AROUND the NBA:

[KillerLeft]

Seeing/hearing in multiple places that the group/body with the power to appeal this have already decided not to, meaning that the CBA arbitration process won't come into play. Balmer will have to go to court in real life if he wants to fight it.

No idea if that's true, but that's what people are saying.

[Mavs2021]

I don’t think the player should/would get a big punishment even if he knew or initiated it.

It’s like when your kids ask you for something stupid.

It’s the adults responsibility to say no. The Lakers said no.

So Kawhi is a child?

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Did I see this coming? Not at all. Do I think this is definitely the final word? Not at all. (Could I be wrong on that? Sure.)

IIUC, a ruling like this only sticks if it survives arbitration hearing (and any appeal) because it's a CBA-defined process. (Violating the CBA is a line the NBA would not want to cross, no matter what.) The relative harshness of Silver's ruling would seem to indicate it was not an agreed-upon settlement, which means that hearing process is still ahead. Such a hearing would NOT be open to the public.

OTOH there isn't really a scorched-earth option for Ballmer to somehow obliterate the NBA for this finding. His only venue is that arbitration, where the best he can hope for is to reduce or eliminate the penalties imposed. Should be interesting drama ahead.

I'm sure Ballmer will have something to say in response. It should shed a lot of light on where we go from here. EDITED TO ADD - In a statement, the Clippers said “we vehemently reject the NBA’s findings,” adding that, “We intend to vigorously challenge these findings and penalties through every avenue available to us and look forward to an ethical and impartial arbitration process.”

I think this is a million miles from final.

Ballmer already said, "See ya in court." He continues to vehemently deny any wrongdoing. Personally, I don't think he has a leg to stand on. He was caught dead to rights.

[Reunion Mav]

I think by far the biggest news from this is the message Silver chose to send after the very significant investigation. He wants all teams to know they really have to follow this very important rule.

He knows probably the listed punishment might get reduced. That is kind of a given. But, the message sent today will not change. It is very much Stern like. I like it

Ballmer may be above the law with his resources but….he cannot erase this message.

[cow]

That punishment is crazy, incredibly surprising, and well deserved.  I do think they should space out the docked picks though or just move them to the end of the first round. That could hamstring the franchise for a decade.

[RoyTarpleysGhost]

So Kawhi is a child?

The Clippers were the ones with the power to circumvent the cap.

Look at the Astros cheating scandal. The players didn't get punished. I dont think the child analogy is too far off. Management is supposed to be the grown ups.

[Jym]

They HAD to come in with a hard ruling
Would have been an absolute free-for-all if they just got a slap on the wrist

[Reunion Mav]

I think by far the biggest news from this is the message Silver chose to send after the very significant investigation. He wants all teams to know they really have to follow this very important rule.

He knows probably the listed punishment might get reduced. That is kind of a given. But, the message sent today will not change. It is very much Stern like. I like it

Ballmer may be above the law with his resources but….he cannot erase this message.

[Moviemavguy]

As people are discussing, I'm sure Kawhi full cooperated to get the slap on the wrist that he did which is why I don't think the Clippers have much of a prayer in court.

[BoredAssistant]

Report_of_Independent_Investigators_Concerning_the_LA_Clippers_and_Kawhi_Leonard.pdf
   

[Scott41theMavs]

Report_of_Independent_Investigators_Concerning_the_LA_Clippers_and_Kawhi_Leonard.pdf

I actually read that whole thing. Ballmer can either provide documentation that proves that each of the investigators' assertions are false, or his ass is grass.

[khaled1987]

I never thought Silver will have the guts to go this harsh. Makes sense why it took so long now. Great for the league

Silver is an employee rather than an employer, despite the power he has, this is an important distinction. 

The salary cap rules is there for the owners above anything, it forces them to stop spending at some point without being guilty of cheapness, under the competitiveness headline. 

What Ballmer did hurts the owners, because now every player could look around and ask for some off the table compensation.  

This ruling IMO is under the board of governor pressure, a league of billionaires who don't want the pandora box to be opened. 

