Tim Donaghy To Appear On 60 Minutes

[newdusk]

I just watched the piece online. I don't think Donaghy was really telling the truth. He could easily know the importance of covering his own tracks hence the anecdotal evidence of Pop getting thrown out of the Spurs game.

He basically confirmed every fan based conspiracy theory that has ever existed concerning refs (telling us nothing new). Team memos about officiating are a normal thing (I can remember the Celtics doing it for Al Jefferson showing wrongful travel calls). If knowledge of the refs and their personal bias as well as NBA mandates were what he based his gambling on then EVERYONE on this board should be a millionaire. There is no way to tune out a personal bias when you have a stake in the contest. Look at fantasy football and how it corrupts your rooting interest (and that is just pocket change).

As an NBA fan Donaghy was just playing up to my emotions when it comes to officiating. Any game which he called has no credibility even under the scrutiny of replay. Maybe he is really telling the truth but what he mentions is common NBA conspiracy dribble.

Referees of professional sports are the real life equivalent of meter maids, they are despised, misunderstood and a lot of times ego-maniacal. But sadly they are necessary. I would love to see, just as a social experiment an NBA game where players call their own fouls (playground style). Would the game improve?

[Eja117]

Anybody else catching this? 

I'm assuming it's on youtube, but here's a link to Loy's Place if that's ok with you.

http://celticsgreen.blogspot.com/2009/12/tim-donaghy-tells-his-story-on-60.html

Interesting stuff

[Eja117]

In a year and a half this guy is either Salman Rushdie's new roommate or swimming with Jimmy Hoffa

[Chris]

He was on WEEI this morning.  He really is skirting the real issue.  He is concentrating on the fact that NBA refs are biased, but refuses to acknowledge that his gambling influenced games. 

He said he was afraid that if he made calls to influence games based on his gambling, the FBI and NBA would be all over him...yet making calls based on grudges, he wouldn't get called on at all. 

The thing is, I kind of believe him...that is, I think he believes what he is saying.  I think he convinced himself that his bets were not influencing his actions.

And you know what drives me nuts?  This story is still being buried by Tiger!

[Eja117]

He was on WEEI this morning.  He really is skirting the real issue.  He is concentrating on the fact that NBA refs are biased, but refuses to acknowledge that his gambling influenced games. 

He said he was afraid that if he made calls to influence games based on his gambling, the FBI and NBA would be all over him...yet making calls based on grudges, he wouldn't get called on at all. 

The thing is, I kind of believe him...that is, I think he believes what he is saying.  I think he convinced himself that his bets were not influencing his actions.

And you know what drives me nuts?  This story is still being buried by Tiger!

Good point. This is a way way better story with way better storylines. way more newsworthy

Tiger = bad guy and lots of mistakes. We get it.

This is just wow

So many mixed emotions.

I don't really see what he did as all that scummy other than pumping buddies for info that they all talked freely about and then using it to bet without telling them

In fact I almost admire the guts it takes to not influence games with the mob breathing down his neck.

Stern's been making billions for years doing cruddy underhanded stuff. This guy makes a hundred K betting on games he's not influencing (Although Don's point and bricks's is well taken). 

This guy gets threatened by the mob and thrown in jail.

He's not a hero or anything. If he hadn't gotten caught he'd still be doing this.

But he's giving really really valuable info.

To me he's like maybe John Walker Lindh. Fell in with the wrong crowd. got caught. feels bad. Gives very very valuable info pointing at guys who are worse. No, you never get to ref anything ever again. Thanks for your service.

Well maybe not THAT bad, but I couldn't come up with something better. 

[Chris]

He was on WEEI this morning.  He really is skirting the real issue.  He is concentrating on the fact that NBA refs are biased, but refuses to acknowledge that his gambling influenced games. 

He said he was afraid that if he made calls to influence games based on his gambling, the FBI and NBA would be all over him...yet making calls based on grudges, he wouldn't get called on at all. 

The thing is, I kind of believe him...that is, I think he believes what he is saying.  I think he convinced himself that his bets were not influencing his actions.

And you know what drives me nuts?  This story is still being buried by Tiger!

Good point. This is a way way better story with way better storylines. way more newsworthy

Tiger = bad guy and lots of mistakes. We get it.

