Shams Charania:
Just in: Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards has sustained a bone bruise and hyperextension in his left knee and is expected to miss multiple weeks, sources tell ESPN. Results showed Edwards avoided any ligament damage, but he will now miss time.
https://www.espn.com/contributor/shams-charania/48ae8d6c475bc
The NBA has found no evidence showing LA Clippers owner Steve Ballmer funneled money through team sponsors to pay Kawhi Leonard in order to circumvent the salary cap, according to three people with knowledge of discussions between the two sides in recent days.
Instead, the NBA is focused on whether the team's introduction of Leonard to team sponsors constitutes a violation of the league's rules prohibiting salary cap circumvention, two of the sources said. The league is examining whether the Clippers are guilty of "failure to supervise" employees, though it's unclear what specific rule the team would have violated or what the penalties would be, two of the sources said.
…
Two sources with direct knowledge of the situation said Leonard has maintained to the NBPA, league and Wachtell Lipton that he had no involvement in salary cap circumvention, and so far conversations around potential consequences have centered on him paying restitution for potential improper benefits from the Clippers, such as travel and lodging, for his representative and uncle Dennis Robertson.
If the case goes to arbitration, the arbitrator could compel document production, witness testimony and order discovery. After a hearing, the arbitrator's ruling would be subject to an appeals panel made up of three people jointly appointed by the NBA and NBPA. The appeal panel decision is binding. Only after that process could Silver be authorized to issue any potential punishment.
Anything been announced yet?
An ESPN spokesman sent this statement to @TheAthletic: “We stand by our reporting, which included numerous attempts by ESPN to get comment from the NBA.”
According to Spotrac, we have 15 contracts plus 3 two-ways. We don't have any room. If we get Watson, players will go out in a trade. I don't see any room for Mathurin.
I've seen some Clippers fans still assume the Clippers are going to "get away" with cap circumvention.
Wachtell has spent 11 months talking to people Pablo doesn't have access to. Including Joe Sanberg himself. They investigated deals that Pablo hasn't reported on. They have no podcast to promote. They have no incentive to discard details that don't fit their narrative.
People will say "Pablo won a Pulitzer!" but that's just an appeal to outside authority. I can do that too: Wachtell is one of the most prestigious law firms in the world. They have been around longer than Pablo has been alive.
If Wachtell had found evidence, would people question the investigation? Or is it only because they didn't come to the result that matched their under-informed opinion? (We're all under-informed compared to the people that did the investigation.)
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.
Ty Lawson going in on Pablo. He was recently arrested around a month ago for shoplifting some alcohol.
That’s how much of a nothingburger it is.
There was no cap circumcision
