Microballing: Steve Ballmer's LA Clippers

[HomeRunBaker]

Yeah, there is still a small meltdown potential here. Donald Sterling is doing God's work right now. If Doc leaves, this team could unravel fast.

We can discuss the value of the Head Coach in that other thread but Doc is a masterful glue guy. He doesn't receive nearly enough credit for managing the massive egos of those Celtics teams and his departure in LA could cause that team to unravel. Throw in a couple of injuries, trade demands, etc and that could easily be a .500 team which in the WC gets you a lottery pick.

Red's lucky leprechaun lives!!

 

[Devizier]

as a celtics fan, it is actually the most important issue at hand.
 
Turmoil in the head coaches seat, media spotlight and distraction could easily cost the team 5-10 wins and improve our draft position by 4-8 spots.  If there's a major injury or players start boycotting (the media will support them & the NBA will have a lot of pressure NOT to discipline them) then all bets are off.

 
Yep! I've got my rally cap on.

Die Clippers, die!

 

[Three10toLeft]

Unless you all want to see Doc coaching the Lakers this winter, as a Celtics fan, I hope Donald has someone drag him back to whatever senses he has left and relinquish control of the team and put an end to this mess. This upcoming season looks like it'll be another great one, I'd hate to see something derail the momentum the NBA has gathered these past few years because of some senile old bastard.

 

[Tony C]

If this report from Plaschke is on point, it doesn't seem like Sterling has much of a chance of winning his court case:
 
http://www.latimes.com/sports/clippers/la-sp-sterling-probate-plaschke-20140709-column.html#navtype=outfit

 

[Brickowski]

If this report from Plaschke is on point, it doesn't seem like Sterling has much of a chance of winning his court case:
 
http://www.latimes.com/sports/clippers/la-sp-sterling-probate-plaschke-20140709-column.html#navtype=outfit

He never did.

 

[HomeRunBaker]

He never did.

Correct. The NBA's issue isn't winning/losing per se.....it's about putting this entire issue to bed ASAP before it makes the (big) headlines as the season nears to avoid sponsorship and reputation issues.

 

[soxhop411]

Correct. The NBA's issue isn't winning/losing per se.....it's about putting this entire issue to bed ASAP before it makes the (big) headlines as the season nears to avoid sponsorship and reputation issues.

And if I remember correctly, the NBAPA was about to call for a walk out during the playoffs last year.. If this is not put to bed by the start of the season, it would not shock me to see the players delay thet start of the season with a walk out

 

[Gdiguy]

And if I remember correctly, the NBAPA was about to call for a walk out during the playoffs last year.. If this is not put to bed by the start of the season, it would not shock me to see the players delay thet start of the season with a walk out

 
Maybe I'm wrong, but I think the NBA's actions have prevented a full-scale walkout; it wouldn't shock me if the Clippers players walked out, and maybe the team scheduled to play them, but at this point the NBAPA must see that Sterling is insane and a full-scale walkout will hurt the NBA as a whole (who is basically on the same side with respect to this issue) and not effect Sterling at all.
 
Not really relatedly, I would absolutely love if the outcome of this entire ridiculousness is the NBA folding the Clippers to remove Sterling altogether and selling Ballmer a new franchise in Seattle.

 

[moly99]

They would need to build a new arena in Seattle first.

 

[Tony C]

Plus decide they'd like to throw a billion or so worth of franchise value down the toilet. I think that'll happen real soon...

 

[Gdiguy]

I guess I should append that - I agree there's no way that it's actually happening, but I'd like to pretend its possible

 

[ALiveH]

Chris Paul out today threatening to boycott games if Sterling still owner...  "Hope is the better option."

 

[HomeRunBaker]

Each game would cost him $240,000. That ain't happening but I love the potential for mailing it in here.

I wouldn't brush this off at all especially if Doc walks and the pressure would be on others to follow. Paul is a man of conviction from everything I understand. I don't feel he is going to come out with this and then back off when push comes to shove.

Obviously this is awesome news for Celtics fans.

