Thursday, July 26, 2007
Pay That Man His Money
In the immortal words of Don Barzini, "Certainly the NBA could present a bill for services -- after all, we are not communists."
The bottom line with the NBA gambling ring that is about to be exposed by the refs' answer to Henry Hill: Loyalty costs money.
There's a reason Michael Jordan never threw a basketball game. He was paid, and paid quite handsomely.
What do NBA referees get paid? I don't know for sure, but I do know it is significantly less than the $25 million Jordan made in his final season with the Bulls.
If Stern had chosen to pay his referees to the tune of seven-figures, we wouldn't be having a discussion about it. Wasn't that airline ticket exchange a few years ago a wake-up call? If those old men were so strapped for cash that they needed to exchange first class tickets to make a few bucks, it was only a matter of time before one of the league's referees came under the thumb of organized crime.
The bottom line with the NBA gambling ring that is about to be exposed by the refs' answer to Henry Hill: Loyalty costs money.
There's a reason Michael Jordan never threw a basketball game. He was paid, and paid quite handsomely.
What do NBA referees get paid? I don't know for sure, but I do know it is significantly less than the $25 million Jordan made in his final season with the Bulls.
If Stern had chosen to pay his referees to the tune of seven-figures, we wouldn't be having a discussion about it. Wasn't that airline ticket exchange a few years ago a wake-up call? If those old men were so strapped for cash that they needed to exchange first class tickets to make a few bucks, it was only a matter of time before one of the league's referees came under the thumb of organized crime.
