2022 NBA OFF SEASON DRAFT FREE AGENCY TAMPERING ETC

Based on some conversations with NBA people around the league there is speculation that the NBA did not want a legal battle with Robert Sarver. So they put the report out there to allow it to run its course - Sponsors reaction, Minority owners reaction, Media, Fans etc..

— John Gambadoro (@Gambo987) September 14, 2022

gambo also said this yesterday

Here is what could happen in regards to the Suns ownership. There is very likely language in the partnership agreement that would allow for the removal of the principal owner for cause. IF the minority owners determine that Robert Sarver violated his fiduciary duties and acted

— John Gambadoro (@Gambo987) September 13, 2022

Read through the Sarver stories a few times now. I gotta be honest…Our league definitely got this wrong. I don’t need to explain why. Y’all read the stories and decide for yourself. I said it before and I’m gonna say it again, there is no place in this league for that kind of

— LeBron James (@KingJames) September 14, 2022

behavior. I love this league and I deeply respect our leadership. But this isn’t right. There is no place for misogyny, sexism, and racism in any work place. Don’t matter if you own the team or play for the team. We hold our league up as an example of our values and this aint it.

— LeBron James (@KingJames) September 14, 2022

REVOLT!

Nice bit of agitation there, bron. Go for it.

Like many others, I reviewed the report. I was and am horrified and disappointed by what I read. This conduct especially towards women is unacceptable and must never be repeated.

— Chris Paul (@CP3) September 15, 2022

I am of the view that the sanctions fell short in truly addressing what we can all agree was atrocious behavior. My heart goes out to all of the people that were affected.

— Chris Paul (@CP3) September 15, 2022

Regarding the reaction to commissioner Adam Silver's comments today about team owners having different rights than employees, NBA spokesman Mike Bass offered this clarification: pic.twitter.com/xT8LyAejev

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 15, 2022

so we're all done with pretending silver is good at this, right?

idk feel like hes done some good things but this looking like kind of a disaster

Silver was probably thinking of the contractual rights of NBA owners governing what he as commissioner could do to respond to Sarver's conduct. The NBA has no legal authority to prosecute Sarver under the various laws that protect employees from harassment or workplace abuse. The NBA could only do what they did: investigate, report what they found, fine him, and 'suspend' him. But that wasn't what Silver said, and he deserves to get knocked for it.

CP3 speaking out against his own owner seems like a big deal

i have no sympathy for him bcuz he gets paid obscene amounts of money to deal with these problems but he’s in a lose lose situation with this. i’m not sure what he could have said at that press conference that would have satisfied people except for a level of honesty that he is paid specifically to avoid

on the one hand it shouldn’t *have* to be on the players to hijack the NBA’s justice system in situations like this in order to push the league towards a resolution that feels like a legitimate punishment. on the other, star players like lebron and cp3 in particular have pointedly codified and utilized their power more so than any players in league history. in this case, for whatever reason, they seemed to have chosen not to, so these statements feel hollow to me, especially if they remain unwilling to make the league uncomfortable beyond tweeted statements

Chris Paul is going out of his way not to say Sarver's name in those statements

on the one hand it shouldn’t *have* to be on the players to hijack the NBA’s justice system in situations like this in order to push the league towards a resolution that feels like a legitimate punishment. on the other, star players like lebron and cp3 in particular have pointedly codified and utilized their power more so than any players in league history. in this case, for whatever reason, they seemed to have chosen not to, so these statements feel hollow to me, especially if they remain unwilling to make the league uncomfortable beyond tweeted statements

― J0rdan S., Wednesday, September 14, 2022 8:43 PM (fifteen minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

yeah they kinda missed the boat when this all came to light

CP3 also has the historical record to contend with given that he was the clear leader among the Clips players when the Sterling stuff went down. Any and all differences between his words and actions then and now inevitably have a lot of significance

all of the owners are evil dickheads anyway. billionaires. if theyre not indulging in sexual harrasment theyre violating the poor with predatory loans and amway shit

the banana boat arent going to speak up about that either because capitalism goes brrr

Otmfm

micah otm

basically my feelings as well. the sarver stuff is gross but all of these guys suck, he just has enough enemies that it all came to light. I really doubt the NBA has the appetite to be the moral cops for all its owner oligarchs as it would ultimately just threaten its business model

yeah somehow dont think the nba is going to go anti capitalist, having a workplace free of bosses telling dick jokes would be some small kindness for the people who work there tho, and its nice to see one of these fat cats be publicly humiliated from time to time

the thing about the nba-billionaire relationship is its mutually beneficial, the fact that the owners are willing to buy the teams as toys rather than actual businesses pumps a ton of money into the system that otherwise wouldnt be there, eg the warriors paying $200m in luxury tax, allowing the players to get filthy rich and generally keeping the wheels greased, if say the players form a coop league (my dream) it just wouldnt be as easy as having some private equity guy cutting the checks

Now I'm thinking of a team owned by a perpetually stoned J.R. Smith.

