Blazers coach Chauncey Billups arrested by FBI for illegal gambling

[jbk1234]

If Billups gets indicted for the sharing confidential information (vis a vis tanking), then it stands to reason that the NBA has to come down hard on tanking from now on, otherwise they'll keep getting investigated on stuff like this.

Those aren't the current charges.

[Chuck Everett]

If Billups gets indicted for the sharing confidential information (vis a vis tanking), then it stands to reason that the NBA has to come down hard on tanking from now on, otherwise they'll keep getting investigated on stuff like this.

Those aren't the current charges.

In the conspiratorial-8 part of the document, if the unnamed coach is Billups, then they are saying he shared proprietary information that gamblers used to place wagers on the tanking Blazers that season. Specifically naming players who wouldn't be playing well in advance.

[sp6r=underrated]

The NBA needs to hire someone outside the NBA ecosystem to investigate the level of gambling corruption. Neither Silver nor his Lieutenants cannot be trusted given Silver's support for gambling. ESPN, Amazon and NBC are too financially invested in the NBA to be trusted. If they find no wrongdoing many people will not believe them even if their investigation was legitimate.

It has to be someone outside the NBA. That individual needs to be someone who doesn't work for the NBA, an NBA team, NBA business partner or players. But it needs to be someone known to NBA fans with a deep-seated knowledge of the NBA and its members.

Given that, a journalist is the best candidate for an independent investigator. Investigative journalists are trained in discovering wrongdoing and communicating that information to the public.

This individual should be intelligent, trustworthy, sincere, industrious and skilled in public communication. They need to have decades of experience covering the NBA.

Given that Skip Bayless is the obvious and only choice.

[Dan33185]

One thing that came out in the indictments today is that Jontay Porter was indebted to wrong people and he was actually threatened. Those rigged poker games where Billups was the attraction were run by the Bonanno, Genovese, Gambino and Luchese crime families. I'd be surprised if he too wasn't working off a debt. Those are absolutely dangerous people.

It makes sense but there will be no mercy.

His choice at this point is cooperate and go into witness protection, or take his chances with a jury and risk a decades' long prison sentence.

That would be incredibly difficult for some as high profile as Billups

[Indomitable]

It makes sense but there will be no mercy.

His choice at this point is cooperate and go into witness protection, or take his chances with a jury and risk a decades' long prison sentence.

That would be incredibly difficult for some as high profile as Billups

Billsups is not a victim. I referring to Porter.

Screw Billsups

[The Master]

If Billups gets indicted for the sharing confidential information (vis a vis tanking), then it stands to reason that the NBA has to come down hard on tanking from now on, otherwise they'll keep getting investigated on stuff like this.

If NBA coach (!) is willing to participate in and facilitate illegal betting, then there's nothing you can do about it, really, regardless of tanking.

The problem for the league is that there's always been this grey area of injury reports/players being on day to day/etc - there's so much room to manipulate if you want - yet I guess we believed that maybe everything is controlled strictly by the league. The same with players' endorsement contracts (Aspiration gate) - everyone knew that there are so many ways to bypass these restrictions, yet there was no proof that anything substantial happens.

Now, it's pretty obvious that they don't control anything. So... I would be surprised if Silver survives this.

[jbk1234]

If Billups gets indicted for the sharing confidential information (vis a vis tanking), then it stands to reason that the NBA has to come down hard on tanking from now on, otherwise they'll keep getting investigated on stuff like this.

Those aren't the current charges.

In the conspiratorial-8 part of the document, if the unnamed coach is Billups, then they are saying he shared proprietary information that gamblers used to place wagers on the tanking Blazers that season. Specifically naming players who wouldn't be playing well in advance.

It would be odd to indict Billups and then leave him unnamed in the other indictment. The whole thing is slightly off tbh. One inference is that the crime families are the ultimate targets and they're squeezing the NBA guys to get them to cooperate.

[ShootersShoot]

I can believe Chauncey Billups is well-known enough for somebody to attach his name to back room poker games. I have a super hard time believing he was actively involved in the fix. He has a demanding, legit job with a staff 20 or so. Probably some kind of assistant that is in and out of phone. Meetings, media, sponsor stuff year round, not to mention a family. Doesn't fit the profile. I could more easily believe some kind of inside info player availability thing. And even that is crazy in terms of fetching bets against a team people already think is going to lose.

Dont know all the details, but cant he just say they hired him as a spokesperson and that he didnt know this stuff was going on?

[Chuck Everett]

Those aren't the current charges.

In the conspiratorial-8 part of the document, if the unnamed coach is Billups, then they are saying he shared proprietary information that gamblers used to place wagers on the tanking Blazers that season. Specifically naming players who wouldn't be playing well in advance.

It would be odd to indict Billups and then leave him unnamed in the other indictment. The whole thing is slightly off tbh. One inference is that the crime families are the ultimate targets and they're squeezing the NBA guys to get them to cooperate.

