Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer Buys the LA Clippers For $2 Billion

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Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer Buys the LA Clippers For $2 Billion

Posted by samzenpus on Thursday May 29, 2014 @12:14PM from the big-wallet dept.

DroidJason1 (3589319) writes "Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has purchased the LA Clippers for a whopping $2 billion, also setting a new record price for an NBA team. This deal is apparently tentative until Donald Sterling gives his blessing. Twenty-nine other NBA owners need to offer their approval as well, but that shouldn't be a problem as long as Ballmer reaffirms his commitment of keeping the Clippers in Los Angeles. Interestingly, Donald Sterling had purchased the team back in June of 1981 for $12.5 million." We talked about this earlier in the week when rumors of the purchase started circulating.

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What a punishment by ClownPenis · 2014-05-29 12:16 · Score: 5, Insightful

Poor racist bastard. We showed him!
1. Re:What a punishment by fizzer06 · 2014-05-29 12:17 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  Most hated man in America buys team from the second most hated man.
2. Re:What a punishment by rudy_wayne · 2014-05-29 12:29 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  Will he rename the teams to the Los Angeles Clippys?
3. Re:What a punishment by Anonymous Coward · 2014-05-29 12:32 · Score: 2
  
  Dear NBA, if you can punish me like that, I'll take it.
4. Re:What a punishment by Anonymous Coward · 2014-05-29 12:46 · Score: 1
  
  You can't legislate morality.
  Not only you can, you must. What do you think is the penal code? I agree that disagreeable speech must be protected, but that has to do with the immorality of the alternative. I would not like to live in a country ruled by sharia law, for instance. But who decides is the population. Also, do not let those fucking retarded jesus freaks take over your laws.
5. Re:What a punishment by colinrichardday · 2014-05-29 12:53 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  Hey, Blake Griffin! It looks like you're attempting a slam dunk. Would you like some help?
6. Re:What a punishment by vanyel · 2014-05-29 12:58 · Score: 2, Interesting
  
  This is actually the sort of thing I was afraid was going to happen, sending a message that it's very profitable to be a bigot.
7. Re:What a punishment by cadeon · 2014-05-29 13:07 · Score: 1
  
  It doesn't matter if he renames his team; Slashdot and the rest of the world will rename it for him.
  I, for one, welcome our new animated paperclip basketball team.
8. Re:What a punishment by Ol+Olsoc · 2014-05-29 13:16 · Score: 1
  
  Will he rename the teams to the Los Angeles Clippys?
  Whoooooh! That is just too synchronistic.
  Well play sir, by the way.
  
  --
  The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
9. Re:What a punishment by Anonymous Coward · 2014-05-29 13:17 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  ...part of a free society is having assholes be assholes.
  Very few people want to live in a world where everyone is free to do whatever they want. There's even a logical contradiction in the idea of total freedom: am I free to restrict your freedom?
  Many libertarians like the idea of using "property rights" to restrict freedom (you can't walk across this land because I "own" it, you can't punch me in the face because I "own" it, etc.). Of course, that means that rich people have a greater ability to restrict other people's freedom than poor people.
  Another natural restriction on freedom is consequences to others. You can do whatever you want as long as it doesn't hurt other people. Incidentally, voluntary interaction and association are related to that - and form a basis for contract law. And this also leads to the distinction between thought and action. Thoughts don't hurt people but actions can. It's legal to dislike a certain class of people but not necessarily legal to take action against them
  Digressing a bit, it's interesting that there are strict laws against discriminating against people (e.g. in employment) on the basis of race - but discriminating against people on the basis of nationality is not only allowed but actually required - even though both race and nationality are overwhelmingly accidents of birth. In a certain sense, foreign is the new black.
10. Re:What a punishment by Frosty+Piss · 2014-05-29 13:35 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  Steve Ballmer has purchased the LA Clippers for a whopping $2 billion ... This deal is apparently tentative
  So, in other words, he has *not* purchased the Clippers (yet).
  
  --
  If you want news from today, you have to come back tomorrow.
11. Re:What a punishment by Adriax · 2014-05-29 13:39 · Score: 4, Interesting
  
  I wonder if he bought them for help with his chair throwing? I heard he's having problems with his follow through.
  
  --
  I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it!
12. Re:What a punishment by LifesABeach · 2014-05-29 13:44 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  One can only imagine what the chairs at the Staples Center will be thinking.
13. Re:What a punishment by RJFerret · 2014-05-29 14:22 · Score: 1
  
  Who can I upset enough to buy my properties for a hundred and sixty times more than I paid?
14. Re:What a punishment by blueturffan · 2014-05-29 14:42 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  No, it sends the message that it's very profitable to own a professional sports franchise.
15. Re:What a punishment by PopeRatzo · 2014-05-29 14:54 · Score: 1
  
  Hey, Blake Griffin! It looks like you're attempting a slam dunk. Would you like some help?
  Will Pau Gasol now perform a "high screen of death"?
  [Note: you have to know some basic b-ball tactics to get this one.]
  
  --
  You are welcome on my lawn.
16. Re:What a punishment by Anubis+IV · 2014-05-29 14:54 · Score: 1, Insightful
  
  From Wikipedia:
  
  Sterling acquired the Clippers in 1981 for $12.5 million, and as of 2014, the team is valued at $575 million by Forbes magazine [...]
  So, this guy makes incredibly racist remarks, and he gets rewarded by a payout worth nearly 4x the value of his team?
  Ballmer should have lowballed the sleaze bag and refused to give him even the amount is was valued at. And that's the least he should've done. Never entering into business with him at all would have been preferable, but Ballmer was never known for having an awareness of how things might be perceived or a sense of what is tasteful.
17. Re:What a punishment by Rakarra · 2014-05-29 15:11 · Score: 1
  
  Many libertarians like the idea of using "property rights" to restrict freedom (you can't walk across this land because I "own" it, you can't punch me in the face because I "own" it, etc.). Of course, that means that rich people have a greater ability to restrict other people's freedom than poor people.
  Pretty much every major system of government has the result that rich people have a greater ability to restrict other peoples' freedom than poor people.
  The only counterexamples I can think of would be the idealized/never-implemented pure Communism. The system of government helps determine who becomes rich, to some extent.
18. Re:What a punishment by fnj · 2014-05-29 15:19 · Score: 1
  
  Yeah, you can legislate moral acts, but you can't (with successful effect) legislate moral thinking or any kind of thinking. What is truly depressing and frightening is that idiots constantly TRY to legislate/mandate moral THINKING.
19. Re:What a punishment by Fjandr · 2014-05-29 15:26 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  Which in turn can be boiled down to: It's profitable to be extremely wealthy.
20. Re:What a punishment by fnj · 2014-05-29 15:28 · Score: 1
  
  Very few people want to live in a world where everyone is free to do whatever they want.
  Yes, that is undoubtedly true, and it also utterly misses the point. Those who try to fashion a world where no one is free to THINK whatever they want can preferable go STRAIGHT TO HELL.
  And private conversations between two individuals are only infinitesimally separated from thoughts.
  All that being said, whatever transaction Steve Ballmer makes or doesn't make with Donald Sterling is strictly their business. It is (in isolation) of no concern to anybody, though the NBA may make it their business with the connivance of the government.
21. Re:What a punishment by blueturffan · 2014-05-29 15:47 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  If I had a dime for every dime I have...
22. Re:What a punishment by clarkkent09 · 2014-05-29 15:52 · Score: 2
  
  Ballmer should have lowballed the sleaze bag and refused to give him even the amount is was valued at
  
  Since Ballmer was far from being the only party interested in purchasing Clippers, what purpose would that serve other than having his offer rejected?
  
  --
  Negative moral value of force outweighs the positive value of good intentions.
23. Re:What a punishment by Opportunist · 2014-05-29 15:54 · Score: 2
  
  As long as he doesn't call them the LA Metro, that would probably make a few people a bit confused.
  
  --
  We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
24. Re:What a punishment by Anubis+IV · 2014-05-29 15:56 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  Moral high ground.
25. Re:What a punishment by phantomfive · 2014-05-29 16:24 · Score: 1
  
  Poor racist bastard. We showed him!
  It's likely the only reason the NBA is so angry about this, is because they wanted to kick him out anyway. They were just looking for an excuse. In other words, the NBA doesn't care if he is punished or not, as long as he loses the team.
  
