Level of trust in the league

[kraidstar]

This seems to sum it up pretty well.

So let me get this straight, this $50+b entity with thousands of partners in the US alone each with their own equity and earnings at stake will sign off on risking the firm reputation more by allowing that engagement team to knowingly sign off on a fraudulent process for what is essentially a marketing / pr engagement that will get significant popular media attention if its found out they knowingly signed off on a fraudulent process all in the name of doing what the customer wants for some reason.

Giving the customer what they want is good business actually.

Sure, if you're not subject to regulatory agencies, insurance, licensing, etc...

Nobody is regulating anything unless there are complaints.

The point people are missing here is that in this case E&Y are not an arbiter between two parties with different positions. They have one client. The NBA. There are no potential plaintiffs to worry about.

I will add that big business has become brazen in its efforts to lie and steal. I had an airline try to rip me off for a large chunk of money, and I was only eventually refunded because I filed a complaint to the DoT. This same airline has stolen from other people I know. They should be in jail.

I had a financial institution also essentially try to shake me down and violate the terms of a contract. An attempted robbery. I eventually won with the CFPB's help but not without great effort.

These are my personal anecdotes obviously. But count me among those who are skeptical that a company will police itself honestly. Businesses cut corners and do all sorts of shady things. I hear remarkable stories in my own line of work.

And, based on what I've seen with my own eyes from the NBA - and what I've heard through the grapevine from reliable sources - I'm not inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt when something highly suspicious happens.

[Birdman]

I don't know how they'd rig it, but at this point I'm suspicious.

Its behind closed doors that?s how they rig it

[Donoghus]

This seems to sum it up pretty well.

So let me get this straight, this $50+b entity with thousands of partners in the US alone each with their own equity and earnings at stake will sign off on risking the firm reputation more by allowing that engagement team to knowingly sign off on a fraudulent process for what is essentially a marketing / pr engagement that will get significant popular media attention if its found out they knowingly signed off on a fraudulent process all in the name of doing what the customer wants for some reason.

Giving the customer what they want is good business actually.

Sure, if you're not subject to regulatory agencies, insurance, licensing, etc...

Nobody is regulating anything unless there are complaints.

The point people are missing here is that in this case E&Y are not an arbiter between two parties with different positions. They have one client. The NBA. There are no potential plaintiffs to worry about.

I will add that big business has become brazen in its efforts to lie and steal. I had an airline try to rip me off for a large chunk of money, and I was only eventually refunded because I filed a complaint to the DoT. This same airline has stolen from other people I know. They should be in jail.

I had a financial institution also essentially try to shake me down and violate the terms of a contract. An attempted robbery. I eventually won with the CFPB's help but not without great effort.

These are my personal anecdotes obviously. But count me among those who are skeptical that a company will police itself honestly. Businesses cut corners and do all sorts of shady things. I hear remarkable stories in my own line of work.

And, based on what I've seen with my own eyes from the NBA - and what I've heard through the grapevine from reliable sources - I'm not inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt when something highly suspicious happens.

Sure,  but they're literally in the same industry that had Arthur Anderson.  There are serious repercussions that their partners know firsthand if fraud was involved. 

The revenue from the NBA is just a drop in the bucket to a firm like E&Y so why would they risk everything to rig a lottery for a client whose revenue is just a rather miniscule line in their general ledger?

Trust me, it looks fishy but it is really happening?

[keevsnick]

Depends on what you mean. I wouldn't say I trust any institution 100%, but for something like the NBA lottery there are too many people involved for it to be faked. It's done live in front of league and team representatives and would require the buy in of so many teams with different interests that it's impossible its fake.

Crazy unlikely scenarios happen.

[Goldstar88]

Depends on what you mean. I wouldn't say I trust any institution 100%, but for something like the NBA lottery there are too many people involved for it to be faked. It's done live in front of league and team representatives and would require the buy in of so many teams with different interests that it's impossible its fake.

Crazy unlikely scenarios happen.

Luka going to the Lakers was a crazy unlikely scenario. Then the Mavs get the #1 pick with a 1.8% chance. Another crazy unlikely scenario. Huge companies do shady things.

I mean Apple is/was spying/recording their customers with Siri. There is a $100M class action lawsuit against them. How about Wells Fargo a few years ago?

In its role as a federal watchdog, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) whacked Wells Fargo with a $3.7 billion penalty in December 2022 with $2 billion due to consumers.

Wells Fargo?s rinse-repeat cycle of violating the law has harmed millions of American families, said CFPB Director Rohit Chopra at the time. This is an important initial step for accountability and long-term reform of this repeat offender.

Wells Fargo was found to have illegally assessed fees and interest charges on auto and mortgage loans, misdirected loan payments, and wrongly repossessed consumers? cars. The bank also sprung unlawful surprise overdraft fees on its customers and tacked on other incorrect charges to checking and savings accounts.

This is not the first time the CFPB has caught Wells Fargo for foul play. In previous years, the federal watchdog penalized the banking titan for taking mortgage kickbacks, mishandling student loans, holding fake accounts, and misusing auto loans.

[Goldstar88]

Wembanyama to the Spurs was another one that seemed too convenient. People believe that Silver would let him go to a city like Detroit? Spurs were a perfect fit for him and he wanted to go there. Wemby is likely the face of the league in a few years. Too much money on the line to leave it up to chance.

Before the 2023 NBA Draft Lottery, Victor Wembanyama expressed strong interest in being drafted by the San Antonio Spurs. He stated that he would have chosen the Spurs if given the opportunity. He also mentioned the "Spurs' culture" as a key factor in his preference, highlighting their expectations, work ethic, and the new training center.