u/drewmanshow

That’s how much of a nothingburger it is.

Ausland is only scratching the surface. The false narrative of episode 13 allows Torre to present the Clippers employee as his second source. The first source, the Intuit Dome contractor, claimed there was a secret cap circumvention deal between Leonard and Daktronics. The second source said they knew about the deal with Daktronics, and Torre made it seem like that source was confirming the secret deal.

Except it wasn’t a secret, as we learned from the emails in episode 14. Without the false narrative, Torre couldn’t use the second source to confirm the first source’s account.

When you look at both episodes together and remove the false narrative, there’s only one person claiming cap circumvention: the Intuit Dome contractor. One source, pure hearsay, and he reached out to Torre after the first episode aired.

A false narrative covering up a false lead.

I tried to do a recap of the latest PTFO episode and didn’t have enough time. I’ve commented on it plenty in other threads, although more can be said about how desperate Torre is getting with the RIFC angle.

Here what Torre found out: The governor of RI went to a Clippers game with the LA-based owner of RIFC. The tickets were from a Clippers sponsor, whom the governor reimbursed. And the governor wore an RIFC jersey to the game. That’s it.

Torre wants us to believe this was some kind of nefarious plot between Ballmer, Leonard, RIFC, the governor, Daktronics, and Visit Rwanda. It’s an absurd conspiracy theory. This is exactly how an out-of-town VIP would attend a sporting event. The governor was in LA on business, went to a game with someone doing business in his state, and sat in luxury seats that were available. No laws were broken. Leonard had nothing to do with it other than he played that night.

Also of note: Torre sent a spy to capture video of the governor and the spy recorded the wrong guy. Investigative journalism at its finest.

Last week, I suggested that Torre told Wachtell about RIFC. Since then, RIFC put out a statement that they haven’t been in contact with Wachtell. So now we know that RIFC wasn’t the second sponsorship deal Wachtell investigated, which makes sense because RIFC was an investment anyway.

That brings us to this week’s episode. In trying to figure out the second sponsorship deal, Torre reached into his back pocket and brought out claims of a deal with Daktronics. They’re the makers of the Halo board, along with many other scoreboards across the country. Again, I’m speculating that Torre mentioned Daktronics when he met with Wachtell. And I wouldn’t be surprised if he mentioned more potential deals beyond Daktronics and RIFC.

I’m also guessing that another PTFO episode on Daktronics is coming. There has to be, because all Torre introduced was hearsay. He aired clips from an interview with one anonymous Intuit employee, who claimed Leonard had a sponsorship deal with Daktronics for “millions of dollars” to circumvent the salary cap. Torre also claimed he spoke with an anonymous Clippers employee who said they knew about the deal. That’s it. The anonymous Intuit employee saw the first episode about Aspiration and then reached out to Torre, accusing Daktronics of the same thing. Torre has been looking into it ever since and apparently the only other thing he found was the verbal confirmation from a Clippers employee.

I’m not going to comment any further on Daktronics until Torre “uncovers” more evidence. Is there a record of an LLC set up by Leonard or his team? A copy of the contract between Daktronics and Leonard? How about the actual amount of the deal? Until then, all we have is a flimsy accusation.

This might be the second sponsorship deal Wachtell investigated, so maybe we’ll get more details from them when this is over.

For all the sheeple who will reply to this with, “What about the crisis firm?” What about it? People doing business in Los Angeles hired a crisis firm based in Los Angeles. And it’s possible that - during an active investigation - Ballmer was referring other parties to said firm. What a scandal.

It took me one try to debunk Torre’s narrative that all celebrity investments are publicized. Carmelo Anthony was an early investor in Lyft. According to Claude, there wasn’t a press release or any other form of announcement to the public about the deal.

Anthony was with the Knicks at the time, playing in the ideal market for Lyft. Think of the boost he could have given them. Instead, he chose to be a silent partner. An angel celebrity investor.

Angel celebrity investors tend to be low profile, by the way. Anthony made a number of investments like this.

I’ll make this quick, because the episode was a waste of time and a complete nothingburger.

What he found out:

1. A businessman from LA owns a USL team, Rhode Island FC
2. Leonard, Uncle Dennis, and Mitch Frankel all invested in RIFC individually
3. Daniel Theis also invested in the team, 8 months before joining the Clippers
4. Ballmer and the Clippers aren’t connected to any of this
5. While on a business trip in LA, the governor of Rhode Island went to a Clippers game with the owner of RIFC

That’s it. Torre dragged that out for more than an hour. Even Rachel Maddow would have been embarrassed. He leaned into the “billionaires are evil” narrative more than he ever has before, because he knows that generates clicks. And he somehow convinced David Samson to participate while mourning the loss of his daughter. I’m not getting into that other than to say Torre lacks empathy.

