(above : Cher, Geffen, react to Chris Kaman emerging from the Staples Center showers)
Of all the varied scenarios that have LeBron James leaving Cleveland, perhaps the wildest to date comes from the NY Post’s Peter Vecsey, who claims a) The Chosen One will likely grant the Cavs 3 more years of his awesomeness and b) the Los Angeles Clippers might emerge as a dark horse candidate if David Geffen can successfully convince Donald Sterling to part with 51% of the team. Though Vecsey admits the latter circumstance is a longshot (“Mr. Sterling has never expressed a desire to sell any part of his team,” sniffed a Clippers spokesperson), the Post-universally beloved hoops scribe claims David Stern is leaning on Sterling to make such a transaction.
For the sake of argument, surely Sterling must understand, by giving way to Geffen, his constellation, which often IS dying in the corner of the sky, would greatly illuminate and increase in value — should the record-company big shot be able to recruit LeBron like he signed Bob Dylan and the Eagles.
In fact, Geffen has been deep in the hunt for quite some time. My source claims he told Sterling he can deliver LeBron as long as he’s calling the shots.
Maverick Carter, who sits at the right hand of James in all business ventures, was next to the Lakers’ bench alongside Geffen.
Meanwhile, Saturday night, Stern and Sterling had dinner. The first topic of conversation had to concern the owner’s payment stoppage to Mike Dunleavy after he was fired as GM long after being let go as coach.
I don’t know this for a fact, but my source suggested Stern’s meeting “more likely centered on whether Sterling would be willing to sell 49 percent of the team and how much it’d take for him to give up control.”
No immediate comment from either LeBron or Larry King on any of this.
Not to question the credibility of Vescey’s source, but does the Association really want to put a franchise in the hands of someone who at one time or another presided over the careers of Sonic Youth, Teenage Fanclub and Tommy Keene? And if so, can anyone lend me $300 million?