2014 May | Hoops Rumors

Steve Ballmer Wins Bid To Purchase Clippers

May 31st, 2014 at 11:07am CST by Ryan Raroque

SATURDAY, 11:07am: An NBA source downplayed the non-ownership role Sterling was seeking with the team as part of the sale, telling Smith, Wang, and Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News that she will not be involved with the team moving forward.

FRIDAY, 6:04pm: The NBA memo regarding the sale says Shelly Sterling and the Sterling Trust also agree not to sue the NBA and to indemnify the NBA against lawsuits from others, tweets Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times. That means that if the NBA loses a lawsuit to Donald Sterling, the Sterling Family Trust would pay some portion or all of the losses, notes Tom Ziller of SB Nation (Twitter link).

5:58pm: The NBA has resolved the dispute with Shelly Sterling and the sale of Clippers to Ballmer is only pending a Board of Governors vote, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The league has also cancelled Tuesday’s ownership termination for Sterling as a result of the pending sale of the team, Wojnarowski reports in a separate tweet.

3:18pm: Donald Sterling has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease, according to Shelburne (on Twitter), who confirms an earlier report from TMZ Sports. Neurologists made the diagnosis earlier this month, but it wasn’t Shelly Sterling’s first choice to exercise her power to assume sole power over the family trust. When Donald Sterling changed his mind about his willingness to let his wife sell the Clippers, that’s when Shelly Sterling acted, Shelburne says (All Twitter links).

12:51pm: Donald Sterling’s lawyer Max Blecher disputes that he’s “mentally incompetent,” as Shelburne reports. Blecher acknowledges the results of mental health exams that declared him incapacitated and allowed his wife to assume control of the family trust that owns the Clippers, but the attorney says the results are “grossly exaggerated” (Twitter links).

12:19pm: The NBA’s Tuesday hearing to discuss ousting the Sterlings remains on the schedule, the league said today in a press release. Shelly Sterling told the NBA of her deal to sell the team to Ballmer, but she still must file proper documentation, the league says.

THURSDAY, 10:52pm: The rules of the Sterling family trust did not require a court to declare Donald mentally incapacitated, Shelburne tweets.

10:27pm: Shelburne (via Twitter) says that there could still be a response from Donald and his lawyers; however, the first course of action would be to contest Shelly’s move instead of the NBA for the time being.

10:06pm: Mental health experts had recently declared Donald Sterling to be mentally incapacitated, leaving Shelly Sterling as sole trustee with power to sell the team, ESPN learns (tweet via Ramona Shelburne).

8:10pm: Ballmer’s winning bid could postpone a vote scheduled for Tuesday to remove Donald Sterling from the NBA by terminating the team’s ownership, a source tells Ken Berger of CBS Sports.

7:52pm: There is now a signed, binding agreement between Ballmer and the Sterling family trust to sell the Clippers for $2 billion. The deal will reportedly go straight to the NBA for approval and will not need to be signed off by Donald Sterling (All Twitter links courtesy of ESPN LA’s Ramona Shelburne).

7:47pm: Blecher added that Sterling “already has a couple billion dollars, so (he) could not care less” about Ballmer’s $2 billion bid (Chang relays via Twitter).

7:38pm: Max Blecher, Sterling’s lawyer, tells Andrea Chang of the Los Angeles Times that his “belief is (Donald) will not sell the team” (Twitter link, hat tip to Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated).

7:28pm: Rainey has edited his original report, now saying that Ballmer “appears to have won” the bid.

7:16pm: David Geffen confirms that he and his investment group – which includes Larry Ellison, Oprah, and Laurene Jobs – have withdrawn from bidding for the Clippers (Twitter link via ESPN’s Darren Rovell).

6:58pm: One source tells Dakota Smith of the L.A. Daily News that a final sale isn’t a done deal and that no winning bid has been picked yet. Smith also hears that the Los Angeles Times “jumped the gun” by reporting the deal, and that news of the sale was leaked from another bidder (Twitter links).

6:46pm: Per Jack Wang of the L.A. Daily News, Blecher says via e-mail that Donald Sterling “is resisting and will resist any sale of the team forced by the NBA” (Twitter link).

6:40pm: A source tells ESPN Los Angeles’ Ramona Shelburne that negotiations are still ongoing. Max Blecher – Donald Sterling’s lawyer – says that his client hasn’t signed off on any sale (Twitter links).

