The Donaghy situation will be forgotten----if it's an isolated incident.

Disgraced NBA referee Tim Donaghy will spend the next fifteen months in the slammer. His sentencing yesterday was not as harsh as some may have expected, but one year and three months in prison will force Donaghy to think long and hard about his actions. I don't think he will want to engage in any more gambling once he is released. But that's enough talk about Donaghy. The more pressing issue is whether or not this gambling scandal will leave the NBA with a permanently scarred image. Knowing what we know now, my answer is no. When play resumes in late October and early November, Tim Donaghy will hardly be a figment of our imagination. The NBA will be back and better than ever, ready to build off one of the most exciting seasons in the league's history. David Stern won't be bombarded with tough questions regarding the league's image. However, this will only be true if the Donaghy scandal is an isolated incident.

There is growing suspicion in some quarters regarding Tim Donaghy's several phone calls to fellow official Scott Foster, calls which occurred in the same time frame in which Donaghy was knee-deep in gambling operations. Nothing has been proven, so the old adage "innocent until proven guilty" still applies. Tim Donaghy is even less credible than Roger Clemens at this point; therefore, the strong likelihood remains that Tim Donaghy was a lone felon in a profession filled with honest men. But if certain revelations in the future prove Foster's association with betting on NBA games, then David Stern will have a whole lot of trouble on his hands. The NBA has already survived image problems in the past, most notably the Pistons-Pacers brawl four years ago. It is hard to imagine the league overcoming another major crisis.

But this is all speculation. Being a huge NBA fan who has watched games on a nightly basis throughout my entire life, I cannot recall a single time where I thought the refs were fixing the outcome of the games. I'm a passionate Warriors fan, so sure, there have been many occasions in which I was infuriated and flabbergasted by a call that went against my team. But that is just part of being a sports fan, and it happens in every league. I think every true fan has had moments where they have been incensed over a close call at home plate, a questionable penalty call in the red zone, or a terrible foul call in the paint. In no way, shape, or form does this mean we think the game is fixed. Tim Donaghy may want to bring the NBA down with him, but his efforts will fail, assuming he was the only one in the fix. David Stern better be praying that he is the only crooked ref. After all, the National Basketball Association is thriving. The games are compelling, there is no shortage of premier talent, and the majority of the players are high on character. The last thing the league needs is another blow to its reputation.