Blazers coach Chauncey Billups arrested by FBI for illegal gambling

[axeman23]

Spoiler:

Why is this such a massive scandal? It looks to me like a politically motivated attack by the right on "uppity" NBA players.
1. What Billups did had nothing to do with basketball.
2. Yes, players manipulating their own statistics to help others win prop bets is a scandal, but that has been going on for years. What did the NBA think was going to happen when it got in bed with the gambling industry?

Now the Ballmer thing is a huge scandal because it undermines the integrity of the entire collective bargaining structure and makes it almost impossible for an owner to win without cheating.

People want to play pretend that there is no political driven reasoning to it, and they’re too ignorant to realize that literally everything the fbi/feds etc do is politically and profit driven.

They were not receiving a cut most likely in which case it’s the only reason it’s such a “massive” national scandal. Anytime there’s character assassination involved I am highly skeptical.

There are some weird takes here. This was an investigation over a number of years under both Democratic and Republican administrations. What is the political motive? It turned up wire fraud and money laundering involving organized crime over eleven states. That makes it national, whether it's massive (a subjective media term) or not.

How about the 400+ wire transfers from Trump to Epstein? Will the "FBI" be investigating THAT with as much "righteous vigour"?

Banned

[MrTribbiani]

Chauncey apparently wore a Klutch Sports Group hoodie to his court appearance today lol. I'm guessing they represent him but it's still funny.

True. Though some folks will claim that means that Klutch was involved somehow. It's funny how Klutch gets more hate than other agencies (like CAA) even though they all operate the same way. It's probably cause Rich Paul runs Klutch, and many people hate him because he's LeBron's agent.

People don't like Klutch because of the conflict of interest involved when it comes to Lebron and Rich. In theory, Rich is doing his best for each and every client, and that is likely true in most/all cases; however, it can't be ignored how Klutch has been used as a tool for Lebron team building agendas at multiple stops. No one else in the history of the league has had that. CAA doesn't owe their brand to Chris Paul, for example. It's proven to be an unfair advantage at times, like when they signed AD and demanded a trade to only Lebron's team.

Other teams could have traded for AD, Klutch didn't force the Pelicans to trade him specifically to LA.

Klutch has helped other players sign lucrative contracts. The idea that it exists only to serve LeBron doesn't make sense since most of its clients don't play for the Lakers nor does it give LeBron/Lakers an advantage over other teams (if that were the case, the Lakers would have won more than one title in the last 5 years).

[xdrta+]

Spoiler:

People want to play pretend that there is no political driven reasoning to it, and they’re too ignorant to realize that literally everything the fbi/feds etc do is politically and profit driven.

They were not receiving a cut most likely in which case it’s the only reason it’s such a “massive” national scandal. Anytime there’s character assassination involved I am highly skeptical.

There are some weird takes here. This was an investigation over a number of years under both Democratic and Republican administrations. What is the political motive? It turned up wire fraud and money laundering involving organized crime over eleven states. That makes it national, whether it's massive (a subjective media term) or not.

How about the 400+ wire transfers from Trump to Epstein? Will the "FBI" be investigating THAT with as much "righteous vigour"?

I don't know. I thought this thread was about Billups. And why "FBI"? Are they not a real thing?

[infinite11285]

Let’s please keep this discussion focused on basketball and basketball-related topics. While it’s true that the FBI is conducting investigations involving multiple criminal organizations, bringing political issues into this conversation takes us off track and lowers the quality of discussion. Everyone’s insights are more valuable when we stay centered on the game, players, and the sport itself.

[axeman23]

Spoiler:

There are some weird takes here. This was an investigation over a number of years under both Democratic and Republican administrations. What is the political motive? It turned up wire fraud and money laundering involving organized crime over eleven states. That makes it national, whether it's massive (a subjective media term) or not.

How about the 400+ wire transfers from Trump to Epstein? Will the "FBI" be investigating THAT with as much "righteous vigour"?

I don't know. I thought this thread was about Billups. And why "FBI"? Are they not a real thing?

Not since Kash took over. There more used to target political opponents, and paper over allies' (or the Commander-in-Chief's) indiscretions...

BTW, apologies to mods for going off on a tangent.

[The Master]

Other teams could have traded for AD, Klutch didn't force the Pelicans to trade him specifically to LA.

