YaoZai wrote:talk about free speech. jeez.
Free speech only regards the federal government (in theory), any states that have it in their constitutions (would expect all, but don't really know), and businesses in selectively applicable areas. JVG would potentially be covered by whistleblower laws if he had evidence, but he only has knowledge of it. Pretty sure that knowledge without definitive proof is "slander". What would he stand to gain at this point from outing this whole bit anyway? I knew there was no way that he'd affirm Donaghy, whether he was correct or not, but it was disturbing to see it looking like he was nervously reading from a teleprompter all the same.
MaxRider wrote:most people already know that NBA is rigged
i have friends in the gambling business
lots of the final scores are so close to the gambling line is just fishy
there's no proof until Donaghy gambling got out to the public
Did Donaghy have proof? As far as I know, the "proof" thus far depends on his credibility - hence Stern's laughing dismissively at him during halftime last night (phrasing based on assumption that Donaghy is telling the truth).
For the other side of it all, and some of the reasons that I don't personally say the NBA is rigged but rather just that I (rather strongly) suspect it:
http://blogs.chron.com/nba/2008/06/donaghy_points_smoking_gun_at.html wrote:The notion that the league sought the benefit of a seven-game series is ridiculous. If they could manipulate series the way Donaghy alleges, why haven't they not done it in the Finals? These things have ended early almost every year lately. Last season was a sweep.
For that matter, why would they do anything to get Yao Ming out of the playoffs? They love the guy. On top of that, conspiracy theorists, if the league was to do anyone a favor, Mark Cuban would be last on the list.
That would seem like a predictable reaction. Donaghy is a convicted felon. He is a shameless liar. He gives slime a bad name. But sometimes those are the guys that reveal truths. <note: this paragraph feels highly exaggerated>
The 2005 Rockets' playoff series? We knew about that. Anybody with 50 cents to buy a paper at the time could have told you the "inside" information Donaghy tried to purport to be revealing. And we know what it was and what it wasn't.
That was not a fix. It was a call the Rockets didn't like.
There are other allegations in the letter, but if Donaghy is trying to sell the 2005 Rockets playoff series as a sign of "manipulating" results, he really is desperate.
<quote extended beyond 3 "paragraphs" due to shortness of paragraphs in question - 1-2 sentences ea.>
