Sterling surrenders control of Clippers to Shelly (pg 35)

[randymoss1881]

I think there's more behind it than race or racism.

I think it was intentionally orchestrated to get him out of power and replace him.

You can call it a conspiracy "theory," but I'm sure at some point, it will come out in the wash that she was put up to this on a higher level by someone(s) who will ultimately either become part of the ownership group or at least bid aggressively on the team.

I think this gave the NBA an opportunity they've been waiting for to oust a dinosaur and replace him with a group that they see as being a bigger benefit to the NBA as a whole.

Usually when the punishment seems a little irrational, the intentions of the punisher are self-serving.

If Magic becomes owner I suspect it's him or someone around him.

 

[The Oi]

Re: So Clippers owner Donald Sterling is extremely racist

If Magic becomes owner I suspect it's him or someone around him.

Seems to be the general consensus.

 

[Cavsfan1985]

Re: So Clippers owner Donald Sterling is extremely racist

You know this is going to be tied up in court. Just the tax situation alone is enough to take it to court. I can applaud the NBA for taking a tough stance on this, but I hope the players and everyone involved calling for Sterlings heads, no that this going to drastically change how business is done going forward. I really hope this does have a positive effect on everyone.

 

[caf]

Re: So Clippers owner Donald Sterling is extremely racist

It does make a lot of sense. I wouldn't count out ESPNs involvement either. They were the ones leading the torch and pitchfork brigade. Its also widely accepted in inner circles that they facilitated the destruction of the Big East to eliminate the possibility CBS/Big East pairing.

 

[Randolphkeys]

Re: So Clippers owner Donald Sterling is extremely racist

I don't always know the right questions to ask, but the answer is always money. All of the sponsors pulled signage from the Staples Center for the Clippers/Warriors playoff game, and the players had organized a walkout at tipoff. The story became much bigger than the game, and all the owners were standing to lose a lot of money.

I do think this was orchestrated, but in the end it was an action that was long overdue. We can talk about some disingenuous actions people took to bring Sterling to the chopping block, but in the end he deserves this for acting like a 1930s cotton farm owner.

Think of the blue collar employees of color who had to work under him. Think of the way he has treated people of color in the organization for 30 years. Think of the people who rented his properties... The guy deserves losing what he loved.

 

[DatDudeZ3]

Re: So Clippers owner Donald Sterling is extremely racist

Classy move from Blake Griff..

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Blake Griffin on news that Donald Sterling may have cancer: I did not know that. If it’s true, my thoughts and prayers are with him.</p>&mdash; Jimmy Spencer (@JimmySpencerNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/JimmySpencerNBA/statuses/462114963596017664">May 2, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Cavsfan1985]

Re: So Clippers owner Donald Sterling is extremely racist

What this also shows to me, is the power the media has now. Think of how much money ESPN, and other media outlets made off of this. They made this more then just sports, so even those who do not follow the NBA or sports are talking about this.

 

[czvo]

Re: So Clippers owner Donald Sterling is extremely racist

I think there's more behind it than race or racism.

I think it was intentionally orchestrated to get him out of power and replace him.

You can call it a conspiracy "theory," but I'm sure at some point, it will come out in the wash that she was put up to this on a higher level by someone(s) who will ultimately either become part of the ownership group or at least bid aggressively on the team.

I think this gave the NBA an opportunity they've been waiting for to oust a dinosaur and replace him with a group that they see as being a bigger benefit to the NBA as a whole.

Usually when the punishment seems a little irrational, the intentions of the punisher are self-serving.

I agree with this somewhat, though not necessarily to this level. Obviously, there are things behind the scenes the public doesn't know about. Things we'll probably never know about. Some of the stories have leaked. The claim that Sterling didn't want to negotiate with black players. The accusation that he wanted a team comprised of "poor black boys from the south and a white head coach" (http://www.cnn.com/2014/04/27/us/donald-sterling-lawsuits/). I'm sure there are others that I'm missing, but because there was never any hard evidence, just rumors and quotes that could never be confirmed (because Sterling would deny them, and has denied them), the NBA really didn't have the opportunity to remove him.

Let's take Sterling's views on race out of this: The guy was a SHITTY owner. The Clippers, until recently, were a laughingstock of a franchise. Sterling refused to spend money on them. He housed them, for the longest time, in a decrepit arena because it was cheap. The guy was literally using them to further his own interests. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on your views, an owner can't just be removed because he's not trying to better the team. As long as he was following the rules and making payroll, there is really no recourse for the commissioner or owners to remove him. And they couldn't use all the legal issues he had gotten in because he'd never technically been found guilty of anything. He'd either won the suit or settled, and settling is NOT an admission of guilt. However, it was well-known that he was doing these things, and there were far too many people on that side to just ignore.