Klutch has helped other players sign lucrative contracts. The idea that it exists only to serve LeBron doesn't make sense since most of its clients don't play for the Lakers nor does it give LeBron/Lakers an advantage over other teams (if that were the case, the Lakers would have won more than one title in the last 5 years).

It's still amazing to me that people don't understand that AD wasn't manipulated by Klutch to request trade to the Lakers - he signed with Klutch BECAUSE he wanted to request trade to the Lakers and they were for several reasons in position to facilitate that. Yet, people want to believe that NBA superstar like Davis did it just to serve LeBron, or he did what his agency told him to do, lol.

At this point, there's no real connection to Klutch in this story.

[VanWest82]

True. Though some folks will claim that means that Klutch was involved somehow. It's funny how Klutch gets more hate than other agencies (like CAA) even though they all operate the same way. It's probably cause Rich Paul runs Klutch, and many people hate him because he's LeBron's agent.

People don't like Klutch because of the conflict of interest involved when it comes to Lebron and Rich. In theory, Rich is doing his best for each and every client, and that is likely true in most/all cases; however, it can't be ignored how Klutch has been used as a tool for Lebron team building agendas at multiple stops. No one else in the history of the league has had that. CAA doesn't owe their brand to Chris Paul, for example. It's proven to be an unfair advantage at times, like when they signed AD and demanded a trade to only Lebron's team.

Other teams could have traded for AD, Klutch didn't force the Pelicans to trade him specifically to LA.

Klutch has helped other players sign lucrative contracts. The idea that it exists only to serve LeBron doesn't make sense since most of its clients don't play for the Lakers nor does it give LeBron/Lakers an advantage over other teams (if that were the case, the Lakers would have won more than one title in the last 5 years).

I never said Klutch exists only to serve Lebron, but ultimately it has given Lebron advantages at times in the form of leverage. The AD to Lakers trade was an example of that. So were the Tristan and Shump extensions. It isn't all or nothing. That is a false dichotomy. Because Klutch for the most part operates as a successful agency working on behalf of its clients, it gets away with the occasional assist to Lebron in way that at the very least has the perception of a conflict.

[mrmsix6]

Spoiler:

How about the 400+ wire transfers from Trump to Epstein? Will the "FBI" be investigating THAT with as much "righteous vigour"?

I don't know. I thought this thread was about Billups. And why "FBI"? Are they not a real thing?

Not since Kash took over. There more used to target political opponents, and paper over allies' (or the Commander-in-Chief's) indiscretions...

BTW, apologies to mods for going off on a tangent.

A Redditor is lost on RealGM.

[magee]

Spoiler:

If everyone would have cut Trump and his buddies a slice of the pie, they wouldn't have gotten in trouble!!!

(Takes off tinfoil hat.)

[JRoy]

Spoiler:

Keep that Reddit stink off RealGM.

[jscott]

Spoiler:

How about the 400+ wire transfers from Trump to Epstein? Will the "FBI" be investigating THAT with as much "righteous vigour"?

I don't know. I thought this thread was about Billups. And why "FBI"? Are they not a real thing?

Not since Kash took over. There more used to target political opponents, and paper over allies' (or the Commander-in-Chief's) indiscretions...

BTW, apologies to mods for going off on a tangent.

This is some low-IQ take if you think the current regime is doing anything better than its predecessor. The GOP is corrupt as ****.

[ImmortalD24]

What’s up with the Klutch Sports hoodie here:

Read on Twitter

[HMFFL]

Other teams could have traded for AD, Klutch didn't force the Pelicans to trade him specifically to LA.

Klutch has helped other players sign lucrative contracts. The idea that it exists only to serve LeBron doesn't make sense since most of its clients don't play for the Lakers nor does it give LeBron/Lakers an advantage over other teams (if that were the case, the Lakers would have won more than one title in the last 5 years).

It's still amazing to me that people don't understand that AD wasn't manipulated by Klutch to request trade to the Lakers - he signed with Klutch BECAUSE he wanted to request trade to the Lakers and they were for several reasons in position to facilitate that. Yet, people want to believe that NBA superstar like Davis did it just to serve LeBron, or he did what his agency told him to do, lol.

At this point, there's no real connection to Klutch in this story.

I agree with that.
Los Angeles is where he wanted to raise a family. That seemed to be his primary goal.

