Donald Sterling saga continues

[nmduke2001]

http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/s...onald-sterling

No real surprise but hopefully this will be the last straw and Adam Silver drops the hammer.

[Henderson]

And some context. It's an ESPN Magazine feature on Sterling from 2009.

[g-money]

As a Warriors fan, I love the timing on this. Feel bad for JJ though.

Also: Love the way Doc Rivers responded.

[Des Esseintes]

http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/s...onald-sterling

No real surprise but hopefully this will be the last straw and Adam Silver drops the hammer.

Can he be banned from basketball? I don't know the particulars on how much authority the commissioner wields in these circumstances or how it compares to what allowed baseball to ditch Steinbrenner for a few years, but suspension doesn't seem enough here.

[brevity]

I'm going to go ahead and assume that the story is true, but I'm still confused about something in this story.

Does Donald Sterling's girlfriend have courtside or owner's box seating for these games? Because it sounds like Sterling might be asking her not to take advantage of her VIP status at the Forum by bringing minority boyfriends. I realize that the bare minimum of what he said is bizarre and offensive enough: he doesn't want her associating with minorities in public or in social media, even though she is a minority. But I wonder if most people are making a big logical leap from "I don't want your minority boyfriends in my owner's box" to "I don't want any racial minorities to attend Clippers games."

We may never know what he meant, and it may not matter in the long run, but those interpretations are different. Both statements would be racist, but the latter is also financial suicide.

[MartyClark]

Can he be banned from basketball? I don't know the particulars on how much authority the commissioner wields in these circumstances or how it compares to what allowed baseball to ditch Steinbrenner for a few years, but suspension doesn't seem enough here.

I don't remember much of the Steinbrenner situation but I'm wondering, how do you ban an owner? What does that mean? He still owns the team, regardless of whether he is banned from active management decisions. Based on this guy's history, the franchise may benefit from him being barred from management decisions.

I'm not sure that I actually understand the relationship between individual team owners and the NBA. Mark Cuban could probably explain it to me.

[jimsumner]

Marge Schott might be a better analog than Steinbrenner. Her pro-Nazi views got her suspended and she eventually sold her share of the Reds.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/02/ob...ND-SCHOTT.html

[Atlanta Duke]

I'm going to go ahead and assume that the story is true, but I'm still confused about something in this story.

It will be 9 minutes of your life you will not get back but listening to the TMZ audio is interesting (at least to me).

http://www.tmz.com/2014/04/26/donald...magic-johnson/

Anytime someone is recording a conversation it presumably it is not just to have a keepsake - the girlfriend starts the conversation with the observation "I wish I could change the color of my skin" and it goes from there.

My bet is someone was looking for a financial resolution to a relationship and when negotiations bogged down TMZ (which helpfully provides a transcript to track the audio) was contacted. What appeared to have Sterling chapped was appearances of exclusivity going public and a conversation where someone may have been drinking.

[Henderson]

Marge Schott might be a better analog than Steinbrenner. Her pro-Nazi views got her suspended and she eventually sold her share of the Reds.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/02/ob...ND-SCHOTT.html

It didn't help that she once called Eric Davis, "my 3 million dollar ...". [Doesn't the $3M figure sound quaint in retrospect?]

You're right; it's a good analogy, but there may be relevant differences between the NBA and MLB chartering documents describing the relationship between owners and the league front office and the power the latter has over the former.

[Atlanta Duke]

Girlfriend to Sterling around 7:30 on the recording

If it was Larry Bird would it have made a difference?"

http://www.tmz.com/2014/04/26/donald...magic-johnson/

[jimsumner]

It didn't help that she once called Eric Davis, "my 3 million dollar...". [Doesn't the $3M figure sound quaint in retrospect?]

You're right; it's a good analogy, but there may be relevant differences between the NBA and MLB chartering documents describing the relationship between owners and the league front office and the power the latter has over the former.

To name one difference, baseball is immune from anti-trust legislation.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print...707&type=story

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_a..._con_game.html

http://blog.oup.com/2013/03/baseball...antitrust-law/

[ncexnyc]

I see Al and Jesse have gotten involved in this. Funny that when UNC pimps out a bunch of black players they aren't anywhere to be found. I guess heading out to L.A. is more fun and newsworthy than coming to Chapel Hill.

[Newton_14]

His comments are reprehensible, he can take that lame "out of context" comments and stick them where the sun don't shine. He should be banned for life from attending NBA games immediately and forced to sell his portion of the team. There is no place in our society for that type of racism, be it white against black, black against white, or any race against any other race. There should just be a zero tolerance policy against all forms of this.

His comments made me sick to my stomach. I feel sorry for JJ and his teammates, Doc Rivers and the entire staff. What a way to derail your team in a year when the Clips finally have a great chance to make a deep run in the NBA Playoffs.

Unbelievable. And though every single story refers to the young lady as his "girlfriend" when surely she is his "ex-girlfriend" right? Otherwise Sterling is even sicker than I thought. "Oh you can sleep with them just keep it private and don't bring them to games? Seriously? The man has serious issues.

[Duvall]

I see Al and Jesse have gotten involved in this. Funny that when UNC pimps out a bunch of black players they aren't anywhere to be found. I guess heading out to L.A. is more fun and newsworthy than coming to Chapel Hill.

Pimps out? Classy.

Donald Sterling has caused substantially more misery over the years than anything anyone has done in Chapel Hill. Try reading up before you post.

[Duvall]

To name one difference, baseball is immune from anti-trust legislation.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print...707&type=story

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_a..._con_game.html

http://blog.oup.com/2013/03/baseball...antitrust-law/

Does anyone know if the lack of an antitrust exemption limits the power of the NBA Commissioner to sanction owners for misconduct?

[jimsumner]

Does anyone know if the lack of an antitrust exemption limits the power of the NBA Commissioner to sanction owners for misconduct?

Great question for one of our lawyer types.

[ncexnyc]

Pimps out? Classy.

Donald Sterling has caused substantially more misery over the years than anything anyone has done in Chapel Hill. Try reading up before you post.

I'm glad you're fine with what's been taking place over at the hill. Maybe you're the one who should do some reading in regards to Al and Jesse.

[Atlanta Duke]

Does anyone know if the lack of an antitrust exemption limits the power of the NBA Commissioner to sanction owners for misconduct?

Lots of owners have been disciplined - Cuban is at $2 million in fines and counting

http://www.tmz.com/2014/04/26/donald...#ixzz2zztqDEAG

Stern suspended the Timberwolves owner for a year for salary cap violations

http://ftw.usatoday.com/2014/01/nba-...t-timberwolves

[Duvall]

Lots of owners have been disciplined - Cuban is at $2 million in fines and counting

http://www.tmz.com/2014/04/26/donald...#ixzz2zztqDEAG

But that's been mostly for comments about officiating and other game matters, right? Not sure if that matters.

In any case, it's hard to see how anything short of a lengthy suspension from team operations would affect someone with Sterling's money.

[Olympic Fan]

One the off-topic board, there is a thread started by a Cowboy fan about what a terrible owner Jerry Jones is ... with responses from Redskins fans about how awful their owner (Snyder) is.

They are both pretty bad, but Donald Sterling has to be far and away the worst owner going now -- even if you forget the nine-minute tape, you have to look at 33 years of ineptitude in commanding the franchise. The tape just puts it over the top -- about the only defense I can think of is to convince people that's not him on the tape.

BTW: Am I hearing it right -- he's berating his mixed-race mistress (black and Hispanic) for being photographed in public with Magic Johnson. Really?