Van Gundy right or wrong?

[Champbaileystopsmoss]

According to an NBA press release, its commissioner soon will have another tenant and 100K to play with.

Van Gundy, whose Houston Rockets trail the Dallas Mavericks after five, first-round playoff games, achieved this address change by suggesting that undue influence is alive and well in Stern's league.

Specifically, he announced that an unnamed refereeing crony told him the league's officials — motivated by signature caterwauling from Mavs owner Mark Cuban — were carefully monitoring potential rules violations committed by 7-foot-5 Rockets center Yao Ming.

Like Cuban, Van Gundy — a terrific coach, by the way — has a history of crowing in regard to perceived officiating slights.

It's a skill that evolved through natural means. Before reaching junior high school, Jeff lived in a region of Northern California referred to as the whine country.

We're not sure which whine Van Gundy prefers these days, but it seems to go with chicken and fishy commentary.

The claim that league officials are in rules-enforcement cahoots regarding a particular player is particularly galling to Stern, who rewarded Van Gundy with the largest coach-related fine in league history.

According to NBA historians, Van Gundy's claim represents an unsavory suggestion unmatched by an NBA coach since Phil Jackson revealed that Kobe Bryant may have performed rope-a-dope tactics in high school.

But before taking a closer look at Van Gundy-gate, let's examine other NBA conspiracy issues that this particular incident reminds us of.


The envelope please
In 1985, conspiracy theorists insisted the league had rigged the NBA draft lottery to allow the downtrodden New York Knicks to select Georgetown powerhouse Patrick Ewing.

This allegedly was accomplished by freezing an envelope that contained the Knicks logo, providing Stern with the tactile ability to cheat on New York's behalf.

That, for the record, seems preposterous. Everyone knows the only envelope capable of sustaining such a level of cold usually holds my Visa statement.


Plenty of people think the Knicks winning the draft lottery so they can select Patrick Ewing was more than convenient. (Noren Trotman / Getty Images)



The coasts are favorites
Many etiquette watchdogs believe the NBA would prefer that the Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks reach The Finals every year. Based on market size, a Lakers-Knicks series would, in theory, generate tremendous television interest in these major cities.

It also should be noted that in every attack on planet Earth, L.A. and New York are two of the three cities the alien battleships immediately destroy.

This may have little to do with Michael Jordan and those planet-of-origin rumors, but the aliens usually don't mess with Chicago.


Showtime over slow time
With television ratings dominating a variety of cultural considerations, the NBA reportedly looks beyond dreams of Lakers-Knicks.

This is believed to include the league's wish that grinding, defensive-oriented teams not reach The Finals.

A contemporary team fitting that description can be found in Detroit, where the fundamentally efficient Pistons qualify as the city council meeting of NBA programming. The working title for their series is You're A Good Man, Larry Brown.


The race card
Many long-time observers of NBA protocol believe the league reminds its franchises to keep at least one white guy on the bench. Some teams satisfy this alleged mandate by hiring white assistant coaches or trainers.

It may have been decided that one white guy is needed in case Steve Tyler sings the national anthem and a translation is required.


Traveling not called
According to caretakers of the sport, traveling is not called in the NBA. The explanation is simple: Traveling calls get in the way of rollicking, offensive-oriented basketball preferred by fans.

But conspiracy theorists also remind us that carte blanche in regard to traveling may encourage young phenoms to skip college, where the pesky pivot foot is monitored more closely.


More call waiting
League insiders grudgingly admit that officials are reluctant to make life easy for all rookies and most non-stars.


Lamar Odom didn't make a favorable first impression with NBA refs.
(Robert Laberge / Getty Images)

The more sage among the youngsters figure this out, keep the bickering to a relative minimum and build up credit with referees.

But an example of how not to proceed has been provided by current Laker Lamar Odom, who alienated officials during his career-opening salvo with the Clippers. From day one, L.O. has responded to unfavorable calls in the manner of a man who discovers his big-screen TV is locked on The Lifetime Network.


