Stern Has Some Splaining to Do

We now have information that Donaghy made over 100 calls to a fellow ref before games and after speaking with a bookimaker. So I am sorry Mr. Stern, I do not believe you. I am not much of a conspiracy theorists in that I think the league orchestrates wins or losses. That takes too many people to be involved for it to be true. But what I have always believed is that refs can make it "more difficult" for one team to win than the other. This was further substantiated in my mind when I watched the Kings - Lakers series where the Lakers shot was seemed to be an endless amount of free-throws to come back in a series and a game where they appeared to be out manned. That was the same series where Mike Bibby got elbowed in the face by Kobe Bryant and yet the call went against Bibby. I watched that series thinking to myself that something just was not right. Again, the problem with Stern is that he fights against what most people already know is true. People in the NBA acknowledge that certain players get away with certain things. There are "rookie" calls and "veteran" calls. Two teams will play in a playoff series and the free throw advantage swings based upon who is playing at home. You can not convince me that teams play "that" much different at home or away where teams at home enjoy +15 free throw advantages. Put it to you this way; when the fans and media can accurately predict that a home team will get more calls once they get home then there is a problem with that. What David Stern needs to do is first admit he has a problem. He needs to attack the NBA "fix" perception as intensely as he attacked the NBA's supposed "hip hop" image. He attacked the "hip hop" problem with vigor and passion because he saw it as a threat to his product being taken seriously. If he wants the NBA to not be the joke that a lot of fans consider it to be, then he needs to address this issue. Do I think that the league is fixed? No I do not. But what I do believe is that the NBA promotes an environment of unfairness based upon who is marketable, popular, and what makes the most business sense. Ironically, the NFL does no such thing. What makes the NFL so much more fun to watch each year in comparison to the NBA is that every year someone like the Saints (from 2 years ago) or the Giants has the chance to make some noise. The officials allowed the corners from New York to play Randy Moss like they play Santana Moss (a lesser known player) and as a result it gave the Giants a great chance to win. In other words, it creates TRUE competition and not a false sense of greatness from individual players who do not need help (does Lebron really need the officials help?). Unless David Stern can acknowledge there is a problem and do something to fix the issue, it may be time for the NBA to have a different leader at the top.