OT: Ownership

[WCPhan]

I don't think Sterling has to sell; what the NBA has done is try to make it where selling the team is his best option. (Based on what I've read about the NBA constitution, there are very limited circumstances in which the league can take over a team, and those circumstances don't appear to be in play here. The decision to ban Sterling for life is probably the most the NBA could do to encourage him to sell the team.) Sterling could continue to own the team to spite the NBA.

Regardless whether or not Sterling sells the Clippers, I think a lawsuit by Sterling against the NBA is very likely.

This is a given. The last I heard or read, the NBA owners, if they get a 75% approval, can force him to sell. It seems "unconstitutional" but is permitted by the owner's agreement with the NBA and the NBAPA.

But, I don't believe it will be an easy process and I think there is ZERO chance Sterling does not try to fight it. He stands to see it sold for $1Billion. Personally, a scumbag he is, but he loves the limelight that being an owner in LA has afforded him and this will be ridiculously taxing on him.

[Eagle60]

The guy wins in the end. He bought the team for $12.5 million and will sell it for about $1 BILLION!! You can't beat some people.

[FairOaks]

I don't think Sterling has to sell; what the NBA has done is try to make it where selling the team is his best option. (Based on what I've read about the NBA constitution, there are very limited circumstances in which the league can take over a team, and those circumstances don't appear to be in play here. The decision to ban Sterling for life is probably the most the NBA could do to encourage him to sell the team.) Sterling could continue to own the team to spite the NBA.

Regardless whether or not Sterling sells the Clippers, I think a lawsuit by Sterling against the NBA is very likely.

I thought I had read that the owners themselves can vote to force him to sell, though I don't know the details. The commissioner can't though, so beyond recommending that action to owners it seems Silver went about as far as he could.

Part of me is disturbed that a private conversation could result in something like this -- the release of that recording would seem to have violated California's wiretapping law, unless Sterling actually knew he was being recorded. I wonder if Sterling could sue TMZ over that as well. I also wonder how much the person recording baited him into that conversation -- knew what buttons to press to bring out that disgusting attitude and went for it.

Still... much like the NFL's angle on punishments for personal behavior, the NBA is primarily concerned about protecting the brand, not any particular moral position, is my guess. Sterling has been a scumbag in the past, but it hasn't affected the Clippers much directly in terms of sponsor deals, etc. But this one recording -- legal or not -- suddenly made the Clippers an unviable franchise. Ad money would drop off drastically, it would be something that (quite understandably) sickened players enough that free agents would no longer want to go there, draft picks might try to find a way to not play, things to that level. And it could affect the league as a whole as well. Silver had to do something pretty drastic to protect the league. We'll see if Sterling can force a reduction of the penalty in the future, or just sells. The decision feels a little bit knee-jerk, but everyone else's knee-jerk reactions probably have very real danger for the league, and this seems to be designed to stop all of that in its tracks.

It's pretty stunning that after mismanaging that team for decades, once he finally lucks into a good team (drafting Griffin and the whole weird Chris Paul trade debacle), Sterling ruins it like this.

[12dickau4pres]

I can't believe I have to agree with Skip Bayless..I feel sick

Where was the outcry when Elgin Baylor was suing Sterling for discrimination? Where he literally detailed racists remarks he was making

Where was Chris Paul's outrage when he was accepting a $100million dollar deal?

I would like to hear from David Stern and why he dropped the ball.

I also love when old people refer to things as "the" ..."The instagram"

[FairOaks]

Where was the outcry when Elgin Baylor was suing Sterling for discrimination? Where he literally detailed racists remarks he was making

Where was Chris Paul's outrage when he was accepting a $100million dollar deal?

I would like to hear from David Stern and why he dropped the ball.

None of those things caused advertisers and sponsors to quit. Previous behavior was just legally wrong and morally repugnant; this one threatened the money flow.

[WCPhan]

None of those things caused advertisers and sponsors to quit. Previous behavior was just legally wrong and morally repugnant; this one threatened the money flow.

And this is the only thing that matters in business.

