Steve Ballmer In Talks To Buy Los Angeles Clippers

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Steve Ballmer In Talks To Buy Los Angeles Clippers

Posted by samzenpus on Monday May 26, 2014 @01:28AM from the dribblers-dribblers-dribblers dept.

SmartAboutThings (1951032) writes "According to rumors circulating, the wife of Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling has reportedly met billionaire former Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer on Sunday and they discussed the selling of the club. Previously, it was reported that Donald Sterling had surrendered control of the Los Angeles Clippers to his wife. The rumored deal has been estimated at about $2 billion, and if it does get through, there are chances that Ballmer might want to move the club to Seattle. If Ballmer does end up buying the Clippers, this would make him the second former Microsoft top executive to own an NBA team, after Paul Allen, the owner of the Portland Trailblazers."

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This is gonna be good! by jtara · 2014-05-26 01:39 · Score: 1, Offtopic

Like Steve Ballmer isn't going do anything controversial or embarrassing...
"Players, players, players, players, players, players, players!"
What will be throw in the clubhouse? Certainly, something more destructive that mere chairs!
1. Re:This is gonna be good! by ShieldW0lf · 2014-05-26 02:00 · Score: 0
  
  Hey, everyone needs a pet. Or eight. True, they don't have any practical usefulness, but they do cool tricks!
  
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  -1 Uncomfortable Truth
2. Re:This is gonna be good! by Rob+Y. · 2014-05-26 02:19 · Score: 1
  
  Steve Ballmer buys a sports team. Has this guy ever had an original idea?
  
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  Posted from my Android phone. Oh, I can change this? There, that's better...
3. Re:This is gonna be good! by PolygamousRanchKid+ · 2014-05-26 03:45 · Score: 1
  
  Or eight.
  He's just buying eight Surface users, as he'll force the team to use them.
  
  --
  Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
4. Re:This is gonna be good! by unixisc · 2014-05-26 08:10 · Score: 1
  
  Every player will get a Surface running Windows RT
Obligatory by Anonymous Coward · 2014-05-26 01:39 · Score: 0

http://youtu.be/_jc2ESr43PY?t=23s
Clippy by Anonymous Coward · 2014-05-26 01:43 · Score: 0

Is going to be their new mascot.
LA Clippy by rodrigoandrade · 2014-05-26 01:44 · Score: 5, Funny

Obvious name change is imminent...
1. Re:LA Clippy by goombah99 · 2014-05-26 02:22 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  It looks like you are trying to move the ball down court.
  Would you like to dribble it?
  make a pass?
  take a 3 point shot?
  
  --
  Some drink at the fountain of knowledge. Others just gargle.
2. Re:LA Clippy by davester666 · 2014-05-26 05:27 · Score: 1
  
  abort, retry or fail?
  
  --
  Sleep your way to a whiter smile...date a dentist!
3. Re:LA Clippy by sulfide · 2014-05-26 07:11 · Score: 0
  
  new name=> Ballmers Ballers
4. Re:LA Clippy by unixisc · 2014-05-26 08:16 · Score: 1
  
  Or maybe a new logo, since names are similar. But will the cheergals be wearing ribbons?
5. Re:LA Clippy by Tablizer · 2014-05-26 08:56 · Score: 1
  
  "It looks like you are trying to lose to get a draft pick. Would you like some help losing?"
  
  --
  Table-ized A.I.
If Doc Rivers Leaves by Oysterville · 2014-05-26 01:48 · Score: 1

Bobby Knight would seem to be the obvious chair-throwing choice in coaches.
1. Re:If Doc Rivers Leaves by Anonymous Coward · 2014-05-26 03:30 · Score: 0
  
  These jokes just write themselves.
Sale is to Anyone Not Named Sterling by rmdingler · 2014-05-26 01:49 · Score: 0

Rumors surrounding the list of suitors is long indeed, with Oprah Winfrey, Magic Johnson, Floyd Mayweather, Sean Combs, and many others already mentioned.
It occurs to me that list is filled with many African-American names.
If the Sterlings retain any say in the final transaction, is it likely they would prefer to sell to a well-heeled American billionaire of European descent?