  --
  "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
26. Re:What a punishment by antdude · 2014-05-29 17:10 · Score: 1
  
  Clippies. The mascot with be a giant paperclip that throws chairs and do monkey dances, "developers, developers, developers...".
  
  --
  Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
27. Re:What a punishment by davester666 · 2014-05-29 17:19 · Score: 2
  
  "I'm glad I'm bolted down!"
  
  --
  Sleep your way to a whiter smile...date a dentist!
28. Re:What a punishment by Tablizer · 2014-05-29 18:12 · Score: 1
  
  Wrong LA team
  
  --
  Table-ized A.I.
29. Re:What a punishment by GNious · 2014-05-29 20:08 · Score: 1
  
  Hey, Blake Griffin! It looks like you're attempting a slam dunk. Would you like some help?
  Will Pau Gasol now perform a "high screen of death"?
  [Note: you have to know some basic b-ball tactics to get this one.]
  Yeah, somehow I don't think Slashdot is home to a lot of baseball tacticians.
30. Re:What a punishment by N1AK · 2014-05-29 21:37 · Score: 1
  
  Those who try to fashion a world where no one is free to THINK whatever they want can preferable go STRAIGHT TO HELL.
  If you've got a point then I suggest getting to it. Sterling isn't being prosecuted for what he said. A private organisation has asked is using powers he has agreed to it having to remove him because that is what the majority of its members want. That in itself is freedom; stopping the NBA and its members from kicking him out for being a racist would be restricting their freedom.
31. Re:What a punishment by BitZtream · 2014-05-29 22:01 · Score: 1
  
  What about the ones court side?
  
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  Persistent Volume manager for Kubernetes - https://github.com/dwimsey/openshift-pvmanager
32. Re:What a punishment by BitZtream · 2014-05-29 22:06 · Score: 1
  
  I'd agree with you, you don't seem to be much of a sports person yourself ... since we're talking about basketball ... not baseball.
  Pau Gasol is a basketball player (though not for the Clippers) , and a high screen is a specific offensive tactic
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
  
  --
  Persistent Volume manager for Kubernetes - https://github.com/dwimsey/openshift-pvmanager
33. Re:What a punishment by PopeRatzo · 2014-05-29 23:37 · Score: 1
  
  When you've seen one LA team, you've seen them all.
  
  --
  You are welcome on my lawn.
34. Re:What a punishment by swb · 2014-05-29 23:37 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  I can only guess that the NBA has talked to their attorneys and found out their ability to strip Sterling of his ownership was more complicated and expensive than they thought, compounded by the fact that I think its tied up with his wife and their divorce proceedings. At a minimum Sterling is very rich, very old and probably willing to make it very expensive for the NBA to force his hand. If it's uncertain you will prevail against an adversary capable and likely willing to throw $250 million at lawyers to defeat you, you give in. Even if they would have ultimately won, Sterling could have cost the league many millions and years to achieve their goal.
  The upshot being Sterling could demand whatever he wanted to sell the team. The NBA, wanting to be rid of Sterling, was probably more than willing to greenlight a sale to the right buyer -- someone of standing who also had no problem financing the buyout.
  There was talk of A-list black celebrities buying the team, but that kind of financing gets complicated -- I don't think any of them individually have the kind of cash to finance a buyout easily, requiring a complex partnership/investment ownership which I think most sports leagues don't favor. I'd also guess that even if a single buyer in this category could have financed this solo (Oprah's net is sub-$3 billion, but probably highly illiquid) they would then be facing a lot of negative PR for agreeing to any terms of Sterling's.
  I'd also guess that the NBA may have also agreed to some kind of long-term bump in TV money to offset Ballmer's price tag. This way Ballmer actually pays less for the team while not making it look like the NBA was being forced to buy Sterling out at his price, which would have been negative PR, making them look like they were capitulating to him.
35. Re:What a punishment by MachineShedFred · 2014-05-29 23:40 · Score: 1
  
  And in no way was he making a joke that charged right past your defense.
  
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  Slashdot still doesnâ(TM)t support Unicode after it was added to the HTML standard in 1997.
36. Re:What a punishment by LifesABeach · 2014-05-30 00:23 · Score: 1
  
  I'm wondering if Steve will let Jack Nickelson get up first.
37. Re:What a punishment by Anonymous Coward · 2014-05-30 01:44 · Score: 1
  
  's/ground/horse/'
38. Re:What a punishment by JTsyo · 2014-05-30 01:49 · Score: 1
  
  A charge doesn't go past a defender... wait you're doing it again aren't you?
39. Re:What a punishment by idontgno · 2014-05-30 03:38 · Score: 1
  
  Basketball, as a sport, already has some familiarity with this problem.
  
  --
  Welcome to the Panopticon. Used to be a prison, now it's your home.
40. Re:What a punishment by idontgno · 2014-05-30 03:41 · Score: 1
  
  "Whoosh": the sound a basketball makes going over your head.
  
  --
  Welcome to the Panopticon. Used to be a prison, now it's your home.
41. Re:What a punishment by Ralph+Wiggam · 2014-05-30 04:24 · Score: 1
  
  What legislation was involved in this story?
42. Re:What a punishment by Ralph+Wiggam · 2014-05-30 04:35 · Score: 1
  
  That wasn't his punishment. His punishment was a $2.5M fine (the largest the league can levy) and more importantly he was banned from all NBA sanctioned events for life.
  Contrary to what 100 comments in this thread are saying, this sale didn't change his net worth by a dime. He was just forced to liquidate an asset that was already on his balance sheet. The Dodgers sold for $2.1B recently so it was assumed that the Clippers would go for around that much.
43. Re:What a punishment by rwv · 2014-05-30 04:39 · Score: 1
  
  If I had a dime for every dime I have...
  If I had $2 billion for every time you've said that...
44. Re:What a punishment by JackieBrown · 2014-05-30 04:47 · Score: 1
  
  This is actually the sort of thing I was afraid was going to happen, sending a message that it's very profitable to be a bigot.
  What did you think was going to happen? Did you expect the government or someone else to confiscate it? Or for no one to bid on the team?
45. Re:What a punishment by JackieBrown · 2014-05-30 04:51 · Score: 1
  
  Why do you think that the team is still worth what it was in 1981?
46. Re:What a punishment by Anubis+IV · 2014-05-30 04:57 · Score: 1
  
  I can't tell if you're intentionally being obtuse or not. The quote I provided lists the 2014 valuation as well, and I explicitly made mention of the fact that Ballmer's $2B bid was roughly 4x the team's valuation, so it should have been clear I was referencing the 2014 valuation, not the 1981 valuation.
47. Re:What a punishment by vanyel · 2014-05-30 04:58 · Score: 1
  
  Exactly the reasons I thought this was going to happen...
48. Re:What a punishment by CWCheese · 2014-05-30 05:34 · Score: 1
  
  Actually, his net worth did change substantially yesterday afternoon, given that the financial community values the LA Clippers at around $575M based on the recent sale price of the Milwaukee Bucks. Thus his net worth jumped nearly $1.5B and the Clippers have only been an above average team for the past 2 seasons.
  
  It's a good bet that he may have surreptitiously arranged to have his wife play good cop to his bad cop, so that the NBA board of governors are painted into a corner. NBA is desperate to rid themselves of him and he is going to hold them hostage to the penalties, both the fine and banishment, such that the penalties will have to be rescinded in exchange for his signing the sale contract. He may not be liked for being a jerk, but he is a very clever lawyer.
  
  --
  Have a Day!
49. Re:What a punishment by Ralph+Wiggam · 2014-05-30 05:51 · Score: 1
  
  You do realize that the Milwaukee Bucks play in Milwaukee, right? LA is a slightly bigger media market.
  I don't understand the point of him fighting the penalties. 2.5M is a negligible amount of money. And if he ever shows up at a ballgame again, he will be showered in drinks. But he obviously has some screws loose.
  He apparently is well known in LA real estate circles for being a ninja master of legal maneuvering and loopholes.
50. Re:What a punishment by Hillgiant · 2014-05-30 06:34 · Score: 1
  
  The old auto racing quote:
  "In order to make a small fortune in racing, first you need a large fortune."
  
