So Tim Donaghy wrote a book and the NBA squashed it? Am I late?

[duba169]

espn doesn't bite the hand that feed them

 

[banks2pierce]

You know most of that stuff is true if you have two eyes and a brain and watch a ton of pro basketball. I was sold when he said that the blatant foul they hadto call was on Mikki Moore.

 

[jch3]

I know this sounds a little over exaggerated, but still.

If a player of Kobe's stature collides with the likes of Raja Bell, the call will almost always go for Kobe and against Bell. As part of our ongoing training and game preparation, NBA referees regularly receive game-action video tape from the league office. Over the years, I have reviewed many recorded hours of video involving Raja Bell. The footage I analyzed usually illustrated fouls being called against Bell, rarely for him. The message was subtle but clear-call fouls against the star stopper because he's hurting the game.
Makes me furious.

 

[foshizzle]

His claims dont surprise me at all...I hope this book gets published, Stern needs to be put in his place.

 

[marionthebarberian]

cmon, expose the 2006 finals.

 

[4wrestling]

Steve Javie

And then there was the ongoing feud between Javie and 76ers superstar Allen Iverson. The rift was so bad that Philadelphia general manager Billy King often called the league office to complain about Javie's treatment of Iverson during a game.

Iverson was eventually traded to Denver, and in his first game against his former team, he was tossed after two technicals. Afterward, Iverson implied Javie had a grudge against him, saying, "I thought I got fouled on that play, and I said I thought that he was calling the game personal, and he threw me out. His fuse is real short anyway, and I should have known that I couldn't say anything anyway. It's been something personal with me and him since I got in the league. This was just the perfect game for him to try and make me look bad." The league fined Iverson $25,000 for his comments, but most of the league referees thought the punishment was too lenient and were upset he wasn't suspended. As a result, we collectively decided to dispense a little justice of our own, sticking it to Iverson whenever we could.

Shortly after the Javie-Iverson incident, I worked a Jazz-Nuggets contest in Denver on January 6, 2007. During the pregame meeting, my fellow referees Bernie Fryer and Gary Zielinski agreed that we were going to strictly enforce the palming rule against Iverson. Palming the ball was something Iverson loved to do, but if he so much as came close to a palm, we were going to blow the whistle. Obviously, our actions were in direct retaliation for Iverson's rant against Javie. True to form, I immediately excused myself and made an important phone call.

Sticking to our pregame pledge, each of us whistled Iverson for palming in the first quarter-we all wanted in on the fun. The violations seemed to affect Iverson's rhythm and he played terribly that night, shooting 5-for-19 with five turnovers. After getting repeatedly whistled all night long, Iverson approached me in an act of submission.

"How long am I going to be punished for Javie?" he quietly inquired.

"Don't know what you're talking about, Allen," I responded.

 

[jonfarr]

I don't care about the past, whats done is done. I am just upset that I truly feel this still goes on today. I just want to see real games where wedon't have to worry about the refs... but we know that will never happen.

 

[pig love]

This book = priceless.

Does anyone even remember Scottie getting called for fouling Davis on the three point line when Jordan was playing for the White Sox? Thats how long this
has been going on for. I realize it's all about the money, you gotta have the Lakers, Spurs or some big market in there (yawn) every year. I mean if youdidn't,
cats like Antoine Walker couldn't go all Mike Tyson with $100 mil right? David Stern is Vince McMahon everyone, face it and just enjoy the show.


cliffnotes> league is fixed

 

[mr kuter]

I just came in here to say that, "Its not what you know, its what you can prove" -Denzel, Training Day.

 

[westcoastsfinest]

Originally Posted by marionthebarberian

cmon, expose the 2006 finals.

this.

^ That reminds me: I love how the fans who talk about all of this conspiracy talk mainly focus on the Lakers.

Obviously, if the refs were trying to fix games, there were plenty of games... but the focus is mainly on the Lakers.

yehh if this was the case we shouldve had a 5peat

...is itjust me but why do the 90s bulls get a pass...im pretty sure they were rigged too

 

[pharelfor3]

Originally Posted by westcoastsfinest

Originally Posted by marionthebarberian

cmon, expose the 2006 finals.

this.

^ That reminds me: I love how the fans who talk about all of this conspiracy talk mainly focus on the Lakers.

