Blake Griffin described some creepy moments in the Donald Sterling era. (USATSI)
PLAYA VISTA, Calif. -- It's been two months since the sale of the Los Angeles Clippers to Steve Ballmer was officially approved by the NBA, closing the book on the ugly Donald Sterling fiasco.
The whole affair of Sterling's racist comments, his ouster as owner and the transfer of the team to the ebullient Ballmer has been written about by every major and minor media outlet in the land. Until Thursday, it had not been chronicled firsthand by one of the Clippers' players.
In his debut piece for Derek Jeter's The Players' Tribune, Blake Griffin offered a behind-the-scenes look at the weirdness of the Sterling era and how warmly he and his teammates welcomed Ballmer.
"Steve is a good dude," Griffin wrote. "He's like a cool dad who gives you candy. Donald was like a weird uncle."
Before practice on Thursday, Griffin said, "It was nice to kind of get it out there and really be able to say exactly what I wanted to say."
Griffin is identified in the piece as "senior editor," so while the thoughts are definitely his, it isn't clear how much help he had with the writing -- or how often he'll have to turn in an assignment, so to speak.
"It's not like a weekly thing or a monthly thing," he said. "No timetable; no specific demands. Just kind of put out what you want to put out."
Sounds like good work if you can get it!
Griffin -- who like Jeter is a Jordan Brand athlete -- told a creepy story in the piece in which Sterling led him by the hand around his annual "white party" in Malibu, introducing him to beautiful women and trotting him around like a prize.
"You know that thing elderly women do where they grab the top of your hand with just their fingers and lead you around?" Griffin wrote. "That's what he was doing."
Of particular note to the Clippers' post-Sterling world, Griffin mentioned that Ballmer signed off "on Day 1" on a piece of medical equipment that Sterling had refused to provide for the basketball staff: body-scanning equipment to help quickly diagnose injuries.
"There's things we needed medically that last year we got about 50 percent," coach Doc Rivers said. "And this year, we bought the other half, let's say. And there's things he says no to as well that don't make business sense. But the players love the fact that you have an owner who really wants us to do well and is willing to put his wallet behind it. I don't know that you could ask for anything more."
Before joining CBSSports.com, Ken Berger covered the NBA for Newsday. The Long Island, N.Y., native has also worked for the Associated Press and can be seen on SportsNet New York. Catch Ken every Saturday, when he hosts Eye on Basketball from 6-8 p.m. ET on cbssportsradio.comBasketball Hot News
Accounting for Klay Thompson choosing a contract extension over new-TV-deal money
As the age-old saying goes, $89,138,886 in the hand is better than $121,667,219 in the bush.
The Warriors and Klay Thompson are negotiating a contract extension, and the shooting guard said he’d prefer to reach a deal now rather than waiting to sign a new deal under a higher salary cap created by the new national TV contracts.
Is Thompson right to push for an extension now?
He’ll make $3,075,880 this season, the final year of his rookie contact. It’s his salaries for future seasons that are in flux.
An extension would begin in 2015-16, and if he doesn’t sign one, he’d become a restricted free agent next summer. However – unless the NBA enacts more-drastic cap smoothing – the salary cap won’t rise drastically until the 2016-17 season, the first of the new TV deals. That means Thompson, if he dares to wait for a long-term contract until the cap skyrockets, is basically committing to two more seasons – including this one – of a low salary.
Let’s start with the simple solution: Thompson signs an extension before the Oct. 31 deadline. A max extension, based on the NBA’s projected 2015-16 salary cap, would pay $89,138,886 over five years.
I don’t know whether Thompson can command the max, but the Warriors kept him rather than trading for Kevin Love. Thompson should at least ask – and considering how much more he could earn by delaying a long-term deal, they might say yes.
If Thompson doesn’t accept an extension, he could always re-sign next summer for up to the same amount a max extension would pay. If Thompson plans to do that, he might as well just push for the extension now.
But becoming a free agent next summer could bring more-lucrative opportunities.
In order to make Thompson a restricted free agent, Golden State would have to extend him a qualifying offer, a standing one-year contract offer. Thompson’s qualifying offer is slated to to be $4,210,880. But if he starts one game or plays 1,132 minutes – both of which would be, by far, career lows – he’ll meet the starter criteria and would be eligible for a larger qualifying offer of $4,433,683. Obviously, I project he’ll do that.
The Warriors play the Kings on Oct. 29, so Thompson could start that game and know he’d know he’s met the starter criteria before the extension deadline of Oct. 31. I doubt that would mean much to him, but it ever-so-slightly minimizes his risk.
As for the upside? That would come in 2016 after his year on the qualifying offer. With the cap projected to rise as the new TV deals kick in, many teams will have cap room, and salaries will soar.
Here’s the max amount Thompson could earn – using my cap projection for 2016-17 – by:
- Signing an extension (black)
- Signing a qualifying offer in 2015 and then signing elsewhere in 2016 (blue)
- Signing a qualifying offer in 2015 and then re-signing in 2016 (yellow)
| Year | Extension | Qualifying offer and sign elsewhere | Qualifying offer and re-sign |
| 2015-16 | $15,502,415 | $4,433,683 | $4,433,683 |
| 2016-17 | $16,665,096 | $20,388,441 | $20,388,441 |
| 2017-18 | $17,827,777 | $21,295,332 | $21,917,574 |
| 2018-19 | $18,990,458 | $22,202,224 | $23,446,707 |
| 2019-20 | $20,153,139 | $23,109,115 | $24,975,840 |
| 2020-21 | $26,504,973 | ||
| Total | $89,138,886 | $91,428,795 | $121,667,219 |
If Thompson can get a max offer in 2016, he should reject an extension and sign the qualifying offer to become a free agent then. He doesn’t even need a max deal from the Warriors – who can provide a fifth season and larger annual raises (7.5 percent vs. 4.5 percent) than other teams – to come out ahead. If Thompson leverages any teams into a max offer, he fares better than he would have on a max extension now.
Of course, nobody knows whether Thompson can get a max contract in 2016.
Only Thompson can decide for himself which course is best. An extension is the only way to secure huge money now, but waiting could bring a bigger payout.
This probably won’t affect his decision, but the higher Thompson’s salary in the final year of his deal, the higher his max salary could be in his following contract. That’s because free agents can always sign for 105 percent of their previous salary. So, holding off on a long-term deal could mean Thompson is eligible for even more money on his second long-term deal.
Is Thompson a star worthy of a max contract, let alone a megastar worthy of two in his career?
It’s rare a player turns down his first big guaranteed payday in order to chase a bigger deal later, but a national TV deal of this size is unprecedented. The game has changed, and as a result, even a max contract extension is no longer guaranteed to be the optimal financial path.
I understand Thompson’s inclination to take the money now, but if he does that, he should make sure the Warriors give him all of it. Max extension or bust.
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