  --
  -
Oh No! by oldhack · 2014-05-29 12:20 · Score: 5, Funny

Ballmer will be throwing chairs from the courtside now.

--
Fuck systemd. Fuck Redhat. Fuck Soylent, too. Wait, scratch the last one.
1. Re:Oh No! by DoofusOfDeath · 2014-05-29 12:22 · Score: 1
  
  Ballmer will be throwing chairs from the courtside now.
  I think you beat about 50,000 Slashdot users to that thread of humor.
2. Re:Oh No! by mattack2 · 2014-05-29 12:26 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  Bobby Knight beat him to it, long ago.
  (Wow.. I couldn't remember his name, and googling "chair throwing coach" found it immediately. We live in a wonderful time.)
3. Re:Oh No! by Anonymous Coward · 2014-05-29 12:42 · Score: 1
  
  They will post the joke anyway because austists have to autist.
4. Re:Oh No! by rmdingler · 2014-05-29 12:51 · Score: 1
  
  50,000 Slashdot users?
  Is that in Dogecoin years?
  
  --
  Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.
  Ernest Hemingway
5. Re:Oh No! by Anonymous Coward · 2014-05-29 12:54 · Score: 1
  
  No. Most of us moved on years ago. Jokes get stale and holding on to animosity of someone we don't know, we'll never meet and has no power over us is just plainly dumb.
  
  Grow up or look like a little bitch all your life. The choice is yours.
6. Re:Oh No! by Anonymous Coward · 2014-05-29 13:11 · Score: 1
  
  Bobby Knight will be the new head coach. Imagine Knight and Ballmer as tag-team chair throwers.
7. Re:Oh No! by Jason+Levine · 2014-05-29 13:38 · Score: 2
  
  They can have one of those fan contests where a fan goes onto the court and tries to do something to win a prize. Only instead of taking a shot from half court, they'll need to throw more chairs than Ballmer or Knight.
  
  --
  My sci-fi novel, Ghost Thief, is now available from Amazon.com.
8. Re:Oh No! by Rakarra · 2014-05-29 15:13 · Score: 1
  
  Bobby Knight will be the new head coach. Imagine Knight and Ballmer as tag-team chair throwers.
  This needs to be a side-scrolling video games. Knight and Ballmer as bad guys, rapid-fire-throwing chairs.
9. Re:Oh No! by Talderas · 2014-05-30 00:21 · Score: 1
  
  Bobby Knight beat him to that.
  
  --
  "Lack of speed can be overcome. In the worst case by patience." --Znork
10. Re:Oh No! by JohnMadsen · 2014-05-30 07:15 · Score: 1
  
  Sounds like you need to sit down... in a chair. Steve, throw one this way please.
  
  --
  Fuckers
Instead of a new TV I guess by fey000 · 2014-05-29 12:24 · Score: 4, Insightful

I like how one of the worst CEO's of all time still makes enough money to go on a $2 billion shopping spree.
At my job, I only get a bonus when I perform above expectations...
1. Re:Instead of a new TV I guess by Anonymous Coward · 2014-05-29 12:36 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  I like how you ignore the fac that he was the 30th employee of and owned an 8% stake in one of the largest and most successful companies ever. Idiot.
2. Re:Instead of a new TV I guess by l0ungeb0y · 2014-05-29 12:41 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  He wasn't a CEO as much as he was a co-founder of one of the biggest Tech Goldmines ever.
  So yeah, for him spending 2 Billion on a sports team is like you and I going out and buying a new Porsche.
3. Re:Instead of a new TV I guess by Anonymous Coward · 2014-05-29 12:42 · Score: 1, Interesting
  
  Worst CEO by what measure? He grew MS at consistent and above industry average rate during his stint as CEO, increased profit margin, market share and diversified their product range. He seems to have been one of the most successfull CEO's of the last decade. don't confuse your hatred of him and the MS shareprice with how he has gone as CEO. By all realistic measures he has been wildly successful
4. Re:Instead of a new TV I guess by freeze128 · 2014-05-29 12:47 · Score: 2
  
  He is the former CEO of a company that was formerly one of the most successful. Slashdot doesn't seem to have a sports category, so I guess that's why it's listed under "The Almighty Dollar". Even if it did, I wouldn't want to read it. This is the kind of story that is fine to be left to mainstream news outlets.
5. Re:Instead of a new TV I guess by bloodhawk · 2014-05-29 12:57 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  Worst CEO of all time? geez most CEO's would give their right arm to be half as successful as he has been since he became CEO. Profits, revenue and sales all increased under him year on year with very good growth across the board while not allowing costs to blow out. Yes he had plenty of failures but from a business standpoint he has actually been a massive success for them with his successes far outweighing the failures, could he have been more successful with a few smarter choices, SURE, but very few CEO's have outperformed him over the past decade or so.
6. Re:Instead of a new TV I guess by Bill,+Shooter+of+Bul · 2014-05-29 13:47 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  Just as long as you don't compare his performance to that of Apple, Google, or Facebook and completely ignore the failures in the longhorn, vista, windows Mobile, windows tablet, MS hailstorm, MSN Live, Bing, windows RT, Surface, Windows 8 and the decline of the PC form factor. Then yeah, he did great.
  
  --
  Well.. maybe. Or Maybe not. But Definitely not sort of.
7. Re:Instead of a new TV I guess by evilviper · 2014-05-29 14:48 · Score: 1
  
  This is the kind of story that is fine to be left to mainstream news outlets.
  Meh, it's an okay story for /. AS LONG AS we don't get 5,000 follow-up stories, several per week, about what mundane thing Balmer and the Clippers happen to be doing... Ala Steve Jobs/Apple, Elon Musk/Tesla/SpaceX, the latest mundane global warming paper, and many, many others.
  
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8. Re:Instead of a new TV I guess by sootman · 2014-05-29 14:49 · Score: 1
  
  Forbes says his net worth is $20 billion, so $2 billion is actually as good-sized chunk of that.
  Now he's as poor as Michael Dell.
  
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9. Re:Instead of a new TV I guess by Paradise+Pete · 2014-05-29 14:58 · Score: 2
  
  Now he's as poor as Michael Dell.
  So you are valuing the Clippers at $0?
10. Re:Instead of a new TV I guess by Your.Master · 2014-05-29 14:59 · Score: 1
  
  MS share price is a valid measure, though not the only one.
  I don't blame him for 2001 or a short time after. However his tenure was flat for a *very* long time, during which several notable competitors outperformed him by a lot.
  I think people are a little hard on Ballmer sometimes, but there are lots of realistic measures where he's not wildly successful. And frankly, you pay CEOs what they get paid expecting wild success (Ballmer did request a relatively low salary as major CEOs go, with cash well-under a million and about 1.3 million in total compensation, cite: http://www.cnbc.com/id/1010870...), probably in part because he already had a shit-tonne of MS stock and was a billionaire so money could not possibly motivate him in the same sense that it motivates people who live on their salaries. He'd have received hundreds of times more than his total compensation *purely in dividends from MSFT stock*. A quick back-of-the envelope calculation is about 300x more.
11. Re:Instead of a new TV I guess by Rakarra · 2014-05-29 15:22 · Score: 1
  
  Ballmer was a decent caretaker CEO. His biggest flaw was that he proceeded a visionary. He wasn't one himself, not even close.
  He didn't blow up the company.
  Compare that to the CEOs of Sun Microsystems, Silicon Graphics, most Silicon Valley firms over the same time, and pretty much ANY executive at HP.
12. Re:Instead of a new TV I guess by bloodhawk · 2014-05-29 15:36 · Score: 2
  
  No I think his biggest problem was that he inherited a company that had a shareprice that was at the time massively overinflated, It masked much of his success of the following decade as people would point at the shareprice and claim he was failing even though financially he was providing excellent growth. He did more than just be a caretaker, he significantly diversified the company while still maintaining a solid to excellent (though not shooting star) growth throughout his time at the helm. I will agree he wasn't a technology visionary, though he was definitely very successful business wise.
13. Re:Instead of a new TV I guess by digsbo · 2014-05-29 15:49 · Score: 1
  
  You get a bonus for performing above expectations? What company???!!!
14. Re:Instead of a new TV I guess by theskipper · 2014-05-29 15:50 · Score: 1
  
  Like it or not, CEOs are measured by their share price. When Ballmer took over in first quarter of 2000, Microsoft's market cap was $534.42B.
  http://www.wikinvest.com/stock...
  Their current market cap is $399B.
  $135B in market cap was lost over 14 years while he was CEO. You may be right that he's a great marketing guy, etc., but "wildly successful" as a CEO may be a touch unrealistic.
15. Re:Instead of a new TV I guess by Anonymous Coward · 2014-05-29 16:06 · Score: 1
  
  Microsoft is a dividend stock. It intentionally maintains a flat share price by constantly paying out dividends.
  Share price is one of the dumbest things you could measure a CEO by.
16. Re:Instead of a new TV I guess by Opportunist · 2014-05-29 16:10 · Score: 1
  
  I'd like to see that relative to the performance of other companies. Anyone has any numbers from competitors?
  Not trying to defend Ballmer here, but I think you can only tell the quality of a CEO by comparing his company to another one in the same business. It's trivial to turn a profit in an economic boom.
  
