The Silver Lining

18 Aug 2010

DeAndre Jordan, Donald Sterling, Randy Foye, Ryan Gomes, Vinny Del Negro

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What was the worst part of Donald Sterling’s comments yesterday?

It’s the offseason. This is the one time of year Clippers’ fans can be overly optimistic without those pesky losses clubbing them over the head again and again, crushing their spirits. Fresh uniforms, fresh faces, and a fresh start. That should have been the feeling derived from yesterday, but it wasn’t. Fans know the dark cloud that hovers over the franchise hasn’t gone anywhere, but in the offseason they’re not typically forced to look up at it.

Sorry Randy Foye, but your owner doesn’t know your name and probably couldn’t pick you out of a lineup. Apologies to you as well, Ryan Gomes. If it were up to him, you wouldn’t be a Clipper. The same goes for you, DeAndre Jordan. You’ve been here a month Vinny Del Negro, and the owner is already questioning your taste in personnel.

So what do you do with that blatant display of disrespect, Vinny Del Negro?

Pick up a marker and put everything Sterling said on the whiteboard in the locker room. Underline it and leave it there for the whole team to see, all year long.

You’ve been praised by many for your ability to motivate, and while you probably don’t need a whole lot of material to fire up the troops, you’ve got plenty of ammunition now.

No one believes in you. Your owner doesn’t believe in you. He doesn’t even want you to be here.

Strange as it sounds, this media disaster can be used as a rallying point, the words that band the team together. After all, nothing unites a group like a common enemy. It’s a little unorthodox to have that enemy be your owner, but it isn’t unprecedented.

Major League's Lou Brown: A Master Motivator

The owner doesn’t want you, doesn’t like you, and doesn’t think you’re a good basketball player.

You’ve got 82 games to prove him wrong. Make them count.

Old Skool Clip Fan

And this is exactly what is wrong with corporate America. And why we find ourselves in this current recession. Corporate America believes that their product doesn’t matter as long as their balance sheet keeps the stockholders happy. Sterling doesn’t care about his product because it is, as it stands, a money-making venture. This is success, to him. This will no doubt affect his employees, namely the players. Yes, it would be great if del Negro would mount the quotes up on the board and the team derived motivation from them. But although this is Hollywood, it ain’t the movies. A more likely outcome will be what we’ve witnessed for years from the on-court division of the corporation known as the Clippers. They know their boss doesn’t care about the product, so they won’t care about the product either. No playoffs, no wins, more heartbreak. Play out your contract and then “get out of jail” as Ron Harper said. On the upside, it’s a perfect situation for a guy like Baron Davis!
- JaySee
  
  Actually, it’s what’s wrong with American consumerism, not Corporate America. Americans are lazy and stupid and keep buying what they’re selling. If they would follow the rules of capitalism, your so-called Corporate America would be forced to change or go out of business. Don’t like Sterling? Stop buying tickets. Stop buying defective merchandise like iPhone 4 and settling for a stupid “bumper”. If you want good products, go do your homework and buy the best one. That company that cares about quality will thrive and the others will change to adapt.
Drew

If history is any indication, it simply means the players will quit and look to jump ship… only now it’ll start during Game #1 instead of Game #41.

Sterling’s gotta go. He’s at the top of my dead pool, under Cheney.
TNT57

Any questions now why I keep begging everyone to stop buying Clipper tickets? I actually thought the interview was made up. I’m still not convinced it’s real. PLEASE DON’T SUPPORT THIS IDIOT.
- JaySee
  
  Agreed. If you want to still show support for the Clippers, then show up OUTSIDE Staples and watch the game on TV. Gather enough people and reporters will arrive and ask “WTF is going on?” Then you say “We like the Clippers, but don’t want to give Sterling our money!”
- http://www.firedunleavy.com FD
  
  Did you see the stands the last 2 years? People are not buying tickets. Clippers are sending out text messages, ‘lower level seats for tonights game, $25′. Sterling is feeling it.
  - NRM
    
    Yeah, I’m not going to attend any games this year, with exception of opening day, maybe (if I buy them early) against the Heat.
swamigusto

