Donaghy: it would be "very, very difficult" for the Blazers to win a championship

[The Professional Fan]

Here’s some news that may console Trail Blazers fans grumbling about the team’s second straight first-round playoff elimination.

Ex-NBA ref Tim Donaghy says it’s nearly impossible for a small-market franchise like Portland to make the finals. Donaghy says the NBA and its referees are wired to benefit large-market teams such as Boston and Los Angeles, and marquee players like Kobe Bryant and LeBron James.

Admitting he traded on knowledge of colleagues’ biases—as well as knowing the grudges refs carry toward certain players and coaches—to bet on NBA games that included contests he reffed, Donaghy pleaded guilty in 2007 to federal gambling charges.

Released from prison in late 2009 after serving nearly a year, Donaghy is far from the $275,000 a year he made as a ref with 13 years’ experience. He’s working for a gambling treatment center in New Jersey called Firststep and in a consulting business—Donaghy & Osborne—he hopes will enable him to speak on college campuses.

But it’s his book, Personal Foul: A First-Person Account of the Scandal That Rocked the NBA, that grabbed the attention of the league and its fans. With the playoffs—minus the Blazers—now in the second round, WW spoke with Donaghy about his allegations that the impartiality of his profession is B.S.

Willamette Week: Portland fans have long believed referee Steve Javie has had it in for the Blazers. True?

Tim Donaghy: When Portland had Bonzi Wells and Rasheed Wallace and some of those other players who were extremely difficult to deal with, the stronger referees like Steve Javie or Joe Crawford took pride in the fact they wanted to stick it to those guys and give them technical fouls to see what they can do to piss them off. That’s done in the NBA on a nightly basis.

http://wweek.com/editorial/3626/13989/

You know, just, fuck it.

 

[Wheels]

hopefully to prove a point.. Stern will have his refs try and fix games in our favor now

 

[blazerboy30]

Sad. I love this game and the Blazers, but it wears on me knowing that the refs have such a huge influence on NBA games.

Can't wait for college football season.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

When we get ready to win a championship one day Stern will wake up with Donaghy's bloody head in bed with him.

 

[blue32]

ugh.....

 

[The Professional Fan]

Sad. I love this game and the Blazers, but it wears on me knowing that the refs have such a huge influence on NBA games.

Can't wait for college football season.

"Sad" sums it up more than any thing. I'm pissed about it, I've BEEN pissed about it, but it's just damn sad that my favorite team of all teams in all likely hood will not be allowed to win a title again.

 

[The Professional Fan]

And I didn't need Donaghy to tell me this! It's obvious! He just put the nail in the coffin.

 

[Sug]

Well clearly there is only one way for the NBA to counter this accusation. Shall we size up the rings now or wait till next June?

 

[<-=*PdX*=->]

So are we fools here for believing the Blazers can ever win another championship?

It would be very, very difficult. They would have to be in a position to get a guy with a big name, like a Shaquille or a LeBron, in the draft.

Brandon Roy doesn’t fit that description of a marquee guy the league wants to promote?

No (laughs). Unfortunately not.

Thats the one I have felt for a while. Roy is not, nor will he ever be, a NBA SUPERSTAR, thus Portland will not win a title with this team. Its sad, but until Stern is gone it is the truth.

 

[The Professional Fan]

Do you guys find Donaghy credible? I do.

 

[Denny Crane]

I think the players are in on the fix, too. It's not limited to basketball, either.

Consider how many times you've seen a QB take a sack with a guy waving his arms ("I'm OPEN!!!!") in the end zone, or a guy steps out of bounds while running down the sidelines with nothing between him and the goal line.

Or consider Michael Jordan made free throws with his eyes closed a few times, for fun. But when the point spread was on the line, he'd miss two in a row with his eyes open.

 

[hasoos]

I don't know if I find him credible. But I find what he says interesting, and perplexing. Not sure how to take it. You have to understand he is looking for a way to make money now because he can't get a job anywhere. So by doing interviews and such, he makes money. At the same time, a lot of what he says is true.

For instance, last night when Phoenix was playing San Antonio, I am sure Tim Duncan was thrilled when Joey Crawford came out to ref the game. The same Joey Crawford that challenged Duncan to a fight and was suspended for his actions against the Spurs.

 

[MrSelfDestruct]

Do you guys find Donaghy credible? I do.

This article makes me sad.

