Sometimes, it’s best not to say the first thing that comes to mind.
The controversial is rapidly becoming the bizarre. The Donald Sterling saga continues to unfurl and details surrounding the mercurial Los Angeles Clippers owner’s relationship with mistress V. Stiviano are emerging at a frantic pace.
This time, it was a recording of Sterling commenting on his racist comments. Rather than backing off and admitting that he was in the wrong for what he said, Sterling had a different response.
RadarOnline.com obtained a recording of Sterling using sexual arousal as a reason for his controversial comments, h/t New York Daily News.
“I’m talking to a girl. I’m trying to have sex with her. I’m trying to play with her. You know, if you were trying to have sex with a girl, and you’re talking to her privately and you don’t think anybody’s there, you may say anything in the world. What difference does it make?
Then if the girl tapes it and releases it, my God, it’s awful. Careful? Who thinks anybody’s gonna tape something? What the hell, I’m talking to a girl. The girl’s black. I like her. I’m jealous that she’s with other black guys. I want her. What the hell can I, in private, tell her, I don’t want her to be with anybody.
Am I a person? Do I have any freedom of speech? I wish Magic Johnson was talking to a girl, and he’s trying to play with her.
You might say anything. You may say you have the biggest penis in the world. I would have said I could fly over high-rise buildings if I had to.”
It goes on. And on. And on and on and on.
If that isn’t enough, Harriet Ryan and Victoria Kim of The Los Angeles Times have uncovered that Sterling enters legal agreements with his mistresses. Such a set-up existed for he and Alexandra Castro, with whom he signed a, “Friendship agreement” in 1999.
This was an attempt to avoid any conflict between he and his wife Shelly Sterling.
Sterling “is happily married, has a family and has no intention of engaging in any activity inconsistent with his domestic relationship,” read a “friendship agreement” signed by Alexandra Castro in 1999.
Shelly Sterling was well aware of her husband’s affairs, Castro wrote in court papers. On one of their first dates, she and Sterling dined with Shelly in the couple’s Malibu mansion and then went as a trio to a movie where Donald held his mistress’ hand, according to Castro.
Chances are, most of you are reading this and saying, “How does this apply to basketball?” That’s exactly what the NBA is attempting to discover.
Commissioner Adam Silver made waves when he banned Sterling from the association for life. Upon doing so, Silver encouraged the owners to vote Sterling out of office as an owner, but a long-and-drawn-out legal battle could be on the horizon.
Legal analyst Michael McCann of Sports Illustrated acquired information on how the association is attempting to approach this delicate situation. He also outlined critical pieces of information.
California is a community property state, which means that spouses in California jointly own assets acquired during their marriage. Shelly Sterling’s ownership of the Clippers is thus inextricably intertwined with Donald Sterling’s ownership under California law.
In other words, if Donald Sterling loses his stake of ownership, Shelly Sterling will not be able to take over.
In buying an NBA team, Donald Sterling signed a series of legal documents that contain covenants directly related to unethical conduct and immoral positions. These agreements include the franchise agreement to purchase the Clippers and the joint venture agreement in which Sterling contractually assented to the NBA having binding authority over independently-owned NBA teams. These agreements specify that owners are expressly forbidden from engaging in unethical conduct or “taking positions that have a materially adverse effect on the league.” They also make clear the NBA commissioner is the final authority on interpreting owners’ behavior as it relates to satisfying moral and ethical conduct.
That’s where the NBA gains its advantage. The question is, how can it enforce such a rule?
13(d) is more limited in scope, but, crucially, does not require Sterling intended to harm the league. 13(d) states that an owner cannot “fail or refuse to fulfill….contractual obligations to the Association, its Members, Players, or any other third party in such a way as to affect the Association or its Members adversely.” Sterling’s failure to adhere to covenants contained in his franchise agreement and joint venture agreement, among other documents, arguably meant that he failed to satisfy his contractual obligations.
If you’re still uneasy, don’t be. The NBA expects the Sterling family to sue and is not concerned with the, “Slippery slope” argument.
In other words, Adam Silver knew what he was getting into, and he’s ready for the longhaul.
