60 Minutes/Donaghey

[GreenMachine]

Why no thread?

I was out and missed it - but my buddy was texting me.

He said Donaghey claimed the NBA was fixed, and not by him?

Anyone see it?

This tells part of it: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4720724

[SonicYouth34]

Lots of interesting things that we've all speculated about. Eg, Kobe getting lots of calls to make up for a previous game.

[celticpride17]

yeah it was pretty interesting ,he also mentioned how the nba trys to make the playoffs last 7 games to get more money ,and how they try to get the elite teams into the playoffs. of course that chickencrap david stern refused to come on the show.

[Scalamental]

Nothing we really haven't heard before, especially if you read that link with the excerpts from his yet to be published book. The mob part of the story was the most of I hadn't heard. I doubt he only made around 100,000 dollars though. That's probably the extent of his b.s., that and him saying he didn't doctor games at all.

[Jammer]

For a long time I have felt that the NBA conspired to make matches for the playoffs.

First and second round matches.

But us conspiracy theorists also believe that the draft has been fixed
going back to the Ewing draft, and that the NBA "places" the top 3 draft picks each year.

The creased envelope for Ewing. The ball disappears from view nowadays, and who knows if
"the combination" selecting the top 3 picks is not simply inserted from a separate cannister
under the floor where an NBA rep "delivers" the proper combination since he
could possibly be out of view on the floor below.

Sometimes I wonder about how a player stays on the board so long,
to end up where he does. When Andrew Bynum went number 10 to the Lakers,
or Brook Lopez number 10 to the Nets, I was wondering if there were higher forces at work.

I guess that I've always felt that a bunch of billionaires would never leave their business to chance.

[Kefa461]

I recorded it and will watch it tonight. Until he can name names of the other refs the NBA will just ignore it but it being on 60 Min might get stink started.

[ryaningf]

I recorded it and will watch it tonight. Until he can name names of the other refs the NBA will just ignore it but it being on 60 Min might get stink started.

That's the thing--the NBA obviously pressured 60 Minutes and threatened legal action if Donaghy mentioned any current NBA employee by name. That's why the interview was so non-specific.

Of course, Donaghy's book supposedly does mention refs by name, and the FBI is on record 'believing' all the info offered up by Donaghy (that is, they couldn't find one part of his story--so far--that hasn't checked out and if they do they'll put him back in jail). So, what's the worry? Even the NBA itself found Donaghy's allegations 'plausible'--specifically they found it plausible that Donaghy didn't throw games but simply took insider information (regarding relationships of refs to players, coaches, GMs, and owners, as well as certain payback schemes against certain players) and used that information to make successful bets 70-80% of the time.

60 Minutes (or any other media outlet for that matter) doesn't have any balls. Felon or not, Donaghy seems to be telling the truth and the NBA has still succeeded so far in keeping him quiet.

[handlethetruth]

He talked about how a lot of the referees had a personal vendetta with Allen Iverson. He said that before a few games where Iverson was playing, the refs as a group decided that he was not going to get any calls that night. Supposedly, one of the referee supervisors was also involved in this.

Also, he claimed that he never made any calls that would help him win games that he ref'd in. For example, he cited a game where he had bet on San Antonio, but he threw Popovich out of the game in the first quarter. Overall, I think the guy is telling the truth which is a sad reality for the NBA. One day Stern will be exposed for the crook that he really is

[Kefa461]

I did hear the book mentions the refs dislike for Sheed........hmmmmm.

[celtxman]

I did hear the book mentions the refs dislike for Sheed........hmmmmm.

In the context of the Donaghy interview, the quick trigger on Rasheed's technical fouls by the referees now clearly shows a bias towards Wallace. There wasn't much doubt in my mind that these technicals on Wallace particularly, but also Perk, are deliberate in nature. Frankly it gives me mixed emotions. I believe Wallace goes out of his way to make sure that no referee will EVER get the last word. If he doesn't like something, he'll speak about it even to the detriment of the team. The object of the game is team play and winning. If the Celtics are built on "umbuto" and togetherness where great players like Pierce, Garnett, and Allen gave up statistics for wins, then Wallace ought to suck it up and stop careening out of control towards missing games and hurting his team, because of his pride.
At the same time some of these smug referees should realize that they are not the SHOW. By having clear vendettas that influence games, it allows the seedy element that Donaghy spoke about how he could pick over a staggering 70% of games accurately simply by knowing who was refereeing and his personal biases. In the 60 Minutes piece former referee Mike Mathis states that his and other "clean" referees reputations were flushed down the toilet thans to Donaghy. I would contend that much like Canseco in baseball, Donaghy, while for all the wrong reasons, shed light on what really happens. Now Mathis' buddies as well as his prejudicial actions in his career will be under scruntiny. Good.

[Captain_Caveman]

The guy is so credible, can't imagine why anyone would question any part of it. It would make no sense for him to try to marginalize his actions in an attempt to improve his reputation and certainly no incentive for financial gain exists. And it would be very hard for him to get people to believe him by embellishing innuendo or repeating standard conspiracies.

Shoot, I can't believe we put the guy in prison. In a fair and just world, he would be up for some kind of award for his service to the game.

Ahem.

Anyhow, I do buy parts of it. I think Game 6 of the Kings-Lakers series was a make-up call for Game 5.

I think the league has a vested interest in extending playoff series, and that the easiest way for them to control games is by getting one team's star in early first-half foul trouble.

As to the larger picture of the draft lottery, which I haven't heard Donaghy comment on, that's silly. If they were fixing the draft, why do Duncan and the Admiral end up in San Antonio? Why does Orlando win the draft rights to Shaq, Webber and Howard? Lebron in Cleveland, Oden in Portland, LJ to Charlotte, Clippers get Kandi, Manning and Griffin?