This isn't about Silver or Ballmer, it is about a league of folks who controls billions who wants protection of their business model and the advantage those rules bring. 

This is why I don't see Ballmer challenging that, if it was Silver he would fought it easily, but not with this group of owners, who literally once forced the sale of the franchise.

[DanSchwartzgan]

I’m part way through the live reaction Pablo podcast from yesterday and the killer - that FG missed in his read of the CBA - can be summed up in two words:  Facilitate and beyond that Solicitation.  Four separate companies with the agreements all hammered out within weeks of one another and all rhyming in the way that can’t be dismissed.  I don’t think this is over. The SEC investigation of Daktronic won’t care about the niceties of whether Silver works for Balmer or vice versa.  People may go to jail as a result of that one.

What I mainly wanted to touch on is the Podcast has twice brought up in the part I’ve listened to that LAC is a repeat offender.  They go back to the 2015 signing of DeAndre Jordan and say Leonard is the third time they’ve done some form of circumvention.  There is also the possibility that Brunson to NY will be investigated by Pablo.  The common denominator between Jordan and Brunson is Cuban.  He certainly got screwed in the Jordan deal and may have experienced the same thing with Brunson.  So, why in the world did Cuban defend Balmer like he did.

My worry is that Cuban knows this is how things are done.  Players get perks under the table (private jet flights that aren’t reimbursed as a for instance).  Players get side deals - which FG points out is OK.  But, when the team solicits the side deals and funnels the money to the business to pay for it, that goes beyond the line.  Having been the victim of these kinds of arrangements and having failed to lure free agents here on so many occasions, I wonder if Cuban made this approach something he was willing to do at some point.  I’m less worried about something coming out about Dirk and more worried we will hear Kyrie is getting some benefits arranged by the team.  I hope not, but he’s the one guy who has been willing to work with the team while players like Harden continue to get full price contracts that seem inexplicable.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Christian Clark: 'Don't even think about trying this' is the message the NBA is sending here. No one I spoke to over the past year believed that Adam Silver had it in him to punish the Clippers and Ballmer, the NBA's richest owner, so severely. Multiple current and former team employees told me they considered this the 'death penalty' when the NBA announced the results of the investigation Wednesday afternoon. The Clippers are out five first-round picks, their owner is suspended for one year, and their lead basketball executive is suspended for six months without pay. So yes, I think this will discourage teams from attempting salary cap circumvention. This penalty was brutal.

New York Times

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Brian Windhorst: It's crushing. It's a crushing penalty. Tim MacMahon: It's as close to the SMU [Mustangs football scandal] death penalty as you get in the NBA. Windhorst: Well, I don't know if it was a death penalty, but… MacMahon: I said it's as close. I mean, they didn't give him a postseason ban, but everything but that.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Jon Krawczynski: In speaking with a couple of executives around the league about it, the ruling certainly has everyone’s attention. Five draft picks is as close to a death sentence for team building as you can get. Draft picks are the lifeblood of the league, used to add young talent or trade for more established players. Losing five of them is a tremendous blow to a Clippers team that is already in transition after trading Leonard to Toronto. And the suspensions for Ballmer and Frank show that no one is above consequences. You can bet that the rest of the league has taken notice. In a league filled with cutthroat competitors, a slap on the wrist could have resulted in more teams pushing the envelope. A crackdown this severe will make everyone think twice, or maybe four or five times, about doing anything even remotely close to this. What does it mean, practically, for a team owner to be suspended? According to sources with direct knowledge of league rules, who spoke anonymously to speak freely about deliberations inside league and team front offices, and based on what happened in Taylor’s suspension, there is to be no attendance at games or practices — for them or any of the other 29 NBA teams. No appearances at the NBA All-Star Game or Emirates Cup, finals, draft or combine. In February, the Clippers hosted the NBA All-Star Game at Intuit Dome. The league’s investigation into cap circumvention was ongoing, but Ballmer was everywhere, including on stage for Silver’s annual technology summit. He would have had to rent out the Hollywood Bowl or throw a street party on Sepulveda Boulevard to get even a taste of the All-Star experience had this verdict been handed down before that weekend.

