Elgin Baylor suing Clippers for Dicrimination

[NJTank]

Baylor alleges age, race discrimination

LOS ANGELES -- Elgin Baylor, the former Los Angeles Clippers general manager who left the team last fall after 22 years, has sued the franchise, the NBA and team owner Donald Sterling alleging employment discrimination.

Baylor's attorney, Carl Douglas, said the lawsuit was filed Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court.

Baylor plans to hold a news conference Thursday to discuss the lawsuit, which also names club president Andy Roeser, Douglas said in a fax sent Wednesday.

The lawsuit maintains that Baylor was "discriminated against and unceremoniously released from his position with the team on account of his age and his race" and that he was "grossly underpaid during his tenure with the Clippers, never earning more than $350,000 per year, when compared with the compensation scheme for general managers employed by every other team in the NBA."

The NBA is named in the lawsuit, according to Douglas' fax, as "a joint venturer/partner of condoning, adopting and ratifying this discriminatory practice since the league is fully aware of salaries paid to all of the general managers."

Clippers attorney Robert H. Platt said in a statement Wednesday night that he had not seen the lawsuit and couldn't comment on Baylor's specific allegations.

"However, I can categorically state that the Clippers always treated Elgin fairly throughout his long tenure with the team. Prior to his decision to leave the team last October, Elgin never raised any claims of unfair treatment," Platt said.

"It's hard to believe that he would now make these ridiculous claims after the organization stood by him during 22 years and only three playoff appearances. It would be hard to find any sports team that has demonstrated greater loyalty to its general manager."

Sterling attended Wednesday night's game against the New York Knicks, but a team spokesman said the owner would not be made available for comment.

Baylor became vice president of basketball operations with the Clippers in 1986 after an outstanding 14-year playing career with the Lakers and a brief stint as coach of the New Orleans Jazz.

He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1976, chosen as one of the NBA's 50 greatest players during the league's 50th anniversary celebration in 1997, and named the NBA executive of the year following the 2005-06 season.

The Clippers have been one of the NBA's least successful franchises over the years and last made the playoffs in 2005-06, when they lost in the second round.

Coach Mike Dunleavy, now in his sixth season in Los Angeles, added Baylor's GM duties after the Hall of Famer's departure three weeks before the season began, while Neil Olshey was promoted to assistant general manager. At the time, Dunleavy said Baylor had resigned.

This is just incredible, Baylor kept his job for 22 years as GM selecting the players on a team that is sports biggest laughing stock. He should have been fired in 1988, amazing.

[TFoA]

...wow, this has got to be a joke.

Not discriminatory for 22 years...but he unceremoniously (and rightfully) gets the boot and he claims discrimination. Wow, Baylor. Wow.

[NJTank]

...wow, this has got to be a joke.

Not discriminatory for 22 years...but he unceremoniously (and rightfully) gets the boot and he claims discrimination. Wow, Baylor. Wow.

Elgin Baylor was a great player, but I say his front office work along with the likes of Isiah and Matt Millen one of the worst ever. They won one playoff series in 22 years, that is unheard of that someone keeps their job like that, they have made the playoffs just four times. I know Sterling was cheap which makes Baylor's allegations about being underpaid laughable too. If he thought he was underpaid he should have made a stink years ago and asked for more money for better players.

[dfwabel]

Race discrimination...try a race to win a championship! Miami won a title under his reign! Miami! The team who broke the NBA longest losing streak to start a season against a team led by him...with Rory "F'n" Sparrow and Pearl Washington! While many of his 1st round pick did not mush, they won with Larry Brown..then we know that Larry Brown may have the worst character in the NBA even when compared to current players.

Every year, we saw Elgin during the draft lottery with his "Nipsey Russell haircut" holding a the LAC sign at #5 or less. He was terrible and did not help their coaches at all. Then again, Dunleavy is not the best with talent appraisal either. Elgin is now possibly crazy! Donald Sterling should actually sue him!

[westeelbelieve]

Donald Sterling needs to be sued for lack of incompetence

[NJTank]

Donald Sterling needs to be sued for lack of incompetence

lack of incompetence???

Sterling is oozing incompetence

[MVP]

Donald Sterling needs to be sued for lack of incompetence

If one is lacking incompetence, that means one is competent... isn't that a good thing?

