The Donald Sterling Aftermath

The late great Michael Jackson once said "It Doesn't Matter If You're Black Or White" and he's right about that but in the year 2014 some people fail to realize that the color do our skin is just a small sample of us, it's the first thing you see and it shouldn't be the last if you get to know the person. Late Friday night TMZ obtained a contentious tape between Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling and his model girlfriend V. Stiviano and as expected the tape was passed around twitter like a note in elementary school and everyone had their own perspective of it.

Sterling, 81, has a history of making racial remarks; in 2006 the U.S. Department of Justice sued Sterling for housing discrimination because he didn't want Koreans, Latinos/Latinas and Blacks in his complexes. He allegedly said Spanish people just "smoke, drink and just hang around the building" and for African-Americans he had said "black tenants smell and attract vermin"... The case was eventually settled for $2.275 million.

Back in 2009 he was sued by then Clippers executive Elgin Baylor for employment discrimination due to the color of his skin and age. Sterling allegedly told Baylor that he wanted the Clippers roster and coaching staff to be assembled with "poor black boys from the south with a white head coach." Now the NFL and NBA have the perfect ensemble of black and white and yes, most teams are predominately black and the staff being Caucasian but that comment in general in that context he used it in is perfectly attributed to hate.

Sterling's mouth has gotten him to do more wrongs than rights but for some odd reason he was awarded the with the NAACP lifetime achievement award in 2009 and after he recent outburst, he was scheduled to receive the award again next month but as expected they have decided to to no longer give him the award.

"NAACP statement: "As the investigation is in progress, we urge the LA Branch of the NAACP to withdraw Donald Sterling from the honoree list."

But back to his remarks, in the video obtained by TMZ he was upset with his very young girlfriend about taking a picture with Hall of Famer Magic Johnson and her boasting about the image on Instagram and he became infuriated with her showing off a black man. Among the comments he said:   

"It bothers me a lot that you want to broadcast that you’re associating with black people. Do you have to?"

"You can sleep with [black people]. You can bring them in, you can do whatever you want.  The little I ask you is not to promote it on that ... and not to bring them to my games."

"I’m just saying, in your lousy f******* Instagrams, you don’t have to have yourself with, walking with black people."

"...Don't put him [Magic] on an Instagram for the world to have to see so they have to call me.  And don't bring him to my games."

Find it funny that he doesn't Magic at his game despite both being allegedly friends... Magic would later go on a tirade on twitter:

My problem with Sterling's comments is that he made them and he no remorse for what he was saying. Now I have no problem with him hating people who aren't white because that's his choice and we shouldn't attempt to change his views on multiple communities. But the big issue here is that he made those remarks and owns a team which is made up of his best players being black, one of them mullato and his head coach being black. Sterling has a reputation of being a frugal businessman as he has historically shown skepticism of bringing top tier players to put out a respectable product on the court. It took over 30 years for him to actually get the Clippers out of the shadow of the Lakers and from being the joke of the league to being the headliners.

But despite the ignorant people of the world and people on social media who try to make jokes to get "likes" and "retweets" there are people who took a stand on twitter as it's commonly used for fun and is a place to relax and communicate with other people with he same views as you. But if there is a major topic in the world that becomes bothersome then black, white and spanish twitter unite to showcase their concerns it wasn't better showcased than all-day Saturday.

Magic Johnson, Kevin Hart and other high profile people in the world had much to say about the situation and just like the Trayvon Martin situation back in 2013, many people changed their twitter "avi" to a black picture which was started by center DeAndre Jordan on Instagram. 

Many other public figures shared their thoughts on the Sterling situation from some wanting him to sell the team to him being a disgrace.

"Donald Sterling has mentality of an antebellum slave master," Chris Broussard of ESPN said.

"No one should be allowed to own a team if they have in fact engaged in this kind of racial language," Reverend Al Sharpton said. 

"Donald sterling is the definition of racism," Rapper Meek Mill said.

"time for #Clippers players to step up. Refuse to play till NBA moves against this racist jackass #Sterling. NBA can't defend him," Keith Olbermann of ESPN said via twitter.

The crew of "Inside the NBA" have a reputation of being comical most of the time but with a huge problem with the magnitude of Sterling's hate comments they took time at halftime of the Pacers-Hawks game to address the issue and gave their input.

"Racism is a refuge to ignorance," Kenny Smith said. "Sterling has shown his primitive uneducated thoughts. It a shame the only thing you are rich in is money." 

