How NBA could deliver knockout blow to Clippers owner Donald Sterling

[KamaAina]

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/how-nba-could-deliver-knockout-blow-to-donald-sterling-093958859.html

For decades, the Los Angeles Clippers delivered owner Donald Sterling an identity: He was the biggest star of the biggest farce in the NBA. To him, life as a punch line always beat anonymity. The Donald was the Clippers. Sterling turned down richer deals to move the franchise to Orange County because he never wanted to relinquish the celebrity that his courtside seat in downtown Los Angeles gave him.

Without the Clippers, Sterling simply was a multimillionaire slumlord. With them, Sterling had status in the celebrity culture of Hollywood. As the Clippers transformed into winners, something changed in Sterling's life: To the public, he no longer defined the franchise. Here came Blake Griffin. Chris Paul. Doc Rivers. They had big contracts, bigger profiles, and slowly, surely, Donald T. Sterling faded out of focus....

Several league officials – including owners and Board of Governors members – told Yahoo Sports they believe Silver has been studying the nuclear option on Sterling: a provision in the NBA's bylaws that would allow Silver to summon a vote of league owners to strip Sterling of his ownership. The NBA would run the Clippers until the team could be sold.

Minimally, Silver could implement these penalties on Sterling: a one-year suspension, a $1 million fine and an assignment to counseling. For all the years former commissioner David Stern let Sterling slide, there's a strong belief Stern simply feared Sterling in the courts. Sterling is an attorney – he loves litigation – and Stern feared Sterling would become Al Davis to his Pete Rozelle.

I'd settle for the Warriors delivering him a knockout blow.

[madinmaryland]

1. A lifetime suspension and $2.5 million fine!!

Al Davis was not a bigot/racist, like Sterling is.

[KamaAina]

2. Thank you.

Al was the reason the Raiders moved back to Oakland. They had a good thing going in L.A., being the only game in town, but Al liked it better up here. The new ownership? Who knows?

[madinmaryland]

3. Heh! Magic Johnson seems to be in the running. Wouldn't that be a kick in the nuts

to Sterling! Then maybe they really could be bring "Showtime" back to LA.

[KamaAina]

4. I meant the new ownership of the Raiders

I imagine the Seattle group that tried to poach the Kings from Sacramento wants in on this, too.

[madinmaryland]

5. Sacramento has an NBA team?? Whoda thunk!!

I suppose they will get royally screwn like Hartford did by that bastard named Robert Kraft.

[KamaAina]

6. Actually, the four-letter word in Hartford is Peter Karmanos

although I do remember Kraft convincing them the Pats would be moving there. The Courant put out an extra headlined "Touchdown!"

[madinmaryland]

7. The only thing Connecticut has left from the Patsies is Victor Kiam.

No wonder everyone is Ginats or Jetski fan in Connecticut. Well Fairfield County is the only one that counts in Connecticut.

[ProfessorGAC]

8. Saw Magic on Sportscenter This Morning

He said he's not buying the Clippers.

[LiberalFighter]

9. What should also be interesting is the value of the Clippers

Before the recording coming out and what it will be when it sells. The longer it takes for him to decide to sell will the value go down?