Is Donaghy's saga over? - Page 4 - Detroit Pistons Fan Community

The Low · #31 (**permalink**) 08-30-2007, 03:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TaShawn

...I'm sure I'm going to be crying foul when we lose due to bad calls this year too. I've been telling everyone I know, that the NBA is rigged (for ratings purposes) for years....

...We need this guy to do some data mining on NBA games to pick out the bad refs!..

I would love to have that guy take on the NBA.

I also think (as I too have been telling folks for years that there's a slant to the NBA) that aside from the corrupt/gambling issue, the point of the matter is what many of us have said: These officials are either crooked or incompetent.

Now, in Donaghy's case, he's strictly crooked. However, for the rest of these cats if they prove not to be crooked (which I feel can still be defined by reffing games based on personal bias and/or league preference), then they are merely incompetent. In either case, they should be gotten rid of. Perhaps there may NOT be a huge underlying gambling ring, but I'm quite sure there are a number of practices in use by NBA officials that, nevertheless, call into question the integrity of the game. Which , at the end of the day, I would prefer to see addressed rather than a "whataryagunnado?" shrugging of the shoulders.

TaShawn · #32 (**permalink**) 08-30-2007, 03:25 PM

I still don't like the statistics that came out after Donaghy was outed. The ones that said that the big money won on 15 bets in a row when he was reffing.

That is the type of thing that could have been easily spotted by the NBA if they were really interested.

They need more data mining to sort through the noise.

The Low · #33 (**permalink**) 08-30-2007, 03:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TaShawn

I still don't like the statistics that came out after Donaghy was outed. The ones that said that the big money won on 15 bets in a row when he was reffing.

That is the type of thing that could have been easily spotted by the NBA if they were really interested.

They need more data mining to sort through the noise.

That's gotta be insanely obvious.

Otherwise it goes back to what Mike Mathis (former NBA official) was saying in that the officiating overall has become of such poor quality that Donaghy's actions went unnoticed.

mikhail1973 · #34 (**permalink**) 08-30-2007, 03:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Low

That's gotta be insanely obvious.

Otherwise it goes back to what Mike Mathis (former NBA official) was saying in that the officiating overall has become of such poor quality that Donaghy's actions went unnoticed.

And looks like nothing is going to be done, after all.

TaShawn · #35 (**permalink**) 08-30-2007, 03:46 PM

It's obvious if the NBA had access to the betting data. But they were probably not getting the information from the casinos.

It would be interesting if they could appoint a full time independant auditor for officiating. The guy would have access to all of the Vegas data and could data mine the regular stats for irregularities.

The Low · #36 (**permalink**) 08-30-2007, 04:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TaShawn

It's obvious if the NBA had access to the betting data. But they were probably not getting the information from the casinos.

It would be interesting if they could appoint a full time independant auditor for officiating. The guy would have access to all of the Vegas data and could data mine the regular stats for irregularities.

Heck, I'd settle for that just to review their in-game performance.

Winless Wonders · #37 (**permalink**) 08-30-2007, 06:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dumars4Ever

Well, I'm not sure what we're arguing about anymore. Of course Stern has proven to be overly manipulative many times in the past. I'm just not convinced that there's anything shady going on with the coverage (or lack thereof) in the Donaghy case. I think the reason it's "disappeared" from the news is that...there hasn't been any more news. If something else does come up, I'm pretty sure we'll hear about it, and if it involves other refs fixing games, I have no doubt that it'll be a huge story. I'm not exactly defending Stern here; I'm just questioning how much power he actually has to make inconvenient stories disappear.

The NFL season is about to begin while the NBA season is still 2 months away. This is probably why much has not been said about the Ref. scandal and more has been reported about the Vick case.

aurora · #38 (**permalink**) 09-01-2007, 02:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by roscoe36

I want you to know, I do see your point. And I'm a contrarian by nature, so the argument does resonate with me.

But at the same time, I am a fan who spends a lot of his disposable income following the sport. I don't gamble, so I can't claim losses because the scales were tipped against me in a secretive manner. Just the same, I invest time, interest and money into following the sport, and the assumption that it is somewhat fair is a key component of that.

I have long said the referees are incompetent as a group. Now I have a better understanding that the system is incompetent as well. Not in the, "what is really travelling" or "how much time is on the clock" sense but that there are not the safeguards or means to preserve the perception of integrity about the game.

I doubt I will be able to watch the Pistons lose this season, and short of a lot of missed shots, keep from wondering what the referee's agenda is each and every time they make a call.

And that to me is a bigger crime and more damaging than the Malice at the Palace. We know fans go to far, and we know Artest is a moron. We know that the players can be emotionally overboard and we know that the tension can run high. It's part of the thrill of being a fan, knowing that the sport is volatile enough to produce the best and worst from the athletes.

But the refs? The league? The system? The review process? Incapable and impotent?

We might as well take stats and scores and throw them out the window. Because those late game free throws, those technical fouls, ball handling violations are all suspect.

I want to see refs outed. I don't even care who they are. The ideal outcome would be for this to burn down the house, and force the NBA to admit failure (instead of blaming one guy, over and over) and rebuild with a new paradigm that they are smarter for it, and safeguards to preserve the fan's perception of the game that it has integrity.

Glory Hallelujah! (Hi Roscoe, I'm dogsitting where there is a computer!!!When I logged in to the forum I had 863 new posts to read!)

lemonpen · #39 (**permalink**) 09-01-2007, 09:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TaShawn

It's obvious if the NBA had access to the betting data. But they were probably not getting the information from the casinos.

It would be interesting if they could appoint a full time independant auditor for officiating. The guy would have access to all of the Vegas data and could data mine the regular stats for irregularities.

According to a Vegas betting analyst being interviewed on local radio about 3 weeks ago it works the opposite of what you suggest. The other 3 major sports have some type of arrangement with Vegas sport books where Vegas takes the lead in looking for any unusual betting activity. Once discovered the game comes off of the board and the particular league is notified. Can't recall what else happens. The guy did state that the NBA did not follow the same protocal.

**max** · #40 (**permalink**) 09-01-2007, 09:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lemonpen

According to a Vegas betting analyst being interviewed on local radio about 3 weeks ago it works the opposite of what you suggest. The other 3 major sports have some type of arrangement with Vegas sport books where Vegas takes the lead in looking for any unusual betting activity. Once discovered the game comes off of the board and the particular league is notified. Can't recall what else happens. The guy did state that the NBA did not follow the same protocal.

Thanks for the info. Makes sense considering Sterns hear no evil see no evil approach. We need a commish who deals with problems better than sticking his head in the sand and hoping they go away.