Empty the Bench

It’s annually discussed during the playoffs, and was reinforced last summer with The Great Donaghy Caper– “things being rigged” in David Stern’s NBA is a topic that just won’t go away. And you know what, it’s been around for a long time, dating at least all the way back to the ’85 draft lottery. It was that day that the New York Knickerbockers were awarded with the #1 overall pick, i.e. Patrick Ewing, whom some would argue had a pretty good NBA career.

I’m a sucker for most any NBA video dated before 1990, but this one has a special place in my heart. We have Pat O’Brien in his best pre-Entertainment Tonight, drunk-psycho mode; David Stern sporting his straight-laced, 1950s FBI Agent look (a look that reportedly scored high marks back then with residents of Hyannis, Massachusetts)… and, of course, conspiracy. Bloody, wretched conspiracy.

The Bent-Envelope Theory purports that the Knicks’ envelope purposely had a bent corner, so that when Stern reached into that fateful drum, he’d know which one to pick first to ensure the NBA’s Next Big Thing wound up with a large-market team.

Keep your eyes peeled at the 4:50 mark (and later when the envelope is chosen) and judge for yourself. Was it rigged?

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