My solution to this NBA mess

Date June 12, 2008

I used to love watching NBA basketball. While I must admit that basketball has not been the same after a few heartbreaks from my beloved Mavs, I came to a shocking realization today - I actually enjoy watching basketball in the late 90s (when the Mavs sucked) than in the last few years. While I have previously voiced my opinion on this controversy, I think this situation has come to a breaking point now. Credible or not, Tim Donaghy’s claims has received enough attention from the media to, in my opinion, seriously damage the league’s image. If Mr. Donaghy’s claims are absolutely baseless, as David Stern and Bob Delaney (whom I regard as one of the better refs in the league) asserts, then there shouldn’t have been any media coverage of this story. But after game 2 of this years finals, that was the perfect storm for this story to come out. And if the league wants to put away the slightest doubt in this PR nightmare, I have a solution.

Like Phil Jackson, I think it starts with an independent body that will be responsible for the refs. This body will have the authority to assign, review and, if necessary, discipline, the refs based on its own NBA-independent policies. This body would not have to provide complete transparency (in order to protect the refs), but enough transparency to give the PR image of integrity as opposed to complete blindness right now. A few PR events that shows how refs get ready for the game in the film room, how they review their performance, a few workshops, etc., etc. I don’t think that’s anything outrageous or impossible, just give the fans a few glimpse of how things work.

We’ll see what David Stern and Stu Jackson tries to do to put out this fire. Based on their decision history, they will probably just let this thing blow over and keep this cloud in the back of fan’s mind.

Category Posted in News/Events

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