  --
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17. Re:Instead of a new TV I guess by Opportunist · 2014-05-29 16:12 · Score: 1
  
  Every one I know.
  Of course, for us mundanes, the expectations are about as far out as they can be so that bonus is virtually impossible to get. In other words, if you want to see that carrot dangling, bring your telescope.
  
  --
  We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
18. Re:Instead of a new TV I guess by bloodhawk · 2014-05-29 16:15 · Score: 3, Interesting
  
  Stock price isn't actually a particularly good measure in the case of MS unless you also factor in P/E ratios, When balmer took over they were trading at a P/E ratio of around 40-45. That isn't a realistic number for any company unless they are expecting meteoric growth numbers which given the valuation at the time was just not possible or sustainable, they would have to have grown to well in excess of being a trillion dollar company today to justify that number or to put in perspective they would need to be worth more than apple and google combined. MS currently trade at P/E ratio of around 15.
19. Re:Instead of a new TV I guess by chrisautrey · 2014-05-29 16:28 · Score: 2
  
  So you are valuing the Clippers at $0?
  Doesn't pretty much everybody?
20. Re:Instead of a new TV I guess by theskipper · 2014-05-29 16:59 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  Given the dotcom bubble I thought it would be unfair too. But if you look at just large cap tech, it's nowhere near as bad as what happened to the pure-play dotcoms and networkers:
  Over the same time frame:
  Oracle: $86B -> $185B
  Apple: $18B -> $547B
  HP: $45B -> $64B
  And of course IPOs that happened a couple years later like Google and Salesforce were multi-baggers.
  So comparing the peak mkt cap of the bubble is actually not that unfair. Considering Microsoft had a monopoly in 2000 and couldn't even maintain a constant enterprise value over 14 years, again, I wouldn't call that a "wildly successful" performance by the CEO.
21. Re:Instead of a new TV I guess by rogoshen1 · 2014-05-29 18:53 · Score: 1
  
  i get this site disliking Gates due to the anti-trust and anti-competitive behavior that MS has been guilty of in the past -- but how much of that actually occurred under Balmer's tenure as CEO?
  He sounds like a jackass on his own accord -- but the level of disdain people have for him, is that because of things he did/enabled -- or did the stink of MS / Gates simply rub off on him ?
22. Re:Instead of a new TV I guess by Xest · 2014-05-29 21:33 · Score: 1
  
  To be fair most companies pay bonuses based on financial performance of the business. Whatever other mistakes Ballmer made at Microsoft aside he did still successfully grow the company financially year on year during his time as CEO at the end of the day. As such it makes sense that he got bonus payments if like pretty much everywhere else financial targets were the metric on which he was judged.
23. Re:Instead of a new TV I guess by N1AK · 2014-05-29 21:43 · Score: 1
  
  Rather than Sun, Yahoo and dozens of tech companies that have imploded during that window. The fact you try and pin the decline of "PCs" on MS just emphasises that your position is based on your dislike of MS rather than anything rational.
24. Re:Instead of a new TV I guess by Opportunist · 2014-05-29 22:26 · Score: 1
  
  Yup, that pretty much closes it. Ballmer is a dud as a manager.
  And he sure is no Baryshnikov either, so... what the heck is that guy good for?
  
  --
  We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
25. Re:Instead of a new TV I guess by Peter+Simpson · 2014-05-29 23:07 · Score: 1
  
  I like how one of the worst CEO's of all time still makes enough money to go on a $2 billion shopping spree. At my job, I only get a bonus when I perform above expectations...
  A former boss once said it best: (At the C level) It's a club, and the rule is "F*ck up, and move up!"
26. Re:Instead of a new TV I guess by Gavagai80 · 2014-05-29 23:12 · Score: 1
  
  Once you have a monopoly, there's nowhere left to go but down.
  
  --
  This space intentionally left blank
27. Re:Instead of a new TV I guess by MachineShedFred · 2014-05-29 23:49 · Score: 1
  
  You're forgetting that Slashdot now has corporate overlords, and corporate overlords like click-bait. Any time they can entice people to post comments about sweaty monkey-dancing, off-putting chants of "developers developers developers", or chair throwing they are going to.
  I LOVE THIS FRANCHISE!!! YEAAAAAAHHHHH!
  
  --
  Slashdot still doesnâ(TM)t support Unicode after it was added to the HTML standard in 1997.
28. Re:Instead of a new TV I guess by MachineShedFred · 2014-05-30 00:05 · Score: 1
  
  Yeah, he looks great if you have your head up your ass and only pay attention to SEC filings.
  However, since the time that he took over, he sold the future to pay for the 10Q filings of today. Microsoft is now a barely-player in the mobile space that they were in before Apple (sans Newton), Google, or RIM; their operating system that ran the world is now diminishing in importance, and Office isn't even the vehicle for vendor lock-in it used to be. They have a family of game consoles that may have turned a few bucks in profit somewhere after a decade, but I doubt it because of the massive hardware failures and ill-will caused by the RROD fiasco, and their amazingly short-sighted ideas for the current generation. They've tried the connected TV thing about half a dozen times and failed every time. They had the "tablet computer" for 10 years before Apple showed them what they should have been selling, and why they weren't selling.
  At the end of Ballmer's tenure, Microsoft is basically the same company it was when he took over - a company that makes all it's money from Windows and Office. He did nothing to change that, and Windows and Office aren't nearly the must-haves they used to be. The Internet now runs on *nix, front to back - Apache serving the pages, Android / iOS consuming them. Not a line of Microsoft code to be found.
  Oh, but yeah, he was a great CEO.
  
  --
  Slashdot still doesnâ(TM)t support Unicode after it was added to the HTML standard in 1997.
29. Re:Instead of a new TV I guess by tehlinux · 2014-05-30 00:36 · Score: 1
  
  No. That's why it's part of the deal that he cannot relocate the team.
  
  --
  Most linux users don't know this, but the man pages were named after Chuck Norris. Chuck Norris fsck'ing hates noobs!
30. Re:Instead of a new TV I guess by UnknowingFool · 2014-05-30 02:33 · Score: 1
  
  At best he's mediocre, but he's made some serious missteps in strategy. Fake Steve Jobs said it best: "The problem is he has no vision, and no imagination. He’s all left brain." Ballmer was a good steward but not a bold leader.
  
  --
  Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
31. Re:Instead of a new TV I guess by UnknowingFool · 2014-05-30 02:36 · Score: 1
  
  While it's true that Ballmer took over after the bubble and the price has been stagnant, others have done more with less. The problem for Ballmer was that Jobs returned to Apple. Ballmer will always be compared to Jobs and what he did for Apple.
  
  --
  Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
32. Re:Instead of a new TV I guess by theskipper · 2014-05-30 02:41 · Score: 1
  
  Nope. At the end I specifically said EV. Which for MSFT was cut in half over the period, unlike ORCL which is back to almost the same as the bubble peak. Its direct competitor Apple ate Microsoft's lunch during that period and AAPL's EV shows that fact clearly.
  And needless to say, comparing MSFT to pets.com makes no sense, nor does lumping "tech" in one big basket.
  Bottom line is they had a monopoly and a golden opportunity to leverage it into the same thing that Apple did. They sat around and tried to protect the empire instead of innovating. That's what the valuation shows in black and white.
33. Re:Instead of a new TV I guess by idontgno · 2014-05-30 03:47 · Score: 1
  
  You're right. There's just no telling what kinds of incalculable damage is being done to the reputation of Slashdot and the psyche of its membership by being denied another Bitcoin story, a Dice slashvertisement, or another Bennet Haselton blog post masquerading as a slashstory. Because, you know, bringing one inappropriate story to the front page is clearly denying the really important stuff the critical editorial attention every story deserves.
  
