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Thursday, April 03, 2014

OT: NBA Monthly Thread - April 2014

I estimate only 10-12 Primates care about the NBA, but with our own thread, we won’t detract from what this site is really about, which I forgot.

Have posts been building up inside you?

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The District Attorney Posted: April 03, 2014 at 05:26 PM | 2387 comment(s) Login to Bookmark
Tags: basketball, nba, off-topic

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701. rr

Posted: April 27, 2014 at 04:23 PM (#4695375)

I think this (the line) is more about MJ than Sterling

I know--that was my point. I get that it was partly a throwaway joke, but Jordan actually has had less reason/opportunity over the years to call out DS than other guys have had over the years.

702. rr

Posted: April 27, 2014 at 04:28 PM (#4695378)

Funny

703. NJ in DC (Now with Baby!) Posted: April 27, 2014 at 04:28 PM (#4695379)

I know--that was my point. I get that it was partly a throwaway joke, but Jordan actually has had less reason/opportunity over the years to call out DS than other guys have had over the years.

It wasn't a reference to anything about Jordan and Sterling, but rather to Jordan's general infamously apolitical nature.

704. rr

Posted: April 27, 2014 at 04:31 PM (#4695384)

It wasn't a reference to anything about Jordan and Sterling, but rather to Jordan's general infamously apolitical nature.

I know that, too. Jordan has been criticized many times for not speaking out/Nike etc. But I thought your joke raised a larger issue about this.

705. Los Angeles El Hombre de Anaheim

Posted: April 27, 2014 at 04:47 PM (#4695398)

I wonder if it's occurred to the Clippers that if they win the championship, Donald Sterling gets to raise the Larry O'Brien trophy. I believe it has, and that's why they're playing like crap right now.

706. No sex please, TFTIO is an amoeboid zingatularian Posted: April 27, 2014 at 04:55 PM (#4695404)

I've always liked watching the players talk to the refs during stoppages in play, for some reason.

707. Tin Angel Posted: April 27, 2014 at 05:03 PM (#4695409)

I'm curious- have there been any under instances where owners of sports franchises were forced to sell the team? I don't understand how this can work from a legal standpoint- how could the NBA make Sterling sell the Clippers for what essentially amounts to moral reasons?

708. theboyqueen Posted: April 27, 2014 at 05:16 PM (#4695418)

Couldn't they just not schedule games against them, or contract the franchise?

709. No sex please, TFTIO is an amoeboid zingatularian Posted: April 27, 2014 at 05:36 PM (#4695436)

This game is a touch dull.

710. Los Angeles El Hombre de Anaheim

Posted: April 27, 2014 at 05:40 PM (#4695437)

The Clips were clawing back into it, but Curry may have put this game to bed with those two bombs to finish the 3rd.

Is anyone really rooting for the Clippers at this point?

711. Crispix reaches boiling point with lackluster play Posted: April 27, 2014 at 05:58 PM (#4695447)

Sure, I'm rooting for the Clippers to keep up the protest, and start to play entire games wearing generic jerseys if it gets any worse.

712. NJ in DC (Now with Baby!) Posted: April 27, 2014 at 05:59 PM (#4695450)

I've always liked watching the players talk to the refs during stoppages in play, for some reason.

There was a great segment before the last Memphis-OKC game where Perkins and Z-Bo were talking to the ref. One of my favorite moments so far.

Is anyone really rooting for the Clippers at this point?

I am, I love Chris Paul and I hate Mark Jackson. Plus the longer the Clippers stay around the longer the Sterling stuff lingers, which I think is a good thing.

713. smileyy Posted: April 27, 2014 at 06:23 PM (#4695468)

Seriously, Sterling's housing discrimination and slumlordism which made him a rich man in the first place are far bigger crimes against humanity than his senile ramblings to a golddigging mistress.

Sure, but what he's getting pilloried for (by the NBA) is crimes against NBA public appeal.

