NBA officials, coaches, and players are all responsible for illegally affecting the outcome of games. That’s according to former referee Tim Donaghy. Oh wait, you say Donaghy himself was accused of gambling on dozens of games he refereed? That might tarnish he credibility a little bit.

While it’s justified to assume that Donaghy is desperately looking for a way to avoid an extended period of jail time, the idea of a rigged NBA is already out there. Certainly, there’s a cult out there (many bloggers included), that think the NBA is set up — or at least strongly biased.

One popular “proof” that the NBA has been set up is the 1985 NBA Draft Lottery. The theory goes that the in order to give a large market (the New York Knicks) a high draft pick, the league froze the team’s envelope. At 4:50 of the, the man placing the envelopes inside the wheel unnecessarily tosses the Knicks’ envelope into the side of the wheel, bending the corner. With either the “bent corner” or “frozen envelope,” the league managed to give the Knicks their superstar legend Patrick Ewing and a decade of big-market success.

Of course, the thought of a rigged NBA is an outlandish one. Especially with the intensely competitive players and coaches who play to win from a very early age. However, with the 2008 NBA Lottery approaching and a possible Lakers/Celtics Finals, keep an eye out for suspicious activities.