AJC > Sports > Hawks > Blog > Archives > 2008 > June > 10
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
What in the name of Donaghy … ?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
SMYRNA - Let me make sure I have this right.
A former whistle blower is blowing the whistle on the league, upstaging the NBA’s showcase event?
The timing couldn’t have been better for all of (us) conspiracy theorists who believe that the NBA’s venerable men in striped shirts should be wearing straight jackets or orange jumpsuits, depending on your view of the repeated transgressions of the NBA’s platoon of Keystone cops known as game officials.
The folks at Mediatakeout and TMZ couldn’t make up a better scenario than this, especially for the goons like me that love a good publicity train wreck.
I don’t care if there isn’t a shred of truth to the trash disgraced former official Tim Donaghy is tossing around as he heads to what could be a long nap in a federal freezer for his role in the gambling scandal that rocked the league last summer. And there’s no doubt that dude is a scoundrel.
But isn’t the whistle blower/rat/snitch always a bit of a scoundrel anyway?
The mere suggestion that (two) playoff games were being fixed by the league is enough to stir up the masses. I know it makes watching tonight’s Game 3 between the Celtics and Lakers that much more intriguing for me (the idea of watching Joey Crawford and Bennett Salvatore instead of the Hollywood starlets that are sure to fill up the seats around the STAPLES Center floor is truly one of my saddest moments to date).
But it has to be done. It’s our duty as basketball lovers, NBA watchers and citizens of sports nation to cast a skeptical eye on all that we’ll see from here on out. And tell me you aren’t waiting on Donaghy’s tell all book (Scott Mcwho)?
The pitiful free throw discrepancy from Game 2 (38-10 Celtics) in Boston only fuels the conspiracy theories out there (folks can say what they want, the Celtics have been the clear cut aggressor in this series and they’ve owned the sweet spot - the paint - in this series from the start and that has been the most glaring defense in this series).
And speaking of conspiracy theories, is there a better racket going than the experience-free coaching carousel that’s currently churning out three-year, $7 million contracts in Chicago (Vinny Del Negro) and Detroit (Michael Curry)?
The next time someone complains about overblown salaries for young players that haven’t proved themselves remind them that Del Negro and Curry, two swell cats I’m sure, have a total of one combined season of coaching experience going into their first training camps in the fall.
And that brings us to our regularly scheduled update on the status of Hawks coach Mike Woodson, who as of this writing still has not come to terms with the Hawks on a new contract.
What must he be thinking with all this cash (and these years) being bestowed upon not just head coaching but coaching neophytes?
He might not even keep his job and these guys are cashing in like they led a team to a surprising seven-game run in the first round of the playoffs against a team that is two wins away from winning the NBA title.
I’m not losing sleep for anyone involved, mind you, but I do think it is extremely interesting to watch how things play out every year when teams blow up whatever they have to take what they believe will be steps forward.
So the Bulls dumped Scott Skiles for Del Negro and they’re supposed to be better? I have a hard time seeing this come to fruition. But I’m prepared to be wrong (it happens).
The Hawks’ inactivity since Rick Sund took over is getting dangerously close to the exhaustingly slow process that has plagued this organization the past three and a half years I’ve been here to witness their operation.
Woodson’s either your guy or he’s not. It’s really that simple. You’re either prepared to move forward with him or without him. Why prolong the inevitable, whatever it is?
It’s the same achingly slow process as the summer of 2005, when the Joe Johnson deal took forever (in NBA parlance) to get done and it came to light later, obviously, that it wasn’t just basketball as usual (there was a little ownership feud that came to light then).
It’s the same achingly slow process as the summer of 2006, when the Hawks took three months to finalize a sign-and-trade for Al Harrington that should have taken days to complete (Harrington aired out the franchise after the fact for telling him one thing and doing another, a wound that still hasn’t healed for the former Hawks captain).
We got a reprieve last summer, the luck of the lottery and those two top 11 picks that came with it made everything seem a bit smoother. And no one can complain with the returns on Al Horford’s first year in the league (Acie Law IV’s on the other hand …).
I’m already nervous about what’s (not) going on right now. We’re what six weeks, and counting, removed from the Hawks’ coming out party in the playoffs and Billy Knight’s replacement has been on the job for roughly two weeks and the coaching staff is still walking around without any definitive answers on their future (though I expect some defections by at least a couple of Woodson’s assistants no matter what happens).
Those Disney plans for next month have already been scrapped (did I mention the free agent circus that will commence July 1 when Josh Smith and Josh Childress get to do the rubber chicken routine around the league?).
Every summer, including last summer, the Hawks went into training camp with lingering questions about the roster and how it would be filled out. Why? Because they handle business on ASP time (that’s Atlanta Spirit People time).
Billy Knight balked at another year of living that life and bolted after being extended a one-year offer to continue that existence.
Might Woodson follow if he’s extended a similar offer?
I wonder.
Anyway, after our usual 45-minute buildup it’s almost game time. I’m going to settle in and see if I can spot some of the treachery Donaghy alleges goes on in these playoff games.