714. smileyy Posted: April 27, 2014 at 06:26 PM (#4695471)

I'm curious- have there been any under instances where owners of sports franchises were forced to sell the team? I don't understand how this can work from a legal standpoint- how could the NBA make Sterling sell the Clippers for what essentially amounts to moral reasons?

See 636 and 637. I would guess the league could suspend him from any sort of operations of the team. Equity would be his only connection to the team.

Kind of like how executives resign instead of being fired.

715. Harveys Wallbangers

Posted: April 27, 2014 at 07:16 PM (#4695495)

have there been any under instances where owners of sports franchises were forced to sell the team?

a Phillies owner back in the 40's was forced to sell

716. Crispix reaches boiling point with lackluster play Posted: April 27, 2014 at 07:23 PM (#4695499)

TWO Phillies owners have been forced to sell! William Cox in the 40s, for betting on the team. And Horace Fogel about a hundred years ago, for scurrilously accusing other teams of throwing games and basically being a pain in the neck, in addition to being a mere figurehead for the ownership group anyway (he was a popular sportswriter).

717. John Shade has yet to hear the Squeak Posted: April 27, 2014 at 07:36 PM (#4695502)

So the Warriors going small was apparently the result of Jermaine O'Neal going to Jackson and telling him that Green should start in his place. Credit to Jackson for listening, I guess.

718. ERROR---Jolly Old St. Nick

Posted: April 27, 2014 at 07:48 PM (#4695505)

have there been any under instances where owners of sports franchises were forced to sell the team?

a Phillies owner back in the 40's was forced to sell

So was Fred Saigh of the Cardinals back in 1953. Most Cardinals fans of today likely don't realize how close they came to having their team bought and moved to another city. Before Gussie Busch bought the Cardinals and then bought Sportsman's Park, the Cardinals were actually tenants to the Browns' landlord.

And though technically Bill Veeck wasn't forced to sell the Browns later that year, in practice he had to divest himself completely when the AL owners refused to let him retain 40% of the team if the Browns were to move to Baltimore. He'd also heard that the league was going to revoke his franchise if he didn't sell, so he took the hint and got out of the ownership business.

719. Athletic Supporter was shiny, now he's all rusted Posted: April 27, 2014 at 11:08 PM (#4695540)

Any theories for the success of road teams so far? More evenly matched teams? Crowds aren't what they used to be? Random noise?

720. Kurt Posted: April 27, 2014 at 11:26 PM (#4695549)

Mostly I think the teams are very evenly matched. One side effect of this is that you don't have heavy favorites coasting to get a split in games 3-4. Every team (except Miami) has to go full throttle every game.

I can't remember a playoff season that's been this wide open.

721. Maxwn Posted: April 27, 2014 at 11:32 PM (#4695553)

Any theories for the success of road teams so far? More evenly matched teams? Crowds aren't what they used to be? Random noise?

Evenly matched teams. For 2 different reasons though. In the West its because everyone is good. All 8 teams in the West are essentially 50 win teams or better. DAL only got 49, but that's minor. If you are good enough to win 50, you're good enough to not be giving up much to anyone. In the East its the opposite. I won't say all the East teams are bad, most of them are decent, but none of them except Miami are really good enough to stand out from anyone else. Indiana should be, but obviously they've been melting down pretty hard for a while now. So we've got all of these series between teams that are at least reasonably closely matched, which means nearly anything can happen and there have been a lot of road wins.

I feel like there are usually a fair amount of road wins in the 4-5, 3-6 type matchups, but normally many of the 1-8, 2-7 series are not as competitive. This year only MIA-CHA is like that and all the rest of them look a lot more like mid-seed matchups. That's what I figure anyway.

722. Maxwn Posted: April 27, 2014 at 11:46 PM (#4695558)

Damn that was a wide-open corner three POR just got for a 2-sec end-of-quarter shot.

