One certainly does not want to promote disgraced NBA referee Tim Donaghy who just got out of prison after serving time for fixing games and betting one them, but this guy blew the lid off last week and the league bigwigs could find no place to hide.

Donaghy spent his time in the can writing a book that was supposed to be published by Random House. It appears the book - Blowing The Whistle: The Culture Of Fraud In The NBA - will not be published by that company, which must have liability concerns. Random House said the NBA did not pressure it into not publishing the book - of course.

It is important to note that NBA players and coaches, past and present, say what Donaghy wrote is true, whether or not what the league's front office has to say. Parts of the book have since appeared on the Internet and Donaghy confirms what bettors have suspected for a long time. Here are some of its basic allegations:

Star players do get preferential treatment and always get the benefit of the doubt. Some referees have it in for some players and coaches and give them the shaft when they call their games. Losing home teams will get favorable calls in hopes of keeping the games close. The NBA front office used certain officials to make games result in the outcome it wanted and to extend playoffs. The 2002 Western Conference finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Sacramento Kings was fixed to make sure the Lakers won. It is easy to understand why NBA Commissioner David Stern is doing everything he can to make certain this book does not see the light of day (it still will, however), because it tells the story of the life NBA bettors have lived for years.

Stern and his cronies can make all the denials they want but game six of the 2002 Western Conference finals was so obviously fixed to make certain the Lakers won it that it stands as a monument to the arrogance and greed of those who run the game.

To jog your memory a bit, the Lakers won that game 106-102 only because the referees made it possible. Sacramento was dominating, so the officials took over and in the fourth quarter along Los Angeles shot 27 free throws and scored 16 of its last 18 points from the charity stripe. The most outrageous call of all - and the one single call that told bettors what was happening - came late in the game when Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant elbowed and pushed the Kings Mike Bibby, and a foul was called on Bibby. Officiating in that game was so crooked, consumer advocate Ralph Nader and some members of congress demanded an investigation, which the FBI conducted and - most certainly - found no wrong-doing.

The NBA lied and the feds said, "amen". The Lakers returned to Los Angeles and won game seven, advancing to the NBA finals, where they again prevailed while giving the NBA the television ratings boost it desperately needed. If anything good may come out of this unpublished book, the NBA is on notice the world knows what is happening and is not going to buy it anymore. It must be remembered that NBA players and coaches say what Donaghy has written is absolutely true - that they or fellow players have been through it all.

Kevin McHale, a former Boston Celtic great and now an NBA analyst for TNT, says he remembers is first year with playing on the Celtic team that featured Larry Bird. "I got up to do what I think is a good block, and they blow the whistle," McHale said. "They yell, 'foul on number 32". I said, '32? You mean 33? The foul was actually on Bird and the referee says to me, "You want Larry to have three or you to have one? I said, my foul." The spotlight is on these folks. Now, let's see what happens because of the story that just won't go away.
 

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