664 replies to this topic

[Oriole85]

The Dodgers look like a bargain especially since the Clippers purchase is moreso the team.

[DJ MC]

If only Steve was going to move them to Seattle.

 

 

How many times is Ballmer asked at his presser if he's planning on moving them to Seattle?

 

Somebody (Deadspin? PBT?) made the good point that moving the Clippers from LA to Seattle would be like, well, moving a team from Seattle to Oklahoma City. So that is probably not going to happen.

 

In fact, it probably puts a severe cramp in Seattle's chances to get a team in the near future because Hanson was going in with Ballmer on the team and new arena, and now he'll need a new partner with several billion dollars. Maybe Bill Gates, just to go for the trifecta.

[You Play to Win the Game]

It's not necessarily 100% about money for some of these guys at this stage in their life.

[Oriole85]

Somebody (Deadspin? PBT?) made the good point that moving the Clippers from LA to Seattle would be like, well, moving a team from Seattle to Oklahoma City. So that is probably not going to happen.

 

In fact, it probably puts a severe cramp in Seattle's chances to get a team in the near future because Hanson was going in with Ballmer on the team and new arena, and now he'll need a new partner with several billion dollars. Maybe Bill Gates, just to go for the trifecta.

Yeah I linked and quoted that yesterday (http://www.baltimore...ppers/?p=307792)

[Oriole85]

It's not necessarily 100% about money for some of these guys at this stage in their life.

Bill Simmons had a good article (http://grantland.com...exclusive-club/). It's a finite club even for the rich. The Clippers are in a big market and have never been hotter, I think this whole controversy actually raised the stakes. Not too many times, are you able to takeover an already-built team like this.

[Oriole85]

@ChrisMannixSI Ballmer group clearly hoping the local TV deal, valued at $20 mill per season, per Forbes, and expires in '15-'16, triples in coming years

[Dupin]

Somebody (Deadspin? PBT?) made the good point that moving the Clippers from LA to Seattle would be like, well, moving a team from Seattle to Oklahoma City. So that is probably not going to happen.

 

In fact, it probably puts a severe cramp in Seattle's chances to get a team in the near future because Hanson was going in with Ballmer on the team and new arena, and now he'll need a new partner with several billion dollars. Maybe Bill Gates, just to go for the trifecta.

 

Saw the same thing.  But yeah, they probably never should have moved the Sonics.

[SammyBirdland]

I wonder how much of a shot other groups (such as Magic or Oprah) were given?

[Oriole85]

I wonder how much of a shot other groups (such as Magic or Oprah) were given?

http://espn.go.com/l...cording-sources

 

ESPN.com's Darren Rovell reported earlier Thursday that Ballmer's $2 billion bid was the highest submitted, topping bids from groups led by music mogul David Geffen ($1.6 billion) and L.A. investors Tony Ressler and Steve Karsh ($1.2 billion).

 

Geffen's group also included Oracle CEO Larry Ellison and Oprah Winfrey, as well as Guggenheim executives Todd Boehly and Mark Walter, Steve Jobs' widow Laurene Jobs, Steve Wynn's ex-wife Elaine Wynn, and Beats by Dre co-founder Jimmy Iovine.

Former NBA All-Star Grant Hill was part of Ressler and Karsh's group.

I don't see Magic's name tied in with Guggenheim, but it's possible he was part of that bid.

[mweb08]

So it's really great that Sterling is out of the NBA.

[Oriole85]

@TMZ #BREAKING: Donald Sterling has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. http://tmz.me/ECU6mld

[SammyBirdland]

So it's really great that Sterling is out of the NBA.

 

 

I agree.  Now he needs to go take his $2,000,000,000 somewhere and think about what he's done.

[BSLMikeLowe]

I agree.  Now he needs to go take his $2,000,000,000 somewhere and think about what he's done.

 

He's probably already forgotten what he did. (too soon?)

[SammyBirdland]

I lol'd at this one...

 

 

[DJ MC]

NBC News: Donald Sterling to file $1 billion antitrust lawsuit against NBA

 

The NBA announced its deal with Shelly Sterling and the Sterling Trust is official and the sale to Ballmer can go through. As part of that the NBA has agreed to drop its effort to vote the Sterlings out as owners in exchange for indemnity — meaning the Trust would pay any NBA losses to Donald Sterling in court. Meaning Sterling is essentially suing himself if he goes through with this.

[Mike in STL]

So Sterlings punishment at the end of the day is to sell his $500M team for $2B, and stay away from basketball, aka, retire and relax the last few months or years he has. Oh and that $2.5M fine, if my math is correct, he would have to face eight times that, $20M, for it to even equal one penny per dollar.

His family is worse off for sharing the scumbags name.

I just dont see any precident set here. The league should just say he has to sell it for market value.

[SammyBirdland]

Just heard that Sterling will be paying $600 million of the sale price in estate taxes. I wonder what impact that money will have on California's state government economic woes?

[SammyBirdland]

(Not sure how much of that is federal vs state)

[Oriole85]

So Sterlings punishment at the end of the day is to sell his $500M team for $2B, and stay away from basketball, aka, retire and relax the last few months or years he has. Oh and that $2.5M fine, if my math is correct, he would have to face eight times that, $20M, for it to even equal one penny per dollar.

His family is worse off for sharing the scumbags name.

I just dont see any precident set here. The league should just say he has to sell it for market value.

Why should he have to sell for market value? We saw the same thing with Frank McCourt to some extent. I get the whole bad behavior argument, but I don't see how you can force someone to sell something for less than the market is willing to bear.

 

Forcing him to sell the team at 80+ when most if not all of his family hates him, beats the alternative. For all we know, he's cutting his family out of his will.

[Mike in STL]

Why should he have to sell for market value? We saw the same thing with Frank McCourt to some extent. I get the whole bad behavior argument, but I don't see how you can force someone to sell something for less than the market is willing to bear.
 
Forcing him to sell the team at 80+ when most if not all of his family hates him, beats the alternative. For all we know, he's cutting his family out of his will.

There is just zero punishment here. The $2.5M fine is less than pennies to you and I. Banning him is doing the guy a favor. Its not like banning Pete Rose who still needs to make a living for the next 40 years and again, makes pennies compared to an owner.

Not much anyone can do though. Its not like he did anything against the law. He's just a scumbag.