So You’re Owner’s A Racist…?

I’m not really sure what to say about Donald Sterling. If you’ve followed him and the Clippers for a long time, you’ll know that this is hardly an isolated incident. For those who haven’t heard (are there still any people like that?), Sterling said some pretty racist things to his girlfriend that were leaked in a recording online. He’s now become the lightning rod for internet morality squads, which I usually hate, the way people gang up on others to cast them as villains. It’s just a way of feeling better about yourself by bringing others down. Only in this case, as I’ve said, Sterling is hardly a polarising guy. If you’ve read about him, you hate him. He’s been a disgusting person for a long time; the way he treats his players as tools of his own success and generally just being an elitist prick. And it’s not just the bigotry, he’s plain and simple a bad owner. Last season was the first in his 30 year ownership in which the Clippers won a division title, and this current stretch with Paul/Griffin is the only time they’ve really looked like contenders in that time.

And what the hell are the fans supposed to do here!? Nobody wants to support this, but you can’t just turn your back on your team in the midst of a promising playoff run. Boycotts aren’t the answer, despite what Golden State were plotting. That’s punishing yourself more than anything else. Donald Sterling had to be shown that the Clippers are bigger than himself. That the Clippers are a community not a commodity. Full credit to Adam Silver for taking a firm stance on the whole issue.

The effect this has had on the players who are suddenly forced to question what they are playing for is yet to really be publicised. It’s no coincidence that Golden State blew them out by 21 the first game after this scandal broke. They looked committed today though. A situation like this is either gonna bring them together or split them apart and it’s up to themselves as to which way it goes.

The NBA’s investigation was surprising in how efficient and damning it was. A complete ban. Oh, and a US$2.5m slap on the wrist – the highest possible fine (the money will go to charity). David Stern did wonderful things for the NBA commercially, but he would never have been this steadfast. It’s a great sign for the NBA moving forward under Adam Silver. We’ve seen how well this sport can affect social change positively with the Jason Collins situation so to see them combatting the negative as well is superb.

Who Wants to Buy the Clippers?

A shortlist of names mentioned:

• Magic Johnson & associates
• David Geffen (Of Geffen Records)
• Rick Caruso (Billionaire Real Estate Mogul)
• Patrick Soon-Shiong (Billionaire Doctor)
• Larry Ellison (The guy who bankrolled Team NZ’s America’s Cup opponents)
• Jay Z & Diddy
• Floyd Mayweather
• Oscar De La Hoya
• Snoop Dogg
• Rick Ross

NBA Playoffs – Who’s Thrilling and Who’s Chilling?

Thrilling

Portland Traliblazers

Washington Wizards

Dallas Mavericks

Atlanta Hawks

Chilling

Indiana Pacers

Chicago Bulls

Oklahoma City Thunder

Houston Rockets

Johnny Manziel in D-Town

This has to happen. The Dallas Cowboys are no strangers to big personalities, and they’re apparently lining up the biggest of the lot in the next draft. According to reports, the Cowboys and Jerry Jones are willing to do whatever it takes to get Johnny Football on their team. Manziel has courted controversy throughout his college career, but he is also a Heisman winning QB who has consistently impressed with the ball in his hands. A larger than life QB for the biggest brand in the league. It’s a faultless match. Not sure what this means for Tony Romo, who has 5 more years as Dallas QB. Presumably, Manziel will sit as backup for a few years in order to develop him into an NFL calibre player so Romo is fine for now. Though Romo has had a few injuries in the past, and Dallas have always struggled without him. The must win week 17 loss to Philly was a perfect example. Manziel will bring the cameras, but he’ll also bring some stability supposing that he has the tools to make the step up to the pros.   

Top NBA Playoff Surprise Packages:

1. Nene
2. Troy Daniels
3. Mo Williams
4. Bradley Beal
5. Reggie Jackson

Play of the Week:

#VINSANITY2014

Good Week:

Rick Carlisle (Dallas Mavericks) – He may look like Jim Carrey, but he’s not kidding around. This season has been one of Coach Carlisle’s greatest achievements, taking a mix and match Dallas roster, almost turning them into a 50 win team and now finding a way to compete with the best team in the league on paper in round 1. The Spurs were expected to sweep the Mavs – there was no way Dallas could defend them. But Carlisle’s got a plan. He’s blocking Tony Parker from getting penetration by guarding the Sours guards with bigger forwards, and switching his guards to the edges to guard the open threes that San Antonio are so good at creating. Tim Duncan is still a big issue, but at least they’re isolating him. And to combat the Spurs bench, he’s mixing up his own first and second unit players, so Nowitzki is playing with the bench guys often and Devin Harris with the starters and so on. That way he ensures his dominant scorers are stretched out and they always have that get out of jail option of Nowitzki or Ellis or Calderon or Carter. The Spurs still have the edge in most areas, but Dallas are competing where few saw possible. It’s great to watch.

LeBron James (Miami Heat) – Just casually going about his business. In the sweep of the Bobcats, LBJ averaged 30/8/6, shooting 55.7% from the field. The scariest part is how under the radar that has felt.

LaMarcus Aldridge (Portland Trailblazers) – Gotta send some more love this way. With a 3-1 Blazers lead over Houston, Aldridge is averaging 35.3 and 11.5 per game. Plus he’s single-handedly rejuvenating the art of the mid-range jumper.

Bad Week:

Indiana Pacers – Yeah, again. Atlanta shouldn’t even be in the playoffs, let alone beating up a first seed! Frank Vogel’s gonna lose his job, and a bunch of these players should be gone too. They never had a great bench, relying on a tight first five, but once that fell apart (egos developed and chemistry lost) they’ve turned to mud.

Bryce Harper (Washington Nationals) ­– The phenom is gonna need surgery to fix an ailing thumb. It’ll cost him at least 2 months of the season. Get well soon, big fella.

Player of the Week:

Jose Abreu (Chicago White Sox) – The Cuban defector may be one of the softest spoken guys in the MLB, but this lad can HIT. He’s broken the rookie record for homers in April and leads the MLB for HRs and RBI. The feather in his cap was this opposite field walk-off grand slam against Tampa Bay:

Upcoming Dates (NZ Time):

May 9 - NFL Draft Begins

June 27 - NBA Draft Held

July 16 - MLB All Star Game