Can’t agree DJ. Putting Donald Sterling’s absurd and offensive statements up on a board in the locker room will accomplish one thing: keep hammering home the idea that the Clippers are a low rent, low brow, and poorly run organization.
Donald Sterling threw his players, his coach, and his gm under the bus on Monday. If I were any of them, I’d be on the phone with my reps, begging them to get me the hell out of Clipperland.
After reading Kevin’s incisive, calm, and scalding article last night, I am left wondering who’s the bigger fool, Donald Sterling for his ignorant, abusive comments, or me for being a fan of a team in which the owner holds his own employees in utter contempt?
He owes an apology to his staff, the players, and the fans.
I won’t hold my breath.
- GIVE HIM A BREAK!!!
  
  I am not a fan of DTS. Infact I’m FOR barring him from OWNING any sports team, period.
  
  But I do not hold anything against him for insulting anyone. This is HIS TIME. He’s had enough!!!! of this nonsense.
  
  Year after year, everyone used Clippership to save their ***es instead of playing to win and bring respect to the team(This does not apply to Cassell, Eric Gordon, Elton Brand, Maggette, Darius Miles and QRich, Camby and Mobley of recent years)
  
  And he’s sick and tired of MEDIOCRE bunch running HIS team on and off the court.
  
  But I am surprised to see his new sense of pride and courage to tell things AS IS.
  Would like to hear more verbal attacks from DTS. Not just against his own men but against NBA in general..
  - swamigusto
    
    He made Neil Olshey the GM less than six months ago! He hired Vinny Del Negro six weeks ago. This “MEDIOCRE bunch” running his team are entirely his responsibility. And then he complains about their actions to a reporter?! He is responsible for something like 25 losing seasons out of the last 30… and never mind his embarrassing lawsuits with former employees, or accusations of racism, sexism, in his other business dealings. And now, you think we’re supposed to GIVE HIM A BREAK?!
    You have to be kidding. I’ll assume you are, nothing else makes sense.
    - G-H-A-B
      
      No. i wasn’t kidding. Infact he’s done a timely favor to his employees. Now everyone knows, that he expect NOTHING from them.
      
      This team is an extension of DONALD STERLING. He likes to have ‘YES MEN’ around him. But the kind of men who can actually bring respect to any team aren’t YES MEN.
      
      I assume he doesn’t even know it.
      - Bongstradamus
        
        Give the poor guy a break. Apparently he cant even pay his scouts along with his former coach. We should feel sorry for him, his losing franchise, and his terrible decision making.
        
        Wheres Andy-poo? The Don needs a hug.
  - Steve
    
    PLEASE GTFO
  - Steve
    
    PLEASE GTFO
Josh

Play for your fans and teammates. Shove it down everyone’s throat when you succeed. If you win, you can talk back to Sterling. But that needs to be earned.
joeluis

Selling the team doesnt do us much good since they’d most likely move the team away from LA in no time. prob to anaheim.

So, the best way is for The Donald to change his ways, but how do you teach an old dog new tricks?

buying clipper ticket feels like when u ate that entire cake. (left with guilt, especially when u knew it wasn’t going to be worth it to begin with)

Go clippers!
- http://hitfix.com/awardscampaign jgroove
  
  I actually don’t think that the NBA would move the Clips out of LA with a new owner. I think they have a number of other franchises they want out of smaller markets to go to Seattle or KC. Milwaukee, Memphis and Sacramento leading the list.
SamMays

Whatever you think of Simers, the interview isn’t made up… That’s DTS… I stopped buying season tickets in 1994… Six years too late, which was the day I bought them, but better than most.
- TNT57
  
  I’m with you. It took me 5 years to see the light. If that arena sits half empty every game the message will be sent.
http://aol ClipperMarc

It’s a sad day when you here that kind of stuff from the owner. The more DTS does what he does the less respect I have for him. As far as the team goes I will still follow them and hope they do well. GO CLIPS!
Shawn H.