Better never than late
Hoop followers still insist NBA referees have been informed that no fouls are to be called on what may be the final play of an important game.

This means that in the absence of a defender swinging a chainsaw, the last-second shooter has to go it alone.

For the record, the only NBA player listed as having wielded a chainsaw is former Piston Rick Mahorn. And he did much of this wielding in the first half.


Off the Mark
With jeans and T-shirts providing evidence to the contrary, there's a rumor that Cuban owns at least one suit.

This may not be a conspiracy, but should qualify as NBA urban legend. The rumor has been rebuked by a source close to Cuban who insists the scruffy-looking Mavericks owner thinks Armani is a country in the Middle East.


Great Shaq debates
Miami Heat center Shaquille O'Neal generates considerable debate among critics of officiating.

The pro-Shaq lobby screams that — because of his enormous proportions — O'Neal must endure excessive contact from opposing post defenders.

The anti-Shaq crowd believes O'Neal gets away with bulldozing his way to the rim, and walks more than Barry Bonds in September.

Shaq also provokes free throw-related rumors. With no plausible motivation to support this claim, some observers report that O'Neal actually is quite good at the line.

That's hogwash. In practice and in games, Shaq shoots free throws like a man attempting to flip a grenade into a teacup.


Back to Van Gundy
While stepping into this whine-whine situation, two obvious questions arise:


1. Why would the NBA, with designs on global marketing, do anything to stall the playoff advancement of Yao?

2. Why would the NBA give a rip about anything Cuban has to say?

We also should be interested in knowing why a referee who wasn't selected for playoff duty is privy to what — if true — would be damaging inside information.

With the NBA refereeing fraternity tougher to get into than polka music or Augusta National, its integrity should be unimpeachable.

But we also should be reminded that if Van Gundy's report is true, it had to reach the public debate. Continued refusal to name his source will put the coach in considerable trouble. Naming the source will cost this referee his (or her, let's not be gender biased) job.

Perhaps Van Gundy should have leaked the particulars of this conversation to his favorite reporter.

It also has been suggested that to further the interests of his team and center, Van Gundy made up this story.

The alibi of battle fatigue has been offered. Even during the best of times, Van Gundy appears to be a guy who unwinds by taking the wife to the local multiplex, where they team up to break down a film.

Anyway, the 100K fine may be the least of his problems. Supporters in Houston are stepping forward with checkbooks in hand.

It's the job that could be in jeopardy.

We're not sure who would replace Van Gundy if Stern's hammer comes down with unprecedented thunder.

But we're quite certain that Oliver Stone is available.

Veteran columnist Randy Hill is a frequent FOXSports.com contributor

[Atlas]

I'm not saying Van Gumby is right BUT the NBA has been doing this type of stuff since forever. When did you ever see Jordan called for traveling? He traveled all the time!! If refs thought Yao was getting away with stuff they might make a conscience effort to watch him. Is that bad? I don't know.

[DarkHorse30]

We're not sure who would replace Van Gundy if Stern's hammer comes down with unprecedented thunder.



I vote for Barney Fife. He could ride Alonzo Mourning's ankle MUCH better than Van Gundy ever did. :boxing:

[RhymesayersDU]

Good for him for protecting his guy. He may not have gone about it in the best of manners, but you gotta fight for your players.

[epicSocialism4tw]

Van Gundy made a poor choice and made an attempt before game 5 (the most important game in the series) to sway public opinion to try and put pressure on the NBA refs. Where he really messed up is by accusing the NBA of conspiring to remove Yao from the game. Not only is that logically rediculous because of Yao's international marketability, but its also logically flawed because the Mavericks have been having the same calls called on them in this series. Dampier has gotten in early foul trouble in every game and Avery Johnson hasn't said a word. Josh Howard has also gotten in early foul trouble. The Mavs are being called for touch fouls and moving screens as well. Yao has been called for one moving screen in the series. He picks up his fouls by rotating late into the protected area under the rim and bumping the person on the way to the basket. He's getting in foul trouble because he is slow rotating and cannot adjust to block the shot without clobbering the guy with the ball. I hope Yao fouls out in the first period on thursday because of Van Gundy's statement.

