In NBA news from Los Angeles, Donald T. Sterling isn’t “mentally incapacitated,” or at least won’t be certified as such in Probate Court, where his wife is now trying to pry his cold, if not dead fingers off the Clippers franchise. Both sides have agreed to make the Sterling Trust agreement between Donald and Shelly the issue, rather than Donald’s actual state of mind. In other words, it doesn’t matter if he’s wacky. If the judge agrees that the trust agreement stipulated
Jeanie Buss Jim Buss Toyota Sports Center 555 Nash St. El Segundo, Calif., 90245 Dear Jeanie and Jimbo, I know, it’s quiet around the Lakers facility these days, a l-o-n-g way from Sterling World Plaza in Beverly Hills, AKA, the Heart of Darkness, or, actually, in this case, Madness. I understand it’s been a hard time. You’re choosing a coach and it’s barely discussed. Of course, even if the Sterlings would stop duking it out in the press and leave you a little space, it still wouldn’t
LOS ANGELES — It’s Clipper time, at last, in L.A., or was. No. 3 seeds in the Western draw, with the town to themselves, at last, after finishing 30 games ahead of their cross-town rivals, the former Lakers, the Clippers had it all going for them, at last… Well, at least until they tipped off Game 1 against the Golden State Warriors, who didn’t have Andrew Bogut although they supposedly did have all sorts of internal issues, who nevertheless held themselves together long
Now for the annual post-season awards no one else has, by whatever means necessary. Kill this page if you’re looking for the Blue Plate Special featured everywhere else with Michael Carter-Williams as Rookie of the Year, Gregg Popovich as best coach, DeMar DeRozan as Most Improved, Joakim Noah as Defensive Player of the Year, etc. All are deserving… but it’s not as if the other candidates are chopped liver, as it seems these days when everyone compares picks over the internet and—
Donald T. Sterling Sterling World Plaza Beverly Hills, Calif. 90210 Dear Donald, Just thought I’d check in to console you, as I have always done at this point of the season when everything is lost, your coach is shaky and you’re about to lose however many players are on expiring contracts. Hey, it’s not easy being second fiddle to the Lakers here. If the Lakes eclipse the Dodgers and Angels, too, at least the baseball teams play in summer. You play in the same arena at
As it was in the beginning, so it will be in the end, an NBA without David Stern, amen. It’s true. There is going to be an NBA without its commissioner of the last 30 years, who’s handing over his axe, er, stepping down in favor of Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver on Feb. 1. It just won’t seem like the NBA, though. Not that the league won’t continue on its merry way. The stars will still be stars. The league will continue to
LOS ANGELES — Kobe to the rescue? Are you kidding? Kobe Bryant made his long-awaited return in Sunday’s 106-94 loss to the Raptors, well before Christmas projections, but still too late to lead the Lakers as in days of yore. Try four seasons too late, which is how long the days of yore have been over in Lakerdom. Nor is this That Kobe. If he will ever get close again—you can just see Jim Buss going, “It’s early, it’s early… isn’t it?”– it’s weeks
It’s already been a long season (and decade) in Lakerdom, even if fans knew the team is rebuilding. They just didn’t think it would last this long. Ding, ding, ding! Reality check! Nothing that’s happened has been a surprise – Kobe Bryant is out, Steve Nash is trying to get his legs under him, Nick Young is Nick Young – but it’s a bad time for Lakers fans, half of whom cheer every win in the hope … well, the team can’t really win