That picture from “Major League” reminds me that someone in Hollywood should make a similar movie about the Clippers. I mean, the Indians had about a good 25-year stretch where they were one of the worst-run organizations in all of sports and it was a place that no good player wanted to play at (given the economic conditions of Cleveland and the fact that Cleveland Municipal Stadium was a dump, although Browns fans loved it). I believe Corbin Bernsen (Roger Dorn) when he said that “Major League” indirectly played a role in the real-life Indians’ resurgence in the mid-90s to early-2000s…they got a brand new stadium, won their division several times, won two American League championships, and made the World Series.

I can only hope it may have the same effect on the Clippers…wishful thinking
Plus 15

When TJ Simers one of the best, smartest, sharpest, wittiest sports writers of our time asked to interview Frank McCourt of the Dodgers McCourt wisely declined. Someone close to him advised him that he’s not up to dealing with Simers. When Simers asked to interview Arte Moreno of the Angels Moreno drove cross town to Simers hotel to chat and essentially hit a grand slam. When Simers asked to talk to Sterling he agreed because Sterling is ego-maniacally convinced that he’s smarter then anybody and everybody so who’s advice would he listen to. Sterling was sure he knew how to deal with Simers and come out a winner, Simers is a wiseguy so Sterling will use his inner wiseguy. Except for one key detail, Simers works with a sense of humor and Sterling doesn’t have a funny bone in his evil, bullying, cowardly, unpleasant body or personage. I’m not interested in defending Sterling, of all people, but I have an idea that this stupid man thought he was being cute with his remarks to Simers about his team, players and execs and what he did instead was showcase what a horrible person he is. One last point, I have a growing respect for Neil Olshey, way, way smarter then Dunleavy or Baylor a growing power as a G.M. and if Sterling has anything left brain-wise he’d give Olshey his full support, get out of the way and stop undermining his strength in the organization which just weakens his ability to do best by the Clippers. It’s surprising that at almost 80 years old Sterling is still not ready to make an effort at creating a positive legacy for his despicable and lengthy history as an NBA owner and the grotesque stain he leaves on LA and Clipper fans and season ticket holders like myself (ret.). BTW we know Arte Moreno considered the best owner in pro sports is smarter then Sterling long considered the worst owner in pro sports but clearly just by avoiding Simers Frank McCourt shows, as creepy as he is, he’s also smarter then Donald T. Sterling.
Dump Davis

Most people don’t question the truth behind Sterling’s statements, just that he made them. He probably made them because he doesn’t want people to think he’s responsible for the off-season moves.

The Clippers ended the season with a solid quality trio of Griffin, Kaman and Gordon as it’s core. Those three could play on a championship team. Griffin and Kaman are the best big man duo in the West (If you disagree, who do you think is better?). Gordon clearly is excellent. A great core to build on.

So what do the Clippers do to build on it? Nothing. Absolutely no quality additions in the off season.

The main difference between this season’s team and last season’s is that now Camby is gone with nobody to replace him. Thornton’s gone too, and most people will be surprised if the new rookie forward is as good.

The other difference is that now the Clippers have a new Gm who used to be a soap actor and has no NBA experience at all (not as a player, coach or GM) except as a short stint as Dunleavy’s secretary. They also have a new coach who had never been a coach before until he was hired by the Bulls two years ago what was generally regarded as an “out of their mind” moment and was constantly under threat of being fired and then finally was.

And worst of all, the Clippers have not gotten rid of their single biggest problem, Baron Davis.
Gordon for President

Exact opposite effect. There is no silver lining. This has been the problem with this franchise historically, the players don’t want play for Sterling (and who can blame them). They’re cashing their checks, waiting to get out of jail. Look at Elton Brand.

Sterling needs to go. Nothing will change until he’s gone.

