What do you really want Stern to do?

[Lrenfro]

If Stern admits there is a problem especialy if he admits there is superstar treatment, then the Jordan's and Kobe's and Birds suddanly loose status. If he does or says nothing then he Stern looses trust and the league will forever be suspect even more so now and will ineveitably loose fans and money.

[AHF]

I do think the mob bribery scenario is a one-time problem unless the net spreads wider and we will have to wait and see on that one. Either way, I don't think that is a systemic problem that the NBA has knowingly allowed or encouraged.

In terms of the superstar calls, I think that is an entirely different issue. I have hoped for a while that the NBA would try harder to address this one.

I don't exactly like the way the choices are worded here, but I would like to see Stern address the superstar calls behind the scenes and hold out Donahue's problems as an isolated incident.

[AtLaS]

I think he should just come down hard on Donaghy. I doubt there were many more involved, if any, simply because it's hard for me to believe more than 1 was involved with the mob. Although it is still possible that they were getting a cut, but again, there is nothing Stern can do if there is no proof or allegations against others..

[sturt]

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I do think the mob bribery scenario is a one-time problem unless the net spreads wider and we will have to wait and see on that one. Either way, I don't think that is a systemic problem that the NBA has knowingly allowed or encouraged.

In terms of the superstar calls, I think that is

an entirely different issue

. I have hoped for a while that the NBA would try harder to address this one.

I don't exactly like the way the choices are worded here, but I would like to see Stern address the superstar calls behind the scenes and hold out Donahue's problems as an isolated incident.

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"Entirely?"

They're different, and I'm glad you've indicated that difference.

Ya know what I'd like to see?

I'd like to find out that there's about a dozen refs who've been involved over the last 20 years.

Why?

Because THAT way, there'd be an explanation... and THAT way, a big part of the problem would be simply a matter of getting rid of them.

It won't be that easy, though.

To the contrary, all that the situation probably will do is give some of us who've been complaining slightly greater credibility and to, for a short while, put a spotlight on how far NBA refs have gotten away from calling a game "on its merits."

Not a pessimist by nature, but there's already too many people excusing everything away, imo... ESPN radio guy (was it Gottlieb subbing for Patrick yesterday) was going on and on about how brave Stern was and how straight-up he'd been... it made me too ill to listen and I turned it off.

[Diesel]

Now is a time for Stern to step up and change some things... and make the league more transparent. I think instead of passing the buck, Stern needs to suggest that the refs have been bad recently and start with preferential Star treatment. IF he gets rid of that and home court calls and take basketball back to a fairly officiated game, then maybe just maybe, the fans would come back in groves.

[AHF]

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I do think the mob bribery scenario is a one-time problem unless the net spreads wider and we will have to wait and see on that one. Either way, I don't think that is a systemic problem that the NBA has knowingly allowed or encouraged.

In terms of the superstar calls, I think that is

an entirely different issue

. I have hoped for a while that the NBA would try harder to address this one.

I don't exactly like the way the choices are worded here, but I would like to see Stern address the superstar calls behind the scenes and hold out Donahue's problems as an isolated incident.

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"Entirely?"

They're different, and I'm glad you've indicated that difference.

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Yep. Entirely different, IMO.

[sturt]

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I do think the mob bribery scenario is a one-time problem unless the net spreads wider and we will have to wait and see on that one. Either way, I don't think that is a systemic problem that the NBA has knowingly allowed or encouraged.

In terms of the superstar calls, I think that is

an entirely different issue

. I have hoped for a while that the NBA would try harder to address this one.

I don't exactly like the way the choices are worded here, but I would like to see Stern address the superstar calls behind the scenes and hold out Donahue's problems as an isolated incident.

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"Entirely?"

They're different, and I'm glad you've indicated that difference.

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Yep. Entirely different, IMO.

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I'd call it "strongly related, but separate."

Gonaghy, in my view, gives us reason to talk about bad officiating, gambling, and corruption, and any possible intersection of the three.

But, to your view, all of us plus the columnists (ESPN.com, SI.com, Yahoo) who've been writing about the dire state of NBA officiating over the last 2-3 days have been writing about an "entirely" separate issue?

I'm not sure I know what you mean, AHF.

[frosgrim]

I am not entirely sure how this would be implemented, and my brain is a little fuzzy from working on statistics for the past four days straight, but does anyone have an idea about how to reduce the influence of the refs on the game?

One thing that I am thinking is a play-on rule, where if fouls aren't called within a time frame, it can't be called. I know that sometimes refs just get a brain-freeze or loose the whistle for a second and can't make the call immediately, but if there is a time framework (two seconds?) then maybe the flow of the game will increase.

Second, the touch fouls need to be addressed. I can't stand that fouls are called when the offensive player kicks his leg out or uses his hip to initiate contact with a defensive player. That should either be a non-call, or an offensive foul. I would prefer a non-call.

I guess, what I am trying to say is that the refs need to stop calling as many fouls as they do. It seems like fouls in the NBA are like holding in the NFL, it happens on every play, its just when or if its called.

[AHF]

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I do think the mob bribery scenario is a one-time problem unless the net spreads wider and we will have to wait and see on that one. Either way, I don't think that is a systemic problem that the NBA has knowingly allowed or encouraged.

In terms of the superstar calls, I think that is

an entirely different issue

. I have hoped for a while that the NBA would try harder to address this one.

I don't exactly like the way the choices are worded here, but I would like to see Stern address the superstar calls behind the scenes and hold out Donahue's problems as an isolated incident.

---

"Entirely?"

They're different, and I'm glad you've indicated that difference.

---

Yep. Entirely different, IMO.

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I'd call it "strongly related, but separate."

Gonaghy, in my view, gives us reason to talk about bad officiating, gambling, and corruption, and any possible intersection of the three.

But, to your view, all of us plus the columnists (ESPN.com, SI.com, Yahoo) who've been writing about the dire state of NBA officiating over the last 2-3 days have been writing about an "entirely" separate issue?

I'm not sure I know what you mean, AHF.

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Here is what I mean.

Both the issues we have seen with NBA officiating over the years and the recent revelation of bribery of an NBA official deal with officials and involve the topic of officiating in the NBA.

However, the issue of the mob influence and outright doctoring of games by a single official is entirely different and independent from the issues with NBA officiating over the years.

It may be a platform from which to jump into the topic of more broadbased reformation of officiating in the game but the bribery and corruption of this ref does not have anything to do with favoritism towards NBA stars, non-enforcement of walking/palming violations, etc.

It is like a police force that has not enforced speeding laws and has made a mockery of them for years and then finding out that the mob has been paying off one of them for turning a blind eye to mob crime. Both things may be problems but there isn't a connection between one topic and the other.

[Lrenfro]

I am glad you brought the fouls up. What is a foul? Looked it up on NBA.com and they give it as:

"A common personal foul is illegal physical contact which occurs with an opponent

after the ball has become live or before the horn sounds to end the period."

"Blocking is illegal personal contact which impedes the progress of an opponent"

"An offensive foul is illegal contact, committed by an offensive player, after the ball is

live and there is team control."

I guess my question now is what is "legal contact"? How much room for error does this leave us?

[Lascar78]

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Yep. Entirely different, IMO.

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Exactly. That's what I'm trying to tell these people.

That doesn't mean there aren't other problems, but they are entirely separate.