Obviously, if the refs were trying to fix games, there were plenty of games... but the focus is mainly on the Lakers.

yehh if this was the case we shouldve had a 5peat

...is it just me but why do the 90s bulls get a pass...im pretty sure they were rigged too

you got that right. no way the Lakers lose to Detroit if it was as fixed as they say.

 

[duba169]

you can only fix things up to a point. The players still have to play

 

[gtownballer23]

If a player of Kobe's stature collides with the likes of Raja Bell, the call will almost always go for Kobe and against Bell. As part of our ongoing training and game preparation, NBA referees regularly receive game-action video tape from the league office. Over the years, I have reviewed many recorded hours of video involving Raja Bell. The footage I analyzed usually illustrated fouls being called against Bell, rarely for him. The message was subtle but clear-call fouls against the star stopper because he's hurting the game.

Most of this stuff seems widely believed already. ^can go with LeWhistle as well. Stern did everything he could to get a la-cleveland finals last year.

If Kobe Bryant had two fouls in the first or second quarter and went to the bench, one referee would tell the other two, "Kobe's got two fouls. Let's make sure that if we call a foul on him, it's an obvious foul, because otherwise he's gonna go back to the bench. If he is involved in a play where a foul is called, give the foul to another player."


Used to happen all the time with MJ.

Later that week, Ronnie Nunn told me that we could have made something up at the other end against Minnesota to even things out. He even got specific-maybe we should have considered calling a traveling violation on Kevin Garnett. Talk about the politics of the game! Of course the official statement from the league office will always read, "There is no such thing as a makeup call."

Studying under @*+! Bavetta for 13 years was like pursuing a graduate degree in advanced game manipulation. He knew how to marshal the tempo and tone of a game better than any referee in the league, by far. He also knew how to take subtle-and not so subtle-cues from the NBA front office and extend a playoff series or, worse yet, change the complexion of that series.

... at the end of the day, the NBA is a business.

Denver had lost a game a few weeks prior because of a mistake made by the referees, a loss that could be the difference between them making or missing the playoffs. Bavetta told me Denver needed the win and that it would look bad for the staff and the league if the Nuggets missed the playoffs by one game. There were still a few games left on the schedule before the end of the season, and the standings could potentially change. But on that day in Oakland, Bavetta looked at me and casually stated, "Denver will win if they need the game. That's why I'm on it." ...
"Duncan will be on the bench with three fouls within the first five minutes of the game," he calmly stated.

at Dickie taking orders from Stern.

Crawford wanted the game over quickly so he could kick back, relax, and have a beer; [@*+! Bavetta] wanted it to keep going so he could hear his name on TV. He actually paid an American Airlines employee to watch all the games he worked and write down everything the TV commentators said about him. No matter how late the game was over, he'd wake her up for a full report. He loved the attention.
imo ^this has led to this ...

In a follow-up email to the referee staff and the league office, Crawford railed about the lack of respect players had for referees and the NBA's failure to back him up. Then, in a direct shot at the league's embracing of referees like @*+! Bavetta, he fired a sharp rebuke:

"I also told [Stu Jackson] that the staff is an officiating staff of @*+! Bavetta's-schmoozing and sucking people's %@++! to get ahead. Awful, but it is reality."

 

[trelvis tha thrilla]

I think its hard to decipher what is true and whats not and if he is blatantly lying or not.

On one hand, he could be making up these lies to sell books and get back at the NBA. On the other hand, this could be like a Jose Canseco situation whereeveryone thinks he is lying, but is actually telling the truth.

I feel like some of the excerpts from the book seem too true to be a lie. There is some weird things that happen in the NBA that leave me scratching my head.

 

[RyGuy45]

you can only fix things up to a point. The players still have to play
Realest thing in this thread.

The NBA and the refs cannot "fix" their league. What they can do is give it a little shove to the way that best serves them and their broadcastpartners.

 

[RyGuy45]

CBSsports.com

NBA to investigate Donaghy's latest claims

The NBA will investigate additional allegations by disgraced former referee Tim Donaghy that were scheduled for publication in a book that has been spiked by its publisher.

In the book excerpts, which have been published online, Donaghy offered more details of alleged game manipulation by other referees. The NBA and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York investigated Donaghy's initial claims and did not find anyone else culpable.