723. Los Angeles El Hombre de Anaheim

Posted: April 28, 2014 at 12:04 AM (#4695563)

That's one heckuva comeback the Blazers.

724. Los Angeles El Hombre de Anaheim

Posted: April 28, 2014 at 12:04 AM (#4695564)

That's one heckuva 3 by Harden.

725. Maxwn Posted: April 28, 2014 at 12:10 AM (#4695567)

Dwight post-ups are not the answer.

726. NJ in DC (Now with Baby!) Posted: April 28, 2014 at 12:16 AM (#4695569)

I hate James Harden.

727. Maxwn Posted: April 28, 2014 at 12:19 AM (#4695570)

Me too, NJ, me too. He's the laziest defender I have ever seen.

728. rr

Posted: April 28, 2014 at 12:20 AM (#4695571)

...and that's why Dwight Howard is still worth a lot of money.

729. NJ in DC (Now with Baby!) Posted: April 28, 2014 at 12:21 AM (#4695573)

Howard is absolutely carrying Harden's lazy ass on defense these past two minutes. HOW CAN YOU BE GIVING SUCH #### EFFORT IN THE PLAYOFFS!?

730. Maxwn Posted: April 28, 2014 at 12:24 AM (#4695574)

That was his guy who got that first open 3 that was missed just there wasn't it?

731. rr

Posted: April 28, 2014 at 12:24 AM (#4695575)

This is quite a series.

732. Los Angeles El Hombre de Anaheim

Posted: April 28, 2014 at 12:24 AM (#4695576)

Man, what a crazy sequence that finished with Mo Williams.

733. Randomly Fluctuating Defensive Metric Posted: April 28, 2014 at 12:27 AM (#4695578)

I know the Knicks sucked. I don't regret them not paying Lin.

734. theboyqueen Posted: April 28, 2014 at 12:27 AM (#4695579)

A Blazers-Grizzlies WCF would be all sorts of old-school awesome.

735. NJ in DC (Now with Baby!) Posted: April 28, 2014 at 12:28 AM (#4695580)

I know the Knicks sucked. I don't regret them not paying Lin.

Heh.

736. NJ in DC (Now with Baby!) Posted: April 28, 2014 at 12:36 AM (#4695582)

Houston's insistence on running Dwight Howard post ups is really incredible.

737. NJ in DC (Now with Baby!) Posted: April 28, 2014 at 12:38 AM (#4695583)

Lazy steal attempt by Harden. Aldridge blow by. Parsons called for a flagrant 1. Man.

738. Los Angeles El Hombre de Anaheim

Posted: April 28, 2014 at 12:52 AM (#4695584)

After TNT went to break, Kevin Harlan's mic stayed on a second too long. "Harden looked TERRIBLE..."

739. rr

Posted: April 28, 2014 at 12:56 AM (#4695585)

Fouled a guy on a 3 with 8 seconds...

740. rr

Posted: April 28, 2014 at 12:57 AM (#4695586)

I think Daniels has locked in next year's deal.

741. Maxwn Posted: April 28, 2014 at 12:59 AM (#4695588)

Fouled a guy on a 3 with 8 seconds...

eh, the Grizzlies been doing that all week. Completely unoriginal move there, Portland.

742. theboyqueen Posted: April 28, 2014 at 01:03 AM (#4695589)

The Memphis-OKC series and this series do seem very similar.

743. Maxwn Posted: April 28, 2014 at 01:09 AM (#4695591)

The Grizz like to give it that extra special little flair where the guy makes the damn shot somehow though.

744. NJ in DC (Now with Baby!) Posted: April 28, 2014 at 01:24 AM (#4695593)

I forgot about the blown call where the refs did not review the out of bounds off Howard where it was actually clearly knocked out by a POR player.

