Rumor: Donaghy to Implicate 20 more refs

by commish on Aug 18, 2007 8:51 PM PDT

Hey, I don't want to say I told you so, but I told you so. I've been posting a few things about Donaghy and this messy, messy officating situation. If this rumor is true, it is really going to blow up. The rabid fans will be spewing hate at every game over every missed or perceived missed call. It is going to be so hard for the officials but really, who cares, because they get so many calls wrong anyway. I just hope we will get some degree of standarization--as much as possible--by the league so the refs calls will be more respected and where possible, above reproach. Here is the article from S.I.:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/nba/

What do you think will happen if this rumor is true?

This FanPost is a submission from a member of the mighty Golden State of Mind community. While we're all here to throw up that W, these words do not necessarily reflect the views of the GSoM Crew. Still, chances are the preceding post is Unstoppable Baby!

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wow

now this is a disaster. now the nba has to go to street ball rules and just have the players call the calls. if this is true all games that are close or near the spread would be looked as a gambled game. i just hope this does not scar the nba in a couple yrs. though i think it probably has.

What you thought that I only played basketball? I AM A Golden State WARRIOR!

by 24k state fan since 87 on Aug 18, 2007 9:00 PM PDT reply actions

After Reading the Article

I realise, if it is true, Donaghy will name up to twenty refs who gamble at casinos. That is not exactly like betting on games or directly effecting an outcome, per se, but the article states all these refs would have to be fired by the league and then a bunch of ill-equiped subs would come in and do a really shitty job like during the lockout of the refs a few years ago.

Does anyone know if refs are prohibited from gaming in casinos. I can't see why gambling on their own time would be a big deal except the perception would be onerous to the league.

I will not rush to judgement about whether this rumor is true, but if it is or even parts of it are true, it will be a very rough summer and fall.

You call me ancient, I say "oldguysrule"

by commish on Aug 18, 2007 9:23 PM PDT reply actions

well

as you know you can gamble sports in casinos. the whole reason why the nba does not want refs to gamble in casinos so they wont get the urge to start gambling on there own games. esp it is the easiest way to make a profit just bet some money on your game your going to officiate in a day see if the score is in where you need it if not go call some fouls you would of not normally have called and there you just got a huge amount of money. thats why its such a big deal gambling is addicting and the nba does not want them to start.

What you thought that I only played basketball? I AM A Golden State WARRIOR!

by 24k state fan since 87 on Aug 18, 2007 11:24 PM PDT up reply actions

From what I understand...

Refs are only allowed to gamble at the track. Any other gambling is prohibited by league rules. I heard this last night on ESPN radio and I'm not sure what they were using as a source.

This could really get ugly...

by olympicmike on Aug 18, 2007 11:33 PM PDT up reply actions

Damage Control

http://click.nba.com/viewmsg.cfm?n35002s988c1124554t986

by streetballer on Aug 21, 2007 2:27 PM PDT up reply actions

All I can say

is that Dick Bavetta is the best ref ever!!!:)

by ballin on Aug 18, 2007 9:36 PM PDT reply actions

I don't know

he sounds Italian and you know what that means. Never mind--forget about it.

You call me ancient, I say "oldguysrule"

by commish on Aug 18, 2007 9:43 PM PDT up reply actions

damn man

what a summer for both football, basketball, baseball.

by baller90210 on Aug 18, 2007 10:31 PM PDT reply actions

The guy's trying to others down with him

No sir, I don't like it.

by Jeremy Belvins on Aug 18, 2007 11:01 PM PDT reply actions

Well, he is facing 20 years in prison

every name that he justly reveals, could bring his sentence down a significant amount. He is just desperate.

by racsan on Aug 19, 2007 12:10 AM PDT up reply actions

According to Mike Mathis it wouldn't matter

and I kind of agree. According to "former head of the NBA referees union and a league official for 26 years", the quality of NBA refereeing is at an all time low:

"(We) accept unbelievable, mediocre and bad officiating," Mathis said. "The commentator says, 'He must have seen something we didn't.' No, he didn't. It's either he's guessing, he's incompetent or there's some funny stuff going on."