Like the NBA has ever done anything to appease Cuban. He has been fined more than anyone in NBA history.

The league office is taking this so seriously that they are publicly talking about ending Van Gundy's NBA career permenantly. Van Gundy is not in the right here. He is using an age-old tactic of public manipulation.

[Northman]

I really dont care if Van Gundy is in the wrong about coming out publicaly. Stern is a jack-off.

[FADERPROOF]

The league office is taking this so seriously that they are publicly talking about ending Van Gundy's NBA career permenantly. Van Gundy is not in the right here. He is using an age-old tactic of public manipulation.

It's not the league office as a whole that is threatening Van Gundy, it's one guy, Mr. Power Hungry David Stern.

It was wrong for Van Gundy to call out conspiracy like this, but it's also wrong to have these e-mails going back and fourth like they have without it being known, Van Gundy learned about it through a ref that told him, which is really stining Stern's ass because Van Gundy won't give up which one told him.

Stern has gotten out of control ever since the brawl in the Palace, and he is just showing it off right now again.

[GCKansas]

Van Gundy may be right, but I agree with the policy of not attacking the refs in the public domain. Every league has that policy and I think it is a good one. Van Gundy should have complained to the NBA and not aired it in public. You will have utter chaos if coaches and players are allowed to air their complaints publicly all the time.

[TheManeMan]

I think that his "source" is complete BS...thats just me though...He just wanted to shine some light on the fact that Yao was getting into foul trouble every game...The guy has NO footwork on Defense, thats why he gets called for fouls all the time...The guy cant even set a pick without moving...anyway...As for Stern, I think the guy is an ass...And with he's swinging his wand of authority telling Van Gundy that he'll ban him from coaching in the league...Thats f***ed up...Anyway...atleast Van Gundy wont be able to complain anymore until next year, should the Mavs finish them Rockets off tonight...Looking forward to seeing the Suns/Mavs play...should be a great series...

[Northman]

Van Gundy may be right, but I agree with the policy of not attacking the refs in the public domain. Every league has that policy and I think it is a good one. Van Gundy should have complained to the NBA and not aired it in public. You will have utter chaos if coaches and players are allowed to air their complaints publicly all the time.


I disagree. somehow someway the Refs need to become accountable when they screw up. now, if they are going to have a ( no public ) policy then i think Refs should be fined when they make a bad call. not just any call but calls that cost games. im so tired of the Leagues whining when you complain about the refs but they never have any accountability when the screw up. and Refs in all sports the last few years have gotten progressively worse.

[GCKansas]

I agree that the refs should be held accountable and they are. They are reviewed and if they make too many bad calls that don't get picked to work the playoffs so they are rated. I have been a basketball ref and you are gonna make bad calls, it is a fact of life and nothing is ever gonna change that. I know when i make a bad call or miss a call I feel like crap. I just think you shouldn't ever air you dirty laundry in the public domain. Send film to the league and the supervisor of the refs like you are supposed to is all I am saying.

[Champbaileystopsmoss]

whoa! whoa! whoa!

Refs dont have SLO MO like TNT or ESPN shows you. They call it as they see it. The game is fast paced and refs are humans and will make a bad call from time to time.

[Northman]

whoa! whoa! whoa!

Refs dont have SLO MO like TNT or ESPN shows you. They call it as they see it. The game is fast paced and refs are humans and will make a bad call from time to time.


yea, certain calls but there are many calls that are flat out in their face and they miss. and dont kid yourself, im not talking about replays you see on TV. ive seen some missed calls watching games at the same speed as they are. but if FRUSTRATED players or coaches are going to get fined for speaking out about refs than if they blow some big calls they need to receive fines as well.