745. Empathy, I Promise You (SBB)

Posted: April 28, 2014 at 07:10 AM (#4695606)

Hard to believe Stern steered Chris Paul to that cretin Sterling. He always got something of a pass, but with that, the Sonics move, the enabling of Sterling, and the failure to do anything to Dolan in the wake of the Anucha Browne Sanders sexual harassment verdict, Stern's legacy is actually pretty poor.

746. My name is Votto, and I love to get blotto Posted: April 28, 2014 at 09:12 AM (#4695635)

Dr. Jack passes away

I'm too young to remember him as a coach, but he was awesome calling games on the radio for as long as I can remember.

(In other words, I did hear him announce).

R.I.P.

747. Dandy Little Glove Man Posted: April 28, 2014 at 11:57 AM (#4695820)

Hard to believe Stern steered Chris Paul to that cretin Sterling. He always got something of a pass, but with that, the Sonics move, the enabling of Sterling, and the failure to do anything to Dolan in the wake of the Anucha Browne Sanders sexual harassment verdict, Stern's legacy is actually pretty poor.

I wouldn't go that far. I'd say the truth is that Stern was commissioner for 30 years and made mostly very good decisions for the first 20, but then many poor decisions in the last 10 years (ironically while he was idolized in the media based on past accomplishments).

Everything you cite as his legacy came from his final decade as commissioner, which also included the failed composite ball, the questionable Suns playoff suspensions, the awful Heat-Mavs Finals / ref controversy, and perhaps most notably, his epic bungling of the current media rights deal and resulting push for a lockout. In June 2007, in the wake of the lowest rated Finals in league history (San Antonio's sweep of Cleveland), Stern prematurely negotiated the longest TV deal to date, throwing in all digital media rights as well. Over the next year, while the league was still on its prior deal, the Celtics and Lakers rose to the top of the league, fan interest soared, and everyone started to realize that live sports were the most valuable property in broadcasting. To make up for costing the owners hundreds of millions annually, Stern led the charge for the 2011 lockout and made ridiculous threats like "I know where the bodies are buried" while misleading the public as to the league's finances and what the owners were seeking.

All of that notwithstanding, I still think Stern's legacy is more positive than negative. Even if there was a lot of good fortune involved, Stern rightly pursued global marketing strategies and expansion that helped league revenue grow exponentially during his reign. He went along with the idea to put pros in the Olympics, eventually taking a leading role in the formation of the Dream Team, and when team defenses got really physical and scoring declined, he instituted the handcheck rule to make the game more entertaining for the mass audience. He made marketing star-driven as well as team-driven in a league that really facilitates individual stardom, and he helped keep league publicity more positive than the other major sports. I guess this last part is a mixed blessing, as burying negative press helps the league image but can also allow some truly reprehensible conduct, like Donald Sterling's many transgressions, to go unpunished.

748. Rob_Wood Posted: April 28, 2014 at 12:27 PM (#4695844)

Jack Ramsay famously did not get along with Wilt Chamberlain (whether this is a positive or negative I will leave to the reader) and traded him to the Lakers for pennies on the dollar. He always claimed that Bill Walton was the best player he ever coached. And he was the driving force to draft Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan (which is not as bad as it sounds absent Bowie's well-known injury history in college).

Anyway, Dr. Jack was beloved by all and I loved listening to his analysis.

749. Los Angeles El Hombre de Anaheim

Posted: April 28, 2014 at 12:54 PM (#4695879)

Dr. Jack was a better coach than GM — not saying much, as he was a terrible GM — and an even better announcer than coach, which is saying quite a bit indeed. Attention should be paid.

750. Empathy, I Promise You (SBB)

Posted: April 28, 2014 at 01:18 PM (#4695907)

The Portland Trail Blazers of January 1, 1977 through the spring of 1978, when a very tall redhead lost the first of many battles with his feet, were the closest thing to aesthetic basketball perfection the sport has ever seen. Jack Ramsay was the architect and leader of that team, and a giant of the game.

RIP.

