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The PG trade is frighteningly dumb and will more than likely yield two top 5 pick to the Thunder over the next 2 years , two more top 5 to the Sixers over the following 2 years, and be a shitstain in the NBA once the Kawhi penalty comes down, eliminating the next 5 picks.
[QUOTE]The PG trade is frighteningly dumb[/QUOTE]
Practically nobody was saying that [B][I][U]at the time[/U][/I][/B] and it's extremely, extremely important to note that Kawhi Leonard allegedly said he would only come if they landed George. With hindsight it's atrocious but very few if any people period were saying that [B][I][U]at the time[/U][/I][/B].
As great as Danny was/is for destroying two teams in his own division Presti may have screwed the Clippers harder, I'll give him that. But I wonder, as rich as Steve Balmer is, how does the NBA keep him from pulling more deals like he did with Leonard and just being more careful about covering his tracks? He could just walk inro some supermarket chain in Cali and be like, "here's 2 billion dollars, I want you to pay these three guys 100 mil each every year for the next three years and if you keep the faith there will be more deals like this for you." With a bunch of dummy corporations between him and the supermarket. Or just to be more careful, split it up among a few businesses, car dealerships or whatever, businesses that are worth tens of millions but would still never consider saying "no" as they don't make what he can hand them easily and there's nothing the NBA can do about them if they do get caught. I don't think Balmer cares about any fine the NBA could hit him with and if they can't compete he will do whatever he has to do to make them competitive. Teamed with a smart GM he's really the kind of owner you want as a fan because he clearly doesn't care about the money.
The concern about getting into trouble again would be legit but I strongly doubt the NBA really wants to catch him or anyone else that's cheating. The cap rules exist so that the owners that do care about money can make more of it, it's not really about competitive balance even if they say it is.
Yet to be proven ballmer did anything wrong
^ Well whether it's profit seeking through being able to sign bigger names or winning or whatever, the other owners are bound to care that he's cheating, and even the ones that are cheating themselves are likely to pretend to care.
This is becoming increasingly less common to the point that I'm not even sure how many more exist but think about the type of teams like that whose soul revenue source is basketball and you aren't able to compete. It means your team is probably worse which means less merchandise sales and less ticket sales and on down the line. Whether that's the perfect optimal profitability strategy I don't know without seeing decades worth of the P&L statements of each team but it does matter.
Not to mention the fans are bound to care as well.
It's just not good.
That being said Silver really does only seem to care about short term profitability and nothing else. He's running the league exactly how most MBAs that take over corporations do and run them into the ground because they have no care in their hearts about long term sustainability despite whatever nonsense falls out of their mouths.
Between the insanely split up TV deals that make the product impossible to watch for most fans to follow their teams without pirating the streams, the Kawhi cheating scandal and the gambling scandal, unless MJ 2.0 comes along the NBA is bound to be in a substantially worse place in terms of fan engagement in 5-10 years time, regardless of how much money the TV deal makes them.
Whether or not a team like the Hornets or Pelicans makes money has nothing to do with what team signs Kawhi Leonard because it won't be them and was never going to be them. Teams like that draft an entertaining player every few years (Ball, Williamson) and ride him to sell tickets but are never going to be serious about winning a championship. Their owners are quite happy to go 0-82 because they make 100s of millions every year off of all the NBA's contracts and so long as Silver facilitates that they will pretend to care about what Leonard gets paid under the table but don't. This is only a problem because Torre busted them publicly. To really deal with something like this they would need full, detailed beyond-tax return level financial disclosures from all the players and all the owners. The owners damn sure don't want to be giving out all of that information to the public. Adam Silver works for them, not the other way around.
[QUOTE=Real Men Wear Green;15043132]Whether or not a team like the Hornets or Pelicans makes money has nothing to do with what team signs Kawhi Leonard because it won't be them and was never going to be them.[/QUOTE]
The illusion/idea needs to be there.
If the idea is that they have no hope ever no matter what unless ungodly lucky in the lottery, it hurts their product and thus their pockets.
The clippers have historically always sucked.
Imagine making this thread
I mean show me a clippers fan? I lived in LA for 20 plus years and only met 2 Clippers fans the whole time.
The Clippers are a money laundering scheme straight up.
I liked the clipps when i lived there in 89 90. **** the lakers
[QUOTE=Norcaliblunt;15043164]The clippers have historically always sucked.
Imagine making this thread
I mean show me a clippers fan? I lived in LA for 20 plus years and only met 2 Clippers fans the whole time.
The Clippers are a money laundering scheme straight up.[/QUOTE]
I think it's a bit different now with Ballmer & having their own arena. FAs might actually want to go there.
Naw, no difference other than from corporate idiots like you who watch ESPN. And suck D to hype things like a carnival barker.
The Clippers suck. Have always sucked. And no one in LA roots for them.
Straight up point blank period.
The clippers are in San Diego if at all.
[QUOTE=ImKobe;15043172]I think it's a bit different now with Ballmer & having their own arena. FAs might actually want to go there.[/QUOTE]
You mean like kawai?
[QUOTE=Xiao Yao You;15043174]You mean like kawai?[/QUOTE]
Balmer is literally just a big tine money launderer.
Show me a person who grew up in LA rooting for the Clippers.
I bet people from San Diego might.
[QUOTE=Norcaliblunt;15043176]Balmer is literally just a big tine money launderer.
Show me a person who grew up in LA rooting for the Clippers.
I bet people from San Diego might.[/QUOTE]
[URL="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clipper_Darrell"]Clipper Darrell[/URL] grew up in South Los Angeles and is a long-time Clippers superfan. He's been a Clippers season ticket holder for almost a quarter of a century now.
Billy Crystal is a Clippers fan, he grew up in New York though. He's a season's ticket holder.