This is a hot story bro. And for all of us that watched the Lakers beat on the Blazers and not get fouls called on them during the playoffs in 2000 and 2001, this kind of information can be very important to us Blazer fans, so we's know what to expect.

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NBA taps convicted tax evader as director of refs

Posted on: September 24, 2011 - Posted by Ben Golliver.

[Note:  Edited to protect original copyrighted source.]

Don Vaden, a former NBA referee and the league's current coordinator of officials, has replaced Bernie Fryer as director of officials, league sources said Friday. Fryer will assume another role, as the change was made to protect Fryer's health and not over dissatisfaction with his performance, sources said.

Vaden was ranked among the league's best referees by the end of his on-court tenure, which ran from 1988-2003. But he was also among eight referees charged with tax evasion in 1998 for downgrading first-grade plane tickets and not reporting the refunded money. He was found guilty and served six months' of home confinement and two years of probation.

http://eye-on-basketball.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/22748484/32212253