BIGOTED NBA OWNER

[Midwest Spy]

Yes, I believe Sterling was set up.

Very little doubt to me.

But, this is a guy who's been thinking/acting this way for a long time.

He's not going to prison. The NBA is simply saying we no longer want you to be part of our league.

Bon voyage.

[ramseycat]

So what if we took your private thoughts Aussie and made them public. Should you suffer severe consequences? No one is saying the guy isn't an asshole. Or that being racist is ok. But he shouldn't be punished for what he said in private. And the fact that people in his circle have known for years he's a racist pig and did nothing about it until it's made public is unfair. And the whole thing smacks of a setup. That is what ticks me off. If this dude was openly racist or treated black players and employees badly, then yes punish him severely. But up until now there have been no such allegations related to basketball. Only his rentals.

[Duchess]

Fortunately, the NBA's decision makers don't agree with you.

Everyone is entitled to privacy in their own home, everyone. He didn't spew his crap at a board meeting or a basketball game, he was having a private conversation with his woman. I'm no longer even thinking about his bigoted outlook, I'm thinking about there being no expectation of privacy at home.

[Midwest Spy]

^ You're not alone in your thinking.

I understand what you and many are saying, but, now that his true feelings have come to light, they can't be ignored. We can't destroy the audio tape and pretend they never happened. Cats out of the bag, and the NBA (and really ANY business) can't have an owner that has shared these sentiments.

Whoever set him up (wife or girlfriend or both) knew how he felt about blacks would definitely burn him.

[Maggot]

What are the transcripts? I don't think I've seen them. OK in the first post but what else was said, if only the racist stuff is getting out how come all the rest isn't.

[HairOfTheDog]

I think he's a foolish asshole and V. is a conniving gold-digging bitch who got the better of him.

If one of his kids or good buddies had fucked Sterling over like V. did, I'd probably have more sympathy for him. That presumption of trust is understandable.

But, he is a high-profile man who was very publicly parading around his half-black much younger woman -- even after his wife filed suit against the gold-digger who then swore to keep the goods and reportedly vowed to get even for the humiliation. So, Even if he isn't aware of the whole Mel/Oksana phone scandal (and who in L.A. isn't?), it was asinine of him to think he wasn't gonna get burned and not to cover his ass when he was playing with fire and had skeletons in his closet.

Plus, Sterling has a history of bigotry -- not only against blacks. Now that it's public, if the league doesn't want his dark cloud hanging over it and it's within the Board of Governors' power to force him to sell, tough shit -- IMO. He dug his own hole.

Having said that, it ain't over til the fat lady sings. Commissioner Silver said he was going to try to convince the Board of Governors to force Sterling to sell. Well, there may be some other bigwigs on that board who've got their own little opportunistic side-dishes and some skeletons in their closets, too. The "forced sell" part of the punitive package is not a done deal, yet.

And, V. claims she didn't distribute the tape and that she taped the conversation because Sterling asked her to record their phone calls since he often forgot what he said. That's some major bullshit, but it's illegal to record a presumed private conversation over phone lines and distribute it without the other party's consent, AFAIK. So, she better have covered her ass better than Sterling covered his or she could end up facing federal charges.

As the world turns...

[Duchess]

What are the transcripts?

I'll look around and see if there are any.

Here's some audio -

[Maggot]

Wow .........after listening to that I now think this is one of the most idiotic scandals that I have ever heard. What a couple of nutcases, both of them. I really could not care any less about anything those two boneheads said it sounds like their sitting in a freaking tub for Christs sake.

[Duchess]

I couldn't find a transcript, Maggot. I just read the girlfriend denied any romantic involvement with the old man. Bitch please.

[aussiefriend]

My mate Oprah has weighed in on that pesky plantation owner, ha, take that!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/29..._ref=media

[Duchess]

I'm giving this bullshit way too much thought and the more I think, the more annoyed I become. I don't question this guy's assholiness but I'm very uncomfortable to see that one can be penalized for their private conversation. I don't like it at all.