This is just wow

So many mixed emotions.

I don't really see what he did as all that scummy other than pumping buddies for info that they all talked freely about and then using it to bet without telling them

In fact I almost admire the guts it takes to not influence games with the mob breathing down his neck.

Stern's been making billions for years doing cruddy underhanded stuff. This guy makes a hundred K betting on games he's not influencing (Although Don's point and bricks's is well taken). 

This guy gets threatened by the mob and thrown in jail.

He's not a hero or anything. If he hadn't gotten caught he'd still be doing this.

But he's giving really really valuable info.

To me he's like maybe John Walker Lindh. Fell in with the wrong crowd. got caught. feels bad. Gives very very valuable info pointing at guys who are worse. No, you never get to ref anything ever again. Thanks for your service.

Well maybe not THAT bad, but I couldn't come up with something better. 

While I see a little bit where you are coming from (the refs are all corrupt anyways, might as well make some cash on it), he crossed the line when he started betting on games he was reffing.  Whether consciously or not, it is impossible to believe that he did not influence the outcome of those games based on his bets.  This guy is pure scum. 

[Eja117]

I can totally see that line of thinking, but if a guy tells me he didn't do it, and then both the FBI and the NBA (who probably wants this guy to have an unfortunate accident now) both come to the same conclusion then I don't know.

I'm not sure that every single conflict of interest always has to have a bad outcome.

The Popovich ejection is a good piece of evidence. If he does that with money on the line and the mob on his back I'm not sure I can say he did it in statistically significant amounts

[ssspence]

To me there's a simple point here: If you believe Donaghy’s story has a shred of truth, i.e. that he didn’t feel he HAD to influence games in order to have a very good shot at picking a winner, and therefore in order to avoid suspicion he choose to avoid it (or if we’re skeptical that he actually did, that he TRIED to avoid game changing calls when he could because he felt his colleagues would make them in the direction he estimated anyway), then there is an investigation here that needs to be conducted.

I mean ~~ does anyone really doubt that NBA officials maintain grudges against players, coaches, teams and owners? And is it so hard to believe that the NBA – carefully – looks to promote specific players and teams through its officials? Neither seems like a stretch to me, especially when you consider that lack of checks and balances previously mentioned here.

[fairweatherfan]

A good TrueHoop post shows that at least some of Donaghy's claims about Bavetta don't statistically hold up:

http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/11341/tim-donaghys-tale-of-dick-bavetta

Specifically there's no evidence that Bavetta deliberately biases his calls to tighten up blowouts.  Doesn't mean Donaghy doesn't believe it himself, but the data's not there.

[Eja117]

Am I dreaming or in theory could nearly anyone now use many of the claims this guy is making to pick like 80% accurately who will win?

I guess if everyone used it the spreads would change.

[Chris]

Am I dreaming or in theory could nearly anyone now use many of the claims this guy is making to pick like 80% accurately who will win?

I guess if everyone used it the spreads would change.

If I remember correctly, there is a website with most of this information.

[Eja117]

One other thing about this guy. he may be a scum bag, but he is nowhere near the biggest scum bag in the NBA or in sports or in the history of the league. Not even close.

[ssspence]

A good TrueHoop post shows that at least some of Donaghy's claims about Bavetta don't statistically hold up:

http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/11341/tim-donaghys-tale-of-dick-bavetta

Specifically there's no evidence that Bavetta deliberately biases his calls to tighten up blowouts.  Doesn't mean Donaghy doesn't believe it himself, but the data's not there.

I was just about to post this: TP. There's also in interesting Bob Lea interview with Broussard and Abbott on the subject:

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=4722784&categoryid=2459788

[Chris]

One other thing about this guy. he may be a scum bag, but he is nowhere near the biggest scum bag in the NBA or in sports or in the history of the league. Not even close.

Perhaps...although he may be the biggest one that was caught red handed...well, other than Donald Sterling.

[Eja117]

One other thing about this guy. he may be a scum bag, but he is nowhere near the biggest scum bag in the NBA or in sports or in the history of the league. Not even close.

Perhaps...although he may be the biggest one that was caught red handed...well, other than Donald Sterling.

Speaking of hands...Spree!