--
Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.
Ernest Hemingway
1. Re:Sale is to Anyone Not Named Sterling by Anonymous Coward · 2014-05-26 01:59 · Score: 0
  
  Only if they are racist.
2. Re:Sale is to Anyone Not Named Sterling by Anonymous Coward · 2014-05-26 02:02 · Score: 1
  
  The sterlings aren't european, they're kikes.
3. Re:Sale is to Anyone Not Named Sterling by Anonymous Coward · 2014-05-26 02:10 · Score: 0
  
  Or maybe the Sterlings' want to sell to anyone who wants to move the team out of LA, just to give a nice "Fuck You" to all the Clippers fans. I bet if he is forced to sell he get "fair-market value" which means he only needs one really good offer from someone like Ballmer to demand similar pricing from other sources or to prevent the NBA from blocking the team from moving.
  Personally, I'm more offended by the monopolistic NBA behavior than some old white guys remarks. I really hope the next NBA player who expresses some form of discriminatory views gets the same treatment....in fact Michael Jordan admits he was racist so I think he should be banned for life and forced to sell because of his past behavior.
4. Re:Sale is to Anyone Not Named Sterling by Anonymous Coward · 2014-05-26 02:27 · Score: 0
  
  There really aren't that many Clippers fans. Most people in LA didn't even know they were a thing until a last month. Agree with you on the NBA, though.
5. Re:Sale is to Anyone Not Named Sterling by Anonymous Coward · 2014-05-26 02:46 · Score: 0
  
  Other than Oprah, none of the blacks you listed can come even remotely close to having anything other than a tiny share in the team. They'd just be PR people for the real owners.
A rose by any other name by Impy+the+Impiuos+Imp · 2014-05-26 01:52 · Score: 1

"Balmer plans to rename them 'The Seattle Neros Fiddling While Microsoft I Mean Rome Burned'. "

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Slashdot Expired SSL Certificates by kooky45 · 2014-05-26 01:56 · Score: 5, Informative

Major security fail Slashdot. You've let your SSL server certificates expire. https://www.ssllabs.com/ssltest/analyze.html?d=www.slashdot.org&s=216.34.181.45
1. Re:Slashdot Expired SSL Certificates by Soulskill · 2014-05-26 03:30 · Score: 2
  
  Yeah, we're aware. Got caught on the holiday weekend, unfortunately, and it's taking a while for the provider to redeploy. Apologies for the inconvenience.
2. Re:Slashdot Expired SSL Certificates by chihowa · 2014-05-26 03:39 · Score: 2
  
  You know that the expiration date for this certificate was set on 20 Apr 2013 and has been printed on the certificate for over a year, right?
  You don't have to wait for the certificate to actually expire and fail before you renew it. It looks very amateur, and this is coming from an amateur.
  
  --
  If you want a vision of the future, imagine a youtube comments section scrolling - forever.
3. Re:Slashdot Expired SSL Certificates by Soulskill · 2014-05-26 04:05 · Score: 2
  
  Yup, well aware of all that!
4. Re:Slashdot Expired SSL Certificates by chihowa · 2014-05-26 06:05 · Score: 1
  
  OK, good. The ribbing is a contractual obligation, of course!
  
  --
  If you want a vision of the future, imagine a youtube comments section scrolling - forever.
5. Re:Slashdot Expired SSL Certificates by unixisc · 2014-05-26 08:14 · Score: 1
  
  Maybe this is a good opportunity to look @ OpenSSL, LibreSSL, et al?
Moving to seattle? by thieh · 2014-05-26 01:58 · Score: 1

I suppose there was a point of moving the old Seattle team to OKC back then, and as such moving another team to Seattle might be a bit of a problem.
1. Re:Moving to seattle? by bluegutang · 2014-05-26 02:27 · Score: 1
  
  When owners threaten to move teams (and sometimes carry out their threats), it puts great pressure on taxpayers to build new stadiums at no expense to the owners, or else risk losing their favorite teams.
  If you're a loyal fan, it doesn't help much to know that your market is large so a different team might move to your area 5 or 10 years later.
2. Re:Moving to seattle? by cusco · 2014-05-26 03:06 · Score: 5, Interesting
  
  In Seattle's case taxpayers had just coughed up almost half a billion dollars to put up a new football and baseball stadium, in the process destroying the much-loved King Dome and flattening the south end of downtown, and then gave naming rights and enormous tax breaks to the teams' owners to boot. The Sonics declared that they needed a new stadium which was going to cost as much as the other two combined, even though they couldn't reliably fill their current location, **and** they wanted to site it in a rather historic part of the city, **and** they were going to demand all parking revenue for a decade or more even though they weren't paying to build the structure. Seattle appropriately told them to take a hike, and I wish they had told the Mariners and Seahawks the same thing a few years before.
  So Ballmer wants to buy a sports team? All I can say is, "Who gives a flying fuck?"
  