Baylor's suit and the information obtained within it were rendered toothless because Baylor drafted some of the worst picks in the history of the NBA so when he sued Sterling it just looked like sour grapes.

[sfphillyfan]

we live in a sad sad world.

Sterling and his buddies probably all feel that way. He just got caught. (Who set him up? The gf?)

@dickau - i refer to things as "the" for fun. The facebook. The twitter. The instagram.

[MDFAN]

The guy is a stupid head. For sure.

But don't bet the farm that many many many more rich white folk don't talk and act the same way when they think nobody is listening or recording their private moments.

While I am in full agreement with the disgust everyone else feels.... I am not shocked nor surprised.


Now (since this is OT) -- I am curious as to what people think about any legal ramifications ---

I mean did he do anything illegal? or is this all a societal no no?

[FRESH]

No, there is nothing illegal about this. And I am actually having split feelings about them being able to take his team away from him. I prefer a democratic style of society where these things would get worked out on their won. People would boycot him, he'd lose support, etc. Unfortunatley there are a bunch of other people involved, including the Clipper's players, of course, who would be hurt in the process, and that is where it becomes more difficult. If this were a simple business, SOCIETY would put him out of business as he is simply blacklisted.

[FairOaks]

Now (since this is OT) -- I am curious as to what people think about any legal ramifications ---

I mean did he do anything illegal? or is this all a societal no no?

Nothing illegal at all, this time (he crossed that line before, when he denied housing along racial lines and paid millions of dollars in fines). You are allowed to be a bigot, so long as you don't majorly interfere with others' lives.

The recording probably was illegal -- so he could probably sue someone for some big dollars, and I'm sure he'll try. Although a forced sale would actually generate him a massive profit, so damages might be hard to quantify. But that's also probably why nobody wants to own up to releasing that recording to TMZ.

The NBA can't force him to lose his team though, only the other owners can. Sounds like they need 3/4 of other owners to vote to kick him out. That's sort of democratic, and a system he was OK entering. If his behavior was so egregious as to have all of the other owners vote that way (knowing full well this could be a precedent in the future which would affect *them*), then he must have endangered their teams (i.e. profits) quite a bit, and that is the real line he needed to make sure he never crossed.

It feels very, very ugly to me that a private conversation got out like this. But there are going to be very real affects on the NBA regardless, and they will react to that.

[Eagle60]

Nothing illegal at all, this time (he crossed that line before, when he denied housing along racial lines and paid millions of dollars in fines). You are allowed to be a bigot, so long as you don't majorly interfere with others' lives.

The recording probably was illegal -- so he could probably sue someone for some big dollars, and I'm sure he'll try. Although a forced sale would actually generate him a massive profit, so damages might be hard to quantify. But that's also probably why nobody wants to own up to releasing that recording to TMZ.

The NBA can't force him to lose his team though, only the other owners can. Sounds like they need 3/4 of other owners to vote to kick him out. That's sort of democratic, and a system he was OK entering. If his behavior was so egregious as to have all of the other owners vote that way (knowing full well this could be a precedent in the future which would affect *them*), then he must have endangered their teams (i.e. profits) quite a bit, and that is the real line he needed to make sure he never crossed.

It feels very, very ugly to me that a private conversation got out like this. But there are going to be very real affects on the NBA regardless, and they will react to that.

Just a hunch, but I would guess that the girlfriend who is a minority got tired of his racial stuff and set him up.

[WCPhan]

[/B]

Just a hunch, but I would guess that the girlfriend who is a minority got tired of his racial stuff and set him up.

I imagine she got a big fat check for the recording.

[Eagle60]

I imagine she got a big fat check for the recording.

Nah, she's a nice girl.

[sfphillyfan]

I imagine she got a big fat check for the recording.

Are you saying that a girl who would date a 70 year old cryptkeeper would be interested in money?

She did it for LOVE!

[NoDakIggle]

Just off the top of my head but say they can't make him sell. They damn sure can ban the team from the league make an expansion team in LA and then who is he going to play. The advertisers walk away and how does he pay the players.
Sure he will sue to try to draw as much blood as he can but he will lose in the end