Doc Rivers Almost Burned By Sterling Really Early in His Tenure

[Snakehead]

I thought this story was just so amazing.  Sterling is why the Clippers will always, ALWAYS, be shaky, even now.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nba--clippers--summer-of-success-nearly-thrown-into-chaos-by-owner-012846814.html

In the early afternoon hours of July 3, owner Donald Sterling called Los Angeles Clippers president Andy Roeser and informed him he had rescinded approval on moving Eric Bledsoe and acquiring free agent J.J. Redick in a sign-and-trade agreement. The three-team deal – delivered the owner's blessing only two days earlier – no longer interested Sterling.

Call it off, Sterling instructed Roeser, league sources told Yahoo Sports.

Deal's dead.

It didn't matter the news had broken 24 hours earlier of the Clippers sending Bledsoe and Caron Butler to the Phoenix Suns with the Suns' Jared Dudley and Milwaukee's Redick, on a four-year, $27 million contract, joining Los Angeles. It didn't matter the public had been praising Doc Rivers' first deal as the new senior vice president of basketball operations and coach, that Rivers and general manager Gary Sacks had given their word to teams, agents and players that this was a finalized agreement.

[RJ87]

Oh no worries, Donald Sterling will strike and make a fool of Doc at some point. It's just a matter of when.

[slamtheking]

Doc and Sterling deserve each other.

Sterling will undermine Doc.

Doc will be shown for the overrated fraud that he is.

[RMO]

I'd say this is good for the Clippers considering the deal went through.  Shows there's a person/persons in that organization who can and will stand up to Sterling and stop the madness.

[wdleehi]

Very interesting.

Rivers contract gave him ultimate management authority on deals, and several sources dealing with the Clippers say that Rivers was beyond embarrassed and humiliated. He feared the unraveling of the deal would cost him his credibility and paralyze him in future trade and negotiation talks, sources said.

Rivers' job was to convince the owner – for a second time, in this instance – and there were those who believed a flat refusal on Sterling's behalf could've resulted with Rivers' resignation.

Unless things go well, I can see Rivers bolting very fast. 

[Fafnir]

This just highlights why I can't root for the Clippers, such an awful owner.

[Snakehead]

Doc when he hears Sterling called the trade off:

http://www.celticstown.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/doc-rivers-shock.jpg

This just highlights why I can't root for the Clippers, such an awful owner.

Exactly.  And being a Lakers hater I've always wanted to like the Clippers too.

[D.o.s.]

This just highlights why I can't root for the Clippers, such an awful owner.

Seriously. Their owner is definitely a scumbag and (almost certainly) a racist dick who's been nothing but 100% reprehensible for his entire tenure as an NBA owner.

[LooseCannon]

Oh no worries, Donald Sterling will strike and make a fool of Doc at some point. It's just a matter of when.

Hopefully, that "when" is the 2014-2015 season, so that the Celtics get a nice draft pick due to the Clippers imploding.

[get_banners]

Sterling is not just a bad owner, but a horrible human being, so this doesn't surprise me.
http://www.edgeofsports.com/2009-11-10-470/