ADAM GREEN

NBA has a conspiracy problem

May 31, 2012, 5:59 PM | Updated: 6:17 pm

It’s tough to find a Suns fan who doesn’t think the NBA is
fixed in some way.

Whether it’s officiating some feel continually allowed the
Spurs to knock their team out of the playoffs, suspensions
that many think cost them a shot at a title, or a draft
lottery system that has never — and I mean never — gone
Phoenix’s way, many on Planet Orange hold true to the
notion that what Commissioner Stern wants, Commissioner
Stern gets. And unfortunately for the Valley, he never
seems to want good things to happen for the Suns.

Amazingly, there are many around the country who feel the
same way about Stern and their teams, and the idea came to
the forefront Wednesday night when the league-run Hornets
won the NBA’s Draft Lottery, securing a chance to draft
Kentucky game-changer Anthony Davis.

Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski wrote
an excellent-yet-disturbing article following about the
subject, quoting team officials in the process. Most
worrisome:

“I bet I could get my owner to tank if I knew the chance
of getting the No. 1 pick was 100 percent,” an NBA team
president said in an email.

Well, maybe not the Suns, who we know want absolutely
nothing to do with tanking, but that’s not the point. Most
fans would suffer through a horrible season if it meant a
franchise player would be coming their way the following
summer, though the caveat against the practice is the fact
that there is no guarantee the top pick will be heading
your way.

The Hornets were a bad team this year — bad enough to
land the top
pick. They had the third-worst record in
basketball and thus good odds to end up picking first. And
like the “birthers” who steadfastly maintain President
Obama was not born in the U.S., there is no way the
Hornets could have won the lottery — legit or otherwise –
– that would have satisfied the conspiracy theorists.

From the Wojnarowski piece:

The reaction of several league executives was part
disgust, part resignation on Wednesday night. So many had
predicted this happening, so many suspected that somehow,
someway, the Hornets would walk away with Davis.

Our very own Vince Marotta predicted it,
tweeting out that his pick to win was the Hornets as “a
thank you to Tom Benson for taking the team off the
league’s hands.”

If the lottery was indeed rigged, it likely
wouldn’t be the first time. The Knicks won in 1985,
allowing them to draft Patrick Ewing,
the Orlando Magic won in 1993 (giving them back-to-back
top picks), the Bulls have won twice (including when they
had a 1.7 percent chance to do so in 2008), LeBron James
managed to stay put in Ohio and the Grizzlies, oh those
poor Grizzlies, have consistently finished second.

Always the bridesmaid, never the bride. And, apparently,
never a team Stern has cared too much about.

Is something sinister amiss?

If perception is reality the NBA has a big problem on its
hands. If its own employees and fans believe there is
something shady happening, things can and will go south in
a hurry. The “fixers” may be the minority, but they’re
vocal and easy to side with.

However, that does not mean the lottery is rigged or the
NBA, as a whole, is fixed. One would not be able to prove
it was anyway, because as any reasonable person knows,
it’s pretty tough to prove a negative.

That’s not to say everyone is trying.

CBSSports.com basketball
writer Matt Moore
writes that the lottery is not
rigged.

“There is a ton to not like about the NBA,
a lot of instances where the league manipulates conditions
to be favorable toward what they want. But this? This is
like the X-Files, if the X-Files were stupid and badly
conceived, then completely overdramatic.”

Is the truth out there? Yes.

But it’s up to the NBA to find a way to get it out in the
public, because what they’re doing now clearly isn’t
working.

Comments

Comment guidelines: No name-calling, personal attacks, profanity, or insults. Please keep the conversation civil and help us moderate comments by reporting abuse.
comments powered by Disqus

Adam Green

Arizona Diamondbacks starter Zack Greinke adjusts his cap between pitches against the Colorado Rock...

Adam Green

Concerned about Zack Greinke? Yes, I am

It's early, yes, but Zack Greinke's struggles this season are unexpected and concerning.

8 years ago

Arizona Cardinals linebacker Chandler Jones, who was acquired in a trade with the New England Patri...

Adam Green

Chandler Jones is the most exciting addition in Arizona Cardinals history

The Cardinals added Chandler Jones not to make them good, but to get them to the Super Bowl.

8 years ago

Arizona Diamondbacks pitchers Zack Greinke and Patrick Corbin (46) prepare to hit during a spring t...

Adam Green

Money, expectations change the game for Diamondbacks

If the Diamondbacks are concerned about big heads due to being "offseason winners," they need look no further than to a division rival as a cautionary tale.

8 years ago

Phoenix Suns' P.J. Tucker (17) and Devin Booker (1) react to a foul call during the second half of ...

Adam Green

Who knew the Suns bottoming out could feel so terrible?

While the Phoenix Suns being bad may actually be a very good thing, the way they have hit the bottom is difficult to stomach.

8 years ago

Arizona Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians watches during the second half of an NFL football game ag...

Adam Green

Trust leads to Arians’ aggressive approach with Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals had just coughed up a 14-point fourth quarter lead and had the ball at their own 16 with just 58 seconds left in a tied game.

8 years ago

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, left, greets Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palm...

Adam Green

Cardinals show road to NFC West title goes through Glendale

Prior to the game there was plenty of talk about how the Cardinals had yet to beat a winning team and were not nearly as good as their record may have indicated.

8 years ago

NBA has a conspiracy problem