Indicted former referee Tim Donaghy’s claim that the NBA told him and other refs to influence the outcome of some playoff games was met with skepticism by former Rockets head coach Jeff Van Gundy.
Van Gundy was fined a record $100,000 in 2005 for saying he was told by an NBA executive the complaints of Dallas owner Mark Cuban had led to extra scrutiny on Yao in Games 3 and 4 of that series and for refusing to reveal the source of his information.
Cuban said at the time he had demonstrated nine examples of illegal screens set by Yao and Dikembe Mutombo in the series’ first two games. Yao was called for a crucial offensive foul for an illegal screen late in Game 4 of that series, won by the Mavericks in seven games.
Donaghy’s attorney cited that scrutiny of Yao as an example of the NBA’s manipulating the results of a playoff series to increase revenue, a conclusion Van Gundy disputed.
“I don’t think for an instant games were manipulated to extend the series or for financial reasons,” Van Gundy said. “I told the truth then, so to me this has no impact. I certainly don’t want to give any credibility to Tim Donaghy, because he lost his credibility the moment he started sharing inside information about the NBA game with people who could profit from it.”
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“Let’s face it, how I went about it, that wasn’t the right thing,” Van Gundy said. “But I don’t regret for an instant … not sharing who told me. I still won’t do it today.
“Dallas had every right to voice complaints to the league office. Every team does that. To me, what a better system would be, if you get complaints and you look into complaints, for the league to immediately contact the team complained about and tell them what the complaint was and whether it was right or wrong.
“To me, the transparency of the process could be much greater so both teams know the outcome of their decision about whatever plays were in question.
“I believe (the fine) was unjust then, and I believe it was unjust now.”
Van Gundy is now a TV analyst for NBA games, and may well want to coach again some day, so if one were conspiratorially-minded, one could note that he has nothing to gain and much to lose by agreeing with Donaghy. Even still, I see no reason to doubt his sincerity. Donaghy isn’t credible, and it’s just hard to imagine that such a conspiracy could have been kept secret for this long. Unless someone less compromised comes forward to corroborate Donaghy’s story, I don’t think it’s going anywhere.
As it happens, not only is no one stepping forward to agree with Donaghy, more people are disputing his story.
NBA referee Bob Delaney, one of three referees to work Game 6 of the 2002 Western Conference finals, told Bob Ley in an interview for ESPN’s “Outside The Lines First Report” that he has never been contacted by NBA or federal investigators concerning allegations by former referee Tim Donaghy that two referees in that game intended to assure that series went seven games.
Delaney, a highly-decorated former New Jersey State trooper, said: “This is not the first time a known or convicted criminal has lied about me before the judicial system. I have an extensive law enforcement background and still train police officers. I have dealt with criminals and informants, and I know full well they are capable of doing and saying anything. I cannot comment any further without permission from the NBA.”
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On Wednesday, [then-Sacramento Kings forwward Scot] Pollard dismissed the idea of a conspiracy among referees because it’s too big a secret to keep for this long. And he portrayed Donaghy as a criminal willing to say anything to save himself.
“For a guy that wasn’t at that game, didn’t ref that game, to come out and say that, and in the situation he’s in, I guess you could kind of say you could equate that to Charles Manson saying something about the Boston Strangler,” Pollard said. “He’s in the business, but he doesn’t really have a lot of credibility. He wasn’t there.”
Lamell McMorris, head of the NBA referees union, also questioned Donaghy’s motivation and credibility.
“Tim Donaghy has had honesty and credibility issues from the get-go,” McMorris said in a prepared statement. “He is a convicted felon who has not yet been sentenced for the criminal conduct he has already admitted to. He may be willing to say anything to help his cause and he may believe these most recent allegations will help his agenda. I’m not aware of any improper conduct by any current NBA referee in the playoffs six years ago or any conspiracy by the NBA to affect the outcome of any game then or now. Frankly we’re tired of Tim Donaghy’s cat and mouse games.”
I figure this story will blow over in a couple of days, though it will never really go away. As King Kaufman said, it’s just plausible enough to make people think it could be true, and that’s a real problem for the NBA. I hope they do more than just point out that Donaghy is a fraud.