And while TD is far from a guy with good character, I tend to believe him more than I do Stern. As far as I can tell, none of the policy changes that Stern promised after this story first broke have been implemented (greater transparency, etc.). In fact, I remember reading Stern actually loosened the gambling policies amongst referees, saying the old policies were outdated.

While I think TD was simply stroking Portland's collective ego by saying we may have been the better team, I really don't think he has anything to gain by lying anymore. I also find it hard to believe that he was the ONLY referee who caved to the Mafia's pressure. I'm sure he isn't the only one they approached.

 

[DeanMoriarty]

It's not hard to see that some refs had bad memories with certain players and ultimately, the city itself.

Crawford and Javie will do whatever it takes to aggravate this franchise just because.

Also, superstar calls are blatantly obvious. Our very own Roy gets these calls. Unless, that is, he's playing against Lebron (the goal-tending in Cleveland comes to mind).

 

[Minstrel]

I really don't think he has anything to gain by lying anymore.

If he's lying, he has book sales and attention to gain from lying.

I don't know if I find him credible or not. The crux of the matter is that I don't know if I consider the league all that credible, either.

It's definitely disturbing to hear someone who might be giving an accurate insider's account say such things.

 

[The Professional Fan]

This article makes me sad.

And while TD is far from a guy with good character, I tend to believe him more than I do Stern. As far as I can tell, none of the policy changes that Stern promised after this story first broke have been implemented (greater transparency, etc.). In fact, I remember reading Stern actually loosened the gambling policies amongst referees, saying the old policies were outdated.

While I think TD was simply stroking Portland's collective ego by saying we may have been the better team, I really don't think he has anything to gain by lying anymore. I also find it hard to believe that he was the ONLY referee who caved to the Mafia's pressure. I'm sure he isn't the only one they approached.

Exactly. In fact, it's quite the opposite. He has every thing to gain by being honest about every thing.

 

[hasoos]

It would be a hell of a lot easier if the league got off their pompous throne and implemented policies to make the reffing more transparent.

It would also help if they actually made the rules less complex. There are far many calls where judgement is called into play about what is a foul and what isn't. For instance, the rules for the no charge zone have a lot of nuances they don't tell fans about. There are actually times when a player can take a charge inside the no charge zone. But it is a judgement call by the ref as to if that rare condition exists at the time, and it depends on what 2 different players on defense did as to when it is legal. I didn't know that until the other day. I am pretty sure most fans didn't either.

Do you think defenders look to see where their feet are when they go to take a charge? Do they honestly have time?

Why are contact rules different on the perimeter as to near the basket? At what point do the contact rules change?

If the rules are hard for the players to deal with and understand, they are also easier for the referee's to manipulate the end of the game outcome.

 

[The Professional Fan]

It's not hard to see that some refs had bad memories with certain players and ultimately, the city itself.

Crawford and Javie will do whatever it takes to aggravate this franchise just because.

Also, superstar calls are blatantly obvious. Our very own Roy gets these calls. Unless, that is, he's playing against Lebron (the goal-tending in Cleveland comes to mind).

What Brandon Roy are you talking about? Roy does not get superstar calls whatsoever. Quite the opposite, IMO.

 

[chris_in_pdx]

Thats the one I have felt for a while. Roy is not, nor will he ever be, a NBA SUPERSTAR, thus Portland will not win a title with this team. Its sad, but until Stern is gone it is the truth.

Roy is.... Joe Johnson. He's Gerald Wallace. He's Deron Williams. He's Chris Paul. He's a 2nd-tier NBA "star" who can win a team games, but can't get a team over the hump. I've said it over and over again, Portland's ONLY hope was that Greg Oden could have become the next Dwight Howard/Shaq. To be so dominate that the NBA COULDN'T ignore him. The door on that isn't completely closed, but it's barely open a sliver.

Donaghy may be a slimy, money-grubbing dirtbag, but he didn't make all that shit up. Maybe embellished some, but the core of what he says is completely believable by anyone with a brain and a memory.

 

[BGrantFan]

Donaghy basically is saying what I've believed since the Stern-era was in its infancy. Detroit pounded Jordan for a few years in the playoffs, and fouls weren't called. Unsurprisingly, ratings started to decline since Bird and Magic/LA and Boston were fading. Suddenly, Detroit gets swept by the Bulls, with a large boost from a tighter game being called, and the Piston players are so upset they leave the court prior to the clinching game ending. Since then, I've viewed everything in the NBA in a jaded manner.

