OK, SO I find myself writing nice things about Georgia Frontiere and Donald Sterling in the same week, relieved to know I can say the Chargers are still losers.
Sterling's team continues to flop too, but while you would think by now he'd be used to defeat, the guy sitting across the table after watching Utah run the Clippers off their own court Monday afternoon sure appeared to be perturbed.
"I'm not happy," Sterling said. "The fans aren't happy, and can't be happy when they don't see a motivated performance.
"I want to make L.A. fans proud of this team, but if [Elgin Baylor and Mike Dunleavy] can't make it happen, then I have no choice but to make changes."
Talk about tossing a curveball. Two seasons ago, Sterling sat at the same dinner table in Phoenix with Mike Dunleavy, the Clippers scheduled to play a seventh game in Round 2 of the NBA playoffs the next night against the Suns.
Sterling said at the time, "I love Mike Dunleavy," a season later giving him four more years for $22 million, and making him one of the five highest-paid coaches in the NBA.
Now 37 games into that contract, and after searching Dunleavy out for a heart-to-heart after the Utah loss, Sterling said he expects more from his coach.
"That's why I'm paying [Dunleavy] the money I am," he said. "I want to see him win. I don't want to tell him how to do it. I'm just interested in the conclusion. My whole philosophy is hire the best people and let them do their jobs.
"There is no alternative, you have to rely on them, and if it doesn't work out, either you're patient or make changes, right?"
Dunleavy, asked about the owner's frustration, said, "I'm very frustrated too. But I'm also frustrated with the organization. I saw this coming, but had two deals out there that they didn't want to do. It contributed to where we are now."
Sterling owes Dunleavy another $17 million, which would be an expensive divorce.
"I don't think you're ever in love with your coach," he said in dismissing that one night in Phoenix. "Do you think anybody loves their coach? They're just a necessity."
Before I could bring up Jeanie Buss, he said, "I've always liked [Dunleavy]. I respect the coach, but the bottom line in this business is winning, and I don't care if the coach is your relative, if you're not winning, you're not happy. If you hate the coach and he wins, you love him."