6:02pm: Steve Ballmer has won the bid to purchase the Clippers franchise for two billion dollars, reports James Rainey of the Los Angeles Times. As reported earlier today, the former Microsoft CEO was deemed the early favorite in the bidding process. Ballmer’s notable competitors – namely L.A.-based investors Tony Ressler and Steve Karsh and a group that included entertainment mogul David Geffen and executives from the Guggenheim Group – topped their bids at $1.2 billion and $1.6 billion respectively.

Most importantly, as Rainey points out, the deal still needs approval from Donald Sterling. The embattled current Clippers owner – who initially gave his wife the go-ahead to negotiate a sale of the team – recently changed his mind, and would reportedly be open to selling the club only if the NBA were to drop its allegations against him in addition to possibly making a few concessions.

The other 29 NBA owners would also have to give their approval in order to complete the sale, and Rainey writes that Ballmer is expected to clear that hurdle as long as he pledges to keep the Clippers in Los Angeles and not move them to Seattle, where he lives. Ballmer was part of a group led by Chris Hansen that ultimately failed to purchase the Kings with the intent to re-locate them to the Emerald City. In a recent interview, however, Ballmer pointed out that he would have no plans to move the team.

Donald Sterling To Sue NBA For $1 Billion

May 31st, 2014 at 11:03am CST by Chuck Myron

SATURDAY, 11:03am: Sterling has filed the suit in a Los Angeles federal court, reports Tami Abdollah of The Associated Press. Lester Munson of ESPN.com details why Sterling’s efforts are likely futile.

FRIDAY, 4:58pm: The league is confident it has the legal position necessary to ward off Sterling’s lawsuit and transfer the Clippers to Ballmer, sources tell Wojnarowski (Twitter link). That also appears to indicate the NBA would approve Ballmer as an owner, though the league has made no public statement to that effect.

4:12pm: Donald Sterling plans to file a lawsuit for $1 billion against the NBA, attorney Max Blecher tells Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link), confirming an earlier report from Tim Stelloh of NBC News. He’s also considering a suit against wife Shelly Sterling, Blecher says to Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles (Twitter link). The league is still planning a hearing on Tuesday to strip ownership of the team from the Sterling family trust in the wake of Shelly Sterling’s deal to sell the team to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer for $2 billion.

The suit alleges an invasion of Donald Sterling’s constitutional rights, violation of anti-trust laws and breach of fiduciary duty, Blecher says in an email to Shelburne. He’s also seeking recompense for damages brought on by the NBA’s lifetime ban and the allegations the league is bringing against him as it seeks to forcibly strip him of ownership (Twitter links).

Litigation from Donald Sterling has been expected ever since the beginning of the fiasco involving his racially charged statements on a recording. Sterling reportedly agreed earlier this month to let his wife conduct a sale of the team, but he apparently changed his mind, prompting Shelly Sterling to exercise her right to exert sole power over the family trust that owns the Clippers. Donald Sterling’s diagnosis with Alzheimer’s Disease earlier this month prompted neurologists to declare him mentally incapacitated, giving his wife control of the trust, as Shelburne reported.

Blecher tells Shelburne that this suit has nothing to do with the sale of the team, and says to Wojnarowski that Donald Sterling is considering separate legal action to stop the sale (Twitter links). Bobby Samini, another attorney representing Donald Sterling, told Andrea Chang of the Los Angeles Times on Thursday that there could be no sale of the Clippers without Donald Sterling’s signature, in spite of Shelly Sterling’s apparent control of the family trust. Donald Sterling doesn’t intend to sell the Clippers, Samini added.

Central Rumors: Pacers, Cavs, Bucks

May 31st, 2014 at 10:14am CST by Cray Allred

When asked about bringing Lance Stephenson back to the Pacers next season, Paul George‘s immediate response was, “You know, I don’t know,” tweets Chris Herring of The Wall Street Journal. George went on to say that the decision lies with the front office, and that it “would be great” if Stephenson made his way back. Here’s more from the Central Division:

For his part, Stephenson said he hopes to be back with the Pacers, tweets Candace Buckner of The Indianapolis Star.
Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders believes president Larry Bird and the Pacers front office will find a way to straighten out the roster and locker room problems in Indiana (via Twitter).
Earlier, we passed along the latest from Marc Stein of ESPN.com on the futures of Frank Vogel, Stephenson, and Roy Hibbert.
Erik Spoelstra spoke in support of Vogel after the Heat’s series clincher, telling reporters including Simon Evans of Reuters that the coaching landscape is “absurd” for placing so many coaches on the hot seat.
Tom Withers of The Associated Press writes that the Cavs could expand their coaching hunt if they aren’t sold on any of the current candidates, possibly circling back to the college ranks for new candidates.
Bucks director of scouting Bill McKinney tells Charles F. Gardner of The Journal Sentinel that Milwaukee is weighing its options with its three second round draft picks, including selling or packaging them to move up. “We have limited roster spots again this year,” said McKinney. “We could package those picks; we could sell a pick. And if there’s a player there that we like, that’s always a possibility, too.” The Knicks are one team looking to purchase a second round pick.

