The leak of this sounds like a "shut up if you know what's good for you" message.
Clippers be cheating
- Thread starter Hearsky
- Start date
The leak of this sounds like a "shut up if you know what's good for you" message.
I don't really buy that others are enraged because they are all complicit/guilty of doing similar things. It's like when team owners get mad about tampering. They will throw a fit when they lose out on it, but I think it's common knowledge that everyone does it anyways and nobody wants the league to investigate themselves.
Like if anyone is shocked that this was not already going on, I have beach front property in Idaho to sell to you.
Like if anyone is shocked that this was not already going on, I have beach front property in Idaho to sell to you.
Handlogten's Heros
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People cited Zach Lowe saying other owners are furious and this is not common as a reason to think NBA owners will get tough. Its just like politicians though. "Yeah we are mad and can't believe they did that... we never do that (even though they definitely do some stuff like that)" then vote against a bill that combats the thing they are advocating against.
They also have a perfect patsy in Uncle Dennis to pin this on. This guy is a rogue non agent and asked for wild things. Clips didn't know that the scam company and this guy would do something nefarious.
Only way they get really hurt is if a pissed off party has some hard evidence and comes forward. Press Uncle Dennis by canceling the Leonard contract and he may come forward type of thing.
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Said something similar below. Of course these teams say they are pissed and they would never do stuff. Imagine a team rep being like "yeah this stuff happens a lot... we aren't happy about this but whatevs.".
underdog
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Yeah, I’m skeptical as well. Uncle Dennis is the funnest dude here. Wouldn’t surprise me if he demanded Ballmer to arrange a big endorsement deal for Kawhi, and then Ballmer said, OK, let me see what I can do. Then he gave 50 million to Aspiration and asked someone to tell them that this money had to go to Kawhi.
I think from the vantage point of now, many people may be dismissive of how easy it would be to pin this on Uncle Dennis. I'd say they'd be surprised if/when it happens, but I'm not sure they'd be surprised because if/when that happens they may be fairly accepting of the Uncle Dennis narrative.
underdog
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Or could Ballmer just have called Aspiration and said, " I’ll invest 50 mil in your company if you make a 28 mil endorsement deal with Kawhi?" Whatever, Uncle Dennis probably has his fingers in this pie. It turns out he tried to make similar "no show" endorsement deal arrangements for Kawhi when he was with the Raptors.
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underdog
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I don't think Ballmer would make such a call. I don't think he has left any hard evidence against him.
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And they end up taking away whatever credential he does have or whatever. Kawhi doesn't lose his contract. Dennis becomes the main fall guy. Clips get slapped with a couple seconds and the MAXIMUM fine of 7.5M and some sort of probation where they are monitored in some form or fashion.
The Jazz Wonderbra
Well-Known Member
Plenty of publicity because the billionaires dad sits on the news board so he put out an article per week about us nimbys. PM me and I can share more. It probably isnt the best thing to post about it on a forum. They still hold a grudge.
Schrödinger's Gerbil
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Some observations:
Do I think that Ballmer was complicit in this side deal with Kawai? Yes, I do.
Do I think that anyone will find a “smoking gun” proving Ballmer’s complicity? Probably not.
Do I think that other NBA teams engage in similar chicanery? I absolutely do. At the very least, they push and push the boundaries of what they can get away with, dancing along some nebulous cut-off line but also frequently crossing it when they think they can get away with it.
Do I think that the Clippers will be punished? I think there’s a reasonable possibility that they may be slapped with a token punishment, depending on how things shake out, but not much more than that, and nothing remotely close to what the Timberwolves got back in the day.
Do I think that Ballmer was scammed? No, I don’t. But I do enjoy the irony that a billionaire Master of the Universe who, as a member of a class that sees itself as Galaxy Brained and separate from the rest of humanity, is invoking stupidity as his defense. (As an aside, billionaires are human and as prone to being fooled/scammed and making dumb decisions as anyone else. The greatest secret to wealth in the world is convincing the uber-wealthy that something will enhance their status; they’ll queue up and compete with each other to spend ridiculous amounts of money on it, no matter how scammy it is.)
