike for Sandy Koufax the same as one thrown by Derrick Lowe?

As for the felon thing..Aren't almost ALL informants are felons?

Are informants generally believed before any evidence of any kind comes out?

This basically right now is:
I hate David Stern=I believe Donaghy
My team was screwed=I believe Donaghy

In fact if you believe Donaghy now, short of him saying he lied there's no way you'll ever be satasfied. If they come out and say they found nothing a lot of people will just claim Stern covered it up.