"If it's true...there's no space in the NBA for Donald Sterling," Ernie Johnson said.

"this is the first big test for Adam Silver," Charles Barkley said. "You can’t have this guy making statements like that. He has to suspend him and fine him immediately…. We can not have an NBA owner discriminating against a league that’s…we’re a black league."

Comedian Kevin Hart chimed in also on his twitter account with a vast amount of tweets with one of them saying, "The owner of the Clippers is a flat out racist and will never see a dime of my money!!! Donald Sterling is disgusting...this sh*t is sad."

NBA players from past and present also wanted their voices heard about the discriminatory remarks by Sterling.

"As a VP for the Hawks it is appalling to wake up to this story," Dominique Wilkins said. "It is in no way anything that I know MY NBA at ANY level to promote, condone or harbor behind closed doors or openly. As a black man living in the South, this is not something that is a surprise. Racism is prevalent, still a problem and something that can not be taken lightly in any context. As a former Clipper, I feel for the community of LA. It is a melting pot of culture and ALL races. For Clipper fans, staff and players, I do hope this is dealt with swiftly and justly. It is just totally disappointing."

"He has a history of being a bigot and racist," Indiana Pacers forward David West said.

"I can only imagine if a player came out and said something of that stature. What would happen to us?," LeBron James said. "I believe in Adam (Silver). I believe in the NBA, and they have to do something and do something very fast."

"There is no room for Donald Sterling in our league," James said. "There's just no room for him."

"I couldn't play for him," Lakers guard Kobe Bryant said via twitter. (Bryant almost signed with the Clippers in '04)

Charles Barkley wants the NBA to suspend Sterling, which they could do making him the first owner to be suspended since Glen Taylor of the Minnesota Timberwolves as he was the last owner to be debarred due to salary cap violations which less his team to forfeiting draft picks and losing $3.5 million.

A suspension towards Sterling could happen but him being kicked out of the NBA won't happen unless it's on his own power:

NBA owners Michael Jordan (Charlotte Bobcats) and Mark Cuban (Dallas Mavericks) gave their input on the debacle. 

"I look at this from two perspectives – as a current owner and a former player," Jordan said." As an owner, I’m obviously disgusted that a fellow team owner could hold such sickening and offensive views. I’m confident that Adam Silver will make a full investigation and take appropriate action quickly. As a former player, I’m completely outraged. There is no room in the NBA - or anywhere else - for the kind of racism and hatred that Mr. Sterling allegedly expressed. I am appalled that this type of ignorance still exists within our country and at the highest levels of our sport. In a league where the majority of players are African-American, we cannot and must not tolerate discrimination at any level."

"The obvious is obvious," Mark Cuban said.

What makes this situation more intriguing is that the Clippers have Chris Paul who is the Nation Basketball Players Association (NBPA) President and Doc Rivers who is on the competition committee. Both men gave their input on the situation. Also it's worth nothing that the Clippers did indeed plan on protesting but Rivers was against it and believed it would be better for fans to boycott rather than the talent.

"On behalf of the National Basketball Players Association," Paul said. "This is a very serious issue which we will address aggressively. We have asked Mayor Kevin Johnson to expand his responsibilities with the NBPA, to determine our response and our next steps. As players, we owe it to our teams and our fans to keep our focus on our game, the playoffs, and the drive to the Finals."

"Were not happy with any of it," Rivers said. "Were going to let the due process happen."

The man who helped keep the Sacramento Kings in Sac-Town and the major of that town, Kevin Johnson released a statement on the matter.

"The reported comments made by Clippers owner Donald Sterling are reprehensible and unacceptable," Johnson said. "The National Basketball Players Association must and will play a very active role in determining how this issue is addressed. There needs to be an immediate investigation and if the reports are true, there needs to be strong and swift action taken. I have spoken with NBPA President Chris Paul and will be leading the NBPA in addressing the implications of this serious matter. I will be formally reaching out to the NBA today to determine our next steps. While I originally came on to lead the Executive Director search, this issue requires immediate attention from the players association. I will be keeping Chris Paul, the Executive Committee, and all player representatives informed of every step."

The president on the United States, Barack Obama released his opinion and on Sterling from Malaysia — as he is a avid NBA fan but Sterling's comments he found very disrespectful like anybody else would.

