It’s a sad situation out in LA., Donald Sterling won’t let go and nobody wants to play for him under the circumstances. Not even the coach. Doc Rivers has already announced his intentions to boycott the franchise if the Sterling name is still attached to it when the new season begins and Doc does not stand alone.
The Clippers are poised to make a run for the NBA Playoffs this coming season, maybe even the championship! But they won’t make it with Donald Sterling along for the ride. He won’t be calling them ‘my games’ next season.
Now Clippers star point guard Chris Paul has let it be known that he too will have nothing at all to do with a franchise owned by the Sterling family. Paul, who is also the President of the NBPA, the union which represents the players of the NBA, told reporters that it would be ‘unacceptable’ if Donald Sterling is still the owner of the team when the season begins in just over 60 days.
The case is currently under review in California courts with no indication as to what the eventual outcome will be. Sterling is an influential attorney with lots of connections. But it is difficult to see how this is going to work out well for him.
Sterling is currently suing his own wife in an effort to prevent her from selling the Clippers to Steve Ballmer for a cool two billion bucks. Ballmer is the recently retired CEO of Microsoft. Arguments are expected to be finished by the end of July but some action must be taken before August 15th when the purchase agreement between Ms. Sterling and Ballmer will expire.
Even if he does win the case, it looks like Sterling will lose anyway because none of his high dollar basketball stars are going to play for the Clippers as long as he has anything to do with the team. The players and coaches have already spoken on the subject.
Chris Paul told reporters, “That’s something me and Doc are both talking about. We’re all going to talk about it. Doc, Blake (Griffin) & DJ (DeAndre Jordan). It’s unacceptable.” Subtract those guys from the roster and what do you have left?
Richard Parsons, the Clippers interim CEO who testified at the Sterling hearings, let his personal feelings be known, “If Doc were to leave, that would be a disaster. Doc is the father figure, the one who leads.”