  --
  "Think about how stupid the average person is. Now, realise that half of them are dumber than that." - George Carlin
3. Re:Moving to seattle? by emaname · 2014-05-26 03:23 · Score: 1
  
  AGREED!!!
  If I had any mod points, you'd get 'em all.
  That is a great example of how these huge business entities increase the burden on taxpayers.
  Speaking of entitlements... How about including crap like this in the discussion. Corporations/teams/whatever should pay their own way. No more taxing the people so billionaires can become even more wealthy than they already are.
  
  --
  An effective "democracy" creates the illusion the people have a say in their government.
4. Re:Moving to seattle? by Anonymous Coward · 2014-05-26 15:58 · Score: 0
  
  There's also benefits to having a sports team.
  Would it be better to never tax to pay for the stadium, or to create the stadium and reap the economic benefits for years to come?
  I don't know the answer, but it's not one-sided even if the billionaires do benefit.
  In all fairness, isn't the stadium owned by the people or something? We as taxpayers aren't paying for a free building, are we? I don't know the answer.
  I think it would be a much more impressive thing to do if we were to focus on helping the homeless in the greater Seattle area first and foremost, even perhaps by requiring a certain percentage of ticket sales (in the form of a tax) to be given to said focus.
5. Re:Moving to seattle? by cusco · 2014-05-26 17:25 · Score: 1
  
  Think about a city spending $100 million to subsidize a sports team. In order for the city to make that back the team would have to generate (at a 30% tax rate) $350 million in revenue that would otherwise not exist without it. Local taxable revenue, not earnings for the owner's Bahamian bank account. How often do you think that happens?
  
  --
  "Think about how stupid the average person is. Now, realise that half of them are dumber than that." - George Carlin
6. Re:Moving to seattle? by Anonymous Coward · 2014-05-27 13:57 · Score: 0
  
  Does it have to be tax revenue? What about the economic benefit to small businesses who receive more business due to people eating out and whatnot when seeing a game? (From tourists, denizens, doesn't matter.)
7. Re:Moving to seattle? by cusco · 2014-05-27 15:10 · Score: 1
  
  Who did you think will pay the taxes? Businesses large and small, and the people who work for them. If the local government has to put up the taxpayers' money then they damn well better get that money back (something which is not happening with any sports stadium project that I've ever seen).
  
  --
  "Think about how stupid the average person is. Now, realise that half of them are dumber than that." - George Carlin
8. Re:Moving to seattle? by Anonymous Coward · 2014-05-27 18:35 · Score: 0
  
  But the people can get that back through other means than taxes, can they not? Do jobs get created for years to come when a stadium is built? Oh well, doesn't matter. In any case, the taxpayer funded stadiums should be decided by the taxpayers by way of a vote. And I oppose it being done via property taxes. Let it be by a sales tax or some other method that isn't regressive. (Low-income homeowners do exist.)
Chairs to throw... by Andrewkov · 2014-05-26 01:59 · Score: 4, Funny

There are a lot of chairs to throw in an NBA stadium..
Just sayin.
1. Re:Chairs to throw... by gstoddart · 2014-05-26 02:05 · Score: 1
  
  Aren't they all bolted down?
  Otherwise I'd assume someone would have been beaten to death with one by now.
  
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  Lost at C:>. Found at C.
2. Re:Chairs to throw... by Nidi62 · 2014-05-26 02:11 · Score: 1
  
  Otherwise I'd assume someone would have been beaten to death with one by now.
  The team benches usually aren't: they are regular folding chairs. I do wonder though: if Ballmer buys the team, will he hire Bobby Knight as the coach? They could have chair throwing contests.
  
  --
  The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for it to be pitted against a slightly greater evil
3. Re:Chairs to throw... by Iconoc · 2014-05-26 02:28 · Score: 1
  
  These jokes are easy, but they're still funny.
4. Re:Chairs to throw... by sconeu · 2014-05-26 04:48 · Score: 1
  
  Courtside seats aren't bolted down.
  