[Maggot]

It's time to look at ourselves — and our collective moral outrage — in the mirror, says former NBA player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Great article by Kareem!!!

The truth

[HairOfTheDog]

Not all of the tape has been released; just the 5 minute piece initially distributed to TMZ and then a 15 minute piece released to Deadspin.

This is straight outta the Oksana playbook -- release pieces hoping to get what she wants from him -- release more if she doesn't, drop it if she does.

That's assuming V. released the tapes (through someone else; she wouldn't have done it herself) and they weren't say part of what a PI got from spying on Sterling on behalf of his wife. I think V. released them, but all involved here are self-centered greedy nutbags, so who knows?

If I were Rochelle Sterling and I really wanted the Clippers team to stay in the family and wasn't trying to publicly humiliate my husband, I'd be kicking myself in the ass right now.

Filing suit against the mistress suggesting that Donald Sterling isn't a shrewd enough businessman to make his own decisions on how to spend his money and going public to try and get back property that amounts to about $2 million? That was either a very stupid vindictive move by Mrs. Sterling or a brilliant power play to bring him to his knees. If Rochelle really just wanted the money back and to punish V. for milking her husband, colossal fail and backfire. Sterling's fine was more than that. And, if he's forced to sell rather than leave the team to his family as inheritance, he'll pay somewhere in the neighborhood of $300 million in capital gain taxes.

Anyway, this is the article that I've been waiting for -- written by a sports and entertainment attorney. It covers the contractual angles of the NBA's action against Sterling, the financial impacts, the obstacles that might prevent "forced sell", etc.. Good piece for those interested in the business and legal side of things:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/nba/new...etime-ban/

[crash]

Great article by Kareem!!!

The truth

She was like a sexy nanny playing “pin the fried chicken on the Sambo.”

[HairOfTheDog]

It's time to look at ourselves — and our collective moral outrage — in the mirror, says former NBA player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Great article by Kareem!!!

The truth

Very good article and sensible assessment of the issues.

I love Kareem. Smart man.

[ramseycat]

He nailed it on the head.

[Midwest Spy]

Very well written article by Kareem.

[Duchess]

It's a wonderful article, one I think many would agree with.

I want people to care that what they say privately can be used against them. It's wrong!

[HairOfTheDog]

I care about that and won't shed one tear if whoever released the tape goes to prison for it -- whether that turns out to be V., Mrs. Sterling, or someone else. That's a legal matter.

Separate matter -- the NBA didn't break any laws and I'm not gonna get morally indignant about them choosing to invoke contractually-valid maximum punishment against Sterling. They shouldn't have to lose sponsors, fans, players, etc...because Sterling was exposed, legally or illegally, largely due to his own terrible judgment.

The NBA commissioner and management have got a franchise to run and they're legally penalizing a franchise owner for breach of contract. It's business. People get pushed out of businesses and politics and social circles all of the time because they conduct themselves in a manner that others choose to disengage from (whether they advertise such conduct, out themsevles, or get outted by others). Donald Sterling isn't any different and doesn't deserve any special treatment, IMO.

In this case, Sterling's conduct/thoughts/words have resulted in lost sponsor revenue, possible loss of key players, and potential future lawsuits brought against the franchise by those who could claim that Sterling discriminated against them if the NBA didn't put its foot down. Sterling is a liability.

Sterling will make a fortune off of his long term investment, whether he is forced to sell and pay capital gains taxes or not. If the franchise or anyone else tried to deny him of that, I'd be in his corner on that point. No one is trying to do that, though.

[HairOfTheDog]

My mate Oprah has weighed in on that pesky plantation owner, ha, take that!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/29..._ref=media

Well, the latest news is that your mate Oprah is considering joining forces with fellow billionaires Larry Ellison and David Geffen to buy the Clippers.

Magic Johnson and the Guggenheim group have also been reported to be considering the purchase.

Still, it's not even clear that Silver will be able to get the Board of Governors to back a forced sell and that it would happen any time soon even if the board supports the strategy.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/30...40578.html