 

[mauf]

He never did.

Depends how DS defines "winning."

A competent performance on the stand might have thwarted his wife's bid to sell the franchise to Ballmer. I don't think that would serve his financial interests -- he almost certainly couldn't block a forced sale by the league, that process would not likely have produced another $2b bid, and his wife almost certainly would have sued him for the difference. But people have interests other than maximizing profit; fucking up the best-laid plans of his estranged wife seems to be one of DS's cherished non-financial interests.

So if that's what's motivating DS, all he had to do was take the stand, answer the questions he was asked, and generally avoid acting like a crazy person. Evidently, he either couldn't or wouldn't bring himself to do that.

Unlike other posters, I consider DS's meltdown bad news for the Celtics. If it was half as bad as that report makes it sound, it's likely that DS will be found incompetent; the sale to Ballmer will then swiftly close, and the spectacle will be largely over. The chances of the shit show dragging on and affecting the Clips' on-court performance would have been greater if DS had held it together even a little bit better on the stand.

 

[Brickowski]

Depends how DS defines "winning."

A competent performance on the stand might have thwarted his wife's bid to sell the franchise to Ballmer. I don't think that would serve his financial interests -- he almost certainly couldn't block a forced sale by the league...

That was my point. He's going to lose the franchise. The only question is "how?" and how much collateral damage he can create in the process.

 

[HomeRunBaker]

That was my point. He's going to lose the franchise. The only question is "how?" and how much collateral damage he can create in the process.

This is what makes Sterling so dangerous.....he doesn't care one bit about the league or the damage he can or is causing.

 

[soxhop411]

We have a clean sweep
 
Arash Markazi ‏@ArashMarkazi  17s
The judge does order 1310b. This is huge. Shelly in a clean sweep.
https://twitter.com/ArashMarkazi/status/493874708757348352
 
Kim Baldonado ‏@KimNBCLA  50s
Judge orders protections of 1310b, which means sale will go through despite potential appeals.
 
https://twitter.com/KimNBCLA/status/493874730932240384

 

[soxhop411]

Nathan Fenno ‏@nathanfenno  1m
Court adjourned. Massive win for Shelly Sterling. Essentially an appeal-proof ruling. #Clippers #NBA
 
https://twitter.com/nathanfenno/status/493875155186483200

 

[ifmanis5]

BREAKING: Judge rules against Clippers owner Donald Sterling, OKs sale of team to ex-Microsoft CEO.
— The Associated Press (@AP) July 28, 2014
DTS OUT.

 

[Brickowski]

I doubt if Sterling's erratic behavior in court helped his cause.
LOL, it wasn't a good day in court for Vladimir Putin either.

 

[jayhoz]

https://twitter.com/BloombergTV/status/499231491277484032

 

[IdiotKicker]

This sucks. I wanted more Sterling crazy time.

You'll still get it.

 

[soxhop411]

Holy shit is Ballmer insane. He has been screaming for like 20 min at this fanfest. I hope deadspin has this.

 

[oumbi]

Do you mean Ballmer is insane as in "he is a fanboy who went nuts screaming because he is like a twelve year old in a toy store?" Or, as in "this guy is so bat crazy and controlling that he will drive the Clippers into the dirt immediately, thereby boosting the value of the Celtics' LA pick?"
 
I, obviously, am hoping for the latter.

 

[soxhop411]

Do you mean Ballmer is insane as in "he is a fanboy who went nuts screaming because he is like a twelve year old in a toy store?" Or, as in "this guy is so bat crazy and controlling that he will drive the Clippers into the dirt immediately, thereby boosting the value of the Celtics' LA pick?"
 
I, obviously, am hoping for the latter.

First one... Reminds me of his days at MS when he did press conferences 

 

[uncannymanny]

http://player.theplatform.com/p/fs-rsn/J0eRpg87F3d3/select/hYx6tUDcn3yr
 
About the 2:47 mark when the 8 Mile soundtrack starts.
 

