The NBA Has A Gamblin' Problem...

...but seriously, who cares?

Basketball "purists" are getting themselves all worked up over allegations that Tim Donaghy, an NBA official with supposed "mob" ties, is being accused of betting on games that he refereed last season.

As a regular paying customer of the NBA, I just can't get too worked up over this gambling scandal.

Seriously, does the average fan (or even the die-hard) care about this sorta stuff? That's a Vegas line. I guess I get the point about not wanting your product associated with organized crime or the word "fix", but such things seem to only effect the point differential (ie: a 5 points loss vs a 7 point loss), not necessarily the outcome (win or loss).

This is a "black eye" on officials because obviously the NBA should have a better grasp of what their employees are doing, but heck, how can this reflect poorly on Stern and the league as a whole?

Reality is, this Donaghy only worked 60 of the literally 100's of NBA games that took place last season. His effect on the outcome of games is minimal at best. Only a handful of games (the Golden State/Wizards game with the phantom technical come to mind) are decided by a bad call in the deciding moments. Far more games are decided by a blown defensive rotation (take your pick) or bad boxing out (that Knicks win over the Bobcats when David Lee got that lucky tip-in at the buzzer).

Does anyone else think this is a big deal!?!??

NBA Gambling Is a Big Problem [Newsday]