"When ignorant folks want to advertise their ignorance, you don't really have to do anything, you just let them talk. That's what happened here," Obama said. "The United States continues to wrestle with the legacy of race and slavery and segregation. That's still there, the vestiges of discrimination. We've made enormous strides, but you're going to continue to see this percolate up every so often."

There are people sadly who took Sterling's remarks and it into a somewhat joke:

Andy Roeser the president of the Los Angeles Clippers released a statement saying: 

Assuming that the recording is authentic and it is Donald Sterling saying those comments, it will be interesting to see how the league deals with it because his history plays a impact on it and there is no way for Sterling to escape as his reputation nationally has been hindered mightily and can't show his face at a NBA arena again or at least for a long time. Wonder how long it'll take? Wonder what disciplinary actions the league takes? Also, Are there other owners or people associated in the NBA who feel this way?

Wonder what he was thinking when he took this picture with former Clipper, Elton Brand:

-- Clevis Murray 

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More than Black & White: Donald Sterling

A man's most intimate thoughts are usually shared in private where there's no consequences, no backlash, no accountability.  In those private moments, the man himself is his own judge, jury, and executioner and what do you think his own verdict will be?  Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling shared his most intimate thoughts with a lady friend recently but those thoughts have gone public, gone viral and threaten to tear apart any public unity that there may have been between Sterling and the players of his franchise, most of which that are labeled as African American or just simply black.

Donald Sterling's antics have been well chronicled over the course of his career as owner of the Clippers which began in 1981 when he purchased the franchise for $12.5 million.  The franchise is now valued at $575 million and is currently a contender for the NBA Championship, something that the franchise has never experienced before in it's history.   During the NBA lockout of 2011 I briefly touched on how Donald Sterling was and still is notorious for being a terrible owner in the NBA but yet due to his team being profitable, the league and most notoriously then NBA Commissioner David Stern would turn a blind eye to Sterling's antics.

Excerpt from Perception or Reality:  The NBA Lockout of 2011

"Frank McCourt loses his team to the MLB for his poor decision making but Donald Sterling continues to own an NBA franchise because he usually turns a profit at the expense of his own team.  By failing to open his checkbook to draw top talent, Sterling has seemingly sacrificed wins just to turn a profit which makes him a "good" owner in the eyes of Stern.  If I'm not mistaken, doesn't Stern want all 30 of his NBA franchises to turn a profit?  Would he allow them all to turn profits at the expense of winning?  It does seems as if that's the perception that Stern is pushing and selling the idea of profitability has been one of his strong points as of yet but now he's paying the ultimate price for his fatal flaw.  The NBA's owners have become their own worst enemy in the lawless land of Stern, the same Stern who acts as judge, jury, and executioner when it comes to terrible displays of personal responsibility on the part of the players.  Sterling for the most part has been out of control as an NBA owner based on being accused of sexual harassment multiple times, discriminating against African Americans and Latinos, and also being caught heckling current and former players of the Clippers Chris Kaman and Baron Davis.  Perhaps Sterling's most despicable act came in 2004 when then assistant coach Kim Hughes was diagnosed with prostate cancer, Sterling refused to cover the cost of the surgery which was at least $70, 000 which prompted Clippers players at the time Cory Maggette, Chris Kaman, Marko Jaric, and Elton Brand to help their ailing coach cover the medical costs.  Ladies and gentlemen I bring you today Donald Sterling, the prototype of what a great NBA owner should be based on the lawless views of David Stern.  The reality of the matter is that owners like Donald Sterling are responsible for the league being what is today, a league that's been dominated by only 9 franchises in the last 30 years while others remain irrelevant by not maximizing the values of their franchises by simply putting a winning product on the court night after night."

The youth of today's NBA fans may have been shocked when they heard the secretly recorded telephone call where the 81 year old Sterling was spouting his "truths" about how he felt about blacks to his 23 year old lady friend V. Stiviano but to myself and others who've been in this game for a very long time, nothing that comes out of Sterling's mouth is a shock, as a matter of fact it's expected at this point and I say that due to the following.  In 2005 due to being sued for discriminatory rental practices against Blacks, Hispanics, and families with children, Sterling paid the largest federal housing discrimination settlement of $2.73 million and the NBA did nothing, remained silent and it was business as usual.  In 2009 Sterling was sued by longtime NBA fixture and legend Elgin Baylor for employment discrimination on the basis of race and age.  In the suit Baylor, who was a Clippers executive after his playing career, stated that Sterling had told him that he wanted the team filled with "poor black boys from the South and a white head coach".......Again, the NBA remained silent.  

