• No more foul outs - Players should no longer be disqualified for their 6th foul.  I completely agree with Jeff Van Gundy on this count.  The easiest way to fix a game would be to get a star player in foul trouble.  Among the major sports, the star players in basketball far and away have the most influence on their team’s success.  Without the opportunity to foul out, we’d see more aggressive defense, but most importantly we’d never have to worry about our favorite team’s star player being disqualified due to a questionable call.  On a side note, I’m sure young big men prone to dumb ticky tack fouls would appreciate this rule change.

• Intentional fouls – Ok, now this one is an idea I have not heard yet, but I think it’s a good one.  This has nothing to do at all with flagrant fouls (which as has been discussed ad nauseam by Mike Breen & Co.).  If, in a referee’s judgment, a foul is committed intentionally and not in the last two minutes of a quarter, the aggrieved team would get one shot plus the ball.  Essentially this means teams can’t abuse the no foul out rule and play hack-a-Shaq all game long.  They’d be giving up far too many possessions to make it a worthwhile play.  I would make sure, though, that if a guy gets beat he still has the leeway to act like he’s making a play while making major contact to prevent a basket without being assessed an intentional foul.  The intentional fouls would be reserved for the two-arm wrapups of guys where its obvious you just don’t want to guard them straight up.  There’s a little room for subjectivity, but not a whole lot.

The obvious caveat in the no fouls outs rule is that you have to have something to dissuade teams from playing hack-a-Shaq and I think this second rule does just that.  I would love to see the NBA step up and make this a reality next season.

It’s impossible to ignore the allegations though, especially if you recall what happened during the 2005 Mavs-Rockets series (the Lakers-Kings situation was mostly just fan outrage).  In that series, then Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy asserted after one particular game that he had received a call from a referee not working the playoffs that the league had issued a directive to its referees to call more fouls on Yao Ming.  Van Gundy was fined $100,000 and refused to reveal the identity of the referee.  It’s the fact that Van Gundy actually gave some details that makes you think maybe something was going on.

Here’s a look at Donaghy’s actual claim (Team 3 = Mavs, Team 4 = Rockets):

“Team 3 lost the first two games in the series and Team 3’s owner complained to NBA officials,” the letter says. “Team 3’s owner alleged that referees were letting a Team 4 player get away with illegal screens. NBA Executive Y told Referee Supervisor Z that the referees for that game were to enforce the screening rules strictly against that Team 4 player. Referee Supervisor Z informed the referees about his instructions. As an alternate referee for that game, Tim also received these instructions.”

Not so interesting if you ask me.  Doesn’t this happen all the time?  The league office notices something isn’t being called and asks that it be called.  There seems to be little merit here.  Donaghy is going to have to draw up more of an anti-Rockets conspiracy than that to make me a believer.

Obviously the Lakers-Kings Game 6 looked fixed, but the free throw discrepancy there was only 40-25.  Game 2 of this year’s Finals favored the Celtics 38-10.  So should we believe every game is fixed?

I’m sure the mainstream sports media will have fun with this one for a while, but it’s only the surface facts that are intriguing.  Once you get to the details, Donaghy sounds like your average conspiracy nut.