In all likelihood, this is the “second sponsorship deal” Wachtell looked into. Except it’s not a sponsorship deal, a point Torre conceded. My guess is he brought this to the attention of Wachtell when they interviewed him earlier this year. And he’s probably the source for the related story from The Athletic.

I expect a future episode focused on the services that allegedly weren’t reimbursed.

Thankfully.

Since the latest update, I have not received the portable extractor for completing four daily quests. Didn’t work yesterday or today, despite completing the quests. Is this a known bug?

Let’s go back to the summer of 2003. The young Clippers were a team on the rise, with a pair of stud forwards in Elton Brand and Lamar Odom, both of whom were RFAs that summer. The question on everyone’s minds: Would Donald Sterling finally pay up?

Enter the Miami Heat. Pat Riley seemed to really want Brand, signing him to a max deal. The Clippers were on the clock.

The Clippers gave up a lot to get Brand and didn’t want him to get away for nothing. The new CBA had a minimum salary requirement, which meant Sterling had to spend some money. Would he actually give a player a max contract, much less two players? He had already promised to take care of Odom.

Ultimately, Sterling agreed to match Miami’s offer. This was an unprecedented move for the Clippers under his ownership. All that was left was signing Odom. Odom was Sterling’s favorite and some thought Odom might be willing to take a team-friendly deal.

Instead, the Heat signed him to the exact same max deal they offered Brand. And Sterling didn’t match. According to some, Odom begged the Clippers not to match, either because he felt slighted or didn’t want to continue playing for the organization. Others suggested he was Riley’s target all along.

Which is why I bring this up. I expect the Clippers to make a run at Watson. I think they’ll sign him to a big deal and put the pressure on the Nuggets to match. If they don’t, it’s a big win for the Clippers. If they do match, they’ll be forced to get rid of Cam Johnson.

And who would be first in line to acquire Johnson, perhaps with a trade exception they just picked up from Detroit?

LeBron James. He’s given no indication he’ll take the MLE, which means only four teams are in play:

Bulls - Unless he really wants to end his career trolling Michael Jordan, I don’t see this happening.

Nets - They can pay him the most and he’s always wanted to play in New York…for the Knicks.

Pistons - The only contender in the bunch. I just don’t see him wanting to play there. I don’t think he cares about winning as much as people think. He wants to cement his legacy, get paid, and…

Clippers - …Stay in LA. He takes a one-year deal for his farewell tour, playing home games at a much better facility. He can catch plenty of Bronny’s games in person.

I’m not a fan of LBJ. This is just a prediction. I think it’s between the Clippers, Warriors, and Nets. If he’s willing to play for less, he’ll head up to Olden State. Otherwise, I think he’ll be a Clipper, for better or worse.

…for Giannis was Brown and multiple FRPs. Would you take this for Leonard over Butler and multiple FRPs?

The Butler trade brings the better draft capital. The Brown trade brings the better player (and he’s not injured).

I tried posting a link, but the mods keep removing it. The Clippers can come away with a ton of assets if there’s a 3-way trade with Miami and Detroit. I would expect even more trades afterwards.

I don’t think the Clippers are trading for Brown, so this is only for the sake of argument. Do some of you have issues with him other than his contract?

He just finished second-team All-NBA and sixth in MVP voting. He carried a team that wasn’t expected to make the playoffs to a division title and second in the East. He’s a former Finals MVP. What gives?

The Knicks had their parade and the offseason has officially begun. If the investigation is going to end before the draft, tomorrow is the day. There won’t be an announcement over the weekend or the day before the draft. It’s tomorrow or later this summer.

Tomorrow is an even bigger news dump day than a typical Friday, with Team USA playing in the afternoon. And it’s Juneteenth. If we don’t hear anything tomorrow, it could be a while.

This Knicks roster is basically the same as last year. All they really changed was the head coach.

According to reports, LBJ won’t sign for the league minimum this year. Say the Clippers trade Leonard for Butler and the 11th. They’ll need someone to replace Leonard and they’ll be one of the few potential playoff teams that can afford LBJ. And he gets to stay in LA.

Like many of you, I’m not a fan of LBJ. We can’t deny the advantages he brings. Friendly whistles and a sold out Intuit hold a lot of appeal for the organization. He’s a decent stopgap superstar as the team pivots to the next era. Plus, there’s a lottery ticket factor if Butler and Beal get healthy before the season ends.

I’m not saying I want this to happen. There’s a real possibility that it does.