The NBA’s Penalty: A Lesson in Self-Preservation for the LA Clippers

The NBA’s decision to fine the LA Clippers $30 million and strip them of five draft picks has sent shockwaves through the league. The financial hit is severe, but it’s not just that which has fans and players up in arms – it’s the principle of the thing.

The feeling among many is that the team was unfairly targeted by Commissioner Adam Silver and his team. However, as the Clippers’ owner Steve Ballmer fumes and rants in open letters to the commissioner, it’s worth taking a step back to examine how this situation might have played out differently.

A notable precedent for the Clippers can be found in the Minnesota Timberwolves’ salary cap circumvention scandal of 2000. The episode involved former No. 1 draft pick Joe Smith and an under-the-table contract with the Wolves, resulting in a five-year penalty for the team. The punishment included losing five first-round picks from 2001 to 2005.

What’s often overlooked is how the Timberwolves’ ownership handled the situation. Instead of fighting against the punishment, they ultimately accepted it and made some smart moves. Within a year, Commissioner David Stern had returned two of the Wolves’ lost picks, citing “the team’s conduct since the Smith matter concluded” as reason for the leniency.

The Wolves mitigated their losses by 40% during the penalty period. They even made the playoffs every year and reached the conference finals in 2004. The key takeaway from this is that sometimes accepting punishment can be the best course of action – not because it’s easy or weak, but because it’s smart.

It allows teams to move forward and focus on what really matters: putting a competitive product on the court. This approach requires discipline and self-preservation, traits that are essential for success in professional sports.

The Clippers’ situation is more dire than the Wolves’, having lost five first-round picks and the ability to trade any remaining picks around those taken from 2029 to 2034. The punishment badly damages their hand next summer.

However, it’s clear that Commissioner Silver and Rick Buchanan, two of the most accomplished lawyers in the league, know what they’re doing. They engineered a plea deal with Kawhi Leonard and his union before announcing the findings and suspension. This eliminated the Clippers’ ability to take the case to a neutral arbitrator, leaving them with fewer options to fight back.

The NBA’s investigation and punishment demonstrate that the league is willing to take tough stands when necessary – even if it means sacrificing some of its own interests in the process. The Clippers would do well to remember this and focus on moving forward instead of getting bogged down in recriminations.

As Commissioner Stern aptly put it back in 2000, “This wasn’t a close call. This wasn’t some gray area. This was a clear, calculated attempt to defraud the system.” The Clippers would be wise to swallow their pride and accept what comes their way, just as the Wolves did.