Donald Sterling. Clippers Owner, banned for life

[DMT]

He's only being forced to sell his property because he has a contract with the league that stipulates that this can happen. If he was a McDonald's franchisee they could make him sell the store; if he owned his own restaurant he wouldn't have to do anything.

The market would solve this problem but it might have a lot of collateral damage that the NBA doesn't want to deal with. Reductions in the value of his team, losses of advertisers, having players unwilling to go there, etc. all indirectly affect other teams and the overall quality and perception of the league.

Exactly...I'm not really in favor of going to such extremes to punish someone for speech, but this guy should have been tossed out long ago for his actions. But of course it's all about the money, once sponsors started yanking support, the league acted swiftly. It's also immensely embarrassing to the NAACP that this bigoted asshole was due to receive a lifetime achievement award.

[Kevin Seitzer]

I don't think they should be able to take the building away... They just say your shop is no longer affiliated with subway. You are now just Joes sub shop.

So he gets to gets to keep the "Clippers", but they are no longer an NBA team? How would that even work? It certainly wouldn't work for the players, coaches, and the rest of the league, and frankly I'm not sure what good it would do him if his team can't play other NBA teams any more.

Moreover, having a sports franchise is very much a public trust. To what extent I did not realize until I worked for one. That's true both ethically and legally.

[cardboardbox]

The market would solve this problem but it might have a lot of collateral damage that the NBA doesn't want to deal with. Reductions in the value of his team, losses of advertisers, having players unwilling to go there, etc. all indirectly affect other teams and the overall quality and perception of the league.

this is why it happened. Once the league's wallet is impacted it will act.

I wont lose a second of sleep over what happens to Sterling.

[Fresno Bob]

I think the NBA should give Sterling back his $12M + 7% interest and take the team from him if they really want to send a message

[dslaw]

I think the NBA should give Sterling back his $12M + 7% interest and take the team from him if they really want to send a message

This would be awesome. I wonder if the owners can work this into the standard contracts for all new owners. They can call it the idiot clause.

[heyelander]

So he gets to gets to keep the "Clippers", but they are no longer an NBA team? How would that even work? It certainly wouldn't work for the players, coaches, and the rest of the league, and frankly I'm not sure what good it would do him if his team can't play other NBA teams any more.

Moreover, having a sports franchise is very much a public trust. To what extent I did not realize until I worked for one. That's true both ethically and legally.

yeah, not really workable... but it's how I think it should work.

[cardboardbox]

I read today that Sterling could, and might, keep this tied up in court for the rest of his life.

I think he'd be better off taking the $600M to $1B and buying a few small countries but thats just me.

[Erik]

Prediction: DQ takes Sterling in next year's dead pool draft.

[chancellor]

I read today that Sterling could, and might, keep this tied up in court for the rest of his life.

I think he'd be better off taking the $600M to $1B and buying a few small countries but thats just me.

He's 81 and I suspect he'll tie this up until he dies just out of spite. And for discovery, where every nasty detail about others owners will mysteriously be leaked.

[bryanbutler]

So he gets to gets to keep the "Clippers", but they are no longer an NBA team? How would that even work? It certainly wouldn't work for the players, coaches, and the rest of the league, and frankly I'm not sure what good it would do him if his team can't play other NBA teams any more.

Moreover, having a sports franchise is very much a public trust. To what extent I did not realize until I worked for one. That's true both ethically and legally.

maybe they could move to the carolinas. >>

[bryanbutler]

frank deford was interviewed on NPR this morning about the situation. his take is that the other owners will not vote sterling out. it's a somewhat dangerous precedent. and, sterling is known as a litigious bastard, and he wouldn't go quietly into the night. deford even intimated that the lifetime ban won't even stick - noting steinbrenner's similar ban that only lasted 3 years...

[Pogues]

Prediction: DQ takes Sterling in next year's dead pool draft.

I might just join the Deadpool draft next year, take him in Round 1, and call it a day.

[nots]

He's 81 and I suspect he'll tie this up until he dies just out of spite. And for discovery, where every nasty detail about others owners will mysteriously be leaked.

This is what I'm thinking as well. I believe we will soon find out which NBA owners have contributed to funds to protect marriage, which owners have uttered anti-sementic remarks etc etc etc. I have to believe he is going to go with a scorched earth policy here. Some skeletons are going to come out of the closet before he actually goes away.

[cardboardbox]

Sterling hates everyone apparently:

Sterling, the man whose racist comments sparked this whole furor, was believed to have had concerns about paying a white player that kind of money. He had once given white center Chris Kaman a five-year, $52 million deal, and how that contract panned out (or didn’t, as Kaman played 195 games in the next four years of that deal and was traded to New Orleans with a year and a half left) appeared to be coloring Sterling’s judgment on this deal. In a way, it was a mirror-image of the issue that would be front and center 10 months later.

http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/05/04/j-j-redick-says-deal-to-bring-him-to-clippers-almost-fell-apart-because-of-donald-sterlings-racism/?ocid=Yahoo&partner=ya5nbcs