Another day and another NBA personality has something less than laudatory to say about the legal sports betting business.
On Wednesday night, Cleveland Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff told reporters he was threatened by gamblers last year and reported it to league offices, according to an Associated Press report.
“They got my telephone number and were sending me crazy messages about where I live and my kids and all that stuff,” Bickerstaff said during a pregame press conference before the Cavs game against the Miami Heat. “So it is a dangerous game and a fine line that we’re walking for sure.”
Bickerstaff brought this up after he was asked by a reporter concerning comments Indiana Pacers All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton made earlier in the week, where he said he sometimes feels like a “prop.”
Bickerstaff said the gambler who threatened him was located, but no charges were filed. He went on to say the job of coaching in the NBA has become more difficult in the post-PASPA era.
“It brings added pressure,” he said. “It brings a distraction to the game that can be difficult for players, coaches, referees, everybody that’s involved in it. And I think that we really have to be careful with how close we let it get to the game and the security of the people who are involved in it.
“Because again, it does carry a weight. A lot of times the people who are gambling like this money pays their light bill or pays their rent, and then the emotions that come from that. So I do think we’re walking a very fine line, and we have to be extremely careful in protecting everybody who’s involved.”
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Bickerstaff said he hears it from the fans — literally.
“There’s no doubt about it that it’s crossed the line,” he said. “The amount of times where I’m standing up there and we may have a 10-point lead, and the spread is 11, and people are yelling at me to leave the guys in so that we can cover the spread — it’s ridiculous.
“But again, I understand the business side of it and the nature of the business of it. But I mean, it is something that I believe has gone too far.”
Bickerstaff’s comments come a week after Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert was fined $100,000 for making the “money” sign at referee Scott Foster after a contested call.
“I’ll take the fine, but I think it’s hurting our game,” Gobert said after the fine was levied. “I know the betting and all that is becoming bigger and bigger, but it shouldn’t feel that way. I made some mistakes. I air-balled a dunk. Mistakes happen. Referees make mistakes, too. But sometimes I think it’s more than mistakes. I think everyone that’s in this league knows. I think it’s got to get better.”
