Vincent Bonsignore of the LA Daily News relays a fascinating exchange between Baron Davis and Donald T. Sterling before Wednesday night’s game:

Baron Davis was minding his own business walking around Staples Center on Wednesday when he ran right into Clippers owner Donald Sterling.

It was one of those awkward, boss-employee moments where the boss does most of the talking and the employee just nods his head up and down saying, “Yes, sir. You bet, sir. Absolutely, sir.”

… “It’s coming together,” Davis told Sterling, when asked how the team was doing.  More...

ESPN the Magazine’s Peter Keating has a lenthy piece about the sordid details of Donald Sterling’s life. We’ve discussed the balancing act Clippers fans — and sports fans in general — have to perform as die-hards for their teams, and Keating’s piece will challenge some in the Naçión to confront the sublimation all of us engage in as we root on players (and by extension, owners) who might not be worthy of our support.

Much of Keating’s report on Sterling has been documented elsewhere, but the broad context in the article is strong, and the revelations indicting. Some of the lowlights:  More...

Former Los Angeles Times Clippers beat writer, Jonathan Abrams, has a story in his new outfit, the New York Times, on Elgin Baylor:

Baylor faces an uphill legal battle. Although his authority waned in recent seasons, he was a team executive for 22 years — a span that other general managers could only dream of matching…

The allegations in the lawsuit surfaced only after Baylor left his job. He said he was fired; the organization said he resigned.  More...

From Chris Sheridan of ESPN.com:

NEW YORK — Isiah Thomas is actively seeking work again, and he spoke several weeks ago with Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling in a meeting arranged by current coach/general manager Mike Dunleavy, ESPN.com learned Wednesday.

Several NBA sources confirmed the February meeting between the former president and general manager of the New York Knicks, adding that there were follow-up discussions between Thomas and other high-ranking club officials — but also stressing that no job has been offered.  More...

I spent more time Wednesday thinking about the Los Angeles Clippers than I wanted to.  Tuesday night’s loss combined with the Sterling incident, and Chris’ bitching have produced a sulfurous funk, what Simmons calls the stench, around the team.  Clippers fans, with rare exceptions, are accustomed to the layer of gloom that hangs over the franchise, but most of it can be managed with a long sigh, shake of the head, and a resigned laugh.  It’s what Clippers fans do.  But something shifted overnight Tuesday, and by Wednesday afternoon, the climate had changed, even for the most patient among us.  More...