  --
  General Relativity: Space-time tells matter where to go; Matter tells space-time what shape to be.
5. Re:Chairs to throw... by gstoddart · 2014-05-26 04:51 · Score: 1
  
  Courtside seats aren't bolted down.
  I guess at those prices, they don't need to worry as much.
  Especially since the media likely knows exactly who you are.
  
  --
  Lost at C:>. Found at C.
6. Re:Chairs to throw... by Anonymous Coward · 2014-05-26 05:22 · Score: 1
  
  Maybe even enough to bring Bobby Knight out of retirement.
7. Re:Chairs to throw... by Tablizer · 2014-05-26 08:50 · Score: 1
  
  Just make sure to invite Ron "Peace" Artest.
  
  --
  Table-ized A.I.
8. Re:Chairs to throw... by Tablizer · 2014-05-26 17:41 · Score: 1
  
  There are a lot of chairs to throw in an NBA stadium..
  No, he determined that 640 chairs should be enough for any stadium.
  
  --
  Table-ized A.I.
skyrocket to the top by Anonymous Coward · 2014-05-26 02:21 · Score: 0

the moment Clippy enters the team, they'll win like never before!
1. Re:skyrocket to the top by Andrewkov · 2014-05-26 02:33 · Score: 1
  
  Ahh, new logo for the team shirts!!
Opportunities for billionaires by Time_Ngler · 2014-05-26 03:02 · Score: 1

He should make them all wear dresses..
Am I the only one who thinks Sterling got screwed? by swb · 2014-05-26 03:19 · Score: 0

Sure, he's a jerk and something of a racist.
But it seems extremely unfair to punish him for private comments, especially those recorded surreptitiously.
I also think if you went to any country club where guys of his wealth and general age congregate you would find that nearly all of them would probably have the same kinds of opinions as Sterling.
I can't help but think if I was as rich and as old as he is I might just decide to see how much money the NBA wanted to spend fighting with me.
I bet that he thinks he's the next Bobby Knight by NotSoHeavyD3 · 2014-05-26 03:27 · Score: 1

You know, since both were known for throwing chairs.

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Did you know 80 to 90% of the moderators on slashdot wouldn't recognize a troll even if one dragged them under a bridge.
Re:Am I the only one who thinks Sterling got screw by jtara · 2014-05-26 04:05 · Score: 2

Serious answer: it's kinda sad, because the guy obviously is suffering from dementia of some sort.
Yes, he and his wife both seem to be racist jerks that don't realize that. But in the past, he's had the mental facilities to stop himself before he said something stupid or inciting. I think it just spills out and he has no control over it. This is apparent from the conflicting statements he makes from one sentence to the next.
Dementia: turning racist jerks into really racist jerks.
Who cares? by rebelwarlock · 2014-05-26 04:12 · Score: 1

Since when did slashdot become a fucking tabloid? Just because the guy in question is notable for his connection to Microsoft doesn't mean we should give a running, leaping, twisting, gyrating fuck about him buying a sports team. What is he going to do, turn the players into programmers? It's not important that we be aware of every time someone related to technology farts or coughs.
1. Re:Who cares? by cHiphead · 2014-05-26 04:37 · Score: 1
  
  You cared enough to comment on it.
  News is news, this has a connection with tech, moreso than some of the other bullshit that hits the front, let's just exhale a breath from our nose in amusment/annoyance/cynicism and move to the next submission.
  
  --
  
  This is my sig. There are many like it, but this one is mine.
2. Re:Who cares? by rebelwarlock · 2014-05-26 18:53 · Score: 1
  
  "You cared enough to comment" is always a stupid reply. As is patently obvious to anyone capable of higher thought processes, what I care about is the fact that nonsense is on my news feed, not some clown doing sports related anything.
3. Re:Who cares? by Anonymous Coward · 2014-05-28 17:05 · Score: 0
  
  Please don't join stories in which you have no interest.
He has one condition by Minwee · 2014-05-26 04:14 · Score: 1

"You can sleep with [developers]. 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,"
Re:Am I the only one who thinks Sterling got screw by kencurry · 2014-05-26 04:21 · Score: 1

He was set-up by his "girlfriend". She had their conversation recorded, then pushed it out the media. All the time she was taking in his money, she was plotting to rake him over the coals. I hope she got what was coming to her as well.

