He found out
The NBA is severely punishing the Los Angeles Clippers organization after finding that the team circumvented the league's salary cap rules through highly questionable conduct related to endorsement contracts between third parties and the Clips' star player Kawhi (rhymes with duh-WHY) Leonard.
The scandal was uncovered by a journalist named Pablo Torre and aired on his podcast, Pablo Torre Finds Out. Torre was relentless in his pursuit of the story as the team vehemently denied any wrongdoing, which it still does today. He worked the case for many months, absorbing scathing criticism by Kawhi supporters, billionaire overlords like Mark Cuban, and the uglier wing of Clippers Nation. I'd be shocked if Torre and his family have not endured even death threats.
But now the league has conceded that it can't sweep the whole thing under the rug, as much as it might like to. Heavy penalties are being dished out by the commissioner, Adam "Cadaver" Silver. According to ESPN –
the Clippers must forfeit first-round draft picks in 2029, 2030, 2031, 2032 and 2033. In addition to the $30 million fine, [owner Steve] Ballmer is suspended from all league and team activities for one year "for knowingly seeking to help Mr. Leonard obtain off-court income opportunities," among other issues. President of business operations Gillian Zucker is suspended without pay for one year. And president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank is suspended without pay for six months.
And that's based on findings by legaue investigators that seem quite a bit tamer than what Torre has been suggesting in his podcast. To hear him report on the scandal, several organizations with which the team did substantial business in effect paid Leonard to do nothing. The transactions sound somewhat akin to money laundering.
Anyway, good for Torre, and shame, shame, shame on the Clippers. That club has been cursed for decades – they should hae stayed in San Diego – and they did themselves no favors by going out of their way to overpay louts like Leonard. Now the team is crippled for years to come, and suing the league is only going to drag the agony out longer. Meanwhile, Torre and his staffers have copped a Pulitzer Prize. I hope it doesn't ruin their lives.
Evidence of a journalist doing the job of journalism. Decades ago the O had a couple of journalists.
ReplyDeleteI've been a fan of Torre's for a while now. His podcast is a must-listen. If you go into the archives, you'll learn about the NBA's ticking financial bomb in Phoenix and the war profiteer owner in Memphis. He's ALSO been in the vanguard of the ongoing NBA gambling scandal. He's done a few reflective shows over the summer where he wonders if this is the path he really wants to take, if there's some other greater purpose for him. Then he goes right back to either reporting or hanging out with his buddies, gently poking fun at his day job.
ReplyDeleteHe went live with David Samson and Amin Elhassan last night. They were all SHOCKED at the level of the punishment and the level of detail included in the report. You say the report was relatively light compared with what Pablo had been reporting. I think Pablo would disagree with that. The punishment is, for all intents and purposes, the death penalty for the Clippers. It's something they'll never get out from under as long as the 70-year-old Ballmer owns the team.
That may be the point...
If Ballmer sells, does the punishment go away?
The punishment was not light, but as far as I can tell the misconduct cited in the report was only half of what Torre says actually happened.
DeleteThe discovery in the lawsuit should be pretty interesting.
The Clippers knew they were in deep doo-doo for a while. That's why they got out in front and traded Harden, Zubac, and Leonard for picks and young players. I was a bit shocked the NBA came down hard, but you know those billionaires take following the rules very seriously...
ReplyDeleteAt least here in Portland we don't have to worry about the owner overpaying anybody.
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