751. King Mekong Posted: April 28, 2014 at 01:18 PM (#4695908)

Reading the grantland shootaround and noticed carter shuffled his feet after the pump fake. http://espngrantland.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/carter-3-three.gif Guys get away with that all the time.

752. Los Angeles El Hombre de Anaheim

Posted: April 28, 2014 at 01:43 PM (#4695922)

Reading the grantland shootaround and noticed carter shuffled his feet after the pump fake. http://espngrantland.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/carter-3-three.gif Guys get away with that all the time.

It used to just be a missed/bad call. Once they legalized the Lebron crap step, it was all over.

753. King Mekong Posted: April 28, 2014 at 01:48 PM (#4695924)

Yeah, it's one of those things that happens all the time with step back 3 pters. Which you think they would notice since they are watching the feet to make sure they are behind the line. I think James Harden is the master of the crap step.

754. aberg Posted: April 28, 2014 at 01:50 PM (#4695926)

The Breaks of the Game made Jack Ramsay a legend. His wide collars and polyester suits made him immortal.

755. Moses Taylor World Tour: Hong Kong Posted: April 28, 2014 at 02:11 PM (#4695947)

Great eulogy from Dr. Jack's son:

As he got older, the not-normal stuff began to happen. He started to get sick. Brain tumors, lung tumors, marrow syndrome, skin cancer, bladder cancer, prostate cancer, heart ailments, partial blindness, thrombosis, near-deadly spider bites, gout and shingles. He had hernia surgery. He had cysts removed from his eyelids. He had the bottom of his foot cut off, his lymph nodes stripped out. You probably didn't know about those battles. He fought them in private.

He fought his personal health battles all while taking care of my mom. For 10 years, he cared for her as she got lost in the Alzheimer's maze. He was really sweet with her. She didn't know who he was most of the time, but he held her hand when she was scared and fed her and tried to ease her through the confusion for days and months and years. It was hard, but he did it. And he did it for a long, long time. That, too, is what he did in private.

756. STIGGLES is more humble than you would understand Posted: April 28, 2014 at 03:14 PM (#4696003)

I know the Knicks sucked. I don't regret them not paying Lin.

i agree. much better that they spend that money on andrea bargnani.

757. Los Angeles El Hombre de Anaheim

Posted: April 28, 2014 at 08:42 PM (#4696224)

Indiana... not looking good early. Some of these missed shots are hilariously off target.

758. JJ1986 Posted: April 28, 2014 at 08:47 PM (#4696226)

Mike Scott, ladies and gentlemen!

759. Los Angeles El Hombre de Anaheim

Posted: April 28, 2014 at 08:49 PM (#4696230)

Tie game to 15 point lead. I blinked, and almost missed it.

760. Crosseyed and Painless Posted: April 28, 2014 at 08:53 PM (#4696232)

O/U on Miami losses pre-Finals? 2.5? 2?

761. Los Angeles El Hombre de Anaheim

Posted: April 28, 2014 at 08:54 PM (#4696234)

27-4 run. I can't even watch. It's humiliating.

762. Los Angeles El Hombre de Anaheim

Posted: April 28, 2014 at 08:55 PM (#4696236)

30-6 run. Mike Scott can't miss.

763. Der-K: downgraded to lurker Posted: April 28, 2014 at 08:59 PM (#4696238)

755 - Ramsay's kid did a very nice job.

ATL/IND: Caw caw!
It's very strange to see a team I root for having somewhat unexpected success.

764. Los Angeles El Hombre de Anaheim

Posted: April 28, 2014 at 09:03 PM (#4696245)

25 point lead. The crowd's getting really ugly. This is the NBA's version of child abuse.

765. Randomly Fluctuating Defensive Metric Posted: April 28, 2014 at 09:36 PM (#4696273)

Mike Scott's 1985 release, This is the Three.