--
sigs are for losers (except to point out that sigs are for losers)
Capitalism by mutherhacker · 2014-05-26 04:21 · Score: 1

CEO's choices halve share price over 12 year tenure..
Said CEO walks away with enough cash to buy NBA team...
*sigh*
not gonna happen by rogoshen1 · 2014-05-26 04:32 · Score: 1

The NBA basically strips this guy of his property over something he said... Yeah I'd be absolutely amazed if the team was sold to anyone other than a minority, or consortium of minorities.
In other words the correction swings the pendulum too far in the other direction.
1. Re:not gonna happen by schwit1 · 2014-05-26 04:57 · Score: 1
  
  As long as it's not another racist like Spike Lee.
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
  When he lost his first chance at winning an Oscar. He announced that the Academy was racist.
  Upon visiting South Africa in the early 90s, Spike Lee told Londonâ(TM)s Guardian newspaper that âoeI seriously wanted to pick up a gun and shoot whites. The only way to resolve matters is by bloodshed.â
2. Re:not gonna happen by Tablizer · 2014-05-26 08:52 · Score: 1
  
  I'd be absolutely amazed if the team was sold to anyone other than a minority...
  Baldies?
  
  --
  Table-ized A.I.
3. Re:not gonna happen by leuk_he · 2014-05-29 21:37 · Score: 1
  
  Stripping? I might miss some details, but getting to sell it for 2.000.000.000$ is not bad. But the, I am european, and i do not understand this sport^h^h^h^h^hFrancise you are talking about.
Chairtastic by cHiphead · 2014-05-26 04:35 · Score: 1

I can't wait to see him throwing chairs onto the court mid-game. 'DEFENSE DEFENSE DEFENSE'

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This is my sig. There are many like it, but this one is mine.
Re:Am I the only one who thinks Sterling got screw by Anonymous Coward · 2014-05-26 04:37 · Score: 0

Dude, he's not being punished for being an old man saying things, it's because he's the OWNER of a team of black players, with mostly black fans. He's wrecking the value of the other teams as well. The NBA is essentially a partnership - the other partners can vote him out.
Once the team is gone and he's just a billionaire slumlord racist old man, nobody will report on anything he says ever again, even though he'll continue to be a shitty racist landlord affecting thousands of people.
This can only be a good thing. by Anonymous Coward · 2014-05-26 04:43 · Score: 0

If this goes through, watching a Clippers game will bind you with a EULA which will make it illegal for you to like any other team.
blacks are important to the NBA by Anonymous Coward · 2014-05-26 04:50 · Score: 0

The NBA has a large number of young adult, male black fans. A majority of NBA players are black. Do not risk pissing off a large segment of one's fan base.
Besides, the owner is a cheap bastard, that does not invest enough money to develop a well functioning basketball team. He should have been stripped of ownership a long time ago.
I can see it now by Lirodon · 2014-05-26 06:20 · Score: 1

His first move will be to will redo the logo to be in Segoe UI.
Re:Am I the only one who thinks Sterling got screw by sjames · 2014-05-26 06:44 · Score: 1

The thing is, the bell can't be unrung. He said it and everyone knows it. There is no scenario where he stays and the team doesn't go into a death spiral and damage the rest of the league with it.
Perhaps it's time he learned that rich white assholes are a dime a dozen.
Re:Great, Just What Seattle Needs! by unixisc · 2014-05-26 08:12 · Score: 1

Wouldn't Steve be the one moving to LA?
Blazers Fans can hate SuperClipperSonics, too! by leftie · 2014-05-26 08:17 · Score: 1

I see no problems among Blazers fans returning to hating the SuperClipperSonics very quickly.
Woooooooow... some name. Definitely calls for an new anime-inspired logo there.
Anything the Timbers Army has been singing lately that might rhyme with SuperClipperSonics?
Clippy by david999 · 2014-05-26 08:56 · Score: 0

They will now be known as the Clippy's
Seattle SuperClippersSonics, of course. by leftie · 2014-05-26 09:30 · Score: 1

Nintendo did own at least a pretty big chunk of the Mariners
Has the whole Super SpaceBattleship Yamato thang goin'...
they don't need... by Anonymous Coward · 2014-05-26 11:20 · Score: 0

... uncle steve's help. the team, which has never reached a conference finals, can BSOD just fine on their own.