[Rascal]

I think Stern is an asshole. I like Vangundy for this if nothing else. I hope he tells stern to shove it up his ass.

[Maximus]

It's not the league office as a whole that is threatening Van Gundy, it's one guy, Mr. Power Hungry David Stern.

It was wrong for Van Gundy to call out conspiracy like this, but it's also wrong to have these e-mails going back and fourth like they have without it being known, Van Gundy learned about it through a ref that told him, which is really stining Stern's ass because Van Gundy won't give up which one told him.

Stern has gotten out of control ever since the brawl in the Palace, and he is just showing it off right now again.

The problem is Van Gundy claimed that a Ref told him but, when questioned by the league office ( Stu Jackson ) Van Gundy refused to say who the referee was... If there are emails I'm quite sure the NBA has tracking on those types of things.

[Northman]

The problem is Van Gundy claimed that a Ref told him but, when questioned by the league office ( Stu Jackson ) Van Gundy refused to say who the referee was... If there are emails I'm quite sure the NBA has tracking on those types of things.


but then that would be in violation of Van Gundy's privacy. this isnt a criminal investigation.

[Tredici]

The only thing I notice about Van Gundy is he looks like one of the legion of the undead. If he loses this gig maybe he can catch on in one of the fast zombie movies.

[GCKansas]

Well Zyklon the key word in your sentence is privacy and the key word in my posts was public. Gundy gave up his privacy when he decided to go public. I persoally like stern and his no nonsense attitude. He act quickly and forcefully when addressing issues that harm the league. The whole point of having a commisioner is for someone to manage the league. I would much rather have a commisioner like stern then that wimp Selig in the MLB. If Gundy would have handled it PRIVATELY in the first place he wouldn't have had to worry about all the crap that is coming his way.

[Maximus]

but then that would be in violation of Van Gundy's privacy. this isnt a criminal investigation.

Right it's not a criminal investigation but, when you make a statement that questions the ethics of the referees and the league you know that the league is going to ask who, why, where & what... Van Gundy is as good as gone. His allegations would make the entire league look like a sham!

When he went public the league had rights to ask the questions! The phantom ref just cost him his job.

[Maximus]

Well Zyklon the key word in your sentence is privacy and the key word in my posts was public. Gundy gave up his privacy when he decided to go public. I persoally like stern and his no nonsense attitude. He act quickly and forcefully when addressing issues that harm the league. The whole point of having a commisioner is for someone to manage the league. I would much rather have a commisioner like stern then that wimp Selig in the MLB. If Gundy would have handled it PRIVATELY in the first place he wouldn't have had to worry about all the crap that is coming his way.

Obviously we agree ;D

[Atlas]

Stern must die!!!!!

What's O.J. doing these days??

[epicSocialism4tw]

Van Gundy's biggest mistakes were:

1)Insinuating that the NBA is in league with Mark Cuban at the Rockets expense, thus publicly accusing the NBA offices of conspiring against them.

2)Acquiring information that should not be available to coaches especially in a playoff series. Van Gundy has cheated.

3)Denying the league offices access to the 'insider' who broke NBA rules by divulging information that should not leak to coaches about reffing.

The worst part about all of this is that Van Gundy acts as though he has done nothing wrong and continues to pander to the public for support for his cheating.

I'm eager to see what happens this offseason because Stern's hammer will drop and someone's head is going to be crushed. I'm sure that the official is as good as gone and Van Gundy is close to the door.

You guys watch the game tonight and notice if Yao:
1) Establishes himself as set in the post before guards get there (feet and/or body cannot be moving). He struggles with this constantly and gets his fouls called here more often than anywhere else on the court. He has not learned how to float using angles to effective spots without mangling someone in the process or taking a blocking foul in the restricted area.
2) Continues to set moving screens (he will, but I wouldn't guess that he will get called but for a couple). Yao is not as very mobile as a 7+' guy and will move with the pick and then slide down the lane continuing to pick the defender. It is a big problem and the refs have not been calling it. Just the opposite of what Van Gundy wants you to think.