Donaghy, to me, is just confirming what I have always believed. It takes a truly great player/coach combo to overcome the bias, as Duncan/Pop and the Spurs were able to do 4 times.

 

[BGrantFan]

Exactly. In fact, it's quite the opposite. He has every thing to gain by being honest about every thing.

Donaghy is the Jose Canseco of the NBA. The only problem is there is no scientific testing to prove him correct.

 

[BlazerCaravan]

Portland's ONLY hope was that Greg Oden could have become the next Dwight Howard/Shaq. To be so dominate that the NBA COULDN'T ignore him. The door on that isn't completely closed, but it's barely open a sliver.

Even before the (second and third) injuries, Oden was being jobbed by the refs, essentially handicapped so he *couldn't* become dominant. If he was playing in New York or Boston, do you really think he'd be so foul prone?

 

[hasoos]

Donaghy is the Jose Canseco of the NBA. The only problem is there is no scientific testing to prove him correct.

There is only one thing that can break it open. That is if some more of "them" got caught. I wonder if we will ever know what the FBI found out when they were investigating this. I know some government docs get released to the public, but I am unsure if these results will ever be made public.

 

[e_blazer]

I have no doubt that the big name stars get preferential treatment and that it impacts the outcome of games. That said, I wouldn't trust anything a weasel like Donaghy says. He flat out says that he hates Stern and I'm certain that he means it. At this point, I think he'd say anything that would kick dirt on the NBA. And not only that, but he's going around the country saying this crap to promote the sales of his book. The weasel is doing exactly what he's always done, looking out for his own chances to make a buck.

BTW, I'd find the small market argument a lot more compelling if it weren't for the titles that the Spurs have racked up. Small market and a boring team to boot.

 

[hasoos]

Even before the (second and third) injuries, Oden was being jobbed by the refs, essentially handicapped so he *couldn't* become dominant. If he was playing in New York or Boston, do you really think he'd be so foul prone?

At the same time, Dwight Howard is constantly in foul trouble. He makes many of the same mistakes today, that Greg was making. They are consistent in their calls. I guess that works out, unless you don't consider Howard one of their "darlings".

 

[LameR]

I wish the NBA would do away with superstar calls. Frick, I don't care if Brandon fouls out as a result. Give me a game that a foul on the 15th guy is the same as a foul on the first guy.

 

[MrSelfDestruct]

Even before the (second and third) injuries, Oden was being jobbed by the refs, essentially handicapped so he *couldn't* become dominant. If he was playing in New York or Boston, do you really think he'd be so foul prone?

Beat me to it. He was being handcuffed tremendously.

I have no doubt that the big name stars get preferential treatment and that it impacts the outcome of games. That said, I wouldn't trust anything a weasel like Donaghy says. He flat out says that he hates Stern and I'm certain that he means it. At this point, I think he'd say anything that would kick dirt on the NBA. And not only that, but he's going around the country saying this crap to promote the sales of his book. The weasel is doing exactly what he's always done, looking out for his own chances to make a buck.

BTW, I'd find the small market argument a lot more compelling if it weren't for the titles that the Spurs have racked up. Small market and a boring team to boot.

San Antonio as a small market has been addressed before:

1. San Antonio is the 7th largest city in the country.
2. They had (have) players that draw international audiences.

The boring part I can't dispute, though.

 

[BlazerCaravan]

I wish the NBA would do away with superstar calls. Frick, I don't care if Brandon fouls out as a result. Give me a game that a foul on the 15th guy is the same as a foul on the first guy.

I like the guys who think fouling out should be removed from the game, period. Fouling in general is enough of a penalty, especially when you go over the team limit in a quarter, that it shouldn't matter who fouled.

 

[BGrantFan]

I like the guys who think fouling out should be removed from the game, period. Fouling in general is enough of a penalty, especially when you go over the team limit in a quarter, that it shouldn't matter who fouled.

I'd be fine with a 2 shots and the ball penalty after the 6th foul. If a ticky-tack 7th foul is called in a close game, it would only confirm my distrust of the NBA, at least in terms of being "fair".

 

[julius]

As I'm sure others have suggested, instead of fouling out, they could re-set the shot clock to 24 everytime...or 2 shots and the ball.