But I’m a Clipper fan and an optimist, so hopefully Blake Griffin dominates through this bullshit and when it’s time to re-up, Sterling is gone one way or the other.
briguyx

I’m gonna defend DTS in that he’s like Clipper fans because he thought he had a chance at something special. Just like he said, he built the training facility and he cleared the cap space and thought he had a shot at some of the big name free agents during this once in a lifetime summer of free agency. He even announced that he was in it to win a few months ago and was sure he was a real player in the sweepstakes… and he ends up with nothing! Or at least no player he’s ever heard of before…

I’m not saying Sterling’s not the problem. But I would guess that no one in his circle warned him he might not get any of the bigtime players, so of course he’s disappointed! Aren’t you?
- TNT57
  
  He’s a racist slumlord. Most black ball players aren’t lining up to play for those types of people. White players either.
- Bongstradamus
  
  Who cares if nobody in his circle warned him. He just had to read Clipperblog, we knew last offseason we had no chance this offseason. The only slight chance we had was with JJ and even at max money we knew that was a tough cat to skin.
SamMays

Sterling finally opened his wallet in the last seven years, resigning Brand and Maggette and building a practice facility… He should also have opened his mind. His problem was hiring Dunleavy as both coach and GM… Clearly coach Dunleavy pressured GM Dunleavy into several short-sighted, desperate signings in hopes of keeping Coach Dunleavy’s job; Baron Davis, Randolph, Ricky Davis, etc…

There is a good reason why very, very few people are giving the dual roles of coach AND GM… If DTS has a brain in his head, he would have known it. Instead, Dunleavy took him for a ride, ruined the future of this franchise for the next few years, and has DTS with his hands back in his pockets.

The only hope for the future of the Clippers will be for DTS to go away before Blake Griffin and Eric Gordon can escape. If that means a new owner will move them away, fine… I have the NBA package. I can watch the games on TV… Better that than going to them with DTS in charge.
- http://hitfix.com/awardscampaign jgroove
  
  Wait, let’s make this clear. Sterling MATCHED Maggette and Brand. He didn’t sign them. There is a big difference. Both players wanted to leave. And at this point, can we all agree Maggette was not a player worth raving or ranting about? Never was an All-Star, never will be one.
  
  The three players Sterling paid for and agreed to on their terms were Kaman, Mobley and Davis. Frankly, 2 out of 3 have been worth it. Sterling should realize those are good odds (just see the NY Knicks or Sixers for worse results over the past decade).
  
  Still, the man is an ass and I hope he’s gone much sooner rather than later.
TNT57

I’d vote for Sterling selling and someone moving the team. I’d rather the team stay here but if that’s the only way to get rid of him I can root watching them on television every night.

And Simer’s genius had nothing to do with the article making Sterling look bad. The guy was probably drunk. He looks drunk alot. The league should do an intervention.
http://www.firedunleavy.com FD

I’d probably have to agree with Sterling. I don’t know what went on behind closed door, but it sounds like he was promised a lot by people who didn’t deliver. Seems like the last thing he wants is another year of empty seats and that’s what he’s going to get.

Probably shouldn’t have mentioned player names, but who really cares. If you can’t take that, you shouldn’t be playing pro basketball.
BDPJUMBI

I just don’t understand why everyone is freaking out? OK, so “The Decision” didn’t go our way, but after it all, I am kinda glad. So on to plan “B”. What exactly was it? We didn’t want Bosh, Amare or Boozer as we are set at PF. JJ went back to Atlanta. Gay to Memphis, although I didn’t want him. Who did everyone expect us to sign?????

I am glad that we didn’t do what MD would have done and just signed someone to look like we did something and get stuck with them ala BDiddy. That is usually how we get ourselves in trouble in the first place. We got some solid players at reasonable rates. We still have cap room to swoop on in a trade (Melo for AFA and the TW pick anyone?). Gomes looks OK as our SF for now as he will actually try to gel instead of jacking up shots like our usual, but he looks great as a backup SF/PF if we land a better piece. I like Butler much better as a bench player than a starter, so that is an upgrade. Foye is an upgrade. Letting Outlaw go for that money was smart.

In the cap era it is all about flexibility and we have that. We have cap room AND players people would want. I am pumped up enough for now just to see Blake and Gordon gel and improve and kinda see what we have, and wait until the right player becomes available. Then we use some of our existing talent and cap room to pull the trigger. Bravo Olshey, keep up the good work and keep ignoring the Donald.
- http://hitfix.com/awardscampaign jgroove
  
  Um, it’s not about signing anyone, but how about using those assets you have and cap space for a trade? We couldn’t try and get Trevor Ariza? Shoot, I’d have taken Anthony Parker off the Cavs hands. Not even in the Matt Barnes mix. Instead we get Ryan Gomes, proven loser (sorry it’s true). That’s the problem and that’s no doubt why Sterling is frustrated.
  