Donald Sterling is to the NBA as Marge Schott was to Major League Baseball (MLB).  Schott was well past of prime years and out of touch with the current state of the world, set in her own ways as owner of the Cincinnati Reds between 1984 and 1999.  Schott was also known as a notorious bigot having used racial slurs towards African Americans, Asians, and those of Jewish ancestry.  The MLB finally took action in 1996 when she was banned from managing the team for two years due to her statements that supported the domestic policies of Adolf Hitler.  The NBA can no longer remain silent.

New NBA commissioner Adam Silver can now make his mark in a way that David Stern never did when it came to Sterling and ban him from the league as the MLB did with Schott.  In today's world there is no longer a place for old world views, the days where ignorance reigned supreme and the "have nots" were frowned upon.  Think of all of the fans of the Los Angeles Clippers and the NBA as a whole.  Should they have to live through this, knowing that this man who has been in power for far too long looks down on him?  The players of the Clippers, who knows how they will react to their owners latest misstep?  Reports have shown that the players were angered by the comments of their "leader" and even held a meeting late last night.  If you can't have faith in your leader, then who can you have faith in?  As a unit the players must speak out, release a statement denouncing the views of their "leader".  One statement, one time and then focus on the goal of winning an NBA Championship.  

This isn't a matter of Black & White because during his tenure Donald Sterling has managed to offended everyone of every racial background.  This is a matter of what's right versus what's wrong and for far too long Sterling has been on the side of what's wrong because he was never punished by the league that gave him a platform.  Commissioner Adam Silver, you are now on notice and it's known that you will be in attendance Sunday as the Golden State Warriors hosts the Clippers for game 4 of their playoff match-up.  The owners of the NBA were a unified terror when they decided to lockout the players in 2011 to squeeze out more profits than the previous Collective Bargaining Agreement had allowed.  Now it's time for you as the face of the owners to unify them once more, and cleanse the league of it's most domineering figure.  Let there be light in a mind full of darkness.........

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Perception or Reality: The NBA Lockout of 2011

This time last year I was preparing myself for what was supposed to be perhaps the greatest season in the history of the Miami Heat organization and this year I'm faced with something that I haven't witnessed since I was a junior in high school.  The owners of the NBA have decided to lockout the players of the league by stating that the NBA as a whole has been loosing hundreds of million of dollars the last few seasons.  Commissioner Stern recently stated that 22 out of the 30 teams currently in the NBA are losing money.  Let me be very clear on this, this is not a strike, the players are not fighting for more money while declining not to play, the owners have shut down the league in an effort to shut down the players, their rising salaries, and their ego's; that is what this lockout is all about nothing more and nothing less.  The goal of Stern is to have all 30 NBA franchises to turn a profit because thus at the end of the day it is a business.  The perception is that most businesses turn profits but the reality is that most fail.

In the early days of Stern's power, the NBA salary cap was introduced and set at $3.6 million dollars, teams could cons
truct their teams up to the $3.6 million threshold and at times go over by way of built in exceptions but as the league reached heights that were never seen before in the 80's, so too did the salary cap.  NBA royalty like Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Isiah Thomas and Michael Jordan helped the league reach its new heights by having dramatic rivalries, climatic NBA Finals, and capitalizing on marketing and the growing demand for shoes.  The growth of the NBA as a professional sports league in the view of the global market was a growth that was exponential.  By the time the NBA showcased its product via the Dream Team in Barcelona during the 1992 Summer Olympiad, the Salary cap had risen to $12.5 million dollars.  The momentum did nothing but gain more strength and the 1992 Summer Olympiad was another launching point for the league, along with mega-stars, Magic, Bird, and Jordan, names like Barkley, Robinson, and Malone made their impact on the league for years to come adding to the momentum that was already carrying the star driven league.

