The NBA isn’t getting rid of Donald Sterling as fast as they’d hoped for, and that means the Los Angeles Clippers being sold to Steve Ballmer isn’t done, official deal. It also means it’s time for Doc Rivers, allegedly, to say once more that he’s thinking about quitting his job as the head coach of the team.
Dick Parsons, the interim CEO of the Clippers, spoke in court as the issue of Shelly Sterling selling the franchise without Donald’s consent was on the table. According to Parsons, Sterling staying on board will have something of a death spiral effect on the team, and has mentioned that Rivers has told him on a few opportunities that he’s not going to stay with the Clippers if Sterling somehow retains ownership of the franchise.
What is Donald Sterling’s goal? Pride. Hurt pride. The Clippers are the most expensive sports franchise to be sold ever. The deal to purchase the Dodgers cost more, but that also included real estate at around $350 million. The Clippers were sold as the Clippers: A franchise that has never done all too well, and only over the last two or three seasons has been able to raise its head and declare that it’s the best in the city.
Sterling is obviously the bad guy here. But certain concerns have been made, especially by Mark Cuban when you try and find someone objective about the case. Can a franchise simply be taken away, or sold away to be more accurate, without someone’s consent? Sure, this is an extreme case, but players had no problem taking money from Sterling even when his racism seemed to be widespread among those involved in the league.
Sterling isn’t giving up without a fight. He was humiliated in front of the whole nation, and lost his toy. He got “punished” by receiving a filthy amount of money, but sometimes cash isn’t enough to quell the voices inside. What a lot of people are afraid happens to be Sterling retaining control of the Clippers, and by that actually helping destroy or hurt the thing he supposedly loves so much.