Go get the cheater, Stern. Bring some justice to this guy.

[RhymesayersDU]

See, the problem here is, he could have critisized the refs, made his point, etc, and not brought up some conspiracy. That's why Stern is so mad. People talk about NBA conspiracies all the time, but they're blown off usually as just babble. But when somebody in the game says there is one happening, things change drastically.

Anyways, the NBA has nobody to blame for this but themselves. For years they have allowed refs to calls fouls on certain players but not others, (see: superstar calls) and they have also let the game change drastically when the playoffs come. Things that are fouls in the regular season often aren't called in the playoffs. The NBA needs to get on the officials to just call the game the same, whether it's game 1 of the regular season, or game 7 of the NBA Finals. Furthermore, a foul should be a foul, whether it's Kobe Bryan comitting it, or the 12th man on the Atlanta Hawks.

[Rock Chalk]

http://www.rbj.net/sitetemplate1.cfm?neid=9&artid=55082

Van Gundy slapped for saying what everyone knows
News item: Houston Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy is fined $100,000 by National Basketball Association commissioner David Stern for telling the media that Rockets center Yao Ming is being singled out by NBA referees.

If you were surprised by either Van Gundy’s action or Stern’s reaction, we will now pause for 30 seconds while you remove your head from the sand.

Houston Chronicle sports writers who watch the Rockets on a regular basis say Van Gundy hit the NBA nail on the head. All the commish has to do, they said, is check out some videotape and he’ll see that there is a problem with calls made and not made involving Ming.

Of course, Stern says Van Gundy hit the NBA well below the belt. His reaction sounded like a bank robber who, when an approaching policemen says, “Excuse me, sir,” starts screaming, “I had nothin’ to do with it!”

To wit: “If he’s going to say things like that, he’s not going to continue in this league,” Stern said. “If the attitude reflected in those comments continues to be public, he’s going to have a big problem with me as long as I’m commissioner.”

Maybe Stern has convinced himself that his league is officiated by programmed robots instead of flesh-and-blood bodies with brains and feelings and emotions and lapses. You know: humans. The NBA and all the other pro leagues would never admit that even one of their game officials has favorite teams, players or arenas.

Van Gundy is just saying what any number of other professional coaches would love to say about the officiating in their own leagues but won’t because they fear what Stern implied could happen to Van Gundy. Hey, the money’s too good to rock the boat, right?

To Van Gundy’s credit, he didn’t budge. “I just said what I said,” he told the Chronicle. “I believe what I believe, and I’ve seen what I’ve seen.”

Hey, we’ve all seen it. Watch some major league baseball on the tube. What’s the home plate umpire thinking when he calls a strike on a pitch that the replay on a TV camera above the ump clearly shows the ball 6 inches outside? Or calls a ball on a waist-high pitch that’s almost down the middle? The answer is, he isn’t—thinking, that is.

And then there’s pro football, which, as I’ve pointed out several thousand times, is in the running for the worst officiated sport there is. I mean, “they” could call offensive holding on every play, but somehow seem to do it when your team throws a 50-yard touchdown pass.

Then there’s the National Hockey League (R.I.P), where it has been said many times, “You don’t make that call in the playoffs.” If you don’t get it, I’ll translate it for you: “We change the rules for the playoffs.” How dumb is that? Can you imagine a sudden-death playoff in golf and somebody hits a tee shot out of bounds and an official says, “You can play it. We don’t have OB in a playoff.”

Meanwhile, back in the NBA, if the guys calling the games never lean one way or the other, then maybe His Highness Mr. Stern can explain why only seven of the 30 teams had winning records on the road.

- Boston won the Atlantic Division with a 45-37 record, but the Celtics were 18-23 when they weren’t at home.
- Detroit won the Central and 19 of 28 losses were on the road.
- Miami lost 23 games all season, 17 of them on the road.
- San Antonio was 38-3 at home and only 21-20 on the road.