 

[Nick Kaufman]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4U10FUI7W78

 

[BigMike]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4U10FUI7W78

 
That is Steve.  He is just going to be such an awesome owner.    The team will have everything it possible can under the CBA, and fans will adore him.   He is just the best

 

[ishmael]

Just wait till he works up a sweat:
http://youtu.be/8To-6VIJZRE

 

[mt8thsw9th]

That's absolutely insane.

 

[wutang112878]

I am excited to work with Doc for a long time as we build a championship culture that will deliver results both on and off the court. Not only is Doc one of the best coaches and executives in the game, but he continually embodies the hard core, committed and resilient character and winning culture that the Clippers represent. It was one of my top priorities to ensure that he was firmly in place as the long-term leader of this team.

 
Wait, what exactly has Doc done to demonstrate that he is even a competent executive?  He got Chris Paul to 'resign' because Paul flat out told them he was leaving if they didnt bring in Doc. 
 
This league is just bonkers.  If you want to be a coach or a GM and you are a former player it seems as though there are a few opportunities a year where some idiot owner will just hand you one of the keys to their franchise with little concern about your experience.  Doc the coach has proven to be great, but this is the type of deal you give to a guy like Popovich who is consistent and loyal and even then I dont know if he is worth this money.
 
I cant wait to see this team 3 years from now when Paul's knees start acting up and the team has to rebuild.  Maybe if Doc is again the highest paid coach in the league and again has a rebuilding project ahead of him, maybe the 2nd time around he wont jump ship?  I seriously wonder if Ballmer followed the league before he bought the Clippers.  Or actually what would make the most sense is if Ballmer just cant see the last zero in all numbers, so he thinks he bought the Clippers for $200M and Doc got $1M a year.

 

[ALiveH]

Ballmer isn't just a rich guy.  He's #21 in the US.  #36 in the world.  His net worth is is $21 Bn.  He owns $15 Bn of Microsoft stock, which pays him $375M of dividends every year.
 
In addition to being super-duper rich he is also super-duper smart and has lots of super-duper smart folks advising him.
 
I'm pretty sure he knows he "overpaid" for the Clips and will be "overpaying" for Doc.
 
I'm also pretty sure the Clips are his new, cool, fun hobby and he doesn't care.

 

[nighthob]

Wait, what exactly has Doc done to demonstrate that he is even a competent executive?  He got Chris Paul to 'resign' because Paul flat out told them he was leaving if they didnt bring in Doc.

Players love Doc, which is half the battle. Especially when you're an LA team.

 

[wutang112878]

I'm also pretty sure the Clips are his new, cool, fun hobby and he doesn't care.

 
This is entirely possible.  There is a bit of a parallel with Paul Allen's ownership of the Trailblazers.  That was his hobby and he poured a ton of money into it.  The Trailblazers bought themselves a ton of wins but ultimately he pulled back the reigns a bit but they had quiet the ride.  It must be nice to just have that much money to burn.
 
 

Players love Doc, which is half the battle. Especially when you're an LA team.

 
This is true, but will that love outshine a rebuilding project?  Since the Lakers have been in rebuilding mode they havent really been able to attract much talent.

 

[nighthob]

Well, the idea is that, a la Chris Paul, when the time comes that they have cap space again players will want to play there. Half of the Lakers' problem is that they have no one out there recruiting and the name's no longer enough.

 

[wutang112878]

That might take a while.  Assuming no new spending they are at $80M this year, $69M next year, and $59M the next year and depending on Sterling's spending those numbers might totally get blown out of the water.  This team should be interesting to watch.

 

[nighthob]

I think you mean Ballmer, and if he's willing to spend the coin they could extend the run for a while with the popularity of the coach.

EDIT: Also, as a note on the Lakers, when Howard skipped town I thought it was an asshole-driven anomaly, but after this last summer I'm coming to think that the current generations of stars are accustomed to being catered to, and the old ways are meaningless now. Ultimately it wasn't enough to be the second greatest NBA franchise (historically) in the #1 media market. No one likes the owners, no one likes the management, and the players themselves couldn't attract any help.