  --
  Welcome to the Panopticon. Used to be a prison, now it's your home.
34. Re:Instead of a new TV I guess by pastafazou · 2014-05-30 03:48 · Score: 1
  
  Hey, it's Steve himself, posting as AC!
35. Re:Instead of a new TV I guess by Ralph+Wiggam · 2014-05-30 04:26 · Score: 1
  
  I'm pretty sure that he has other investors involved.
36. Re:Instead of a new TV I guess by Bill,+Shooter+of+Bul · 2014-05-30 06:05 · Score: 1
  
  PC == wintel. If they get credit for the rise of the PC, they get credit for its decline.
  
  --
  Well.. maybe. Or Maybe not. But Definitely not sort of.
37. Re:Instead of a new TV I guess by Bill,+Shooter+of+Bul · 2014-05-30 06:13 · Score: 1
  
  The question was by what measure was he a failure.
  I don't think I over did the failures. I do think you went too far in giving him credit for things that happened when gates was still there:
  Microsoft Office, Windows Server, Visual studio, Exchange, Sql Server ( is that really successful? Never really hear about it anymore), .Net ( Didn't really meet their orignal expectations), Active Directory, Xbox.
  Plus a few things that aren't successful:
  Windows 8.1, Surface Pro 2 or 3 ( Seriously? giving a past ceo credit for the success of an unreleased product? )
  I think I was rather tame, I didn't even bring up Internet explorer, Microsoft Money, Encarta, or the red rings of death.
  
  --
  Well.. maybe. Or Maybe not. But Definitely not sort of.
38. Re:Instead of a new TV I guess by Bill,+Shooter+of+Bul · 2014-05-30 06:18 · Score: 1
  
  Also, if I dislike Microsoft its because its failed over and over the past ten years at Good, Secure, and reasonably priced software. They could have been so much more. And in an objective sense, they've had those opretunities, the technologies, the talent to be what Facebook , Google, or Apple have become. But they didn't. That's a failure of leadership. It falls on Balmer. I actually have great hope for them under the new ceo. It seems like they are acknowledging their role must change and they must co-operate with open standards in order to thrive.
  
  --
  Well.. maybe. Or Maybe not. But Definitely not sort of.
39. Re:Instead of a new TV I guess by slashdot_commentator · 2014-05-30 17:37 · Score: 1
  
  Don't you also think its unfair to conclude Ballmer was a failure based on what Jobs was able to do? Its like saying Patrick Ewing was a failure because Michael Jordan was always in the way. (Except when MJ wasn't, and Ewing still failed, to the Rockets and the Pacers. Ewing was still a player to be reckoned with for most of his career, even if I think of Hakeem Owajuan as moreso, as well as having a higher opinion of Charles Barkley, Reggie Miller, and Shaq.)
  Its unfair to compare Ballmer's tenure to Microsoft's peak in market cap, because that peak occurred before 2000, crashed real hard during the the 2000 bubble. Based on when Ballmer took over, and when he left, it only lost a fraction of its market cap at the time. Basically, Ballmer guided Microsoft into mediocrity, not really growing its value. But that's not the mark of a failure, considering that Sun Microsystems, Palm, etc. don't even exist today. IBM increased in market cap over the past 10 years, but it was a huge player in tech over a decade ago, and now is kind of a market afterthought. Where's the contempt for Sam Palmisano?
  Lets face it, not every company can have a Steve Jobs for CEO. Does that make every tech company that didn't quadruple its market share a failure?
  
  --
  There is no America. There is no democracy. There is only IBM and AT&T and DuPont, Dow, General Electric, and Exxon
40. Re:Instead of a new TV I guess by UnknowingFool · 2014-05-31 03:42 · Score: 1
  
  Don't you also think its unfair to conclude Ballmer was a failure based on what Jobs was able to do? Its like saying Patrick Ewing was a failure because Michael Jordan was always in the way. (Except when MJ wasn't, and Ewing still failed, to the Rockets and the Pacers. Ewing was still a player to be reckoned with for most of his career, even if I think of Hakeem Owajuan as moreso, as well as having a higher opinion of Charles Barkley, Reggie Miller, and Shaq.)
  See the problem is that you think only in terms of binary. Ballmer was a failure or success. I don't think did as well as Jobs especially when it came to a larger strategic vision. Jobs had the vision. Ballmer was just managing things.
  
  Its unfair to compare Ballmer's tenure to Microsoft's peak in market cap, because that peak occurred before 2000, crashed real hard during the the 2000 bubble. Based on when Ballmer took over, and when he left, it only lost a fraction of its market cap at the time. Basically, Ballmer guided Microsoft into mediocrity, not really growing its value. But that's not the mark of a failure, considering that Sun Microsystems, Palm, etc. don't even exist today. IBM increased in market cap over the past 10 years, but it was a huge player in tech over a decade ago, and now is kind of a market afterthought. Where's the contempt for Sam Palmisano
  And what did Jobs start with? By any measure, Apple was nowhere near the same position as MS when both men took over their companies.
  
  --
  Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
41. Re:Instead of a new TV I guess by bitSmiter · 2014-05-31 15:24 · Score: 1
  
  Surface is losing money, and XBox has been losing money for over a decade now. I wouldn't call them successes at all.
42. Re:Instead of a new TV I guess by Meski · 2014-05-31 19:54 · Score: 1
  
  Not worst, or even close. Think on it, Microsoft still exists, still makes a profit, did not go to US taxpayers for a bailout. We may mock him unmercifully, (and deservedly) for the products MS make, but that's another thing.
43. Re:Instead of a new TV I guess by slashdot_commentator · 2014-06-01 18:20 · Score: 1
  
  See the problem is that you think only in terms of binary. Ballmer was a failure or success. I don't think did as well as Jobs especially when it came to a larger strategic vision. Jobs had the vision. Ballmer was just managing things.
  Incorrect. I'm pointing out that not everyone can perform like Jobs, and its obvious he was an industry anomaly. Most CEOs are more like Ballmer; they are managers, not pioneers, and they don't get the credit when they do a good job, or steer the best possible result in a losing cause. I use the basketball analogy to point out that there can be a lot of basketball superstars, and not match the performance of a Michael Jordan. That doesn't make them failures, and it doesn't make Ballmer a failure for not matching Jobs' performance.
  
  Its unfair to compare Ballmer's tenure to Microsoft's peak in market cap, [...] Where's the contempt for Sam Palmisano
  
  And what did Jobs start with? By any measure, Apple was nowhere near the same position as MS when both men took over their companies.
  Who cares? We've already established that Jobs is a uniquely successful CEO. Jobs is the anomaly, not the standard expectation of a successful CEO.
  
  --
  There is no America. There is no democracy. There is only IBM and AT&T and DuPont, Dow, General Electric, and Exxon
44. Re:Instead of a new TV I guess by UnknowingFool · 2014-06-02 03:15 · Score: 1
  
  Most CEOs are more like Ballmer; they are managers, not pioneers, and they don't get the credit when they do a good job, or steer the best possible result in a losing cause.
  The job of a CEO is not to be a "manager". They are to be the leader. The job of a President or COO is to be the manager. Ballmer was never a leader; he just managed things without a larger sense of what MS was supposed to do. His
  
  I use the basketball analogy to point out that there can be a lot of basketball superstars, and not match the performance of a Michael Jordan.
  A more correct analogy has nothing to do with performance. Phil Jackson who coached both Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant would pick MJ over Kobe because MJ was a stronger leader in his opinion.
  
  That doesn't make them failures, and it doesn't make Ballmer a failure for not matching Jobs' performance.
  Again, it's not a binary: failure or success. Ballmer didn't do as well as Jobs not because he didn't match the stock price increase that Apple had. He didn't do as well as Jobs because under his watch MS was reactionary to whatever Google, Oracle, Apple, etc was doing.
  