Elizabeth Ventura, the NBA's senior vice president of communications, issued the following statement to CBSSports.com and other news outlets:

"In 2008 Mr. Donaghy's allegations were thoroughly investigated by the FBI and the U.S. Attorney's Office. We are reassured that the U.S. Government completed its investigation finding that the only criminal conduct was that of Mr. Donaghy.

"We take any question regarding the integrity of our game extremely seriously. At the time Mr. Donaghy's crimes came to light, we appointed Lawrence B. Pedowitz, a former Chief of the Criminal Division in the U.S. Attorney's office of the Southern District of New York, to lead a comprehensive independent review of the NBA's officiating program. Mr. Pedowitz's review revealed that the NBA's core values of neutrality and accountability were not compromised by anyone other than Mr. Donaghy.

"As with all allegations concerning the integrity of our officiating program, these latest assertions by Mr. Donaghy will be turned over to Mr. Pedowitz for a complete review."

Donaghy was sentenced to prison time in 2008 after pleading guilty to federal wire fraud charges. Donaghy was accused of betting on NBA games, including those he worked, and tipping off high-stakes gamblers with inside information.

UPDATE: Robert Nardoza, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office, declined to comment on whether federal authorities were re-opening their investigation. No criminal charges have been filed against any NBA employee other than Donaghy. "We saw the article," Nardoza said, referring to news that Donaghy's publisher had pulled the book amid fears of legal action. "Beyond that, I'm not going to comment."

Donaghy's tell-all, "Blowing the Whistle: The Culture of Fraud in the NBA," was scheduled for publication later this month by Triumph, a division of Random House. Despite news reports to the contrary, NBA spokesman Tim Frank said the league "never threatened a lawsuit or anything else."

In the excerpts, Donaghy cut a wide swath through the ranks of his former colleagues, naming names and offering details on how other officials allegedly manipulated games. Many of the details mirrored those he gave to federal prosecutors as part of his plea negotiation.

According to a person directly involved in the NBA's probe conducted by Pedowitz, all the referees named in the excerpts from Donaghy's manuscript were interviewed during the initial investigation -- in some cases, numerous times.

"The National Basketball Referees Association is disappointed, but not surprised, with the actions taken by Tim Donaghy," referee spokesman Lloyd Pierson said in a statement. "This continues to be the Tim that we know. He repeatedly attempts to highlight himself in the media, but the 59 NBA referees will continue to officiate games with the utmost integrity and the focus will remain on the 2009-2010 NBA Season."

 

[informerx]

Originally Posted by Pig Love

This book = priceless.

Does anyone even remember Scottie getting called for fouling Davis on the three point line when Jordan was playing for the White Sox? Thats how long this
has been going on for. I realize it's all about the money, you gotta have the Lakers, Spurs or some big market in there (yawn) every year. I mean if you didn't,
cats like Antoine Walker couldn't go all Mike Tyson with $100 mil right? David Stern is Vince McMahon everyone, face it and just enjoy the show.


cliffnotes> league is fixed

Spurs are a big market team now?

 

[osh kosh bosh]

All I know is the last time we dismissed the stories of a questionable character, they all came up true.

 

[raptors29]

There's some interesting info in this thread

 

[duba169]

for the record they talked about this alot on PTI, so espn isn't just letting it totally slide

 

[trelvis tha thrilla]

Originally Posted by DubA169

for the record they talked about this alot on PTI, so espn isn't just letting it totally slide

its online also

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4605985

 

[retro7sz10]

i believe it.

 

[casperjr]

Originally Posted by RyGuy45

you can only fix things up to a point. The players still have to play

Realest thing in this thread.

The NBA and the refs cannot "fix" their league. What they can do is give it a little shove to the way that best serves them and their broadcast partners.
both yall crazy

 

[dmbrhs]

Originally Posted by Osh Kosh Bosh

All I know is the last time we dismissed the stories of a questionable character, they all came up true.

This is what I always come back to. Yes, people have axes to grind, but sometimes when the details are so specific and they go to such greatlengths, there often is truth behind the statements. If they were baseless claims, I doubt he'd have gone as a far as to write a whole book. He'dprobably just submit to an ESPN column and let that be that.

 

[physicx]

wow

id read