[PlatinumState]

What’s up with the Klutch Sports hoodie here:

Read on Twitter

Its a warning to Lebron and Rich Paul. "Im implicating you too if you dont use your influence to get me off"

[Collymore]

So what? Suppose Billups had shot someone in the head and was convicted of murder. Why would that be an "NBA scandal"? Quite a few NBA players have been convicted of crimes. There was the health insurance fraud scheme in 2023, involving Big Baby Davis, Will Bynum and others, Javarais Crittenden, currently serving 23 years for manslaughter, Reuben Patterson, convicted twice of assault, etc. etc. etc. But none of those crimes implicated the league. Why does this one?

Rozier is a different story. If he is guilty, then yes, the league is implicated in that, since his actions might have affected the outcome of games. That's why Jontay Porter was banned for life in 2023.

All of this is to distract the public from the Epstein files, that's all.

lol yeah if a current head coach of a NBA team murder someone it would be considered a pretty sizable "NBA scandal"

[JN61]

What’s up with the Klutch Sports hoodie here:

Read on Twitter

Damn. I wasn't aware that he was lying about his height as well on top of the gambling stuff. He looks very small in there.

[WarriorGM]

Can someone explain what crime is committed when someone on the coaching staff or a player tells someone else in advance of official notice that a player won't be playing? How is that a crime?

It seems like government intrusion and overreach to get itself involved absent the league itself making a complaint. As it stands it seems law enforcement is taking action at the behest of gambling companies for unclear reasons. If gambling companies lose because bettors get information the gambling companies are unaware of why should the rest of society care? The gambling companies should just learn their lesson and not offer bets for such things. That's how a free market would work.

[meatball sub]

Can someone explain what crime is committed when someone on the coaching staff or a player tells someone else in advance of official notice that a player won't be playing? How is that a crime?

It seems like government intrusion and overreach to get itself involved absent the league itself making a complaint. As it stands it seems law enforcement is taking action at the behest of gambling companies for unclear reasons. If gambling companies lose because bettors get information the gambling companies are unaware of why should the rest of society care? The gambling companies should just learn their lesson and not offer bets for such things. That's how a free market would work.

betting lines are set based on players being available. if lebron is listed as available, the lakers might be -5 pts, for example. as soon as he's ruled out, the line would move to lakers +2. so the people with inside info are getting the other team, which is now favored by 2, as a 5 point underdog instead. they can also bet on that team to win at +150 or something like that instead of -120.

the bets aren't canceled or changed when there is line movement, so it's a massive problem. people knowing that a star player is out ahead of time when everybody thinks they will play essentially makes the bet on the opposing team much more likely to win.

[WarriorGM]

Can someone explain what crime is committed when someone on the coaching staff or a player tells someone else in advance of official notice that a player won't be playing? How is that a crime?

It seems like government intrusion and overreach to get itself involved absent the league itself making a complaint. As it stands it seems law enforcement is taking action at the behest of gambling companies for unclear reasons. If gambling companies lose because bettors get information the gambling companies are unaware of why should the rest of society care? The gambling companies should just learn their lesson and not offer bets for such things. That's how a free market would work.

betting lines are set based on players being available. if lebron is listed as available, the lakers might be -5 pts, for example. as soon as he's ruled out, the line would move to lakers +2. so the people with inside info are getting the other team, which is now favored by 2, as a 5 point underdog instead. they can also bet on that team to win at +150 or something like that instead of -120.

the bets aren't canceled or changed when there is line movement, so it's a massive problem. people knowing that a star player is out ahead of time when everybody thinks they will play essentially makes the bet on the opposing team much more likely to win.

Sure it's problematic for the bettors and betting—but how is that anyone else's problem and why should it be? What's the crime?

If the league wants to support betting and it has contracts with its teams and employees of those teams that forbid such sharing of information I can see the league complaining and citing breach of contract. Otherwise though I fail to see where the actual illegality lies.

[ImmortalD24]

What’s up with the Klutch Sports hoodie here:

Read on Twitter

Damn. I wasn't aware that he was lying about his height as well on top of the gambling stuff. He looks very small in there.

I know Billups was listed 6ft3 range in his prime.. but that could be straight out of bed height or boosted a tad bit. He’s still close to the 6ft 2 with good posture at 49 years of age. Have they released his mugshot yet? Btw that said.. Billups is no mastermind.. we know the Mafia doesn’t consist of 2 former athletes.