Jazz owner Ryan Smith believes the NBA was right to punish the Clippers. He also remains firmly in Steve Ballmer’s corner.
Smith addressed both sides of the matter during an interview with Daniel Roberts of Front Office Sports, calling Ballmer a “stand-up individual” while acknowledging that the league’s rules had to be enforced.
“This game’s tricky. This game’s hard,” Smith said. “Obviously we have rules, and the NBA’s got to do it, and I’m glad he accepted it, and we all can just turn the page and move on.”
Ballmer was suspended from team activities for one year after an NBA investigation concluded that the Clippers circumvented the salary cap through endorsement arrangements involving former star Kawhi Leonard. The league also fined the franchise $30 million and stripped it of five first-round draft picks.
Smith said owners must be held to a high standard, regardless of their relationships with one another.
“I love Steve,” he said. “I think he’s been an incredible owner in the league. His impact, I think the NBA is way better with him. But this is just one of those things.”
That is likely close to the prevailing sentiment among Ballmer’s peers. They can value what he has brought to the league, including the privately financed Intuit Dome and his willingness to spend, while recognizing that salary-cap circumvention strikes at the basic competitive agreement among all 30 teams.
Smith did not excuse the Clippers’ conduct or question the severity of the penalties. He separated his opinion of Ballmer from his opinion of what the NBA needed to do.
Personal respect does not eliminate institutional responsibility. Smith said it politely. He also said it unmistakably.
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