mantis0014: During the days of slavery,
As Kevin Johnson recently said on the courthouse steps of Los Angeles this last Tuesday, eliminating racism has a long, long way to go.
I started this thread to discuss "Donald Sterling" ... mainly because he is a known racist in the L.A. area. For years, his basketball team, "the Clippers" were the laughing stock of the NBA. He didn't like spending money for quality players. He was fined over 2 million dollars for his racist rental practices. Several former Clipper players complained about him ... including his previous GM, Elgin Baylor.
Then commissioner David Stern steps in and tries to prove a point (any team can be competitive in the NBA) ... I'd guess the Clippers were worth about 100 million at max when Stern blocked the trade of Chris Paul from New Orleans to the LA Lakers ... so instead of punishing Sterling for his known racist beliefs and practices, he's rewarded. Today the Clippers are valued at over 500 million.
It's more than likely going to be decided that the NBA governing body will force Donald Sterling to sell ... and there will be a court battle that will last for quite some time. I guess if the commissioner has the power to block a trade, he should also have the power to cancel a player's and coach's contract. If Sterling refuses to sell, Maybe Silver can void all of the player contracts and make them all free agents (one can hope, right). I wonder how many players will stick with the Clippers if they have the right to leave? I wonder if Doc Rivers will stay?