In the Western Conference, both Phoenix and Seattle had the same records at home and away. The Northwest champion Sonics were 26-15 and the Pacific champion Suns were 31-10.

You’ll never convince me that there isn’t an unwritten rule in the NBA that when officials are in doubt, give the call to the home team. Of course, they wouldn’t admit it if you tied them in a chair and beat them with a rubber hose, but the numbers don’t lie.

Another thing: If the NBA is so integrity-conscious, then why don’t “they” call traveling when a player takes too many steps or moves his pivot foot? I was watching a game the other night and there were uncalled walking violations four out of six times down the court.

Another thing: Why do they allow players to “palm” the ball while dribbling it—you know, putting a hand under the ball and actually carrying it for a second or two before bouncing it off the floor again?

Meanwhile, all this is ignored and then Stern blows his top because Jeff Van Gundy calls a spade a spade. And as for his suggestion that Van Gundy’s remarks could get him kicked out of the league and sent back here to Rochester, where he played for Nazareth College? No way. That would be a public relations nightmare for the NBA, and the league has enough of those already.

My point is, why doesn’t the NBA make its players play basketball the way it was meant to be played? If they did, hoops purist like me might actually be able to watch it again without tossing our cookies halfway through the second quarter.

[FADERPROOF]

The problem is Van Gundy claimed that a Ref told him but, when questioned by the league office ( Stu Jackson ) Van Gundy refused to say who the referee was... If there are emails I'm quite sure the NBA has tracking on those types of things.

Exactly what I mean by Stern being even more stung over this as Van Gundy won'r release who the ref was that told him.

[Maximus]

Yao Ming is the biggest international marketing ticket right now... Why would stern want to single him out? Notice that his strongest point of reference is

"Houston Chronicle sports writers who watch the Rockets on a regular basis say Van Gundy hit the NBA nail on the head. All the commish has to do, they said, is check out some videotape and he’ll see that there is a problem with calls made and not made involving Ming."

It would be different if he said the LA times or NY Times or Boston Globe but, he chose the most biased source to support his claim.

The writer is also short sighted if he thinks that the NBA isn't cashing in on Yao in China... Has everyone forgotten how Yao got voted ahead of Shaq in the Allstar game??? Millions of supportive Chineese people who bought Yao Ming Merchandise!!!

[ozomulsion]

Has everyone forgotten how Yao got voted ahead of Shaq in the Allstar game??? Millions of supportive Chineese people who bought Yao Ming Merchandise!!!

I'm pretty sure it was online voting by Chinamen that got him in. Not merchandise sales. English Bob couldn't shoot them all you know.

[Maximus]

I'm pretty sure it was online voting by Chinaman that got him in. Not merchandise sales. English Bob couldn't shoot them all you know.

Of course it was online voting. Voting by people who also bought merchandise as witnessed when the NBA showed the Arena in china that was full of Yao Ming Supporters who also had NBA merchandise on... That's my point. They also stated that they would gather and watch the games on satellite television... Somebody had to pay the NBA to broadcast those games in china... See where I'm going?

[Rock Chalk]

Yao Ming is the biggest international marketing ticket right now... Why would stern want to single him out? Notice that his strongest point of reference is

"Houston Chronicle sports writers who watch the Rockets on a regular basis say Van Gundy hit the NBA nail on the head. All the commish has to do, they said, is check out some videotape and he’ll see that there is a problem with calls made and not made involving Ming."

It would be different if he said the LA times or NY Times or Boston Globe but, he chose the most biased source to support his claim.

The writer is also short sighted if he thinks that the NBA isn't cashing in on Yao in China... Has everyone forgotten how Yao got voted ahead of Shaq in the Allstar game??? Millions of supportive Chineese people who bought Yao Ming Merchandise!!!