 

[nighthob]

I mean it could certainly happen, I was simply commenting on the fact that the Lakers and their fans always had the expectation that players would fall into their laps. I think the good old days are gone for good. That's all I'm saying. And that's why a player's coach is of such paramount importance in this day and age.

 

[HomeRunBaker]

This is true, but will that love outshine a rebuilding project?  Since the Lakers have been in rebuilding mode they havent really been able to attract much talent.

Maybe I'm misinterpreting your comment but what does extending Doc with Paul, Blake, and DeAndre in their young prime have to do with rebuilding? They will be in win-now mode for the duration of Doc's extension.

 

[wutang112878]

The length of this deal basically indicates that this roster is going to need to be flipped by the end.  Maybe they can reload, thats possible.  But typically every 5 years a team goes through a real rebuilding period.  When that time hit in Boston, Doc bolted for a better situation even though the Celtics believed he would stay and thats a big part of the reason they were willing to pay him what they did.  If I was going to give a guy this much money for this many years I would want a guy who already demonstrated that he can and will rebuild.

 

[HomeRunBaker]

The length of this deal basically indicates that this roster is going to need to be flipped by the end.  Maybe they can reload, thats possible.  But typically every 5 years a team goes through a real rebuilding period.  When that time hit in Boston, Doc bolted for a better situation even though the Celtics believed he would stay and thats a big part of the reason they were willing to pay him what they did.  If I was going to give a guy this much money for this many years I would want a guy who already demonstrated that he can and will rebuild.

We rebuilt in Boston because our key players were in their late 30's. In Doc's 5th year those top 3 I mentioned will all still be in their prime of 30-31. Do you really believe Ballmer paid $2b for this team to not pay the best guy now because he's concerned about the 2018-19 season? Rebuilding plays zero factor in any Clipper thinking right now nor should it......the core is just entering their prime.

 

[wutang112878]

Paul is 29 right now, he drives that team.  Jordan scored the 5th most points on that team last year, he isnt a special player.  I think Griffin is a good player, but I really dont think he can be your best player when you win a title, and I'm not sure he would be enough of a draw to have another superstar want to go play there with him.  But just forget about those guys, because as you said they are in their prime and my concerns are really about rebuilding around them. 
 
My point with Paul is that he is going to force a rebuild or revamp whatever you want to call it, sooner than you think.  Then it does bring up my question 'Will Doc want to stick around'.  If you dont mind burning money then sure there is no problem giving Doc this deal.  But if you dont and you have some reservations then you have to think twice about this deal.  And I'm not totally against resigning Doc, but I do think its silly to give him this length if you have the rebuild reservations and I also dont believe that they had to give Doc this many years to resign especially when you look at the salary he is getting. 

 

[nighthob]

I agree with that, but it's easier to find a CP3 replacement when you have a coach that star players want to play for. Boston's problem, and the reason Doc bolted, was that the stars had all got old and moving on required a longer rebuild. I don't think the Clippers necessarily have that problem.

 

[moly99]

Point guards are easy to replace. They won't find anyone nearly as good as Paul, but they can pick up someone like Isaiah Thomas in free agency when the time comes.
 
I would be more worried about Blake aging. He doesn't have any old man skills to soften the blow when his athleticism declines.

 

[nighthob]

It's not "replacing the point guard" that's the issue, it's replacing one of the five best players in the game that's at issue. When CP3 ceases to be a top 5-10 guy the Clippers will struggle more.

 

[HomeRunBaker]

Point guards are easy to replace. They won't find anyone nearly as good as Paul, but they can pick up someone like Isaiah Thomas in free agency when the time comes.
 
I would be more worried about Blake aging. He doesn't have any old man skills to soften the blow when his athleticism declines.

Paul isn't your typical PG. When someone like a Rondo misses games there isn't a dropoff in the W-L when Paul went down in NO the franchise immediately fell into David Robinson-like tank mode. I agree most PG in general by the nature of the positions responsibilities are not impact players......however there are a select few who have proven over time to have an impact on W and L when they are in the lineup. Paul is one of them.

