Imagine thinking that rich people would actually face consequences for their actions

They’re betting on everyone forgetting

Pablo Torre has been dropping podcasts as he finds things out. The NBA and Wachtell Lipton, the firm they hired to investigate the matter (at Steve Ballmer’s expense) are not going to say anything. Silver will announce the findings and punishment, if any, when they feel like it, but probably pretty soon. I think they want this resolved by the end of the season so it’s not a story during the playoffs but they could wait until after the season.

According to Torre, 5 sources who worked with the Clippers or Aspiration and were interviewed by Wachtell Lipton confirmed that they were not asked about Steve Ballmer (Clippers owner) at all during the questioning. Not counting on Ballmer getting in much trouble here.

This is America 

The DOW is over 48,000 !

Well you see what happened was is there was a bigger scandal.

The Clippers manipulating the cap is bad, but the NBA had to focus on a bigger issue. One that might harm the legacy of the league: Hawks Magic City night.

Silver is a coward 

You want regular updates about an ongoing investigation?

Idk where everyone got this “after all star break” timeline as if the Sarver investigation, which had concrete evidence and emails, still took 6 months.

Gonna put it simply. The commissioners job is to protect the owners so when it’s an owner causing issues, the fans won’t hear anything about it.

US went to war to cover it up.

Bam shot free throws 

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This is the same league that had a betting scandal where refs were blatantly cheating, they scapegoated one guy, didnt even punish the other guy who was also obviously blatantly cheating and then pretended like it was no big deal and we all kept watching a sport that was proven they were intentionally calling bad fouls to run up scores. At the end of the day I love basketball and watch it to unwind and zone out. I know I’m part of the problem that I continue to support a sport with zero integrity but it is what it is. 

sliver being a bitch like usual

- NBA commish is the most spineless commish there is

- Richest owner owns a team in the biggest market

- America and accountability for the rich is a laughable idea

That’s pretty much it

it’s up your butt

It’s still being investigated. Nothing more anyone knows.

You guys that thought anything would happen are crazy. Rich people live outside the laws we live

Silver is spineless. he wouldnt dare expose how the owners are fucking up the rules.

Do people here really think Silver’s plan is just to hope people forget?

There will be an announcement. There will be a ruling. My guess is after the season (so it can’t overshadow the product) but before the draft or maybe even free agency (because this is where the fallout from whatever penalty there may or may be will start).

Look, Balmer isn’t innocent here. But maybe they can’t prove it. Maybe they can. Maybe the penalty will be severe. Maybe it won’t be. But this isn’t going to disappear.

When the ruling comes out, will all the knuckleheads here take a sec to realize how much of their time - and other people’s time - they waste just talking out of their ass?

My guess is by then they will already be on to talking out of their ass about some different nonsense.

We investigated ourselves and found nothing wrong. — NBA

Bam scored 83 point and we are at war in the middle east 🤷‍♂️ 

Investigations take time. Especially since no law enforcement are involved ^yet.

Don’t worry, people won’t let this slide. But unless there’s proof that an active investigation isn’t being conducted we should be patient. Punishment will probably come in the off-season.

We have investigated ourselves and found nothing wrong

This country has no moral center. Maybe we never did, but we at least pretended. Now? No one cares. Do whatever the fuck you want.

The League is waiting on Kornet to blog about it before making any moves

The journalist who broke that story just did another episode where he revealed the original whistleblower complaint that prompted the federal government to investigate and eventually prosecute Aspiration. In that complaint, which was written under penalty of perjury and loss of whistleblower protections 2 years before Pablo Torres broke the story about Kawhi and the Clippers, the whistleblower wrote as a supporting detail of how corrupt Aspiration was, that Kawhi’s contract with them was part of a plan to help the Clippers circumvent the salary cap.

But it’s also now clear that the firm hired to investigate the Clippers, which is also being paid by Steve Balmer, has made sure not to even ask anyone about Balmer’s involvement. So it looks like they’re going to find whatever their client - Steve Balmer and the NBA - want them to find.

Kawhi might get punished and the Clippers might get a slap on the wrist, but Silver works for the owners, and the owners want a league expansion more than they care about fairness.

Rich people don’t get in trouble in real life so they’re not going to get in trouble when they break the rules of their rich guy club

Basically the nba is dragging this out so they could give balmer the most minimal punishment that will satisfy the plebs

I personally liked what Henry Abbott suggested to make everyone happy - make Balmer sell the clippers, give him a one or two year suspension, bring him back right at the start of the Seattle expansion-bidding and he’ll get that team

This satisfies the fans. This gets Balmer out of the situation he’s in with the clippers/Kawhi Gives balmer a team in a city he actually wants to be in more than LA

Everything lines up.

Adam Silver is a whore, he isn’t going to dole out any punishments that impact money coming in

Silver did the Trump thing and just ignored the criticism until people forgot. It’s gross that this works.

Bam’s 83 was a distraction for the Kawhi files.

NBA only cares about bullshit

The Epstein files were released lol

Has the NBA announced the investigation is over? No.

Y’all want justice to be decided on a whim? Close reddit for a month before y’all answer this

We will get the punishment in the summer/off season. My guess is at best is that Kawaii or Clippers or both get fined a decent amount (if it’s kawaii \(50k, clippers \)250k) and a second pick taken from them.

Realistically? Pick gets taken and clippers will be verbally told not to do it again with sliver adding some new rule to prevent it again where a player has to submit proof of him doing work for an off the court team activity or something.