766. tshipman

Posted: April 28, 2014 at 10:01 PM (#4696297)

Serious question: Is the kid in the Spring/Kevin Durant "Framily plan" commercial supposed to sound mentally handicapped? Am I way off base here?

***

Was nice to watch Miami take care of business. They had another gear the Bobcats just couldn't get to.

767. Tulo's Fishy Mullet (mrams) Posted: April 28, 2014 at 10:56 PM (#4696323)

Pacers have been blasted (10pts or more) about 12 times since March 5th. This is the #1 seed.

768. aberg Posted: April 29, 2014 at 12:25 AM (#4696362)

Wow, San Antonio. I'm thinking to myself "why are they taking so long to set up their offense?" with a tie game and about 30 seconds to play. Then Diaw picks and pops and I'm thinking "is that who you want shooting here?" and of course he drills it.

769. Russlan thinks deGrom is da bomb Posted: April 29, 2014 at 12:27 AM (#4696363)

Wow, Ellis was so close to tying the game late.

770. King Mekong Posted: April 29, 2014 at 12:36 AM (#4696371)

god these spurs mavs games have been stressful.

771. rr

Posted: April 29, 2014 at 02:20 AM (#4696383)

Jack Ramsay was an excellent PBP guy and seems like he was a great guy in general.

772. Publius Publicola Posted: April 29, 2014 at 07:00 AM (#4696401)

He always claimed that Bill Walton was the best player he ever coached.

He was.

Tremendous coach. Tremendous announcer. Should never have been a GM (he also traded Moses Malone for a #1 pick to Houston, though that wasn't solely his fault as the Portland owner didn't want to pay Malone's salary and Ramsay traded him under pressure).

773. Athletic Supporter was shiny, now he's all rusted Posted: April 29, 2014 at 02:17 PM (#4696745)

Woj reporting that Sterling will be banned for life plus $2.5M fine. Wow.

EDIT: And there it is.

774. Athletic Supporter was shiny, now he's all rusted Posted: April 29, 2014 at 02:31 PM (#4696762)

Very impressed with how Silver is handling this press conference.

775. Gold Star - just Gold Star Posted: April 29, 2014 at 02:39 PM (#4696770)

Players and media, on Twitter, giving Silver a standing O.

776. NJ in DC (Now with Baby!) Posted: April 29, 2014 at 02:40 PM (#4696772)

Very impressed with Silver.

777. STIGGLES is more humble than you would understand Posted: April 29, 2014 at 02:45 PM (#4696775)

Woj reporting that Sterling will be banned for life plus $2.5M fine. Wow.

EDIT: And there it is.

i do not imagine that donald sterling is going to let this go down without putting up a major fight.

778. Meatwad Posted: April 29, 2014 at 02:47 PM (#4696780)

I think him telling the league to look to force a sell is a pr move and that they wont force him to do that, however the lifetime ban works pretty well

779. Shredder Posted: April 29, 2014 at 02:50 PM (#4696783)

This whole thing makes me really uncomfortable. I'm no Sterling fan by any means, but what would the NBA have done if he'd gotten into a domestic dispute and been accused of hitting her? I sincerely doubt he would have been banned for life (pending the severity). But say something racist, after a history of saying racist and misogynistic behavior, in a private conversation, and you get the biggest penalty in the history of the league? Basically this is a punishment for making the NBA look bad. Sterling was guilty of that decades ago and no one ever cared. I'm not sad he's gone, but it just seems the league's priorities are really out of whack.

780. Meatwad Posted: April 29, 2014 at 02:52 PM (#4696786)

lets see how the new commish handles things from here on out. a strong start. and really this is the first time the modern nba has had a new leader since stern just recently stepped down.