Barkley's thoughts on being a broadcaster for the Saudi backed LIV golf tour: https://nypost.com/2022/07/21/charles-barkley-slams-selective-outrage-hopes-to-do-tnt-liv-golf/

Basically it's micah's point, all the owners are evil in some way or another. What evil is too much in sports ownership?

there is no ethical consumption under capitalism --when an oppressive government offers me $50 for a few weekends work

btw not sure this liv golf pr stunt is having the intended effect when every article about it is like the worst people in the world are backing this is that ok

*$50m xp

the whole part of them trying to make it cool by blasting music is pretty funny too

perfect authoritarian government stunt

lol there was a liv golf thing here in the last couple weeks and a bunch of people camping out for a wedding near the property line of the course got rousted for being suspected protestors. great publicity lol.

what happened to:

https://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/3562621-nbas-charles-barkley-if-youre-gay-and-transgender-i-love-you/

fwiw, there has to be a line when the evil is too evil. LIV is over the line for me. But thinking the owners are going to identify that line and police it is pretty unlikely as the sarver case and the nba-china stuff shows

the capitalism stuff wrt to the owners & players is true but i do think we should remember that it is possible to be a billionaire and not be abusive in the workplace

there is no ethical consumption under capitalism --when an oppressive government offers me $50 for a few weekends work

― lag∞n, Thursday, September 15, 2022 11:37 AM (thirty-four minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

thats not consumption anyway!

lol at there being evil golf now though, i wasn't aware of this

Evil golf is kind of redundant tbh.

thats not consumption anyway!

― ciderpress, Thursday, September 15, 2022 12:16 PM (three hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

hey man i dont make the rules

apparenlty kyrie shared an alex jones clip on his ig

Kyrie Irving just posted a video clip entitled “Never Forget - Alex Jones Tried To Warn Us” with Jones claiming back in 2002 that a “New World Order” would release “plagues upon us…” pic.twitter.com/sz2Ps7Fbrn

— Tommy Beer (@TommyBeer) September 15, 2022

shocked_shocked.gif

lol what a shithead

man i really hope this nets team goes down in flames AGAIN

someone other team should get to wear those cool nets jerseys and the nets should have to wear burlap sacks with numbers handwritten in chalk by robert sarver, all problems solved *genuflects*

alright, now maybe some traction

Suns vice chairman Jahm Najafi released a statement Thursday calling for owner Robert Sarver to resign.

Najafi, who owns the second-largest ownership stake in the Phoenix franchise behind Sarver, said he “cannot in good judgment sit back and allow our children and future generations of fans think that this behavior is tolerated because of wealth and privilege.”

Najafi went on to say that Sarver’s conduct would’ve warranted immediate termination by any CEO, executive director, president, teacher or coach.

“That fact that Robert Sarver ‘owns’ the team does not give him a license to treat others different than any other leader. The fact that anyone would find him fit to lead because of this ‘ownership’ position is forgetting that NBA teams belong to the communities they serve.”

Sarver was suspended one year by the NBA following the completion of the league’s investigation into allegations he fostered a toxic and hostile work environment. Sarver was also suspended from the Phoenix Mercury, the WNBA team he owns, fined $10 million and must complete a training program focused on respect and appropriate workplace conduct.

“The statements and conduct described in the findings of the independent investigation are troubling and disappointing,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. “We believe the outcome is the right one, taking into account all the facts, circumstances and context brought to light by the comprehensive investigation of this 18-year period and our commitment to upholding proper standards in NBA workplaces.”

rip big man

i don't hate it, but sarver's minority partners crying foul at this point is just opportunism

no idea what kind of juice this guy has but that is an interesting statement.

Somebody in the comments on that piece (it’s from the athletic) says that this guy has been looking for an opportunity to oust Sarver for awhile. So yeah could be opportunism but that’s not mutually exclusive from purer motivations in this case. I assume it’s both/and

sounds right. bad things happening to bad people because of the effort of other bad people doesn't necessarily lead to bad outcomes.
this guy does get to be rich and an asshole for life in any case.

Phoenix mayor Kate Gallego and some of the city's councilmembers also released a statement, which stated, in part, "We have asked city staff to investigate any actions we, as leaders of the City of Phoenix, can take in light of the details substantiated in the report." https://t.co/Aqyt9FwR7M

— Baxter Holmes (@Baxter) September 16, 2022

joe arpaio is locked/loaded/ready to root out racism in the nba

has sinema made a statement?