David Stern

No major business is absent of mistakes as no decision is perfect, we all make bad decisions in life and in business but it's the multitude of those decisions that causes perception good or bad to become reality and thus the NBA was not immune.  During a sixteen year period from 1988-2004, the NBA saw expansion like never before as seven new teams were added "Heat, Hornets, Magic, Timberwolves, Raptors, Grizzlies, and Bobcats", the WNBA was formed along with the NBDL and the NBATV network.  Expansion isn't a bad concept but this was a case of too much too soon.  The WNBA is in the middle of its 15th season but the league hasn't had a transcendent star in years, the NBDL and NBATV has had modest success in their respective fields but with teams in the NBA now drafting more foreign players than players that are promoted up from the NBDL, is that league even necessary at this time?  The one thing that the NBA has rarely done in the Stern era is admit defeat.  The only time that the NBA as a league admitted defeat was when Commissioner Stern introduced the microfiber composite Spalding ball which was gone by the mid season point of the 2006-07 season due to the multitude of player complaints.  In a league where there's been an aura, a perception of always making right the decisions is anyone truly surprised that the NBA is in the place where it finds itself now.  The reality of the matter is that the NBA and its collection of franchises have made mistakes over the past 16 years and now only at the very end when the commissioner and his minions are finally ready to admit defeat, they look to make the players out as their scapegoats in order to take the stench of blame off themselves.  Stern and his brain trust are utilizing perhaps the oldest game in the book of business, win the public opinion battle while making the opposition look bad and the most disturbing situation of all is that once again the public is blind to that truth and falling into the hands of the perception that the NBA is broadcasting.

In a recent Wall Street Journal Poll, fans were asked who's side were they taking during the current lockout, the owners, the players, or don't care and the results were staggering but also very predictable.  11.6% sided with the players with 28.7% siding with the owners, the remaining 59% stated that they didn't care.  Translation, twice as many fans are siding with the owners when it was the owners who shut down the league to began with, just as they did thirteen years prior citing the same losses that they are now.  During the lockout of 1998, the owners added a luxury tax, escrow accounts and also limited contract lengths and amounts to circumvent said losses.  The players surrendered those options so that they can continue to play the game that they love, the game that they've played their entire lives.  The players relented and the owners received the mechanisms that they needed to again circumvent their losses so the question is, thirteen years later, What happened?  Why are the owners again selling the public on losses; is anyone noticing a pattern here?

No words are needed.

Before I go any further I would like to say that all of the owners aren't bad owners but the bad ones are to blame for this lockout, simply put they are 100% responsible.  I happen to be a fan of a franchise who's owner is perhaps one of the best I've seen in sports, constantly constructing hard working, championship caliber teams year after year and with having won 1 championship.  Micky Arison, owner of the Miami Heat is not just a good owner, he is a great owner and has been for over 15 years.  Just today as my nephew and I were driving home after receiving haircuts, I asked him this question "Name some teams that were terrible in your youth that are still terrible today?", and his answer did not disappoint.  After what seemed like mere seconds he stated that the Los Angeles Clippers were the team that has been historically bad in his opinion.  Donald Sterling has been the owner of the Clippers since 1981 and he's considered by many to be the worst owner in all of the four major sports.  Futility seems to be the Clippers strong point and has been for the last 41 years.  In their inception, they were know as the Buffalo Braves "1970-78", they then moved to San Diego and became the Clippers "78-84" and finally  they made the move to Los Angeles in 1984 where they have remained to this day.  The Clippers futility is based on a grand total of six winning seasons since 1970 and only two of those winning seasons came after the 1984 season.

Responsibility is almost as powerful of a weapon in this battle that we call life as freewill and in the world of professional athletics, freewill is akin to free agency.  Citizens who are sympathetic towards the owners, to big business will point out that over the years there's been players who've been irresponsible with their earnings and have been forced to file for bankruptcy due to financial mismanagement.  There's multiple examples of players who overspend on cars, house, and their entourages which yes includes various women and at times a multitude of children and after all of the cheers and adulation are gone, they do pay the ultimate price but responsibility has no class distinction, no race barriers, no age requirements, for responsibility touches us all.  I said that to say this, a segment of players have been irresponsible with their earnings but haven't some owners also?  How many horrendous contracts have we seen the owners green light since the last NBA lockout but you must remember that in a league where the perception is the owners can do no wrong, who's there to hold them accountable?  Bad owners make bad decisions and then they expect a league shut down to take place to fix their bad decision making, but if history always repeats itself then the problem will never be fixed.  Cutting players salaries will not, I repeat will fix the NBA business model because the mentality of the owners has and will never change.