Worst? Legitimately nothing happens, this could happen.

In the words of Immortal Technique “you’re better off rich and guilty than poor and innocent”. None of these cats will face any meaningful punishment.

Nothing really. Wasn’t much of a deal. Owner was trying to circumvent salary cap by the league. People on Reddit are mad that a billionaire didn’t get punished by the multibillion dollar league for paying a few million extra to someone who already earns many many millions in very year.

Taking time? Wait till you hear about the 115 charges against Manchester City…

Same thing that happened to the Epstein files

Adam Silver decided the real crime was the Hawks Magic City night so he shifted attention there.

The reality is, the NBA is waiting for things to blow over even more in the public eye and then you’ll see a slap on the wrist. Maybe 10-20 games for Kawhi, to be served at the start of next year. You have the biggest firm in the United States investigating. It doesn’t take a year to hand down a suspension.

Same shit that’s happening with the Epstein scandal. It’ll get buried in the news cycle, people lose interest, and the offending parties get off either Scott free or with a performative slap on the wrist. Spoiler: it’s because they’re rich.

They put Jackson Hayes in the dunk contest so you would have something to complain and forget about the bribes

it doesn’t matter anymore, the league was always fixed

Why people give a shit about Kawhi getting some extra bread? 

After the clearly manipulated trade of Luka to the Lakers for AD & Kupp, I’m not sure Silver will do anything at all.

Its not being swept under the rug its in plain view for you, always has been, its america

I’m a Laker fan the more this isplayed down and the less the punishment, the better for us as precedent will be set for when we decide to do it

It seems like Adam Silver is sweeping it under the rug to avoid pissing off a mega-billionaire owner and to limit Oklahoma City’s chances of getting a high lottery pick from the Clippers. It’s lame as hell.

Same thing that happened with the Epstein files

Rich people are above the law, did you miss the memo?

Kawhi balling out of his mind to distract everyone the past months

Nothing, because this is America and you can do whatever when you’re rich enough.

Thing is the NBA is trying to take action against the wealthiest man in the league and the wealthiest man in the league is going to be able to afford accordingly expensive lawyers. So if they’re going to do anything they need to make sure either they have Ballmer dead to rights or the punishment is light enough that Ballmer won’t bother taking the PR hit by fighting back.

If it’s the former this is going to take time because it’s a large, complicated case (and nothing Pablo has offered yet is 100% smoking-gun proof, mind you) or the punishment is so light that they’d prefer it not to overshadow the regular season and playoffs. Either way it’s going to take time.

First time?

Billionaires aren’t held accountable.

So… what happened to the Epstein scandal?

Rich people get away with things.

Im surprised anyone expected it to go anywhere.

No one really gives a shit. There’s a massive war in the Middle East, and our president was probably involved in a pedophile ring.

It’s whatever man. Whole world’s going to shit, sports going to shit is just another shit stain on the wall.

If they get a slap on the wrist it won’t stop guys like Ballmer who do whatever the fuck they want and laugh about fines and penalties. Kawhi is playing his best basketball this year and not missing games which too me is because he’s guilty and he knows it and wants to distract from it by playing basketball just in case he gets fined or penalized in some way. They both need repercussions. Pablo has proven that Ballmer knew the deal and so did Kawhi.

Shhh… We’re not supposed to be talking about that. 🤫

Aspiration… whateva happened there

They’re still looking into it. But even after all of it the worst the clippers will get is like a second round pick taken away

It turns out trees really were planted, they just hadn’t grown past saplings yet so some people thought they were weeds.

If nothing happens then every team should plant some trees and abuse this method

If you’re wealthy enough, you kinda just get away with things and hope everyone forgets.

Everyone forgot because Kawhi is the best player in the league again.

I think something we can learn in general within these past years that if you’re rich and powerful, you can do ANYTHING you want

I dont know…but my boy is giving the aT Wolves the business right now.

Ballmer is one of the 10 wealthiest people in the World! He could buy the entire league and still be worth billions. Silver wants us all to just forget about it and move on! lol

Ballmer is technically Adam’s boss, so nothing will happen…paying dudes under the table is no biggie small potatoes really /s

Rule # 1= WE DONT TALK ABOUT FIGHT CLUB!

What about those tanking Utah Jazz! Fire dare they mess with the betting lines!!! /s

Come on man, consequences? In this economy? For a rich person?

Lemon pepper wings are a bigger scandal

Found a rug to sweep it under

We’re gonna tackle that one right after Epstein

The consequences are under a rug somewhere.

The League moved on to more important things like strippers and chicken wings.

Balmer is investigating himself while Silver doesnt do shit.

Do you see how Kawhi is playing right now? Silver definitely told the Clippers “no more load management or I’m voiding Kawhi’s contract”

The obvious happened.

They are waiting until my fantasy hoops playoffs end before making any announcements

You bet your ass if Gerten’s paid Anthony Edwards millions under the table Adam Silver would have already relegated the wolves to the big 10.

Dont you understand? It will now always be ‘after’ after. Tomorrow, five years all the same truth. 

We have to fix tanking first /s

It’s a WWE rigged joke league. You think anything will happen? lol

I feel like they will announce something in the offseason at this point to minimize the frenzy.

Ballmer went on an interview, and assured everyone he had no clue it was happening, therefore the investigation ended.

Classic case of we don’t want to piss off our richest team owner who really supports his team.

This is how I feel about the expansion rumors