Stein’s Latest On Pacers

May 31st, 2014 at 8:54am CST by Cray Allred

Now that the Pacers season is in the books, it’s time to look ahead to the offseason. After re-tooling this year, Indiana didn’t put up any better of a fight against the Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals, and had a tumultuous run to end the season. Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported on a team he doesn’t think has any positives to show for the 2013/14 campaign. Some of the highlights:

NBA coaching circles still believe Frank Vogel was coaching for his job in the first round of the playoffs, and perhaps second round, too, but the situation is less cut and dry now that the Pacers made it to a Game 6 in the conference finals.
The ESPN scribe hears whispers in Indiana about Mark Jackson as a potential replacement of Vogel, should Vogel get fired. Jackson has history with both president Larry Bird and front office consultant Donnie Walsh.
The personnel grapevine is indicating to Stein that Lance Stephenson‘s free agency market is already drying up, and he suspects Stephenson is more likely to return to Indiana because of it. While Bird has been committed to sticking with Stephenson until at least last week, a team like the Mavericks–normally open to bringing in risky players–has shown no interest in pursuing the guard as a free agent.
Roy Hibbert would be open to a trade if the Pacers decided to try and move him, sources tell Stein. Hibbert hasn’t asked for a trade, and his contract could be difficult to move if Indiana decided to try and do so.
The Pacers covet a more natural ballhandler to add to a roster that didn’t feature a point guard averaging even 5 assists per game this season.
Paul George is still considered untouchable by the Pacers, but Stein wonders if he will be able to live up to growing expectations and pressures next season.

And-Ones: Hansen, Blazers, Aldridge, Love

May 30th, 2014 at 10:30pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Despite losing one his biggest and wealthiest partners in Steve Ballmer to the Clippers, Chris Hansen remains committed to bringing a team to Seattle, according to an article by The Associated Press. Hansen said that environmental reviews on a proposed arena are nearing completion and “we will soon be in a strong position to attract a franchise to Seattle“, the article notes.

Here’s more from around the league:

Jeff Kramer of SB Nation looks at why it would be a good move for LaMarcus Aldridge to sign a contract extension with the Trail Blazers.
The Trail Blazers face a difficult decision in regards to free agent guard Mo Williams, writes Roger Gregory of The Oregonian. Williams decided to opt out of the second year of his deal and become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
The staff at Basketball Insiders (video link) debate the best landing spot for Kevin Love, should the Timberwolves decide to trade him.
According to Phil Jackson, the Knicks intend to approach other teams in an effort to buy a draft pick, tweets Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv.
Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report looks at what the $2 Billion sale of the Clippers means for the Lakers.

Draft Notes: Robinson III, Gordon, Williams

May 30th, 2014 at 9:33pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The 2014 NBA Draft is less than a month away. Here are the latest notes:

The Timberwolves will be holding pre-draft workouts for Keith Appling, Nedim Buza, Jabari Brown, Jerami Grant, Dwight Powell and Scottie Wilbekin, the team tweeted.
Aaron Gordon tweeted that he’d be returning to Boston in a “couple of weeks” for a pre-draft workout with the Celtics. The forward out of Arizona is a projected lottery pick and Boston holds the sixth and 17th overall picks in June’s draft.
Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders runs down the worst first-overall draft choices in NBA history.
Kendall Williams participated in a pre-draft workout for the Suns today, reports Zac Walberer of NBA.com. The point guard out of New Mexico is projected as a possible late second round draft pick.
Glenn Robinson III has workouts scheduled for next week with the Rockets and Suns, reports Mark Snyder of The Detroit Free Press. Robinson is projected as a late first round selection.
HoopsHype released their latest Mock Draft.
Noah Vonleh, Elfrid Payton, Tyler Ennis and Marcus Smart are scheduled to work out for the Kings next week, reports Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee (Twitter links).
Ronald Roberts worked out for the Sixers today, tweets Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. The power forward out of St. Joe’s is a projected second rounder in this year’s draft.
Chaz Williams is scheduled to work out for the Raptors next Wednesday, reports Josh Newman of SNY.tv (Twitter link).

