LOS ANGELES – The Timberwolves were grounded on an airport runway because of mechanical issues after their game against the Trail Blazers on Wednesday night.
For some staffers, that meant they got to bed Thursday as late as 5 a.m. after the team finally landed in Los Angeles ahead of Friday’s loss to the Lakers.
Some were asleep, but some were up when the news began to break early Thursday morning that federal investigators were charging Chauncey Billups, the coach of the team they had just played hours earlier, with alleged involvement in illegal poker games with members of the mafia.
Investigators also charged Heat guard Terry Rozier with allegedly manipulating the over-under individual player prop bets that are a staple of sports betting.
The arrests were a sobering reminder that the legalization of sports betting — and the willingness of all professional leagues to partner with sportsbooks — can come with potential consequences that affect the integrity of the game or put athletes and coaches in connection with the wrong people.
Wolves coach Chris Finch said before Friday’s game he didn’t want to comment on the specifics of Thursday’s arrests, but said that before every season, the league has a program with teams and players about gambling and its pitfalls.
“I can say the league informs us every year, we go through a program, we go through all the education around these issues,” Finch said. “So that’s at the moment what we’re all tasked with every preseason, and everybody completes it.”
He then added: “I don’t generally worry about it all,” when asked if it was a concern for his players.