Scum bucket.

Tim Donaghy is still involved in a he-says, she-says disagreement with the publisher of his book, a disagreement I first heard about approximately a month ago while reading a TrueHoop post. Donaghy accused the publisher of taking his money. The publisher says Donaghy has threatened her life multiple times. (St. Petersburg Times)

Former NBA referee Tim Donaghy hoped his book, showing how he became the “central figure in a Mafia-controlled gambling ring,” would earn enough to pay off a $200,000 debt. He also hoped it would provide some financial security for himself and four daughters.

To date, he hasn’t gotten a dime.

Instead, he finds himself embroiled in a bitter dispute with his Largo-based publisher. He said she has refused to give him information about the financial success of his book, Personal Foul.

She said Donaghy threatened her, mentioning mob connections.

On top of that, she said, she has information that Donaghy may have committed more serious crimes. [...]

The initial printing, 10,000 books, sold within three weeks, said VTi chief executive Shawna Vercher. But Donaghy and Vercher’s relationship quickly deteriorated. In March, they cut ties.

Donaghy said he broke things off because Vercher tried to tack on additional costs and wouldn’t provide him with financial details.

Vercher’s side of the story: Donaghy called her office incessantly, became increasing hostile, demanded money and made veiled threats.

“Mr. Donaghy explained to me he had connections in the mob and the Gambino crime family and that they had an active member near me,” said Vercher, 33.

Donaghy vehemently denied ever saying anything like that.

“She’s using tabloid tactics to try to say I’m a bad person because the bottom line is she has not given me a full and accurate account of the profits and proceeds for Personal Foul,” said Donaghy, 43, who repeated a similar mantra about 20 times during an interview at a Panera Bread, near his Sarasota home.

Before Donaghy takes his cut, earnings from Personal Foul go to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, which will make sure the NBA gets its money.

But Donaghy doesn’t want to wait for the government to sort things out. He wants Vercher to show him the figures, now.

“Why should I have to wait and go through all that when I have a contract in place,” Donaghy said. He now works sporadically with a New Jersey-based group called Firstep, doing interventions for people with gambling addictions.

Donaghy’s Tampa attorney, Nick Mooney, said Vercher failed to provide the government with a complete accounting, either.

Vercher said she is cooperating fully with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, which refused to comment on the case.

I don’t know about you, but in cases like these I’m inclined to believe the person who isn’t a proven cheater, scumbag, liar, and felon. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Donaghy’s claims are refuted at every turn. I think they’re refuted because he’s not telling the truth. I know for a fact that people are going to talk about how Donaghy isn’t given a fair chance, and just because he was a cheating, lying, scumbag felon once doesn’t mean he’ll be one again. But just listen to the damn guy speak. Everything that comes out of his mouth is one big, giant lie designed to help himself no matter who it hurts.

Oh really, he talked about referee’s plots to ruin the NBA? Well yeah, he was trying to hype the book that was supposed to get him out of debt, even if he had to create a new tangled web of lies to do so. Donaghy is scum of the earth, the type of guy I wouldn’t splash water on if he was burning to death right in front of me. So keep threatening book publishers with the Gambino family, you big prick. What goes around comes around.

P.S. – For those of you who believe Donaghy’s web of lies, read this. You’ll find it more difficult to believe the piece of filth afterward.

As always, take what Tim Donaghy says with an ocean of salt.  (WEEI)

Do officials know what’s best for the NBA when they’re in the middle of the action in a playoff game?

There’s no doubt about it, I write about this at length in the book “Personal Foul.” It’s a situation where officials are well aware of what goes on and what’s best for the league. Obviously, in this series, what’s best for the league is putting Orlando in a little bit of an advantage and it seems to me that’s certainly what’s taking place. When you talk about Perkins being suspended, I think you have to look at the fact that [Dwight] Howard is looking at a possible suspension for the way he flailed his elbow off and hit Big Baby [Glen Davis] in the face.

I don’t know if you guys remember, but there was a situation a couple years ago where Kobe Bryant was consistently doing that and he was suspended during the regular season. I know the playoffs and regular season don’t follow the same set of rules, but I think that Boston should be looking at the fact that if they’re going to suspend Perkins, why isn’t Howard going to be suspended for that flail of the elbow?

Firstly, let me just say it was nice that Donaghy plugged his own book while answering this question.  ”I write about this at length in the book ‘Personal Foul.” Plugging your own book in an answer to a question clearly has to take away some credibility from the answer, right?  And considering Donaghy had zero credibility to begin with, I think he said this statement with negative credibility.

As far as the Dwight Howard elbows go, I understand he throws a lot of them.  I just didn’t think his shot at Davis was intentional.  I would love to be as worked up as every other Celtics fan about the elbow but, to me, it just didn’t seem purposeful.  That said, he throws a ton of elbows and — at some point — you have to wonder how he throws so many goddamn accidental elbows.

Donaghy compared Dwight’s elbows to Kobe’s back in the day, but there was never a question that what Kobe did was intentional.  With Dwight, you can’t tell whether it’s intentional.  That’s the difference.

If you’re looking for referee conspiracy theories, Donaghy says Game Six should favor the Celtics.  A Celtics-Lakers finals would be more beneficial to the league than a Celtics-Magic Game Seven, says Donaghy.

Why, NBA, why?

You have to wonder how the NBA chooses it referees.  Bill Kennedy, widely known as a Doc Rivers hater, will be reffing tonight’s Celtics-Magic Game Two.

Just last week, Tim Donaghy speculated that Kennedy doesn’t like Rivers because Rivers questioned his sexuality.  Donaghy said that Kennedy is gay, and has held a grudge since Doc Rivers questioned him about it during a game.

“I’m just gonna come out and say it like it is,” Donaghy said during an appearance on the Celtics Late Night Show.  “It’s no secret on the staff that Bill Kennedy is a homosexual… I don’t have any ill will towards gays or lesbians, but it was no secret that he’s a homosexual.  It was known around the league, it was obvious during a game Doc Rivers questioned his sexual orientation and I think that has stuck with Kennedy over the years and he has no love for Doc Rivers and the Boston Celtics.”

Granted, one should take everything Donaghy says with a grain of salt.  Undeniably, though, there is a history of bad blood between Kennedy and Rivers.

In March of 2009, Rivers was thrown out of a game by Kennedy for what Rivers called “the most unprofessional tech I’ve ever had.”

“[Kennedy] stood there and goaded me and goaded me and goaded me and stared at me,” Rivers explained after the game. “Look at the film. I actually walked away. He asked me, ‘Where do you want the ball?’ And I said, ‘Ask them,’ talking about our players. That’s my right to say that, and I walked away. He stood there and stared me down and stared me down and goaded me until I turned around and said, ‘What?’ That’s when I got thrown out of the game.”

Rivers was fined $25,000 for his comments, and Kennedy was also fined for his behavior.  The amount of Kennedy’s fine was undisclosed.

So why the hell is Kennedy reffing Game Two?  It doesn’t make much sense, unless you’re a conspiracy theorist.  I’m not one by any means but, uhhh, don’t be surprised to see an Orlando parade to the line.

After the Celtics have seen their share of awful officiating in the past week or two, there couldn’t be a better time to listen to Tim Donaghy talk about conspiracy theories.

Luckily, he’ll be on the Celtics Late Night Show tonight (9:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m.).  Just click the link to listen to him.

And if you want ask Donaghy about some of the bogus calls this series, or even to bash Donaghy for being a cheater and one of the biggest assholes to ever grace professional sports, just call in — he’ll be responding to phone calls.  The number is 347-215-7771.