New York Times

[Mavs2021]

I wonder if Cuban made this approach something he was willing to do at some point.  I’m less worried about something coming out about Dirk and more worried we will hear Kyrie is getting some benefits arranged by the team.

Kyrie is simply not worth more. Dirk is the obvious one: 8, 8, 25, 5, 5, but hard to prove that they pre-planned it, unless Cuban runs his mouth and brags about it. We all know that is very unlikely. Nevermind. Dirk, it´s time to move to Germany or Sweden with the wife and kids. 

[michaeltex]

Random thoughts from reading/listening since yesterday...

• The outside income was requested by KL's uncle/agent. According to Jeanie Buss he requested the same (and more!) from the Lakers and when they said no quickly moved on to the Clippers. This is important because it gives KL deniability, which he apparently has used successfully even though he still benefitted millions from the deals. I'm sure Unc got his cut as well.
  
• the $700k reimbursement KL has to pay is not a fine for the outside deals, but to pay back benefits the team funded that were not allowed by the CBA. Expenses like travel, housing, etc., that KL should have paid back at the time. Essentially, it appears KL is clean of the outside deal making.
  
• I don't know if it's group think among NBA analysts, but there seems to be a consensus that there is no appeal process under the current CBA. So any follow up actions will be through legal actions. But, to my small mind, this gets complicated because the ownership agreed to abide by the CBA in the first place, so how do you sue for relief without voiding the CBA first, which will be a much bigger deal. Never mind that there is likely some type of language in the ownership agreements to limit what an owner can do against league management. I remember Jerry Jones was PO'ed at the NFL's extension of Goodell a few years back and they threatened to disenfranchise him if he didn't play ball. Just wondering if there is that kind of leverage with the NBA. I mean they forced Sterling to sell to Ballmer, didn't they?
  
• The lost FRPs and suspensions are consistent with punishment in the Joe Smith case after MIN was caught dealing off the books, so there is precedent for the penalties Silver handed down. 
  
• The $30M fine is peanuts to Ballmer. It's been reported that he gets $300M in QUARTERLY dividends from his Microsoft stock holdings.
  
• The lost FRPs are going to hurt. It will make a total of 10 FRPs it cost the LAC's to sign KL. That has to be some kind of record. They are getting some FRPs back from TOR in the KL trade, which makes the conspiracy radar in my head wonder if that wasn't the intention in the first place. KL gets away with minimal punishment while LAC takes the whacking for all the shady deals, but compensation for KL's departure keeps the well from running totally dry. 
  
• As pointed out earlier, LACs don't control the next two years either. One unprotected trade and one swap.
  
• LACs, going back a LOT of years, has to be the most snake-bitten team in the NBA. Even when they had Paul/Jordan/Griffin there was always an injury or something that killed their chances. Not feeling sorry for them, just sayin'.
  

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Suspended owners can’t go into team offices or influence personnel or business decisions. If the Toronto Raptors want to change their pending trade for Kawhi Leonard, Clippers basketball executives aren’t allowed to ask Ballmer whether he approves. The Clippers' president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank is also suspended as part of the alleged cap-circumvention scheme — his suspension is for six months, so Ballmer, or perhaps the person he appoints as interim governor, will have to promote an interim replacement for Frank.

New York Times

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Tomer Azarly: Saw some confusion about this, but I can confirm, per a league source, that the LA Clippers will be losing the 2029 first-round pick they received from the Indiana Pacers in the Ivica Zubac trade. Believe @ZachLowe_NBA was the first to report that. The Clippers also say the NBA's investigation cost nearly $50 million — and was paid for by Steve Ballmer. NBA's investigation also found the Clippers made hundreds of payments on behalf of Kawhi Leonard and his family for expenses — such as personal travel, tickets, and gifts — that Leonard was supposed to have repaid by NBA rules but did not. The payments were approved by Frank, NBA says



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