nba referee betting

By Anthony OlivieriPA SportsTicker Pro Basketball Editor
The NBA sure can take a hit.
It has become an annual rite of fall to start the season with more focus on a potentially disastrous pitfall for the league than the actual play on the court. This campaign is no different, with former referee Tim Donaghy's betting scandal hanging over the 2007-08 season like a storm cloud.
Donaghy, 40, resigned from the NBA on July 9 after an FBI investigation in which he was charged with betting on NBA games - perhaps including some that he officiated - as well as providing confidential information to others so that they might profit from gambling.
When the news leaked of the incident over the summer, it initially sent shockwaves through the league. For a league which already had its fair share of public relations problems, this was as bad as it gets.
"The first time a referee makes a questionable call to decide a game this year, we all know what is coming," Chicago Bulls general manager John Paxson said. "The people in this league who are around it all the time know that 99 percent involved with it are good people. Hopefully, how the league moves forward from this will be a good thing."
How could the NBA recover from something that wasn't just image-related but questioned the integrity of the competition?
Just fine, apparently.
"I don't think it will carry over into the season," Bulls forward Luol Deng said. "The fans love to see the players, and it was only one ref who was the issue. We have a lot of great refs in the NBA and the fans will continue to support the team. I don't think what happened will change anything."
Other players echoed Deng's sentiments.
"To me, it's old news," said Toronto Raptors coach Sam Mitchell, who also played 13 seasons in the NBA. "It happened and it's unfortunate and the league will get past it.
"The thing is that 99.9 percent of our referees are good guys, and it's unfortunate that it happened and there's no use in running away from it, pretending it didn't happen. But I am confident in our officiating."
So, rather than try to figure out how the league recovers from the scandal, a better question remains: What will it take to hurt a seemingly bullet-proof league?
Consider the NBA's current situation.
Longtime Commissioner David Stern has questions in recent years regarding arena security and players' dissatisfaction with either a new dress code or a different type of ball.
Or more routinely, Stern is criticized dually for having the NBA conference series finals broadcast on cable television rather than on big networks, and for his league's failure to relate to the mainstream fan.
The NBA often is compared with the behemoth that is the NFL and the always-popular Major League Baseball - both part of the fabric of American sports. Where does professional basketball fit in?
With such a tenuous position on the sports' landscape, the NBA sure did a good job of further damaging its image with Donaghy's scandal.
Ironically, one thing that inadvertently may have helped the league was its oft-maligned officiating.
Expectations already were low.
Fans always screamed about officials giving special treatment to the league's star players and of how referees are swayed by raucous home crowds. So, maybe the fallout from the scandal hasn't been as great because for the NBA, sadly, few were really that surprised.
"Well, we always knew that was going on, always had questions (about one-sided refereeing)," Sacramento Kings center Brad Miller said with a laugh. "But the good thing is that it's better for the sport that it came out."
"The league has always had its conspiracy-theory types," Paxson said. "I know that from our days when we had issues with (former referee) Hue Hollins."
So, despite its warts, the NBA is here to stay. Here are five non-Donaghy related story lines to watch out for as 2007-08 season tips off on Tuesday night.
5. WILL ISIAH THOMAS SINK OR SWIM? The New York Knicks coach and general manager has mismanaged one of the league's flagship franchises - using the NBA's highest payroll to boot. But now that Thomas has hung the source of that money - owner James Dolan - out to dry in a very public sexual-harassment suit, will he still receive the same amount of slack? New York has talent but that's about it. Can Thomas fit a bunch of square pegs in round holes?
4. CAN KEVIN DURANT LIVE UP TO THE HYPE? Durant was the second overall selection in June's draft after one spectacular season at Texas. He joins the Seattle SuperSonics with an incredible amount of expectations. Many observers think he is one of the most talented players - with unlimited range and great athleticism - to enter the league in years. With top overall pick Greg Oden out for the season following knee surgery, the rookie stage will be all Durant's.
3. ARE THE DALLAS MAVERICKS DEAD? The top-seeded Mavericks suffered one of the most shocking losses in playoff history last season, falling in five games to the eighth-seeded Golden State Warriors in the first round. But more importantly, superstar Dirk Nowitzki and the 67-win Mavericks were completely dismantled - left to a shell of themselves after the best-of-seven matchup. The reigning MVP, Nowitzki played scared. Can he drag his team off the deck and to an NBA championship?
2. CAN LEBRON BE EVEN BETTER? Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James joined the pantheon of NBA playoff legends with masterpiece in Game Five of the Eastern Conference finals against the Detroit Pistons, scoring 48 points - including his team's final 25 - en route to Cleveland's first NBA Finals appearance one game later. After unveiling an improved jumper in the summer with Team USA, James reminds everyone that he is just 22 years old and is on his way up. But with the Cavaliers standing pat in the offseason, can James take his game to a new level (think another No. 23) and lift his squad in an improve Eastern Conference?
1. WILL KOBE BRYANT AND SHAWN MARION BE TRADED? While it's nearly impossible to deal high-level superstars for equal worth, the trade rumors surrounding both the Lakers' Bryant and the Suns' Marion are intriguing. If nothing else, it will be interesting to see how each players reacts to their individual situation. Will they each play harmoniously with teammates or will the rumors erode their game and affect their play on the court?