Donaghy Receives 15 Month Sentence

July 29, 2008

Donaghy Receives 15 Month Sentence

“Former NBA referee Tim Donaghy was sentenced to 15 months in prison Tuesday for setting off a gambling scandal that tarnished the league’s reputation and raised questions about the integrity of its officiating.”

This case has been a nightmare for the NBA who’s been experiencing a PR problem with everything from the Sonic’s move to Oklahoma City, to the former Knick General Manager, Isiah Thomas’s, sexual assault of a co-worker, to current players leaving the league for Europe, to the new “flopping rule,” to numerous player arrests on drug charges, etc, etc. Bottomline the NBA is in trouble and the Donaghy case hasn’t helped.

Donaghy’s claim that other referees were in collusion with the league on throwing certain games so that big market teams would win or that series would go to 7 games to make more revenue for the league, only adds fuel to an already smoldering fire. “League commissioner David Stern has repeatedly denied Donaghy’s claim that corruption among referees goes beyond him.”

Tim Donaghy was sentenced to 15 months for taking payoffs from a professional gambler for inside tips on games.

CNNSI reported that, “Donaghy pleaded guilty last August to conspiracy to engage in wire fraud and transmitting betting information through interstate commerce for taking payoffs from a professional gambler for inside tips on games. Donaghy didn’t stop there: In June, he marred the NBA finals by making fresh accusations that the league routinely encouraged refs to ring up bogus fouls to manipulate results, but discouraged them from calling technical fouls on star players to keep them in games and protect television ratings.”

Donaghy claimed that game 6 of the 2002 playoffs against the Sacramento Kings and LA Lakers was rigged in favor of the Laker’s by the NBA with help from the refs in the game which include Donaghy. As a Kings fan this allegation is very easy to believe. “The Lakers attempted 40 free throws to the Kings’ 25 in that game, and Los Angeles made 21 of 27 from the line while Sacramento converted 7 of 9 in the fourth quarter alone. In addition, a foul was called against Mike Bibby of the Kings after he was shoved and elbowed by Kobe Bryant, denying the Kings an opportunity to try for a tying basket. Also in that game, Kings centers Vlade Divacc and Scot Pollard fouled out, and Kings coach Rick Adelman was highly critical of the officiating afterward. “My first thought [upon hearing Donaghy's allegation] was: I knew it,” Pollard said Tuesday night. “I’m not going to say there was a conspiracy. I just think something wasn’t right. It was unfair. We didn’t have a chance to win that game.”

Donaghy was also active in screwing the Suns in their playoff loss to the Spurs in 07′

Tags: David Stern, Tim Donaghy
Categories: Sports
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1 Julien { 07.29.08 at 8:06 pm }: That’s the end of a long process. I just hope there isn’t another crook ref sticking around…

Dumb & Dumber

As the 3 month long NBA Finals begin D&D try and tackle who will emerge with the Larry O'Brien Trophy when it's all said and done.

Dumb

After being humiliated in the Finals last year by Boston (you know expectations are high when losing 4-2 without your starting center is considered humiliation), the Los Angeles Lakers have but one objective this year: Win It All. Anything less would be a failure. So, after bringing the gold medal home for all Americans in Beijing this past summer, Kobe has the sole focus of bringing the gold Larry O'Brien trophy back where IT belongs: The City of Angeles. And make no mistake about it, with KG sidelined with a bum knee, the Lakers are the best team in the NBA, and the best team always wins. The only team that can really give the Lake Show a run for their money is The LeBrons, aka the Cleveland Cavaliers. I agree that LeBron is the best player in the game. But history shows that the best TEAM wins the Finals, not the best player. That's why the Spurs have won 4 titles in the last 10 years, it's why Detroit won in 2004 and it's why the Celtics won last year. Assuming the Cleveland vs. Lakers scenario plays out, the Lakers will undoubtedly have the best team between the two. Last year, they were without Bynum and Trevor Ariza, and were playing with Gasol for only 1/2 season, and came within 2 games of winning it all. This year, with the core of the team healthy, both Ariza and Lamar Odom (not to mention Kobe) available to D up King James, and a supporting cast that is deeper and better from 2-12 than Cleveland, the Forum Blue & Gold will be poised to hoist the trophy once again. LeBron will have to wait at least another year to claim his crown and Kobe, ala Steve Young, can finally take that monkey off his back, earning his first title without Shaq.

Dumber

I gotta go with the Cavaliers. I know Dumb is picking the Lakers. He loves them so much he probably wishes he could be the girl Kobe raped in Colorado - just to say he “had some champion in him”. LeBron’s got home court advantage, meaning he’ll throw white powder in the air like Boston George at a Peter Frampton concert. Aside from the ridiculous talent, admittedly mostly possessed by LeBron, they have chemistry and play as a TEAM (unlike the Lakers, who play because they might get their dicks sucked after the game by Laker Girls - can’t blame em). True, the Cavs need Ben Wallace and HoMo Williams to ensure victory over Bean Town or LA, but I’m very sure LeBron is PISSED about last year — His time has come

White Noise

Homeless & Their Pets Rant: Why in the hell do homeless people always have dogs? I assume it is some kind of a begging tactic, but what the hell? PETA wants to hang Michael Vick by his balls, yet any dreadlocked idiot who cannot take care of him/herself has a cute little puppy. My parents wouldn’t let me get a dog until I was 14 or so and we had a house with power, a yard, access to dog food and only smoked crack on the weekends (you know - normal). So I’m at the DMV the other day (talk about the LCD of society), I step outside due to enjoy my 1.5 hour and what is it I see at the park? Numerous homeless with dogs. Are these poor things fed? Are they constantly getting brown weed smoke blown in their faces? If you can’t have at least a crappy apartment and a form of income, you shouldn’t have a dog. I guess the one good thing is since these people don’t work, they can spend all day with the dog. Also, since they live outside, I guess you don’t have to worry about the dog being taken out to the bathroom. Regardless, I don’t effing get it. Maybe it is for companionship, but since there are roughly 12,500 homeless in SF, I figure they can all hang out and leave poor fido out of it.