781. NJ in DC (Now with Baby!) Posted: April 29, 2014 at 02:53 PM (#4696789)

782. The District Attorney Posted: April 29, 2014 at 02:55 PM (#4696794)

This whole thing makes me really uncomfortable. I'm no Sterling fan by any means, but what would the NBA have done if he'd gotten into a domestic dispute and been accused of hitting her? I sincerely doubt he would have been banned for life (pending the severity). But say something racist, after a history of saying racist and misogynistic behavior, in a private conversation, and you get the biggest penalty in the history of the league? Basically this is a punishment for making the NBA look bad.

Agreed with all of that... except the "makes me really uncomfortable" part.

783. Random Transaction Generator Posted: April 29, 2014 at 02:56 PM (#4696796)

but what would the NBA have done if he'd gotten into a domestic dispute and been accused of hitting her?

Totally dick response here, but I'd say they'd do nothing since there aren't any women who play in the NBA...

784. Der-K: downgraded to lurker Posted: April 29, 2014 at 02:56 PM (#4696797)

Basically this is a punishment for making the NBA look bad.

Of course. Punishment / signal to others that they recognize that this matters. (Or "matters", however you want to read it.)

785. JJ1986 Posted: April 29, 2014 at 02:58 PM (#4696799)

No sympathy for Sterling, but this seems like a pretty minor offense compared to the rest of his history. He's made a career out of racial discrimination. If these remarks were worthy of huge punishment, then his offenses before that were worthy of much more.

786. Athletic Supporter was shiny, now he's all rusted Posted: April 29, 2014 at 03:00 PM (#4696803)

I think that's a legitimate point. JVG also pointed out what happens if a coach or player does something similar?

I think that as much as Silver tried to emphasize that the penalty was for this one action alone, it's definitely based on Sterling's prior reputation. If, say, Jerry West made some similar remark in private, I don't think the backlash would be nearly as big and I don't think the penalty would have come down as harshly. I also suspect that Jerry West would have made public statements admitting and being contrite and would have been forgiven, whereas Sterling's past reputation means that this is not an option for him.

Ultimately the NBA is in entertainment, and if you have a team that fans won't support and players won't play for, that's a real problem. I do think that Shredder's point that this is a PR move is a good one but I also don't think that's the wrong approach -- Silver spun it really well but this is a business decision primarily and it's a good one for the NBA. I agree it's a slippery slope to what if a player speaks out against the NBA and gets blackballed or worse, but I don't think that would happen because ultimately the fans are paying the bills.

It's definitely a factor too that the Clippers are now one of the NBA's marquee franchises, and I think this is one reason no punishment was handed out to Sterling in the past -- nobody wanted to play for or root for the Clippers before anyway, people played there because they had to in general, but now they employ the NBPA president and get tons of eyeballs and that absolutely matters.

787. stanmvp48 Posted: April 29, 2014 at 03:03 PM (#4696807)

"Serious question: Is the kid in the Spring/Kevin Durant "Framily plan" commercial supposed to sound mentally handicapped? Am I way off base here?"

I wish somebody would answer this. I don't get the commercial at all. Not the first time.

788. A Fatty Cow That Need Two Seats Posted: April 29, 2014 at 03:07 PM (#4696813)

The kid is dreaming. Anything goes in his dreams, including accents. We weren't meant to know.

789. Tulo's Fishy Mullet (mrams) Posted: April 29, 2014 at 03:12 PM (#4696822)

I think that's a legitimate point. JVG also pointed out what happens if a coach or player does something similar?

Different type of scenario altogether, but Jim Irsay is getting virtually no heat from fans or locals here for being charged with a crime (a crime which generally continues to be accepted by many), in addition to obviously having a personal substance abuse problem. I don't think anybody nationwide has been holding their breath for Goodell's press conference on the matter.

790. Rob_Wood Posted: April 29, 2014 at 03:27 PM (#4696848)

Clearly the punishment was extreme, but the players made it well known that they demanded Sterling's head or there would be hell to pay. It is clear why this is so. Whether this is an appropriate sanction in the abstract is unclear. (Usual caveat applies that I in no way support Sterling or his comments.)