  Although, he’s still an ass and has no realization of how horrible his public image is.
- Bongstradamus
  
  We should have kept the rights to Camby and not traded Thornton. We let Blake walk, Gooden left, Outlaw as well. We gutted our team for cap and ended up with nothing. We lost a whole ton of talent and got absolutely NOTHING in return.
  
  Then we targeted scrubs like Gomes and Foye. Foye I actually think could be surprising if he gets minutes. But we totally just dropped the ball everywhere and we lost assets and got nothing in return. Losing Camby’s rights was just stupid, we could have traded into so much more or kept him around to mentor our young bigs and communicate on defense. He was our glue guy last year.
  
  Olshey patched together what he could for a franchise with our kind of reputation. Thats why Gomes and Foye are our big FA’s. We could have (and half of me thinks we should have) signed Allen Iverson, T-Mac and Shaq and just tried to entertain the fans for a season, but we have young guys we need to nurture so we acquired young talent with some potential upside and are now a team with more projects than stars or starters.
Smush

DTS…what can I say. I hate him…that’s all i’ll say about that.

but give some props to Olshey for handling this off-season extremely well. Despite not getting any big name people.

1. Lebron – we all knew he was either going to Miami or New York/Brooklyn

2. Bosh – we have Blake Griffin.

3. Wade – wasn’t going anywhere.

4. Boozer – he looks like a mountain lion but again we have Blake

5. Dirk – not going anywhere

6. Joe Johnson – good player but undeserving (unworthy) of such a ridiculous contract.

7. Rudy Gay – potential is there, but even he was surprised Memphis gave him a max contract…can’t blame the guy for resigning.

Other guys such as Farmar, Morrow, and/or Outlaw would have been nice to have but matching the same offer from the Nets especially for Outlaw wasn’t going to happen.

I wouldn’t have minded Raja Bell for some veteran leadership, defense, and perimeter shooting.

in any case…

Not wasting max money on players other than Dirk, Lebron, or Wade is one of the smartest decisions this organization has done in a while….and getting Eric Bledsoe (oh how much I loved that move) was great. I’m sure a lot of you guys agree with that. Strengthening our bench by getting Foye and Gomes and resigning Rhino and Rasual were great moves as well. As much as DTS controls the money I’m glad Olshey was doing work to improve this team, even when your own owner clearly doesn’t care.

I wish David Stern would do something about it. I wish.
- joeluis
  
  If the clips had no business in acquiring James than why we got rid of Camby? This guy actually cared for the team and wanted to stay, he was also a great influence on many of the young clips.
  
  olshey had some options. Matt Barnes was one of em. Why wouldn’t we pursue a cali boy like matt?
  
  lets see what the future holds hopefully we’ll make a run for melo. like most of you. I am also excited about coming up season. i really want to see B Griffin play that’s it.
  - Smush
    
    I know we wanted Lebron but even then the chances of us getting him were slim to none. Though our roster bolsters a lot of young talent, and some pretty damn good veterans, I still didn’t think he would sign simply because our track record as a franchise and our lack of an owner who actually gives a damn. The Nets had more of a chance than us because what they had to offer through their new owner and the fact they were moving to Brooklyn.
    
    In terms of Camby, I know we were setting up to TRY to sign a big name free agent but even then there was never a guarantee about he we were going to get anyone much less Lebron. All the guys that i assumed were going to try to get were offered crazy money and Olshey was smart not to give in. We should’ve gotten a lot more for Camby too, I mean I like Steve Blake and Outlaw but Camby had greater trade value than those guys.
    
    Totally forgot about Barnes,. but yeah I wanted to sign him too but he took the Lebron route for a Championship. I can’t get mad at the guy for that.
    
    But I think we should’ve gotten Raja Bell for some solid veteran play and professionalism in the locker room.
    
