MVN - Most Valuable Network

Winds blowing: Bulls win lotto, ripping up the Nets and Stern v. Donaghy

You’ve heard of the phrase, “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.” Well, that is the theme of the day here. The Sixers enter the offseason in position to make some moves, but the competition never rests.

The draft lottery convened in New Jersey on this Tuesday in May. The Sixers were no longer sending Billy King and his unlucky socks to the event. This time, Sixers fans could sit back and see which opponents would be employing the likes of Derrick Rose and Michael Beasley next year.

Despite long odds, the Chicago Bulls and the Miami Heat took the top two spots in the draft pecking order. This is a scary proposition for the rest of the Eastern Conference. Both teams were projected to make the playoffs this year and compete for the title before falling off the map. With the top picks in the draft, they should bounce back quickly and compete for the playoffs next season.

Meanwhile, Ed Stefanski’s former team is reportedly looking to shake up the team and trade for Denver Nuggets star Carmelo Anthony. They are supposedly offering Richard Jefferson, Marcus Williams and the tenth pick of the draft in a packaged deal. The enigma known as Vince Carter might also be available. Interestingly, Stefanski locked him up to a long-term deal last summer.

Speaking of enemies and keeping close, disgraced referee Tim Donaghy’s lawyer - John Lauro - made some noise today with these statements. Of course, the NBA president of league and basketball operations - Joel Litvin - and David Stern fired back with a rebuttal. Stern’s camp offered to interview both Lauro and Donaghy to “air grievances” (my words, not an actual quote). What is this, Festivus?

Image details: NBA Referee Enters Plea In Gambling Case served by picapp.com

Despite all the posturing going back and forth between Donaghy and Stern, the reality that officiating still hasn’t improved much in these playoffs really gives Lauro’s comments some credibility. Essentially, relationships (coaches, referees and players) affect the outcome of the games. Here is Lauro’s response to the NBA’s acceptance of this fact:

“Rather than seeking to implement much-needed reforms, the NBA has chosen instead to attack the messenger. Following a thorough and exhaustive investigation, federal law enforcement officials have concluded that Tim [Donaghy] provided honest and trustworthy assistance to them…If the NBA takes issue with any of Tim’s cooperation, then perhaps it should release the results of an internal investigation conducted by its counsel over the last year.”

Stern remains adamant that Donaghy was the only referee committing felonies, but we’re concerned about more than criminal activity here. It’s about the integrity of the game. This was a great season for the league with plenty of compelling story lines to help rebound from a struggling image, but for the league to build on that momentum, the long-term concerns needed to be addressed. With league officials dismissing Lauro’s statements today, I’m not so sure if that actually was accomplished.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 20th, 2008 at 9:45 pm and is filed under Derrick Rose, 2008 NBA Draft, Michael Beasley, Tim Donaghy, Billy King, Sixers, Draft Lottery, Festivus, Joel Litvin, John Lauro, Ed Stefanski, Passion and Pride, Marcus Williams, Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Nets, Chicago Bulls, Denver Nuggets, Vince Carter, Richard Jefferson, David Stern, NBA Referees, Carmelo Anthony, NBA Draft. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.