791. nick swisher hygiene Posted: April 29, 2014 at 03:40 PM (#4696866)

Yeah, it's about power: the players had enough to make this happen, and that's a good thing. I also suspect that If Sterling hadn't had the history, the punishment would have been very different....

Remind me not to look at the OTP thread for a while....

792. rr

Posted: April 29, 2014 at 03:41 PM (#4696867)

This is not as bad in a vaccum as some other stuff Sterling has done/allegedly done, but in addition to being morally awful, the statements strike at the NBA's culture and business models--and they're on tape. And, as people note here and as I said yesterday, things are different for the Clippers now than they were before. Put another way, private clubs can ban their members if the members do something that embarrasses/hurts the club, and there is clear, incontrovertible evidence of such. Sterling isn't going to prison or getting sued--he is getting punished by the guy who runs the club. What Silver's punishment does is take a lot of the fun out of owning the Clippers for Sterling and in this context, I think that is a legit way to go.

As to forcing him to sell, that is a different thing. There is some language in the NBA constitution that allows for that with a 3/4 vote, supposedly, but it was apparently put in to deal with insolvent owners, gambling etc. Cuban has already come out against forcing Sterling to sell, and I am not sure other owners will be cool with forcing a guy to sell because of some private statements he made, no matter how reprehensible said statements may be, and I can't really blame them.

793. Publius Publicola Posted: April 29, 2014 at 03:43 PM (#4696869)

Sterling's reaction to his lifetime ban:

Uh, but in truth, if I am removed, we shall find reduced opportuinty to consort with negroes. You see, as owner, you must find the good in any situation.

794. Athletic Supporter was shiny, now he's all rusted Posted: April 29, 2014 at 03:45 PM (#4696875)

Cubes has mentioned his concern but he also just tweeted this:

Mark Cuban ?@mcuban 1h
I agree 100% with Commissioner Silvers findings and the actions taken against Donald Sterling

I agree with whoever said (edit: Woj) that the owners will vote for whatever Silver wants to do because it's a PR nightmare for any team whose owner votes against expelling Sterling.

I looked up a few owners on Twitter and everyone I could find (Arison, Gilbert, Ranadive, Allen) has already tweeted support explicitly or has written things about inclusiveness that sound like support (Pera).

795. Grunthos Posted: April 29, 2014 at 03:45 PM (#4696876)

The general buzz appears to be that Silver already has the necessary votes in pocket.

I'm curious about the following unintended consequence: in order to minimize the chances of Sterling succeeding in a court challenge, it seems to me the NBA will have to open the sale up to all potential bidders... not just local ones. Which would presumably lead straight to the resurrection of the Seattle SuperSonics by one of the strangest routes imaginable.

796. rr

Posted: April 29, 2014 at 03:47 PM (#4696879)

There are rumors that the Guggenheim group, with Magic Johnson as the face, wants to buy the Clippers if they are put up for sale.

797. Meatwad Posted: April 29, 2014 at 03:49 PM (#4696883)

I think the nba would like that, having a former star head a franchise is a good marketing tool.

798. Bitter Mouse, Space Tyrant Posted: April 29, 2014 at 03:50 PM (#4696885)

Remind me not to look at the OTP thread for a while....

Shockingly it is just a blip there, gender studies is all the rage there. Yeah, I am in the conversation and I don't get it either.

Back on topic, good punishment from a league perspective though not in any sort of fair of just one (as noted above). I don't feel too much pity for him though.

799. Tulo's Fishy Mullet (mrams) Posted: April 29, 2014 at 03:51 PM (#4696890)

There are rumors that the Guggenheim group, with Magic Johnson as the face, wants to buy the Clippers if they are put up for sale.

Cue the Magic used 'V' as a puppeteer to seize control of Clippers conspiracy.

800. rr

Posted: April 29, 2014 at 03:55 PM (#4696895)

flip

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