You could be right and an attorney might argue that it wreaks of selective enforcement. However, this is the Feds we're talking about, so they're more than likely hoping/expecting someone to sing. I mean, I'm not sure Billups would even consider that, lest he's ready for his entire family to be in WITSEC. Pretty crazy situation.

[Profound23]

The funny thing is when we as fans see something weird and feel like a game was fixed for whatever reason fans will go "oh yeah, cuz the NBA really cares who wins a random Hornets vs Kings (for example) game in the middle of November."

Then you see stuff like this and it kind of validates your feeling... that yes someone does care enough to fix the game.

[jokeboy86]

Its so hard for me to believe Billups would be this stupid. I also truly believe the conspiracy theory that Arenas may have snitched because thats something that he would do knowing his character.

[KingFox]

lol that is a leap to hate a man you already seem to hate.

Or, maybe just maybe, when FBI is doing a thousands upon thousands of man hours of undercover surveillance people also doing other illegal activity get caught in the net. Billups wasn’t the target he was caught in the net.

To me that is MORE credibility. If FBI saw/heard illegal activity by Billups in their net and didn’t arrest him - that would lessen FBI credibility. He just happens to be semi-famous and happens to be from Portland.

But you do you to keep consuming hate and spreading it to fit your (false) narrative. Seems to be working for you.

I don’t hate Trump at all I also know how to put dots together. I get your maga flag is flying but I should still be allowed to entertain alternative conversations here, especially when I have a very possible point.

Thinking that Trump gives a crap about an NBA coach is absolutely absurd. Billups is so low level that it honestly is absurd thinking the president would go after him because he is mad at Portland

As if that man doesn’t do and say absurd BS every hour of the day nothing far fetched about this

[KingFox]

If Billups was playing poker around a table with his buddies on a Friday night the FBI wouldn’t care. Hell, they probably play poker at the FBI on Friday nights.

And hide important files while they do it. Yea i bet

[pepe1991]

Its so hard for me to believe Billups would be this stupid. I also truly believe the conspiracy theory that Arenas may have snitched because thats something that he would do knowing his character.

Didn't Arenas "just" gamble with teammates and in most Arenas way possible got pissed because he lost and took a gun?

Billups, according to files had organized crime & scheme about illegal poker games for mafia + gave away team intell during tanking for sports betting tips.

Tanking teams already rig games. That is root problem when you allow betting houses in sport where losing on purpose isn't just acceptable but also rewarding.
In no other league in the world you hear how team didn't suck hard enough, like it is sort of critic about team.

[JB2]

MJ would have gotten life back in the day.

He had x-ray machines?

[Wile E. Coyote]

What MJ did, if it’s true (and if Stern’s reaction is true), is nowhere near the level that this Billups scandal is. Adam Silver has some uncomfortable decisions to make instead of worrying about what format the All-Star game is going to be next year.

[Myth]

Its so hard for me to believe Billups would be this stupid. I also truly believe the conspiracy theory that Arenas may have snitched because thats something that he would do knowing his character.

Didn't Arenas "just" gamble with teammates and in most Arenas way possible got pissed because he lost and took a gun?

It seems you missed Gil’s arrest from 3 months ago in which he hosted illegal poker games for the mafia in his mansion. Potentially the same mafia/poker games Billups was involved in.
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/45861931/gilbert-arenas-arrested-charges-illegal-poker-games

[Roscoe Sheed]

The NBA needs to hire someone outside the NBA ecosystem to investigate the level of gambling corruption. Neither Silver nor his Lieutenants cannot be trusted given Silver's support for gambling. ESPN, Amazon and NBC are too financially invested in the NBA to be trusted. If they find no wrongdoing many people will not believe them even if their investigation was legitimate.

It has to be someone outside the NBA. That individual needs to be someone who doesn't work for the NBA, an NBA team, NBA business partner or players. But it needs to be someone known to NBA fans with a deep-seated knowledge of the NBA and its members.

Given that, a journalist is the best candidate for an independent investigator. Investigative journalists are trained in discovering wrongdoing and communicating that information to the public.

This individual should be intelligent, trustworthy, sincere, industrious and skilled in public communication. They need to have decades of experience covering the NBA.

Given that Skip Bayless is the obvious and only choice.

I was with you until you mentioned Bayless- is that a joke? Bayless is an abomination

[pepe1991]

Its so hard for me to believe Billups would be this stupid. I also truly believe the conspiracy theory that Arenas may have snitched because thats something that he would do knowing his character.

Didn't Arenas "just" gamble with teammates and in most Arenas way possible got pissed because he lost and took a gun?

It seems you missed Gil’s arrest from 3 months ago in which he hosted illegal poker games for the mafia in his mansion. Potentially the same mafia/poker games Billups was involved in.
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/45861931/gilbert-arenas-arrested-charges-illegal-poker-games

Tnx. I did forgot about this. But kind wasn't that big of a deal since he was long gone from a league.

But yea, from today's POV, it was important thing.

[Clay Davis]

Like I said before... why is the league promoting one of the most degenerate activities out there? What is next? Having OnlyFans girls as interviewers?

The rizz... the L rizz... moral.... degeneracy... why NBA...