Biggest Conspiracy Theories in the NBA

Ah conspiracy theories. You've gotta love 'em all, and these are the best that the NBA has to offer.

Whether it's Chris Paul getting traded to Los Angeles twice or Michael Jordan joining the Chicago White Sox during a gambling probe, these are the things that people with too much time on their hands come up with.

I've laid out the seven biggest conspiracy theories in the NBA on the following slides, so make sure you check them out and let everyone know whether you think they have any merit to them or not. 

The Chris Paul Saga

Even the compressed nature of the 2011-2012 NBA schedule and the excitement that it's carried with it hasn't been able to push the Chris Paul fiasco out of mind. 

After countless trade rumors involving the point guard, CP3 was finally sent to the Los Angeles Lakers in a three-team trade, but then he wasn't. David Stern and the league stepped in, decided the deal wasn't good enough for the New Orleans Hornets and vetoed the trade. 

Paul was subsequently shipped off back to Los Angeles, this time to the Clippers. 

This do-over for Dell Demps and the Hornets sparked quite a few conspiracy theories out there concerning the inexplicable motives shown by the commissioner's actions. 

The Draft Lottery

The NBA draft lottery has inspired quite a few conspiracy theories, none more famous than the Patric Ewing sweepstakes in 1985.

Supposedly, the NBA wanted its biggest market to get the No. 1 pick in the unweighted lottery so Patrick Ewing could go play for the New York Knicks. As a result, they are said to have fixed the selection process, which consisted of drawing envelopes out of a large bowl. 

The two prevailing theories are as follows:

1. The envelope containing the New York logo was frozen so that Stern could easily recognize which one it was. 

2. The same envelope had a folded corner so that Stern could feel which one it was. 

You can watch the video of the proceedings here, but I'm going to remain skeptical as to the validity of this particular theory. 

Then there are other draft-related theories, such as rewarding the struggling teams by fixing the lottery in their favor. That said, it's probably just luck that gave the Washington Wizards the top selection after Abe Pollin's widow represented the team in 2010 and the Cleveland Cavaliers that same spot in 2011 when Dan Gilbert's son with Neurofibromatosis was on the podium. 

Michael Jordan's Suspension

Is it possible Michael Jordan was actually suspended from the NBA for gambling-related reasons and didn't voluntarily walk away from the game to play baseball?

The conspiracy theorists think so, yet I haven't found any hard evidence that this is the case. All the evidence is purely circumstantial. 

Jordan retired after three-peating with the Chicago Bulls in order to pursue baseball after he burned out with the Dream Team and had to suffer through the death of his father. The retirement came four months after the NBA launched an investigation into his notorious gambling habits. 

The biggest quote working in the theorists' favor, though, comes straight from the mouth of the greatest player of all time: "Five years down the road, if the urge comes back, if the Bulls will have me, if David Stern lets me back in the league, I may come back."

Would Stern really have to "let him back in the league?" Only if the gambling suspension was a reality, claim the theorists. 

Count me among the skeptics here, though. 

Clay Bennett's Oklahoma City Roots

Is it a coincidence the businessman who happened to purchase the Seattle SuperSonics called Oklahoma City home? 

Clay Bennett purchased the team from Howard Schultz in 2006 under the good faith condition that he make every attempt to keep the team in Seattle. Supposedly he violated that agreement by failing to make any realistic attempts and lackadaisically attempting to raise money for a new stadium. 

It doesn't help Bennett's case that he settled a lawsuit with Schultz by paying $75 million in 2008, right before the team moved to his hometown and became the Oklahoma City Thunder. 

If you've every wondered why Bill Simmons refers to Kevin Durant's squad as the "Zombie Sonics," this would be why. 

Meeting at South Beach

In 2004, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh hit it off as teammates for the U.S. Olympic Squad and became the best of friends. 

In 2006, James, Wade and Bosh signed extensions for the same length of time with their respective teams. 

In 2010, they all joined forces on the Miami Heat. 

Spike Lee subscribes to this conspiracy theory, even though you have to take the New York Knicks superfan's words with a few grains of salt: "This is nothing but a pure Corleone gangster move. It was laid out. This didn’t happen by happenstance. They made people look like idiots. They had the thing planned out two years ago.”

Dan Gilbert does as well, seeing as he filed a tampering charge after the free agency bonanza. However, once more, you have to remember he was clearly biased during these events. 

Tanking

Unfortunately, I feel like this one is inevitably going to be true each and every year. 

Every season, teams realize they're not going to make the playoffs and need to firmly move into the rebuilding phase. As a result, they start prioritizing losing instead of winning and "tanking."

We may not be able to recognize the subtle adjustments that coaches make to lose games by slim margins or anything along those lines, but we can be confident that they happen. 

After all, the No. 1 pick in the draft is something of considerable value. 

Referees

Thank you, Tim Donaghy. 

Seriously, though, do I even have to elaborate much here? 

The NBA's refs have been notoriously bad at certain times. I'm thinking about Game 6 of the 2002 playoff series between the Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Lakers, as well as the 2006 NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks. Some of those calls were just utterly inexplicable. 

Officiating is a subjective practice at best and will always be subjective to criticism, especially when referees are revealed as in gambling schemes.