Donaghy: it would be "very, very difficult" for the Blazers to win a championship

http://wweek.com/editorial/3626/13989/

You know, just, fuck it.

 

Sad. I love this game and the Blazers, but it wears on me knowing that the refs have such a huge influence on NBA games.

Can't wait for college football season.

 

ugh.....

 

"Sad" sums it up more than any thing. I'm pissed about it, I've BEEN pissed about it, but it's just damn sad that my favorite team of all teams in all likely hood will not be allowed to win a title again.

 

And I didn't need Donaghy to tell me this! It's obvious! He just put the nail in the coffin.

 

Well clearly there is only one way for the NBA to counter this accusation. Shall we size up the rings now or wait till next June?

 

Thats the one I have felt for a while. Roy is not, nor will he ever be, a NBA SUPERSTAR, thus Portland will not win a title with this team. Its sad, but until Stern is gone it is the truth.

 

Do you guys find Donaghy credible? I do.

 

I don't know if I find him credible. But I find what he says interesting, and perplexing. Not sure how to take it. You have to understand he is looking for a way to make money now because he can't get a job anywhere. So by doing interviews and such, he makes money. At the same time, a lot of what he says is true.

For instance, last night when Phoenix was playing San Antonio, I am sure Tim Duncan was thrilled when Joey Crawford came out to ref the game. The same Joey Crawford that challenged Duncan to a fight and was suspended for his actions against the Spurs.

 

This article makes me sad.

And while TD is far from a guy with good character, I tend to believe him more than I do Stern. As far as I can tell, none of the policy changes that Stern promised after this story first broke have been implemented (greater transparency, etc.). In fact, I remember reading Stern actually loosened the gambling policies amongst referees, saying the old policies were outdated.

While I think TD was simply stroking Portland's collective ego by saying we may have been the better team, I really don't think he has anything to gain by lying anymore. I also find it hard to believe that he was the ONLY referee who caved to the Mafia's pressure. I'm sure he isn't the only one they approached.

 

It's not hard to see that some refs had bad memories with certain players and ultimately, the city itself.

Crawford and Javie will do whatever it takes to aggravate this franchise just because.

Also, superstar calls are blatantly obvious. Our very own Roy gets these calls. Unless, that is, he's playing against Lebron (the goal-tending in Cleveland comes to mind).

 

If he's lying, he has book sales and attention to gain from lying.

I don't know if I find him credible or not. The crux of the matter is that I don't know if I consider the league all that credible, either.

It's definitely disturbing to hear someone who might be giving an accurate insider's account say such things.

 

Exactly. In fact, it's quite the opposite. He has every thing to gain by being honest about every thing.

 

It would be a hell of a lot easier if the league got off their pompous throne and implemented policies to make the reffing more transparent.

It would also help if they actually made the rules less complex. There are far many calls where judgement is called into play about what is a foul and what isn't. For instance, the rules for the no charge zone have a lot of nuances they don't tell fans about. There are actually times when a player can take a charge inside the no charge zone. But it is a judgement call by the ref as to if that rare condition exists at the time, and it depends on what 2 different players on defense did as to when it is legal. I didn't know that until the other day. I am pretty sure most fans didn't either.

Do you think defenders look to see where their feet are when they go to take a charge? Do they honestly have time?

Why are contact rules different on the perimeter as to near the basket? At what point do the contact rules change?

If the rules are hard for the players to deal with and understand, they are also easier for the referee's to manipulate the end of the game outcome.

 

What Brandon Roy are you talking about? Roy does not get superstar calls whatsoever. Quite the opposite, IMO.

 

Roy is.... Joe Johnson. He's Gerald Wallace. He's Deron Williams. He's Chris Paul. He's a 2nd-tier NBA "star" who can win a team games, but can't get a team over the hump. I've said it over and over again, Portland's ONLY hope was that Greg Oden could have become the next Dwight Howard/Shaq. To be so dominate that the NBA COULDN'T ignore him. The door on that isn't completely closed, but it's barely open a sliver.

Donaghy may be a slimy, money-grubbing dirtbag, but he didn't make all that shit up. Maybe embellished some, but the core of what he says is completely believable by anyone with a brain and a memory.

 

Donaghy basically is saying what I've believed since the Stern-era was in its infancy. Detroit pounded Jordan for a few years in the playoffs, and fouls weren't called. Unsurprisingly, ratings started to decline since Bird and Magic/LA and Boston were fading. Suddenly, Detroit gets swept by the Bulls, with a large boost from a tighter game being called, and the Piston players are so upset they leave the court prior to the clinching game ending. Since then, I've viewed everything in the NBA in a jaded manner.

Donaghy, to me, is just confirming what I have always believed. It takes a truly great player/coach combo to overcome the bias, as Duncan/Pop and the Spurs were able to do 4 times.