He's right, my expectations are so low that a well officiated game surprises me now. It's like baseball umpires and the strike-zone, I just expect it to be wildly inconsistent and without reason. The only person who seems to expect the refs to do their job well is Stephen Jackson but his approach obviously isn't working. Of course Jax's idea of them doing their job is that he never fouls anyone and he never ever misses a shot without a foul being called.

As far as the ridiculous "Superstar Treatment", he references a non-call on Jordan:

"Refereeing has gone downhill," said Mathis, who runs the Mathis Foundation that works with and supplies scholarships for foster kids in Cincinnati. "Remember when Jordan hit that winning shot? I'm going to give you exactly what the commentators said: 'What a great move by Michael.' Was that a great move or was that an offensive foul? There was no question it was a push-off. No buts about it. The only buts you can have is, 'Well, it was Michael Jordan.' That was a defining moment.

"The video tape would never lie," Mathis said. "Here's what could have happened. The referee makes the call and it's, 'No, no. How could he do that? It was Michael Jordan.' "

I guess it wouldn't matter if they had to used replacements. The calls are all over the place and have been for the last 5-10 years.

by bloodsweatndonuts on Aug 19, 2007 5:13 AM PDT reply actions

LINK:

http://www.nypost.com/seven/08172007/sports/former_nba_ref_blasts_officiating_sports_fred_kerber.htm

by bloodsweatndonuts on Aug 19, 2007 5:14 AM PDT up reply actions

Finding the Mathis quote

was really good research. I know my fan instinct will be to be screaming something like "good call Donaghy" to some random ref who calls a foul on Beans or Jax when they are five feet from the guy they supposedly fouled. With the Warriors getting much more prime TV time this season, and with the artistic creativity of our community (commish excluded), I was thinking of some signs to attract the TV cameras. Like Tony is doing some shirt designs, we should have some suggested signs such as "I BET we are getting some bad calls tonight" or "Is that Tim Donaghy on the floor?". Those are off the top of my head, but something to continue putting pressure on the refs to do a better job.

I know we are all homers, but come on, the Warriors have taken the brunt of too many bad calls. Of course Jax et al are not going to help matters if they behave badly on the court and scorn and ridicule the refs. Maybe it is time for the league and the players association to actually have a dialogue about this before this coming season really blows up. Find some levels of agreement and ask the coaches and players--and the refs--to just do their jobs in what could be a very ugly year for the NBA. Make the marketing phrase "I Love This Game" really mean something.

Enough preaching by the commish.....

You call me ancient, I say "oldguysrule"

by commish on Aug 19, 2007 6:57 AM PDT up reply actions

i love this game

the nba needs to stop trying so hard to push their stars, and let them come into place on their own. everything should be called consistently; no more star treatment.

about the new nba catch phrase, did you hear the new one is gonna be "Where Amazing Happens"?

by davidR on Aug 19, 2007 2:40 PM PDT up reply actions

thing with that though

if they do do that you probably wont see anyone play. im all for everyone being treated fairly, but if you actually call what alot of stars do they would be off the court. imagine how many high flying dunks would go away with every person doing 4 steps of traveling to get airborne. or how many pts would go away for every free throw that did not accumulate because they jumped and allegedly got touched. or how many techs would be called because a center is in the lane for 24 seconds. i don't know i want the game to be called fairly, but i feel that it could become a boring game.

What you thought that I only played basketball? I AM A Golden State WARRIOR!

by 24k state fan since 87 on Aug 19, 2007 4:32 PM PDT up reply actions

Another report

Here's a Yahoo article reporting the refs union's side of the matter:

The referees union maintained Friday that Tim Donaghy is known to be the only referee involved in gambling activities, despite a report that said he was about to provide names of colleagues who also may have violated NBA rules.

Of course the union is there to support the referees, so would they implicate the alleged 20 referees?

by Caught Backcourt on Aug 19, 2007 9:29 PM PDT reply actions

You know what I would love to see

Someone should go back and make a compilation of all the BS calls that Donaghy made over the last couple of seasons that Ronnie Nunn defended on his NBAtv show. That show is such a joke. I do appreciate that every so often he will admit that they got a call wrong but it seems like he only does this if the ref is out of position.

Does that show drive anyone else crazy?

by olympicmike on Aug 19, 2007 9:37 PM PDT reply actions