It’s David Stern’s worst nightmare, times about a million: The return of the Tim Donaghy story, with new, sordid details that implicate more than a dozen NBA officials.
According to Boston’s 7Sports, Donaghy was one of 13 referees involved in the sports betting scandal that rocked the sport in the summer of 2008.
Remember when Stern called Donaghy a “rogue” official, acting alone? If this report proves true, Stern would have less credibility in his sport than the Warren Commission report does with conspiracy theorists. We’re just not sure how the Commish could survive something like this, given his emphatic public pronouncements in the matter.
For now of course, that’s getting way ahead of things. None of this stuff has been proven and at this point the report is based on a source, so it could ultimately be proven untrue. Still, it’s not premature to speculate on the fallout if such accusations are factual.
And, you’ll remember, this story does have a strong Philadelphia connection. Donaghy, you’ll remember, is Philly born and bred, and the encounter detailed in 7Sports’ story takes place before a 76ers-Celtics game at the Wachovia Center.
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Since we’ve already mentioned the Sixers, we might as well keep going.
This is a difficult team to like right now. The defense stinks, particularly on the perimeter (surprise!), and the offense is a complete mess. Andre Iguodala is in the midst of a deep shooting slump (is he playing out of position?), Elton Brand looks lost at times and Sammy Dalembert is still Sammy Dalembert.
And if that’s not all, the two bright spots of the season are on the injured list: Marreese Speights and Lou Williams. Speights is recuperating from an MCL strain and will be out a few more weeks, while Williams broke his jaw in last night’s 108-107 loss at Washington.
Other than that, they really look like a contender.
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