Just recently we saw Major League Baseball take over the Los Angeles Dodgers due to a lack of responsibility on the owners part.  For example, Frank McCourt, owner of the Dodgers paid his sons $600,000 annually despite the fact that one of those sons already had another full time job.  Another example of a severe lack of responsibility arose when it was revealed that McCourt had paid 71 year old "Healer" over $100,000 to send positive energy to the Dodgers in order to produce wins.  MLB Commissioner Bud Selig in a statement said that he had great concerns about the Dodgers and that he made the move "I have taken this action because of my deep concerns regarding the finances and operations of the Dodgers and to protect the best interest of the club, as you mentioned, its great fans and all of Major League Baseball."  "To protect the best interest of the club....and all of Major League Baseball" that one quote speaks volumes because Selig unlike David Stern actually held the party whom was personal responsible for the franchise's financial demise liable.  

Donald Sterling

Frank McCourt loses his team to the MLB for his poor decision making but Donald Sterling continues to own an NBA franchise because he usually turns a profit at the expense of his own team.  By failing to open his checkbook to draw top talent, Sterling has seemingly sacrificed wins just to turn a profit which makes him a "good" owner in the eyes of Stern.  If I'm not mistaken, doesn't Stern want all 30 of his NBA franchises to turn a profit?  Would he allow them all to turn profits at the expense of winning?  It does seems as if that's the perception that Stern is pushing and selling the idea of profitability has been one of his strong points as of yet but now he's paying the ultimate price for his fatal flaw.  The NBA's owners have become their own worst enemy in the lawless land of Stern, the same Stern who acts as judge, jury, and executioner when it comes to terrible displays of personal responsibility on the part of the players.  Sterling for the most part has been out of control as an NBA owner based on being accused of sexual harassment multiple times, discriminating against African Americans and Latinos, and also being caught heckling current and former players of the Clippers Chris Kaman and Baron Davis.  Perhaps Sterling's most despicable act came in 2004 when then assistant coach Kim Hughes was diagnosed with prostate cancer, Sterling refused to cover the cost of the surgery which was at least $70, 000 which prompted Clippers players at the time Cory Maggette, Chris Kaman, Marko Jaric, and Elton Brand to help their ailing coach cover the medical costs.  Ladies and gentlemen I bring you today Donald Sterling, the prototype of what a great NBA owner should be based on the lawless views of David Stern.  The reality of the matter is that owners like Donald Sterling are responsible for the league being what is today, a league that's been dominated by only 9 franchises in the last 30 years while others remain irrelevant by not maximizing the values of their franchises by simply putting a winning product on the court night after night.

Perception or Reality

For the 28.7% of fans who blame the players for the current NBA lockout, I would caution you not to make hast judgments when it comes to the players.  The players are just the work force, but it's the owners who created a system where they would have to bend to the needs of the players.  Most have sold their collective souls for so called "talent" only to be disappointed in the long run.  Grossly overpaying for talent that ultimately fails to meet one's expectations is an example of the owners showcasing their poor sense of financial responsibility and shutting down the league in order to "fix" the problem is false ideology.  The league as is doesn't need a fix, the false perceptions of Stern and his minions is the issue that needs to be fixed, shut down.    I've often heard that the truth hurts and that some have a hard time owning up to the many truths of the world about one's own life in and out of the world of business.  I offer you this truth, a bit of reality that no one wants to face...the owners have committed murder and now they are trying to frame the players for the crime all the while disguising it as owners wanting to take the power back from the players.  During the lockout of 1998/99 the owners asked for a soft cap and mid level exceptions but now they shun it in favor of a lowered hard cap.  If the owners really wanted to gain "control" of the players, they would do away with free agency....Did I really just say that?  It's a radical idea but also an idea that the owners won't entertain because their motives isn't what they say they are.  Controlling the players was never the goal, using them as scapegoats was but no matter how much the system is manipulated to put the blame on the players for the bad decisions on the part of the owners, the players will always have the last laugh.  I pray that this game of pimps and hoes that the Nation Basketball Association is playing with its players backfires on the league and the pimp like rule of Commissioner David Stern.  It's quite possible that Proposition Joe of The Wire had the right solution for disputes such as the one between the players and the owners.

Proposition Joe

Proposition Joe: "I'm doing like one of them marriage counselors. Charge by the hour to tell some fool he need to bring some flowers home. Then charge another hour telling the bitch she oughta suck some cock every little once in a while. You know, keep a marriage strong like that."

Ladies and Gentlemen, the damn thing was just done!  Stern and his owners are the one's who should prepare themselves to start sucking now.

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