  --
  Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
45. Re:Instead of a new TV I guess by stenvar · 2014-06-06 02:26 · Score: 1
  
  Your retirement savings should be about 8x of your final salary. A Porsche is about $80000. Developers easily make $100000. So, yeah, it's about like you or I going out and buying a Porsche.
Re:News for Nerds? by flatt · 2014-05-29 12:25 · Score: 1, Insightful

You might be shocked to find out, despite the stereotype, that a large number of nerds are interested in professional sports as well. When an important figure in technology buys a sports team, it is a newsworthy item. Otherwise, feel free to ignore stories that you personally don't find interesting going forward.
Steve is channeling his inner Cuban by rmdingler · 2014-05-29 12:29 · Score: 1

Nowadays, a complete collection of pristine antique automobiles and two Gulfstreams aren't enough to get Billionaire-level respect.
How many pro teams you own, bro?

--
Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.
Ernest Hemingway
1. Re:Steve is channeling his inner Cuban by confused+one · 2014-05-29 13:23 · Score: 1
  
  my yacht is bigger than your yacht...
2. Re:Steve is channeling his inner Cuban by jd2112 · 2014-05-29 13:32 · Score: 1
  
  my yacht is bigger than your yacht...
  Translation: Your penis is bigger than my penis...
  
  --
  Any insufficiently advanced magic is indistinguishable from technology.
3. Re:Steve is channeling his inner Cuban by Stormwatch · 2014-05-29 16:09 · Score: 1
  
  thatsthejoke.jpg
  
  --
  Circumcision is child abuse.
What do the Clippers need? by Anonymous Coward · 2014-05-29 12:30 · Score: 1

Rebounders! Rebounders! Rebounders! Rebounders! Rebounders!
(or maybe Scorers! Scorers! Scorers! Scorers! Scorers!)
Wow that much money? by linuxguy · 2014-05-29 12:39 · Score: 3, Insightful

One has to wonder if Donald Sterling would have received this much money for his team without a scandal? It appears to me that he greatly profited from the scandal.
1. Re:Wow that much money? by rhsanborn · 2014-05-29 13:35 · Score: 1
  
  We just need a political angle and maybe we can get Glenn Beck to "ask some questions"...
2. Re:Wow that much money? by quantaman · 2014-05-29 14:04 · Score: 3, Interesting
  
  One has to wonder if Donald Sterling would have received this much money for his team without a scandal? It appears to me that he greatly profited from the scandal.
  Without the scandal it wouldn't have been sold until after his death.
  Almost certainly the scandal would have depressed the price if it changed it at all, I don't see how it made the Clippers more valuable. The longer Sterling held onto the Clippers the more they became associated with racism and the more the brand was damaged. Sterling had to sell quick and that meant the pool of potential buyers were whomever could scrape the cash on short notice. I don't expect it made a big dent in the final price but it probably depressed it a bit.
  
  --
  I stole this Sig
3. Re:Wow that much money? by ganjadude · 2014-05-30 01:30 · Score: 1
  
  simple, it became more valuable because more people wanted to take it from sterling. in their heads they are sticking it to him by taking his baby, if im him though id just be all like ok, i bought this for 12 million, and sold it for 2 billion.... wheres the punishment?
  
  --
  have you seen my sig? there are many others like it but none that are the same
4. Re:Wow that much money? by JackieBrown · 2014-05-30 04:57 · Score: 1
  
  If his goal was cash instead of owning the team. Considering he was not selling before this, I don't think it was his goal.
  It's not like he was poor, living paycheck to paycheck, and now has 2 billion dollars.
5. Re:Wow that much money? by quantaman · 2014-05-30 06:04 · Score: 1
  
  simple, it became more valuable because more people wanted to take it from sterling. in their heads they are sticking it to him by taking his baby, if im him though id just be all like ok, i bought this for 12 million, and sold it for 2 billion.... wheres the punishment?
  He's obscenely rich. You have money so you can buy toys, but now he has to sell one of his favourite toys and he can't buy another to replace it, that's punishment. Moreover he's just went from obscenely rich owner of an NBA franchise to obscenely rich person who was so repugnant he had his franchise taken away, that level of condemnation has to sting.
  
  --
  I stole this Sig
6. Re:Wow that much money? by ganjadude · 2014-05-30 06:07 · Score: 1
  
  depends on how you look at it
  
  Im im him, and im old and dying as claimed. Im going to spend every last dollar of that 2 billion to destroy the NBA by any means possible. Id turn it into a game myself
  
  --
  have you seen my sig? there are many others like it but none that are the same
Next Steps by bobstreo · 2014-05-29 12:39 · Score: 5, Funny

Outsource players to Indian H1B visa holders.
Force cross licensing with beer and food vendors.
Require ticket upgrades before you are admitted, no matter how much you paid.
Seasons will only be good in odd years.
Any televised games will require DirectX support.
1. Re:Next Steps by PolygamousRanchKid+ · 2014-05-29 12:53 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  No, he's going to Nokia it:
  Bring Steve Elop in to run the team into the ground.
  Keep the Clippers Intellectual Property and Patents and Stuff.
  Profit!
  
  --
  Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
rid of Ballmer by globaljustin · 2014-05-29 12:44 · Score: 2

at least we in the tech industry can be thankful that the NBA & LA community will now have to put up with Ballmer's antics
what if it was the reverse?
successful athletes, coaches, and celebrities bought up startups with their big spending...
can you imagine a consortium of Oprah, Magic Johnson, and some Goldman/Sach's types buying facebook.com from Zuck & Co when it was still valued in the low millions before they got on their IPO track w/ Theil?

--
Thank you Dave Raggett
1. Re:rid of Ballmer by quantaman · 2014-05-29 14:13 · Score: 1
  
  at least we in the tech industry can be thankful that the NBA & LA community will now have to put up with Ballmer's antics
  what if it was the reverse?
  successful athletes, coaches, and celebrities bought up startups with their big spending...
  can you imagine a consortium of Oprah, Magic Johnson, and some Goldman/Sach's types buying facebook.com from Zuck & Co when it was still valued in the low millions before they got on their IPO track w/ Theil?
  It probably wouldn't work.
  Owning a sports franchise is basically a vanity project. Hire a GM to handle the drafts, trades, and contracts, other folks to handle the marketing, then you basically get to be a super fan who has a legit stake in the team. You don't need to evaluate whether your basketball team should open up a hockey team as well, or if you should only start four players to save on costs. You don't even really need to make money because you're a fan and doing it for fun.
  Owning a company is something else entirely, mergers, product lines, etc. You can buy stock and own some in a non-decision making capacity, but to have any input you need a lot more business skills than you would for a franchise.
  
  --
  I stole this Sig
2. Re:rid of Ballmer by dkf · 2014-05-29 20:45 · Score: 1
  
  Owning a sports franchise is basically a vanity project. Hire a GM to handle the drafts, trades, and contracts, other folks to handle the marketing, then you basically get to be a super fan who has a legit stake in the team. You don't need to evaluate whether your basketball team should open up a hockey team as well, or if you should only start four players to save on costs. You don't even really need to make money because you're a fan and doing it for fun.
  You need to think more in terms of how to monetize! Media rights. Merchandise. Special access opportunities for other super-fans. Franchise-themed credit card. If being a super-fan is the only thing you can think of, you're wasting that asset...
  
  --
  "Little does he know, but there is no 'I' in 'Idiot'!"
3. Re:rid of Ballmer by dwpro · 2014-05-30 00:59 · Score: 1
  
  what if it was the reverse? successful athletes, coaches, and celebrities bought up startups with their big spending...
  I think you just described 38 studios, only it was a baseball player, a business executive, and two authors.
  
  --
  Millions long for immortality who do not know what to do with themselves on a rainy Sunday afternoon. -- Susan Ertz
4. Re:rid of Ballmer by ganjadude · 2014-05-30 01:33 · Score: 1
  
  im pretty sure a big part of any deal is that the team stay in LA
  
  --
  have you seen my sig? there are many others like it but none that are the same
5. Re:rid of Ballmer by globaljustin · 2014-05-30 03:41 · Score: 1
  
  yeah but when the Sonics were purchased part of the deal was that they had to stay in Seattle...so...that shows how binding those agreements are
  they'll be back in Seattle
  
  --
  Thank you Dave Raggett
6. Re:rid of Ballmer by ganjadude · 2014-05-30 06:08 · Score: 1
  
  true, we can only hope. Theres no need for how many teams there are in cali
  
  --
  have you seen my sig? there are many others like it but none that are the same
This might be good for the team by MiniMike · 2014-05-29 12:46 · Score: 5, Funny

Their hang time should increase dramatically...
1. Re:This might be good for the team by Frosty+Piss · 2014-05-29 14:11 · Score: 1
  
  They will change the color of their uniforms to a navy blue color, the team logo and player names will be cryptic...
  