Which brings us back to the comments leaked by Stiviano's "friend." Yes, it was the opportunity they'd been waiting for to oust him. But was it intentionally orchestrated? I'm not buying that. I think it was merely good fortune. I think there may have been more than enough behind the scenes to justify this, but we may never know what. It just seems like now more than ever people feel the need to find a reason behind everything. Every single event has to be tied to together. Someone had to have been pulling the strings. When in reality, what likely happened is the "friend" (or Stiviano) knew what they had was gold and got paid off for it by TMZ. That leaked, the players flipped, the sponsors started dropping out, and Silver did the only thing he could to salvage the postseason. There were probably enough stories behind the scenes that the league knew about, and they knew those could get out at any minute. They'd be more worried about it now that Sterling is on tape. Now, if those stories leak, they can pass them off as rumors that they didn't believe at the time.

I don't know, I kind of lost my train of thought halfway through. Hope this made a little bit of sense.



(Now, if Magic gets the team, and LeBron goes there... all bets are off. :chuckles

 

[CardiacCavs]

Re: So Clippers owner Donald Sterling is extremely racist

Hahaha...This guy...


<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Donald Sterling makes first comments since racist incident: 'I wish I had just paid her off' <a href="http://t.co/QaXmThQNGR">http://t.co/QaXmThQNGR</a> <a href="http://t.co/oz6sAzjQb8">pic.twitter.com/oz6sAzjQb8</a></p>&mdash; USA TODAY Sports (@USATODAYsports) <a href="https://twitter.com/USATODAYsports/statuses/462348822333882369">May 2, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[gourimoko]

Re: So Clippers owner Donald Sterling is extremely racist

I just wonder how many folks in here who are claiming this was a conspiracy believe the World Trade Center bombings were also a conspiracy.

That's actually a serious question because I'd just like to understand the thought process here.

 

[gourimoko]

Re: So Clippers owner Donald Sterling is extremely racist

Hahaha...This guy...


<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Donald Sterling makes first comments since racist incident: 'I wish I had just paid her off' <a href="http://t.co/QaXmThQNGR">http://t.co/QaXmThQNGR</a> <a href="http://t.co/oz6sAzjQb8">pic.twitter.com/oz6sAzjQb8</a></p>— USA TODAY Sports (@USATODAYsports) <a href="https://twitter.com/USATODAYsports/statuses/462348822333882369">May 2, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

He still hasn't apologized.

 

[Nicky]

Re: So Clippers owner Donald Sterling is extremely racist

He still hasn't apologized.

You actually expect an apology?

Why would anyone want to hear an apology if it isn't a sincere one?

 

[The Oi]

Re: So Clippers owner Donald Sterling is extremely racist

I just wonder how many folks in here who are claiming this was a conspiracy believe the World Trade Center bombings were also a conspiracy.

That's actually a serious question because I'd just like to understand the thought process here.

You think it's unrealistic to believe that some people who wanted Sterling gone and who wanted to own his team couldn't both have gotten their wish by allowing him to screw himself over during a recorded conversation?

How far does something have to go for you to think somebody's a conspiracy theorist? Because if being a conspiracy theorist means you think it's possible seone heard about the recorded idiocy and leaked it...Everyone's saying it was a third party.

Would that count as a conspiracy?

Or are you asking if people don't believe it's Sterling on the tape? Even He's not saying that.

 

[The Voice]

Re: So Clippers owner Donald Sterling is extremely racist

Yeah, it was definitely consensual recording. Apparently he asked her to start "recording his thoughts" because he was having a hard time remembering stuff in his old age. :chuckles: That's not even a joke.

Do we actually have proof of him saying this or is it just what the chick claims? That article claims that they never fucked and I do not believe that at all. A dude doesn't give a chick a 1.5 M dollar duplex without fucking her multiple times in her asshole.

 

[The Voice]

Re: So Clippers owner Donald Sterling is extremely racist

He still hasn't apologized.

Why would he apologize about being illegally recorded (possibly) and judging by his last quote the chick could be tried for extortion too?

If I'm Sterling I'm filing several law suits against the NBA, the chick, her "friend", TMZ (defamation), and ESPN (defamation).