Biased?
Clearly you dont read the Houston Chronicle. Those guys hate Yao.

[ozomulsion]

Of course it was online voting. Voting by people who also bought merchandise as witnessed when the NBA showed the Arena in china that was full of Yao Ming Supporters who also had NBA merchandise on... That's my point. They also stated that they would gather and watch the games on satellite television... Somebody had to pay the NBA to broadcast those games in china... See where I'm going?

I sure do. Point well made.

[Maximus]

Biased?
Clearly you dont read the Houston Chronicle. Those guys hate Yao.

You're right, I don't read the Houston Chronicle... But they sure did come to the rescue in this article... Interesting?

If there is anyone on this board that would support Van Gundy it would be me. He used to coach High School & College in Rochester, NY... He's just off base on this issue and IMHO I think he'll lose his job over this.

[Rock Chalk]

You're right, I don't read the Houston Chronicle... But they sure did come to the rescue in this article... Interesting?

If there is anyone on this board that would support Van Gundy it would be me. He used to coach High School & College in Rochester, NY... He's just off base on this issue and IMHO I think he'll lose his job over this.

Maybe, maybe not. I havent watched a whole lot of Rockets games this season, mostly because March Madness had me. However, what I have watched has told me that they call bullsh*t fouls on Yao every game. Every single one.

[FADERPROOF]

Maybe, maybe not. I havent watched a whole lot of Rockets games this season, mostly because March Madness had me. However, what I have watched has told me that they call bullsh*t fouls on Yao every game. Every single one.

March madness did have you...for 1 whole day! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

[broncos love]

For all that talk from stern that he was going to have a lengthy investagation and possible suspending van gundy or the referee that snitched. .. I just heard on espn news that the investagation is closed. The fine is still 100.000 but no suspension as far as i know. Good job stern for caving in to van gundys kiss ass approach after he learned he said something he shouldnt have

[Rock Chalk]

March madness did have you...for 1 whole day! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Yeah, Im 0-3 this year in the playoffs. 1 and done for all my teams including the Broncos.

Next year looks to be just as bleak...possible turn around for the Rockets, depending on if they can get a stud power forward or not.

[-Slap-]

The only thing I notice about Van Gundy is he looks like one of the legion of the undead. If he loses this gig maybe he can catch on in one of the fast zombie movies.


Totally. He kind of favors the Hare Krishna zombie from Romero's original Dawn of the Dead.

[epicSocialism4tw]

As of yesterday, the NBA considers the matter closed. Van Gundy made a statement saying that there was no insider ref and that he fabricated the whole thing to try and keep Yao on the floor. If the Rockets wouldn't have been handed that 40 point game 7 loss and some justice by Dallas, I expect that Stern would have reacted differently had Van Gundy continued in the public eye for another couple of weeks.

Alec, I have watched the Rockets all season long. Yao Ming is a foul machine. I think that I have covered that issue in another post, but the guy is playing a step behind on nearly every play. If he doesn't have 3 fouls by half time it's either a synchronistic miracle or a little bit of 'balanced whistling' by your conspiring refs. If you would like for me to detail the Yao foul situation, I will, but it will probably be long and involved.

[Northman]

Van Gundy made a statement saying that there was no insider ref and that he fabricated the whole thing to try and keep Yao on the floor.

Thats incorrect. Van Gundy said that he did recieve word from a league ' Official ' about the refs looking at Ming and his screens. but Van Gundy told Stern that it wasnt a ref but maintained that it was still a league official. so he didnt fabricate anything, everyone else just got duped into believing he was referring to a referee.

[gunns]

And I heard a little while ago that Van Gundy said it wasn't a league official but a team official. Regardless, the NBA has become corrupt and some of the BS calls put the refs in the limelight. BUT if they were never going to call Shaq for his fouls it looks a bit bogus to call Yao for some of those fouls the other night. Seems something is going on.......and has been for a long, long, time. Stern, you can call it clean if you want, but check the **** half way up your leg.