Eastern Notes: Anthony, Bucks, Magic

May 30th, 2014 at 8:37pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Marc Berman of The New York Post notes that Carmelo Anthony has until June 23rd to decide if he will opt out of his contract with the Knicks and become an unrestricted free agent. Most NBA players have until June 30th to decide. It was reported earlier that Anthony is considering opting in and putting off free agency until next summer.

Pacific Notes: Thompson, Clippers, Kings

May 30th, 2014 at 6:59pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Warriors GM Bob Myers said that Klay Thompson is a “top-5 shooting who will be paid a lot of money in the future“, tweets Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group. Thompson has one more year remaining on his rookie deal, and has also been mentioned to possibly be included in trade discussions with the Timberwolves involving Kevin Love.

Central Rumors: Bucks, Pistons, Pacers

May 30th, 2014 at 3:44pm CST by Chuck Myron

Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry told Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times that the team would retain GM John Hammond, assistant GM David Morway and coach Larry Drew for next season, but fellow co-owner Wesley Edens wouldn’t confirm that, according to Woelfel. Edens is the team’s representative on the Board of Governors, which would appear to give him final say. Bucks officials and executives around the league told Woelfel that former owner Herb Kohl became “livid” with Hammond last season, and that Kohl, had he not sold the team, would have fired the GM, Woelfel hears. There’s more on the Bucks amid the latest from the Central Division:

Steve Ballmer and Chris Hansen bid $650MM for the Bucks earlier this year, with plans to move them to Seattle, reports Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. Kohl rejected the bid in favor of Edens and Lasry, who’ve pledged to keep the team in Milwaukee, but the indirect role Ballmer played in pushing for new arenas in Milwaukee, Minnesota and Sacramento is part of why the NBA finds him appealing for the Clippers, Windhorst hears.
Pistons boss Stan Van Gundy calls Andre Drummond and soon-to-be restricted free agent Greg Monroe an “ideal pairing,” but he also points to their shortcomings on defense and the team’s struggles with those two in the lineup together with Josh Smith. Keith Langlois of Pistons.com has that and more from his conversation with Van Gundy.
The Pistons hired Brendan Malone and Bob Beyer as assistant coaches and cut ties with assistants Rasheed Wallace, Henry Bibby and Bernard Smith, the team formally announced. Beyer leaves the Hornets to take the job in Detroit. John Loyer, who served as the team’s interim head coach last season, remains as an assistant, but there’s a decent chance the team will reassign him, tweets Vincent Ellis of the Detroit Free Press.
The NBA’s revenue sharing system paid the Pacers $15MM last season, multiple sources tell Grantland’s Zach Lowe, who also hears that the Grizzlies received that amount, too.

Quin Snyder Among Front-Runners For Jazz Job

May 30th, 2014 at 2:11pm CST by Chuck Myron

Quin Snyder is a leading candidate for the Jazz’s head coaching vacancy, multiple sources tell Jody Genessy of the Deseret News. Marc Stein of ESPN.com first identified the Hawks assistant as among many in contention for the vacancy last month, but apparently he’s surged close to the head of a shrinking field. The team had planned on interviewing more than 20 candidates, but Snyder is “very high on a short list,” a source tells Genessy, and team president Randy Rigby said on 1280 The Zone that the club is “well into the project” of selecting a coach, Genessy notes.

Adrian Griffin and Alvin Gentry remain in the running for the job, and Jim Boylen, who earlier appeared to be the favorite, is still a possibility, according to Genessy. Utah has interviewed Griffin and Gentry, but it’s unclear if the team’s done so with Snyder and Boylen, or if the club has interviews scheduled with either of them.

Snyder was a candidate for the Sixers, Bobcats and Suns last summer, and was also a candidate for the Bobcats job in 2012, the same summer he was among those in the running for the Magic’s vacancy. The Jazz opening is the only one he appears to be in contention for this time around, but Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak and Kobe Bryant share respect for Snyder, who served as a Lakers assistant coach in 2011/12.

Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey also has ties with Snyder, having worked with him when Lindsey was assistant GM for the Spurs and Snyder was the coach of San Antonio’s D-League affiliate from 2007 to 2010, as Genessy notes. The 47-year-old Snyder also served a season as an assistant for the Sixers and coached under Ettore Messina for CSKA Moscow in Russia. Messina was at one point this spring seemingly a co-favorite with Boylen for the Jazz opening, but Genessy doesn’t mention him among the shrunken field of candidates.

Month: November 2024