    Im excited to see what we do this season, but Baron needs to trust himself and the guys around him. Baron and Kaman are good but Eric Gordon is our number one option on the perimeter and Baron needs to figure that out, because there’s no need for him to jack up 3′s when he thinks we’re in trouble. We have the talent to dominate inside and we can hold our own on the perimeter, but we have to play smarter basketball to reduce turnovers and use our speed especially with Bledsoe and Aminu when Kaman is off the floor.
    
    Things are looking up this season.
BDPJUMBI

Why are so many peeps so infatuated with Camby? Don’t get me wrong, I like Camby as a player and even more as a person, but he was going to be a free agent and plays PF/C that we are already set at with much younger players. Hopefully DJ embraces the roll of the first big man off the bench.

We already had Matt Barnes a few years back. He is a very versatile player and plays his ass off on D, but he is not the final piece to a championship puzzle for us. He is much better in the role the Lakers will use him in and it seems he knows that.

Melo would be great, but I would be a bit concerned about his lack of conditioning and defence. Still, he has gotten by so far with his conditioning and one guy that is sub-par on D doesn’t kill a good defensive team. The 1991-1993 Bulls didn’t have very good point guard D (Paxon/BJ Armstrong) and were amazing defensive teams. If only we could get a Cliff Levingston…
neiljlax

I thought for a minute that was a parody of some kind.
yeesh. awful.
I’ll still go to games as much as time and money allows.
Thats for me, not DTS.
Half price or less lowers to see NBA action is still a pretty good time.
Looking foward to watching the young guns come alive and seeing what VDN can do.
Teezoy

You guys over reacted! It was report by T.J Simers of all people. T.J Always exaggerated his reports. This is nothing but a simple frustration from an owner’s point of view. I don’t think he disrespect his employees at all. This is wrong about California in general. We’re politically spoiled brats. We make things bigger than what they are. Every subject seems a political issue. Guys, loosen up.
http://www.firedunleavy.com FD

It’s actually a good thing that Sterling cares about the team now. 10 years ago, he probably wouldn’t have cared enough to make the comment.
First2One00

Since we are on the topic of DTS, two former player scouts that were working for the Clippers organization have recently filed lawsuits against DTS for the same reasons as MDSr. One reached a settlement and the other is about to begin his court session. Donald Sterling has to go.. there’s reason why this franchise is considered a joke to everyone else except the Clippers faithful. The guy won’t pay and he blasts his employess to the public. I can understand his frustration but calling someone by “what’s-his-name?” is not going to make a person play harder just so that the end result will be bigger bucks for the billionaire a-hole that Sterling is.
http://c JakeC

sterling is the epitome of the corporate pig. When I first became a Clipper fan I gave him the benefit of the doubt…but his true colors have shown. Im almost at the point where I would want to root against him if I didn’t despise the lakers so much. He is the reason big name free agents didnt want to sign with the Clips in the first place , and now hes trying to pawn that fault of his onto management…what a typical move of a corporate pig. He doesn’t know shit about basketball or a business for that matter with all the lawsuits he has had. Ironically he has a team that truly cares about winning and he doesn’t give a fuck about them. He is a pig and doesn’t deserve the Clippers when they start winning again.
T&T

Is there anything that fans can really do to get Sterling to sell the team? What about picketing outside of Staples during a game, ticket boycott is a good idea. What else? Maybe wear a t-shirt to the game that says “Fire Sterling”. T&T
jb_baby

I have the solution; McCourts will most likely need to sell the Dodgers; why can’t Sterling sell the Clippers in order to buy them? It’s a win for LAC. David Geffen perhaps becoming the new owner?
http://greatwesternforum.wordpress.com Eric

I never thought of the comments being used as motivation, but perhaps Del Negro could use it as a rallying cry. I like the comparison to Major League, too. The Clips are certainly the NBA’s version of the 80s Indians. Here’s my take on Sterling’s comments and this Carmelo Anthony nonsense. http://greatwesternforum.wordpress.com/2010/08/27/the-summer-of-lebron-more-like-the-summer-of-litigation/

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