Edit: What nighthob said.

 

[DeJesus Built My Hotrod]

The rebuild or reload or whatever is coming sooner than most people think.  CP3 hasn't played ~ 80 games in four seasons.  He turns 30 next spring and it was evident this year that his milage has taken its toll.  
 
He is a fantastic player and when he is healthy, he is the straw that stirs Lob City.  Defenders cannot help off of him and his handles and shooting are so good that he draws defenders off of Griffin etc when he penetrates, creating a lot of space for Blake to do work.  If Paul goes down again or that balky hammy continues to slow him, they are going have some tough stretches.   If I had to pick any teams in the WC who are candidates for taking a step back, it would be the Clippers at the top of the list.  They are very mediocre without CP3 in the line-up and if he keeps missing ~ a quarter of the season, their margin for error is going to be very tight in a still tough conference.

 

[moly99]

It's not "replacing the point guard" that's the issue, it's replacing one of the five best players in the game that's at issue. When CP3 ceases to be a top 5-10 guy the Clippers will struggle more.

 
It's possible I've misunderstood the point you guys are making. Is losing a superstar rough? Of course. Do we really even need to discuss that, though?
 
For the specifics of losing Paul vs another superstar, I don't think his aging period will be worse than the average player. He has bad knees, but that's been an issue for years and he has found ways to be productive without explosive athleticism. And with roughly 40 point guards in the league worthy of starting it should be relatively easily to fill that roster spot if Paul and the Clippers split up. Meanwhile it can take years to find a replacement for a franchise center.
 
Certainly the Clips have a title window that will last as long as Paul is in his prime, but they will probably still be a decent team as Paul either ages or moves on.

 

[moly99]

 
Would you mind expanding on that? Because it seems a little aggressive or at the very least ambiguous as to what "worthy of starting" means. There's not 40 starting PG caliber players in the NBA unless you have a low bar for what that designation means. 

 
PER isn't a perfect stat, but consider the PER ratings from last year by the 10th, 20th, 30th, 40th and 50th best player at each position.

10th 20th 30th 40th 50th
PG 19.0 16.2 15.3 13.9 12.7
SG 16.4 14.9 13.9 12.8 10.1
SF 16.8 13.8 12.5 11.9 10.1
PF 19.7 18.5 15.8 14.4 13.3
C 19.0 17.1 16.2 14.5 12.5
The supply of point guards is high, while wings are much less deep. The PER of the 40th best PG is equivalent to the 20th best SF. I think that's why the market for guys like Eric Bledsoe has been so depressed while teams are freely throwing money at players like Gordon Hayward.
 
The rules changes in the past decade have caused a ton of combo guards to switch over to point, and lots of guys like Damian Lillard and MCW been very successful despite not being top 5 picks.

 

[nighthob]

It's possible I've misunderstood the point you guys are making. Is losing a superstar rough? Of course. Do we really even need to discuss that, though?
 
For the specifics of losing Paul vs another superstar, I don't think his aging period will be worse than the average player. He has bad knees, but that's been an issue for years and he has found ways to be productive without explosive athleticism. And with roughly 40 point guards in the league worthy of starting it should be relatively easily to fill that roster spot if Paul and the Clippers split up. Meanwhile it can take years to find a replacement for a franchise center.
 
Certainly the Clips have a title window that will last as long as Paul is in his prime, but they will probably still be a decent team as Paul either ages or moves on.

Well, what we're getting at is that you can't just plug any player into that spot. If we're discussing a Rajon Rondo, yeah, you can plug any one of a dozen guys in there and you won't notice the difference because there are a lot of decent PGs out there. But you can't just replace a top 5-10 player with a JAG just because the JAG is a PG too. Also, a slight correction on Bledsoe, the reason the market for him is depressed is the same reason it's depressed for Greg Monroe, despite the insatiable appetite for big men, they're both restricted and the common perception is that their teams will just match any offer sheet. Bledsoe's injury history is also playing a role here. I wouldn't be surprised to see both guys QO for 2015 and go UFA next summer.