It makes little sense, as to the theories about Stern arranging to get Gasol and KG to LA and Boston, respectiviely.

Last, if the goal is to help teams like the Knicks, they sure don't do a very good job of it.

[celticpride17]

He also mentioned how the crybaby lakers sent in a cd (i'm sure he meant dvd) to the league complaining,kobe had 25 calls against him that shouldnt had been called,the league agreed on 22 of those calls,so he bet on the lakers winning because he knew the next game kobe would be getting the benefit of the calls.,He also mentioned how the refs dont like iverson,and made bogus calls against him during a game,and even an nba supervisor was laughing at iverson after the game knowing what the refs had done.

[Celtic Esquire]

I'm not surprised at all. Sometimes it's the people with the least to lose that ends up the most credible.

Remember when everyone was bashing Canseco regarding his claims regarding steroid use? Where are those critics now?

[GuyClinch]

As a fan unfortunately alot of what he says has the ring of truth. We can't paint him as a Canseco yet but I wouldn't rule anything out. Some things like the instant Ts and the star favortism being reinforced with 'timely' memos.. Its hard to imagine that's untrue. I believed thats what happened before his allegations came out. I just hope Stern gets fired because of this.

Part of the beauty of sports is the unexpected unscripted events that can surprise and entertain.. Stern's manipulation undermines this. Sometimes a team really should just sweep a series..and so on.

Pete

[Jammer]

I think that the way the league might control the outcome of each game is thru the one hour meeting that the officials for each game are required to have with the NBA representative right before each game. It's an opportunity to go over what is a foul, and what is NOT a foul, for that evening. Who to look out for, and who to blow whistles on.

[captain green]

Well I just watched the 60 minutes episode and read several pages of the book.
My take Steve Javie, Joe Crawford, Dick Bavetta and David Stern and like 8 more refs all need to be fired in order to save face for the NBA. Here is why this guy got pinched and had to tell the truth to F.B.I. about the mob and the NBA he has nothing left to do except write a book for loot he can't work and will prolly get waxed in the near future you don't squeal on the mob and live long even when the F.B.I. is watching out for you.
The interview I watched made me believe him his eyes did not roll towards the upper left or right I look for that when playing poker or trying to get the truth out of my daughter it is 100% fool proof.
That being said I've often thought these refs were horrible before this guy came around and it always seemed like Kobe or other were getting phantom call I just assumed it was the refs not the NBA officials. The NBA confirmed they send tapes and memos to refs pregame to the F.B.I. and the F.B.I confirms there is bias in the refs all Donaghey did was put this out into the open caused he had to. It's also kinda funny that he could still be in the NBA rite now if it was not for the greedy mob getting wind of his bets and how did they get wind of his bet's they keep tabs on it from the bookies something that is federally illegal for the F.B.I to do, however they can tap the mobs(gambino) cell phones and land lines that's where they found out about it and then like the mob put a even harder pinch on him, which is funny and sad. I feel like poo about basketball rite now and I feel like Donaghey has did his time in jail and lost his family and will likely loose his life and in a weird way put a huge spotlight on the NBA which will be under investigation for as long as those refs mentioned are taken care of. And then there is Mark Cuban who has hired some time back and review team to review the refs which is turning over to the F.B.I.
I've always like Cuban in a weird idiot savant kinda way but I'm getting off topic.
The NBA is forced to get better refs we should not have gave them there contract but something tells me they had leverage on Stern for these reasons that Donaghey exposed.
Expect a fire storm to go down at some point.
THIS IS MY LONGEST POST EVER SORRY

[000078ude54]

Donaghy is simply telling us what we already knew and suspected.

I've said it before - after Jordan retired from the Bulls in 1999, Stern knew the Age of Jordan, and all the business it created, was gone. So he set about re-making the NBA into what it has become today: an entertainment-focused athletic show that favors its lead actors for the sake of the plot.

In Stern's eyes, it's all about generating money and benefitting those who have a stake in the show. Only Stern would let someone (his buddy Clay Bennett) to remove the SuperSonics from Seattle after 40+ years of history. No honor.

As far as the ref situation, anyone who watched the Suns-Lakers series in 2006 could see a microcosm of Donaghy's claims: Lakers got absurd favoritism in that series, and even though Phoenix was clearly the better team, the series went the full 7 games.

Just like someone already posted, the NBA circulates too much money for these people to play by the rules. There's definitely orchestration going on. The only question now is to what extent. Glad I grew up watching the "Pure Era" (1987-1998).

[MyInsatiableOne]

Donaghy is just reinforcing what us fans have suspected for the better part of 25 years...**** Stern and the NBA...they have something to hide, for sure...

[Hilltop]

The guy is so credible, can't imagine why anyone would question any part of it. It would make no sense for him to try to marginalize his actions in an attempt to improve his reputation and certainly no incentive for financial gain exists. And it would be very hard for him to get people to believe him by embellishing innuendo or repeating standard conspiracies.

Shoot, I can't believe we put the guy in prison. In a fair and just world, he would be up for some kind of award for his service to the game.

Just because he was convicted doesn't make him incapable of speaking the truth. I don't buy the "He's a proven liar, why should anyone believe him" rant simply because it doesn't make sense. A liar is only a liar WHEN he is 'caught'. It's as if to say that Donaghy WAS credible before this scandal was exposed.

Likewise, we won't know if Stern and the other referees are in the same boat until they too, get 'caught'. That said, I'll take what this guy says the same way I would take something from David Stern.

[MyInsatiableOne]

Donaghy has NOTHING left to lose...he's lost it all...why would he lie now? And if he was way off the mark, why is the NBA trying to silence more NOW than they did when he first was on trial??