Le Basketbawl

I like to think that I am a pretty empathetic, and sympathetic guy. In fact I had a conversation with a good friend earlier today that I am kind of a champion for the underdogs in society. I truly believe being in the blessed situation I am in if I can give help to others, it only makes me a better person. And every time we help somebody else, we help society as a whole (I know you’re waiting for me to start passing around the granola, and start singing We Are The World!) So with that being said, why can’t I muster even an ounce of sympathy for Tim Donaghy?

Former NBA referee Tim Donaghy was sentenced on Tuesday to 15 months in prison and an additional 3 years of supervised release. My only thought when it came across the wire, was why wasn’t he serving more time? Now Donaghy caused no physical harm to anybody, he did not commit the heinous acts with animals that Michael Vick did. But Tim Donaghy in my mind is still a very bad man. First of all he broke the cardinal rule of business, never bite the hand that feeds you. But there are many in our society who do that, and I don’t feel the anger towards them that I do for Donaghy. No the reason that I have nothing but disdain for Donaghy is he helped take away the integrity of the sport I love, the NBA.

There has been a deep rooted perception in the minds of many NBA fans that the Association is somehow fixed. These feelings surfaced long before Donaghy’s crimes were discovered. As I have written for years, intelligent knowledgeable sports fans, as well as some of my peers in the media, have asked me if I thought the NBA was “on the up and up“. I have never been asked that about the officiating in MLB, or the NFL. My response has always been, that if I did not believe in the integrity of the NBA, I could never cover it, at that point it’s the WWE.

Unfortunately this base of sports fan got plenty of ammunition when the information about Donaghy started to surface. How he provided his associates with inside information so they could profit from gambling. How he himself bet on games, including some he officiated, Donaghy plunged the Association into a maelstrom that it still has not emerged from.

Now we can’t pin this all on Donaghy, as much as we would like to. No, the NBA under the auspices of the “Great and Powerful Stern” have not exactly covered themselves in glory either. After the Donaghy situation surfaced last year, Stern instigated an investigation into other officials transgressions. The information that came back to the Commissioner, was that a very large segment of NBA referees were guilty in one way shape or form. So instead of firing the officials or fining them, Stern swept the information under the rug. Then he changed the rules, so that the former transgressions were now allowed. Needless to say this did nothing to restore the credibility of the NBA.

And just at the moment that the Association should have been at it’s peak, as the Lakers and Celtics played in the NBA Finals, another story came out. Donaghy’s attorney came out with some new allegations. Without specifically naming the teams, Donaghy’s attorney claimed that game six of the 2002 NBA playoff series between the Sacramento Kings and the Los Angeles Lakers had the outcome determined by the officiating. Donaghy claimed that the Association wanted the series to go seven games, if the Kings had won the game the series would have ended in six. According to Donaghy, the officials called the game with a bias towards the Lakers, assuring them the win. The Lakers would win the series and the NBA Championship. Former Kings’ center Scott Pollard said he was not surprised by the news, that he had suspected all along the game’s outcome was determined by the officials.

Just because Donaghy has now been sentenced don’t think that this situation is settled. I would be very surprised if we do not hear more allegations and revelations in the coming months. I am still not sure that David Stern will survive this long term.