Do I think that billionaires or the uber-rich routinely engage in illegal, unethical, and immoral acts, such as this, or much worse? Yes, I do. It’s as natural to them as breathing, because they know they will get away with it. With limitless wealth and power comes limitless license and sense of entitlement. They play by an entirely different set of rules than we plebs.
Do I think that Ballmer and the Clippers have been foolish to invest so much money in Kawai? Oh, yes, I do. Rarely in the history of the NBA—or perhaps professional sports in general—has so much been paid for so little return, and the outcome was entirely predictable. I’m continually amazed by how often NBA owners pour vast sums into players with long, well-documented injury histories or other fatal flaws that make a good return on investment highly unlikely. These are wealthy, presumably intelligent men, yet they seem prone to an almost willful self-delusion: convincing themselves that this time things will be different, despite a complete lack of precedent.
Each of us should aspire to Kawai’s situation: lavish pay and perks for a job that demands neither effort nor genuine commitment. Consistently fall short of expectations? Simply demand a raise, securing even more money and long-term security—still without a hint of accountability. It’s a dream role: highly paid, no accountability, and no consequences. What a job! What a life!
It’s tempting to blame Kawai for his chronic lack of professional pride, accountability, and shame, but honestly, who among us would refuse such terms? The “Galaxy-Brained Master of the Universe” is the decision-maker enabling—and rewarding—this epic fleecing.
Do I think that Ballmer was complicit in this side deal with Kawai? Yes, I do.
Do I think that anyone will find a “smoking gun” proving Ballmer’s complicity? Probably not.
Do I think that other NBA teams engage in similar chicanery? I absolutely do. At the very least, they push and push the boundaries of what they can get away with, dancing along some nebulous cut-off line but also frequently crossing it when they think they can get away with it.
Do I think that the Clippers will be punished? I think there’s a reasonable possibility that they may be slapped with a token punishment, depending on how things shake out, but not much more than that, and nothing remotely close to what the Timberwolves got back in the day.
Do I think that Ballmer was scammed? No, I don’t. But I do enjoy the irony that a billionaire Master of the Universe who, as a member of a class that sees itself as Galaxy Brained and separate from the rest of humanity, is invoking stupidity as his defense. (As an aside, billionaires are human and as prone to being fooled/scammed and making dumb decisions as anyone else. The greatest secret to wealth in the world is convincing the uber-wealthy that something will enhance their status; they’ll queue up and compete with each other to spend ridiculous amounts of money on it, no matter how scammy it is.)
Do I think that billionaires or the uber-rich routinely engage in illegal, unethical, and immoral acts, such as this, or much worse? Yes, I do. It’s as natural to them as breathing, because they know they will get away with it. With limitless wealth and power comes limitless license and sense of entitlement. They play by an entirely different set of rules than we plebs.
Do I think that Ballmer and the Clippers have been foolish to invest so much money in Kawai? Oh, yes, I do. Rarely in the history of the NBA—or perhaps professional sports in general—has so much been paid for so little return, and the outcome was entirely predictable. I’m continually amazed by how often NBA owners pour vast sums into players with long, well-documented injury histories or other fatal flaws that make a good return on investment highly unlikely. These are wealthy, presumably intelligent men, yet they seem prone to an almost willful self-delusion: convincing themselves that this time things will be different, despite a complete lack of precedent.
Each of us should aspire to Kawai’s situation: lavish pay and perks for a job that demands neither effort nor genuine commitment. Consistently fall short of expectations? Simply demand a raise, securing even more money and long-term security—still without a hint of accountability. It’s a dream role: highly paid, no accountability, and no consequences. What a job! What a life!
It’s tempting to blame Kawai for his chronic lack of professional pride, accountability, and shame, but honestly, who among us would refuse such terms? The “Galaxy-Brained Master of the Universe” is the decision-maker enabling—and rewarding—this epic fleecing.
underdog
Well-Known Member
Pablo keeping his foot on the gas. Circumstantial evidence is piling up. Stinks worse and worse for the Clippers.
The CBA only requires circumstantial evidence to enact punishment. There is plenty of evidence.