  --
  If you want news from today, you have to come back tomorrow.
Meet the new boss... by frank_adrian314159 · 2014-05-29 12:46 · Score: 1

Just as incompetent as the old boss.

--
That is all.
1. Re:Meet the new boss... by mjwx · 2014-05-29 13:08 · Score: 1
  
  Just as incompetent as the old boss.
  I think I've seen this movie, didn't Whoopi Goldberg become coach?
  
  --
  Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
Players do the same. by Anonymous Coward · 2014-05-29 12:49 · Score: 2, Insightful

I suppose Sterling has cut a loathsome figure, but how many players do the same? Do you think if a survey was made of social media and other outlets, that one could easily find instances of players making racist comments, using foul language, and paying for lurid PDA encounters with every flavor of the week? Just seems like if equal protection were to be applied, then lots of players would be paying fines, being banned, and losing rings and trophies.
1. Re:Players do the same. by phantomfive · 2014-05-29 16:26 · Score: 1
  
  It seems that the NBA just didn't like Donald Sterling. When people don't like you, they look for an excuse to kick you out of their club.
  
  --
  "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
2. Re:Players do the same. by Ralph+Wiggam · 2014-05-30 04:28 · Score: 1
  
  The people in charge, that make decisions about hiring and firing, need to be held to a higher standard.
3. Re:Players do the same. by Khashishi · 2014-05-30 06:06 · Score: 1
  
  Wrong. This got serious media attention, and Adam Silver was basically forced to act on it.
4. Re:Players do the same. by hendrips · 2014-05-30 06:06 · Score: 1
  
  Bill Simmons had an article on ESPN.com about that. He describes in great detail, from a large number of NBA sources and his own experience, how Sterling was always a hated asshole that everyone wanted to get rid of, for at least the past 20 years.
5. Re:Players do the same. by phantomfive · 2014-05-30 09:06 · Score: 1
  
  Wrong. This got serious media attention, and Adam Silver was basically forced to act on it.
  Yeah, just like the Redskins are forced to change their name because of all the media attention.
  
  Seriously, how many other ways do you think he could have handled this situation?
  
  --
  "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
It's Steve "Baller" Now by theodp · 2014-05-29 12:55 · Score: 1

NBA Players! NBA Players! NBA Players! I LOVE THIS TEAM!!!!
Ballmer and Allen by colinrichardday · 2014-05-29 12:57 · Score: 1

What happens when the Clippers play the Trailblazers?
1. Re:Ballmer and Allen by Tablizer · 2014-05-29 18:17 · Score: 1
  
  What happens when the Clippers play the Trailblazers?
  Version incompatibilities. The refs will be arguing rules all game.
  
  --
  Table-ized A.I.
Re:Ballmer's speech to the team by binarylarry · 2014-05-29 13:05 · Score: 1

Now with Reversi, YES REVERSI!

--
Mod me down, my New Earth Global Warmingist friends!
Free speech by nurb432 · 2014-05-29 13:06 · Score: 1

Takes a hit. I may not agree with that the guy said, but i would still fight for his right to say it.
( yes, i know you are not guaranteed free speech in a private organization, but any org that doesn't honor those concepts as a core value should not be an organization that you give your money too )

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---- Booth was a patriot ----
1. Re:Free speech by radarskiy · 2014-05-29 14:47 · Score: 1
  
  He did get his free speech. No one stopped him from saying anything.
  Also, the rest of the NBA chose to exercise their free speech by disassociating from him under the terms of the franchise that he *voluntarily* agreed to. Why do you hate contracts?
2. Re:Free speech by fnj · 2014-05-29 15:40 · Score: 1
  
  Also, the rest of the NBA chose to exercise their free speech by disassociating from him under the terms of the franchise that he *voluntarily* agreed to. Why do you hate contracts?
  Really? You think he agreed to bullshit terms that limited his right to have thoughts and opinions and to reveal them in PRIVATE CONVERSATION never intended for publication? I suppose it's possible. The plague of PC-think is not to be underestimated.
3. Re:Free speech by N1AK · 2014-05-29 21:52 · Score: 1
  
  You think he agreed to bullshit terms that limited his right to have thoughts and opinions and to reveal them in PRIVATE CONVERSATION never intended for publication?
  Yes; it's not a hard question because he did, whether you're butthurt that people might be held to account for being racists or not. If you're a racist you won't get my money, support or help and that's regardless of how I find out that you're a racist; that's my freedom right there :P
4. Re:Free speech by nurb432 · 2014-05-30 01:21 · Score: 1
  
  I hate contracts? No, i hate organizations run by assholes that dont honor basic human rights, and are hypocrites.
  And i hate stupid people who cant understand what i said the first time and make stuff up to make it sound like they are intelligent.
  
  --
  ---- Booth was a patriot ----
Waiting by hduff · 2014-05-29 13:07 · Score: 1

Waiting for the inevitable reboot of the franchise.

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"I believe in Karma. That means I can do bad things to people all day long and I assume they deserve it." : Dogbert
BSOD by Snufu · 2014-05-29 13:09 · Score: 1

Blue Screen-and-roll of Death
This is the year of by Snufu · 2014-05-29 13:10 · Score: 1

Linux basketball.
Re:I think I speak for a lot of people by fermion · 2014-05-29 13:10 · Score: 1

I think it will make the game very exciting. Seeing chairs thrown every time the refs makes a controversial call will maximize attendance.

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"She's a scientist and a lesbian. She's not going to let it slide." Orphan Black
Re:News for Nerds? by just_another_sean · 2014-05-29 13:12 · Score: 1

Yeah but wasn't Ballmer just a jock who had Gates doing his homework for him in exchange for keeping him from getting beat up? Or did I just take Pirates of Silicon Valley way too seriously?

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Creationist Textbook Stickers Declared Unconstitutional by CowboyNeal
This isn't a sale by GodfatherofSoul · 2014-05-29 13:16 · Score: 1

This is an *offer*. I had a feeling that Sterling was trying to negotiate in the press when he pointed out he's been offered as much as $2.5B (probably a lie). I don't think he's as dead set against the sale as he says. We'll see that when he gets the price he was asking for.

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I swear to God...I swear to God! That is NOT how you treat your human!
Taking John Hodgman seriously? by matbury · 2014-05-29 13:25 · Score: 1

Looks like Steve Ballmer saw John Hodgman's arguments for buying the LA Clippers and took him seriously: https://www.youtube.com/watch?... Now Ballmer can have his very own herd of humans.
1. Re:Taking John Hodgman seriously? by matbury · 2014-05-29 13:28 · Score: 1
  
  If your IP address if favoured by our media overlords, there's a better quality version of the video here: http://www.nerdist.com/2014/05...
Even better by NotSoHeavyD3 · 2014-05-29 13:30 · Score: 1

Watching him hop up and down court-side like a rabbit on crack because the Clippers just scored.

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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.
1. Re:Even better by Opportunist · 2014-05-29 16:15 · Score: 1
  
  I
  LOVE
  THIS
  TEAM
  YEEEEAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!
  (picture this screamed by an overweight man with crescents under his armpits big enough to star in a deodorant commercial as the "before" model)
  
  --
  We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
2. Re:Even better by Xest · 2014-05-29 21:35 · Score: 1
  
  Who needs cheerleaders when you can have the comedy of dancing Ballmer?
3. Re:Even better by Opportunist · 2014-05-29 22:29 · Score: 1
  
  Dude. Cheerleaders vs. Ballmer. Ok? Think about it.
  Hell, even if you're gay the decision is easy!
  
  --
  We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
the key to winning by slashmydots · 2014-05-29 13:33 · Score: 1

The key to winning every game is DEVELOPERS, DEVELOPERS, DEVELOPERS, DEVELOPERS, DEVELOPERS! Which apparently Slashdot thinks is too many capital letters but Steve Ballmer does not.
Immediate change in the ball shape. by 140Mandak262Jamuna · 2014-05-29 13:51 · Score: 2

Steve Ballmer is going to push for change in the shape of the ball. It should not be a sphere, but more like a chair or something. Something easier to throw.

