Unser Chat » Silver also has imposed a lifetime ban

A cadre of attorneys and a flurry of lawsuits could certainly slow down the NBAs plan to force Donald Sterling to sell the Los Angeles Clippers over his recent racist comments, but legal experts say the league would likely prevail in the end. And that goes for Sterlings wife, Shelly, who has said shed like to keep her stake in the team even if her husband is ousted. The NBAs constitution, which Donald Sterling signed as controlling owner of the Clippers, gives its board of governors broad latitude in league decisions including who owns the teams. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is pushing for a swift vote against Sterling, which requires a minimum of three-fourths of the other 29 controlling owners to agree. Silver also has imposed a lifetime ban on Sterling and a $2.5 million fine. The ban does not apply to Shelly Sterling. SI.com and ESPN.com, citing unidentified sources, reported Thursday that Sterlings lawyer, antitrust litigator Maxwell Blecher, wrote a letter to Rick Buchanan, the NBAs executive vice-president and general counsel, threatening to sue the league and saying Sterling will not pay the $2.5 million fine. "Sterlings own signature will come back to haunt him," said Michael McCann, founding director of the Sports and Entertainment Law Institute at the University of New Hampshire. "You agree to certain basic understandings. Thats what makes a sports league different from other businesses." The key to the NBAs authority, attorneys say, is Article 13(d) of the leagues constitution. That section says that, whether Sterling intended to or not, an owner cannot "fail or refuse to fulfil" contractual obligations to the NBA "in such a way to affect the Association or its members adversely." Theres plenty of evidence Sterlings comments, revealed in a recorded conversation with a female companion, affected the league adversely. They provoked threats of a player boycott, led sponsors to withdraw support and created a racially charged image problem in the midst of the NBA playoffs that even President Barack Obama remarked upon. If Article 13(d) was violated, the legal experts say the board of governors has solid grounds to force Sterling to sell the team along with any other owners, in this case his wife. As long as the NBA meticulously follows its own constitution and rules regarding the Clippers sale, it will be difficult for Sterling to find a legal theory that would stand up in court, said Daniel Lazaroff, director of the Sports Law Institute at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles. "This is not an antitrust issue. This is not a First Amendment issue," Lazaroff said. "Its a question limited to the interpretation of the NBA constitution and bylaws, and whether those terms are met." Another question involves California family law. Its a community property state, meaning spouses jointly own property they acquired while married. The Sterlings were already married when he bought the Clippers in 1981. Although a potential divorce could complicate the Clippers sale, McCann said the couples joint ownership actually works to the NBAs favour because — legally speaking — they are a single entity. So if the NBA forced Donald Sterling to sell, even under a divorce scenario, Shelly Sterling would have to sell, too. They have been married since 1955. "The NBA is well positioned to ultimately prevail," McCann said. For his part, Donald Sterling has repeatedly said he does not want to sell the Clippers. In his recent interview with CNNs Anderson Cooper, he cast doubt on going to court if the NBA governors ultimately do vote to force him out. "People want me to hire a wall of lawyers and them to have to hire a wall of lawyers and go to war," Sterling said on CNN. "I dont think thats the answer." Sterlings longtime attorney, Robert Platt, declined to comment when contacted Wednesday. Shelly Sterlings attorney, Pierce ODonnell, did not respond to email requests for comment from The Associated Press. But he has previously said she wants to remain a passive owner of the Clippers even if her husband is no longer involved. For now, the NBA has installed former Time Warner and Citigroup chairman Dick Parsons to oversee the teams business operations. Parsons said this week that a prolonged legal battle "is in no ones interest." "I would hope we could avoid that," he said. If he is forced out, Sterling still stands to reap a huge financial windfall in a Clippers sale. He bought the team for $12.5 million in 1981, and Forbes magazine recently placed its 2014 value at $575 million, or No. 13 in the NBA. Of course, there would also be a sizable capital gains tax bill for that. _____ Follow Curt Anderson on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Miamicurt Cheap Puma Sneakers . The Italian football federation announced the appointment, three days after new president Carlo Tavecchio was elected. Tavecchio and Conte spoke on the phone early Thursday. Wholesale Puma Shoes Online . (AP) -- The head of the committee that developed Major League Baseballs plan to expand instant replay says he is optimistic the system will be in place this season, even though owners and unions for players and umpires have yet to approve. http://www.discountpuma.com/. According to a police report, Douglas is accused of grabbing his girlfriend by the neck and slamming her against the wall several times while he carried her from the elevator to their Hartford hotel room early Sunday morning. Puma Shoes Outlet . An in-person hearing allows for Garbutt to be suspended for five games or longer as per the leagues Collective Bargaining Agreement. Garbutt delivered a high hit to Penner in the second period of Sundays game. Wholesale Puma Shoes Fast Shipping . -- Rookie Victor Oladipo came off the bench to score 20 points and Glen Davis had 18, leading the Orlando Magic to a 112-98 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night. TAMPA, Fla. -- Valtteri Filppula had two goals and an assist, goalie Ben Bishop won his 13th game this season and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Anaheim Ducks 5-1 in a matchup of conference leaders Thursday night. Martin St. Louis added a goal and two assists for the Lightning, who played their first home game and second overall -- both victories -- without star Steven Stamkos. The centre, out indefinitely after breaking his right leg Monday, had surgery Tuesday in Boston and returned to Florida on Thursday. "Nice to be back home in Tampa," Stamkos tweeted. "Cant thank all the staff at Mass General enough for all their hard work and dedication the past four days." Alex Killorn and Victor Hedman had the other Tampa Bay goals. Emerson Etem scored for the Ducks, who were coming off a 3-2 loss Tuesday night to lowly Florida. Anaheim captain Ryan Getzlaf missed his third game with an upper-body injury, but coach Bruce Boudreau said the centre could return Friday at Carolina or Monday against Pittsburgh. Ducks right wing Corey Perry didnt take part in the morning skate due to the flu, but was in the lineup. A number of Anaheim players, including starting goalie Jonas Hiller, have had the flu recently. Filppula and St. Louis, on the power pllay, put the Lightning up 2-0 on first-period goals.dddddddddddd St. Louis ended a seven-game goal drought. The Ducks went 13 1/2 minutes before getting a shot in the first. Bishop made an in-close save late in the period on Teemu Selanne. The right wing, 11th on the career goals list with 678, has not scored a goal in his last nine games. Tampa Bay went up 3-0 on Filppulas power-play goal 3:16 into the second. Killorn made it 4-0 at 10:51 of the second. Etem pulled Anaheim to 4-1 with 3:53 left in the second. Hedman scored early in the third. NOTES: Selanne got a 2-minute roughing penalty, his first infraction of the season, during a second-period scrum that involved Tampa Bay D Radko Gudas, who made a hard check on him. Gudas was given roughing and holding minors. ... Lightning D Sami Salo, who missed his second game with a lower-body injury, could return during a four-game road trip that starts Saturday at Phoenix. ... Anaheim G Viktor Fasth was the backup after missing 14 game with a lower-body injury. G Frederik Andersen was reassigned to Norfolk of the AHL. ... Ducks LW Matt Beleskey (upper-body injury) is playing with Norfolk. ... Selanne, who plans to retire after this season, scored the second-ever hat trick against the expansion Lightning on March 9, 1993. ' ' '