Clippers Sale Approved By NBA, But Still Not A Done Deal

It would be nearly impossible to make up what has happened with the Clippers and Donald and Shelly Sterling.

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On Friday, we learned that Mr. Sterling had been examined by doctors for the Trust, who found him incompetent. There are reports that he's been diagnosed with Alzheimers.

Mrs. Sterling managed to sell the team, almost overnight, for  $2 billion to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.

The NBA approved Ballmer's bid, also in record time, and now the owners have to accept it.

That's no problem - a $2 billion dollar bid will drive up future sales. The owners aren't stupid.

Mr. Sterling is still angry and, not surprisingly given his litiginous nature, has filed a suit against the NBA for $1 billion.

Sterling's basis: the recording at the heart of all of this was illegally made and a violation of his privacy rights and was "grossly discriminatory" compared to fines against players who have made unpleasant comments about gays and disabled people.

Assuming that the sale isn't delayed by the lawsuit, Ballmer is making the right noises so far: he wants to keep the team in LA - says it makes no sense to move it due to the market advantages in LA - and that he's willing to lavish money on the team.

However, if there are any snags, the June 3rd meeting which was originally scheduled to vote on kicking the Sterlings out of the league is still on.

If it's not resolved by then, the league may still vote on it, and then the sale is void, with the league putting the team back on the block.

One final note, and this is smart: Arash Markazi of ESPN LA suggests that Ballmer should change the team's name. What a great idea.

Aside from getting away from the Sterling era, let's face it - a lot of team names are basically lame and some are tied to earlier eras (and don't even get into animal nicknames). Thus we have the Cleveland Indians, the Washington Redskins, the Golden State Warriors, the Houston Rockets, the Houston Astros, the LA Dodgers and Lakers and, formerly, the Seattle Supersonics.

A more contemporary name would be a plus and given Ballmer's life's work, something high tech would be a positive too.

So here are a few choices, some more serious than others:

• LA Blue Screens
• LA Lasers
• LA Cloud
• LA Emoticons
• LA Flash
• LA Cosmo
• LA Virus (probably more appropriate to the previous regime)
• LA Widgets
• LA Beats, but that's probably off the table since Apple bought Dr. Dre's company.
• LA Longboards
• LA Time
• LA Jam
• LA Bamba

• Experts: Donald Sterling would be wise to accept sale
• NBA moves on Clippers sale, Sterling sues for $1 billion
• Donald Sterling's antitrust suit against NBA adds new wrinkle to saga
• Donald Sterling declared mentally unfit after Alzheimer's diagnosis
• New owner deserves new city: Let Seattle have the Clippers
• Steve Ballmer may change Los Angeles Clippers team