Pau Gasol Lists His Options
During a recent interview with Marca.com, two-time NBA champion Pau Gasol touched on his pending unrestricted free agency. In the process, Gasol named four teams that seem to peak his interest the most: the Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers, Memphis Grizzlies and San Antonio Spurs.
The Lakers are the incumbent. They have his close friend, Kobe Bryant, but have done little to comfort the Spaniard during the past half-decade of incessant trade rumors and minimal appreciation for the two NBA championships that Gasol has brought their way.
Chicago has been faced with the same narrative for the better part of the past five years: if they had a go-to scorer to complement Derrick Rose, it’d be a championship-caliber team. Gasol isn’t the athlete he used to be, but he averaged 17.4 points and 9.7 rebounds in 2013-14 and has never used his athleticism to get by.
Even if he isn’t that go-to scorer, he’s a better option than anyone currently on Chicago’s roster.
San Antonio is a team that’s going to win 50 games until the sun stops rising. By adding a Euro-style big man who would fit seamlessly into their already unstoppable offensive system, the Spurs would elevate their status as one of the best in the West to another level.
This would likely require Gasol taking a pay cut and a decrease in playing time alongside Tim Duncan and Tiago Splitter.
The wildcard team is Memphis, which has two key factors in its favor. For one, Gasol played for the Grizzlies from 2001 to 2008. More significantly, Gasol’s younger brother, 2013 Defensive Player of the Year Marc Gasol, is Memphis’ starting center.
Regardless of where he ends up, Gasol will finally be able to pursue an unfamiliar luxury: job security.
Steve Kerr Wants 5 Years
Despite possessing no sideline experience at all, TNT analyst and former player Steve Kerr is the hottest name in the world of coaching searches. This is a result of Kerr’s wealth of knowledge and his remarkable five NBA championships as a clutch and intelligent role player.
According to Marc Berman of The New York Post, Kerr wants a long-term deal in the range of $6 million per season if he’s going to step out of the booth and onto the sidelines.
Kerr’s agent is Mike Tannenbaum, the former Jets general manager. It is believed Tannenbaum is seeking a five-year deal for Kerr, the same length as Jackson’s.
It is also believed Kerr is seeking a similar financial deal as Mike D’Antoni had when he inked a four-year, $24 million pact with the Knicks in 2008. Jackson and owner James Dolan might have to overpay to get Kerr to move across the country.
The Knicks gave Mike D’Antoni a four-year deal worth $24 million from the Knicks in May of 2008. While Kerr has no coaching experience, D’Antoni had led the Phoenix Suns to four consecutive playoff appearances at the time of his hiring.
Coincidentally, D’Antoni’s last year in Phoenix was Steve Kerr’s first as the Suns’ general manager.
Kerr meshes very well with President of Basketball Operations Phil Jackson. He won three NBA championships under Jackson as a player with the Chicago Bulls and is a proponent of the triangle offense.
If the Knicks are going to make the hire, it’s going to cost a pretty penny.
It made TOTAL sense that Stiviano was trying to trigger Sterling by taking photos with Magic Johnson and posting to her Instagram. They knew that Sterling would get Jealous and go off on a Tantrum, to be taped. However, now it is possible that Magic Johnson was behind this elaborate plot:
Tonight, at 8PM on Fox Sports Radio with the reliable Brickyard, he said courtesy of a source at the LA DA’s office, that they are investigating an elaborate plot by Magic Johnson who used V. Stiviano. The plan was to get Sterling kicked out of the NBA so that Magic could by the Clippers.
Everything seems to fit, as Magic was first to tweet Racism by Sterling and now its coming out that Magic wants to buy Clippers. It never made sense before, why Magic was spending so much time with V. Stiviano.
Also revealed on CNN yesterday, that the friend of Stiviano who released the first tape received a 6 figure amount in return. The 2nd tape went for about 30,000.
Radar Online paid the guy who Sterling called, a $20K – $25K figure each time.
Of course if this story turns out to be true, Magic would go to prison with Stiviano, and Sterling would retain ownership of team (no way owners could ever vote against him).