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sed -e 's/Chuck Norris/Rajnikant/g' joke > fact
1. Re:Immediate change in the ball shape. by martas · 2014-05-29 22:49 · Score: 1
  
  No no no, it has to be a large white cube, with "BASKETBALL" written in the middle of every side in all caps. Orange spheres are sooo win95.
  
  --
  weinersmith
Love the local newsreaders by Snotnose · 2014-05-29 14:39 · Score: 1

Watching the news tonight the anchor said he offered 1.8 million. I kept watching for her to realize she blew it. Nothing. I backed it up and rewatched it, she definately said million, not billion. News today really sucks :(
the fun will continue by sribe · 2014-05-29 14:48 · Score: 1

Yesterday Sterling said he would sell the team voluntarily. Today Sterling says he opposes the sale and will sue. Tomorrow he will be happy to sell to put the scandal behind him. The next day...
Man, Alzheimer's sucks even for racist bastards..
It's like porn.... by roc97007 · 2014-05-29 15:01 · Score: 1

> "Former Microsoft CEO..."
Oh, please say it again!
> "Former Microsoft CEO..."
One more time!
> "Former Microsoft CEO..."
Man, I can't get enough of that.

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Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
You forgot one by Ecuador · 2014-05-29 15:07 · Score: 5, Funny

Go to the first team meeting and start yelling: "Defenders, defenders, defenders!"

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Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent. Polar Scope Align for iOS
1. Re:You forgot one by x0 · 2014-05-30 01:57 · Score: 1
  
  Go to the first team meeting and start yelling: "Defenders, defenders, defenders!"
  I would think it would be: "Dribble! Dribble! Dribble!"
  
  m
  
  --
  In the immortal words of Socrates, who said; 'I drank what?'
Ballers! by ichthus · 2014-05-29 15:12 · Score: 1

"Ballers! Ballers! Ballers! Ballers! Ballers! Ballers! Ballers! Ballers! Ballers! Ballers! Ballers! Ballers! Ballers! Ballers! Ballers! Ballers!"

*collapses on court floor*

"Ball... *gasp* ers. Bah. ha. hhhhhaa"

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sig: sauer
Re:News for Nerds? by Fjandr · 2014-05-29 15:32 · Score: 1

Ballmer is the quintessential A-type jock personality. He's CEO of a tech company because of that. He's not in any sense a nerd, geek, or otherwise intellectual character.
Re:News for Nerds? by Opportunist · 2014-05-29 15:59 · Score: 1

Not even sorta. He was a CEO. That it was a company dealing with "computer stuff" was mostly coincidental.
Most CEOs actually think that it really does not matter what they're selling, everything is sold the same way according to them. Yes, they don't have a clue what they're selling. They think they needn't have one.

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We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
Re:Bobby Knight by avandesande · 2014-05-29 16:19 · Score: 1

You beat me to it by a few seconds.... :-) maybe he should hire him as a coach?

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love is just extroverted narcissism
Likely outcome by istartedi · 2014-05-29 17:08 · Score: 1

"Players, players, players..."; but he'll charge them $3000 to see the contract. Chair-throwing at every game of course. Best of all, slightly different and inferior version of plays used by the Lakers. Also, brown uniforms.
OK. I'm done now. No, wait. Spy devices embedded in every ticket, which may or may not get you into the arena due to various glitches.
OK. I'm done... I think.

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For all intensive purposes, "whom" is no longer a word. That begs the question, "who cares"?
According to BLS... by Gordo_1 · 2014-05-29 17:53 · Score: 1

$12.5M in 1981 would only be worth $32.6M today (http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl?cost1=12500&year1=1981&year2=2014). While that's certainly nothing to scoff at, back in 1981, it seems that an NBA franchise was well within the range of many 1%ers, whereas today it seems that a franchise is really only in the domain of the 0.01%. What I can't figure out is, what happened to NBA (and sports franchises in general) over the last 33 years to have out-paced inflation by so much? Even if you think Ballmer paid 3-4x what it's really worth, the rate of growth is still an order of magnitude greater than inflation over that period.
1. Re:According to BLS... by tsqr · 2014-05-30 01:58 · Score: 1
  
  What I can't figure out is, what happened to NBA (and sports franchises in general) over the last 33 years to have out-paced inflation by so much?
  Last season, the 30 NBA teams averaged $200,000,000 each in media revenue. If the Clippers can meet that average, it's a 10% ROI just from that particular revenue stream.
Re:This is the year of [Linux ball] by Tablizer · 2014-05-29 18:15 · Score: 1

The Alaskan Penguins?
They can all see the trophy from their houses.

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Table-ized A.I.
Ballmer is jealous of Paul Allen by l0n3s0m3phr34k · 2014-05-29 18:31 · Score: 1

LOL, he must be jealous of Paul Allen owning the Blazers. Ballmer will never be as awesome as Allen of course, and Allen being on a recent Portlandia skit was side-splittingly funny...“I brought this idea to my financial advisors and they said no,” Allen said. “But I’m hoping you say yes.” Funny for one he doesn't need anyone's money as he's super loaded, two the actual uniform has their airport code (PDX) and a horrid line drawing with a small campfire on it...sometimes Portlandia's skits aren't the best but when they hit the nail they really drive it in! Now if only IFC would do another season of The Increasingly Poor Choices of Todd Margret! And MASSIVE PROPS to Allen for funding Scaled Composites for the X-Prize, if only more wealthy people like him invested in space aerotech...
As long as Magic Johnson doesn't get it by gelfling · 2014-05-29 23:21 · Score: 1

I'm fine. Who cares?
Re:News for Nerds? by MachineShedFred · 2014-05-29 23:46 · Score: 1

Most CEOs actually think that it really does not matter what they're selling, everything is sold the same way according to them. Yes, they don't have a clue what they're selling. They think they needn't have one.
And this explains Microsoft's "lost decade" perfectly.

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Slashdot still doesnâ(TM)t support Unicode after it was added to the HTML standard in 1997.
My guess: by fredrated · 2014-05-30 01:24 · Score: 1

Sterling will pay little or no taxes.
I can see the first player/owner now.... by cjjjer · 2014-05-30 01:33 · Score: 1

"Players" "Players" "Players" "Players" "Players"
Re:News for Nerds? by Opportunist · 2014-05-30 02:39 · Score: 1

MS did what IBM did in the 80s. They thought that they are indispensable. That people can't ignore them. That people will buy their product, even if they come late to the party.
IBM ignored the emerging PC market. They actually considered it "beneath" them to produce computers for small businesses or even home users. Computers at home. That can never catch on. Up until the 70s, computers were big, ugly closets that were tucked away safely in the basement of big companies with (dumb) terminals connected to and dependent on them. That was their market, that was their expertise, and that was what they wanted to sell. When they noticed that the PC market took off and that people (and companies!) wanted those machines rather than their big closets, they jumped onto it and tried to force people to take on THEIR flavor. OS/2, you might remember the system. It was in some way superior to Windows, but in the end it was too bulky, too "heavy" and not really well supported. Their downfall was their assumption that "you can't ignore IBM", that you MUST buy their flavor even if you already bought the other one, and that manufacturers HAVE to dance to their tune. They didn't notice that not only did the time move past them but that people actually were very HAPPY to have an alternative because IBM had a nasty tendency to abuse its position of power.
Sounds familiar?
Replace IBM with MS, PC with tablet (or search engine, or MP3-player, or ... well, pretty much any other technology MS tried to embrace-extend-extinguish in the past decade) and you have the same story again.

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We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
Re:News for Nerds? by Richy_T · 2014-05-30 02:55 · Score: 2

I'm sure large numbers are interested in many things (cars, hiking, motorcycles, music, fashion etc) but that doesn't make them suitable fodder for this site.
vaporware by globaljustin · 2014-05-30 03:45 · Score: 1

from the 38 Studios wiki:
"The state of Rhode Island filed a lawsuit in November 2012 against Schilling, Stokes, and other backers of 38 Studios.[25]"
They admitted wrongdoing in 2014...vaporware on the public dime!

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Thank you Dave Raggett
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