[oddball]

Pulling the age and race card? Are we really that desperate Elgin? You got a Get out of Jail card and now you want to visit the jail? Do yourself a favor Elgin and run, run far away Elgin!

[scraw28]

Donald Sterling needs to be sued for lack of incompetence

well said

[dfwabel]

Donald Sterling needs to be sued for lack of incompetence

lack of incompetence???

Sterling is oozing incompetence

Donald Sterling is oozing incompetence when his franchise is still gaining value since he bought it? He has had yearly efforts to move to Anaheim and has not done so, therefore I think he knows the market as he built his career in real estate

[NJTank]

25 years

1 playoff series win

4 playoff appearances

That is incompetence he may make money but when you have a terrible team year after year does it do any good.

[dfwabel]

25 years

1 playoff series win

4 playoff appearances

That is incompetence he may make money but when you have a terrible team year after year does it do any good.

Has he not earned money or not? That is what he is supposed to to. He has done that and more. Sterling went from the LA Sport Arena to Staples Enter while having The Pond efforting to add them. He fefused and made more...lots of money. . He has made the most of his investment and even more; so why diss him when the Mets have spent more, Straw will get a book and it will be worse? I am sorry.

Re-read "Game of Shadows" Sh#t..Also try to get to read every Malcom Gladwell book. "Outliers" talks about (and a New Yorker story on scouting) draft picks. It is was along others well written.

[DEAD!]

This is absurded if I'm going to sue for Dicrimination, I have to know the definition, first.

[Coast2CoastAM2006]

they didn't fire him over his race and age. They fired his ass because he strung together losing seasons after losing season and had a grand total of 4 playoff appearances in 25 years. So there was a good reason the Clips fired his ass.

LIke MIllen and Isaiah, the question is not why they fired them, but why did it take so long to do?

[NJTank]

25 years

1 playoff series win

4 playoff appearances

That is incompetence he may make money but when you have a terrible team year after year does it do any good.

Has he not earned money or not? That is what he is supposed to to. He has done that and more. Sterling went from the LA Sport Arena to Staples Enter while having The Pond efforting to add them. He fefused and made more...lots of money. . He has made the most of his investment and even more; so why diss him when the Mets have spent more, Straw will get a book and it will be worse? I am sorry.

Re-read "Game of Shadows" Sh#t..Also try to get to read every Malcom Gladwell book. "Outliers" talks about (and a New Yorker story on scouting) draft picks. It is was along others well written.

Yes he made himself rich, but he has not had good teams, if he had good teams he would be richer.

I am willing to bet if the Clippers are not the least selling team in merchandise they are damned near the bottom. Would you want him as an owner of a team you root for? Not me that's for sure, he has put profit over team, and fans. So if you are ok with that then Donald Sterling is a great owner, but if its not then he is possibly the worst owner in sports.

[The_Admiral]

Donald Sterling doesn't cause as much pain to as many people as other bad owners, or do anything far-reaching beyond his own team. Jerry Reinsdorf is a pretty awful owner, even with seven championships to his name. (Remember that six of them don't count to him.)

[NJTank]

Thats because there are not may Clipper fans to feel the pain

[MadmanLA]

I'm probably the only Clipper fan on this board...this lawsuit is absolutely laughable. I'll be the last person defending Donald Sterling, because I think the man is a despicable human being and even terrible owner. However, Baylor should be lucky that The Donald was that loyal to him after 22 years of total incompentence, in which Baylor's reign shows three .500 or better seasons, four playoff berths, and multiple wasted draft picks. Sterling may have been cheap, but Baylor didn't do him or the franchise any favors by having so many wasted picks, and Sterling refusing to spend money on them.

One thing I can say about my Clippers than can't be matched by any other NBA franchise...they've always had an interesting way of doing business.

[Discrim]

Donald Sterling needs to be sued for lack of incompetence

that you Yogi?

seriously though, there are GMs who actually help their teams win that don't last as long as he did. There are at least two guys who'd have had far stronger cases for racial discrimination had they sued: Ray Rhodes getting fired after one season in GB and Isiah getting the boot after Larry Bird became Pacers president.

I'd think almost a quarter of a century is more than long enough to figure out whether you can consistently assess talent and assemble the best possible team. It's long been clear that Elgin Baylor is unable to do so.

[ElwoodCuse]

This is absurded if I'm going to sue for Dicrimination, I have to know the definition, first.