NBA's worry is Donaghy's believability

There are at least four problems with the book written by disgraced former NBA referee Tim Donaghy.

One, it might never see the light of print since the publisher got cold feet. That means only Donaghy's family and his friends — if he still has any — will ever see the book. Oh, plus anyone who has access to the Internet, where excerpts of the book can be found.

Two, it was written by a man while he was in prison. So much for credibility. If Donaghy were honest, if he were incapable of telling a lie, he wouldn't have been in prison in the first place.

Three, the book offers no corroboration of Donaghy's assertions (no surprise there, since the referees named in the book are still working games).

Four, it is completely believable.

That's a problem for the NBA. The league can discredit Donaghy easily enough, but that's what Major League Baseball did to Jose Canseco and ignored him for years until his accusations were virtually all verified. The NBA says it will investigate Donaghy's charges, as well it should (although it will ultimately prove to be pointless).

Some writers dismiss Donaghy's biggest assertions as unbelievable. Au contraire. If a handful of referees were convicted of a cash-for-airline-tickets scam and unreported income, aren't they capable of making side bets on games?

When Joey Crawford is suspended for trying to fight Spurs star Tim Duncan and then is assigned to officiate a Spurs' playoff game a year later (and blows a big call at the end of the game), is it difficult to believe refs are not neutral observers and that they like or dislike certain players?

Any fan of the game already harbors his own suspicions that referees aren't Eagle Scouts. Many of them carry massive egos and a certain swagger up and down the floor. They have become personalities in their own right, like players. They are part of the game in a way they are not part of any other sport. Just the fact that we know their names — Clark, Bavetta, Kersey, Nunez, Crawford — is revealing. NFL referees, by comparison, strike us as dispassionate, neutral, professional. We hardly know any of their names, although they are often named on national TV.

If the league really wanted to put the book to the test, Donaghy's assertions could be verified to a certain extent merely by looking at videotape. He names names and games. How difficult would it be to validate his claim that he and members of his crew bet to see who would go the longest without calling a foul? He claims they went for several minutes without calling fouls even when there was mayhem on the floor, just so they didn't lose the bet.