Shh, no one wake Rick Bonnell. But the NBA just banned for life a former Sacramento King scout who was betting on NBA games. Meanwhile, Tom Tim Donaghy’s supposed bookie is claiming that a dozen more NBA refs were involved with his gambling operation.

See, it would be easier to write all this off were it not for the fact that the NBA just tried to effectively run off its old-line refs during the recent contract dispute. Now suppose some of your oldest, best know refs might, possibly be linked to some bad thing. What better way to cycle them out of the league quietly, without scandal than by radically cutting down on retirement benefits over the next few years?

Sleep well, Rick. The truth will come out.