Van Gundy backtracks on comments

[gostars]

Since the other thread has gotten so sidetracked I thought I'd post this in a new one.

Houston's Van Gundy backtracks on comments

05:25 PM CDT on Monday, May 9, 2005

Associated Press

NEW YORK – Houston coach Jeff Van Gundy backed off from comments that a referee told him Rockets center Yao Ming was being targeted by officials in the first round of the playoffs, the NBA said Monday.

The league said in a statement that it considered the matter closed. Van Gundy was fined $100,000 – the largest ever for a coach – after saying that a referee who was not working the playoffs told him that Yao was being targeted by officials following complaints by Mark Cuban, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, Houston's first-round opponent.

Van Gundy subsequently apologized publicly for the comments.

"(Van Gundy) has also confirmed directly to an NBA representative that, during the Houston/Dallas playoff series, he did not have any communication with a referee (working or non-working) other than, of course, during an ongoing game," NBA deputy commissioner Russ Granik said. "In fact, his only conversations with league employees during the series were with league personnel in the normal course.

"In light of these circumstances, we now consider the matter to be closed."

Van Gundy started the saga by telling three reporters at the team hotel in Dallas that a referee not working the playoffs called him after the Rockets went up 2-0 and warned that Yao was mentioned in an online evaluation from supervisor of officials Ronnie Nunn.

Van Gundy also told the reporters that referees "were looking at Yao harder because of Mark's complaints" to the league office, referring to Cuban.

Commissioner David Stern said an investigation into Van Gundy's remarks would continue once the Rockets were out of the playoffs. Houston was eliminated by the Mavericks in Game 7 of their first-round series on Saturday night.

Stern threatened more punishment – perhaps even banishment – if Van Gundy did not cooperate and reveal the name of referee who was the coach's source.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcont....906bfa0a.html