Donald Sterling

Donald Sterling talks publicly about as often as his team wins, the last time sitting down here nearly two years ago -- his remarks igniting a firestorm between Clippers owner and his own coach, Mike Dunleavy. Dunleavy challenged Sterling to dismiss him if not pleased with his work, while going on to say at the time, "I'm totally willing to be the guy on the line; just let me do it. You put the trust in me, gave me the contract, so let me do what I want to do and if it doesn't work out, it's all on me."

Clippers owner Donald Sterling said before the team's Monday night game against the New Orleans Hornets that he hasn't given any thought to making a coaching change. And he sees no reason why Vinny Del Negro won't be the team's coach for the remainder of the season. "I like him," said Sterling. "I usually follow the advice of my people, and I think they care for him, like him and want him to succeed. And I think he will. " An Internet report that suggested Del Negro "has lost the team" and players no longer "want to play hard for him" sparked speculation the coach was another loss or two from being fired.

Sterling is asked for opinion, unloads More tough love from Clippers owner Donald T. Sterling : If you can't tell from the results, Sterling is a demanding boss who can target bigger game than Baron Davis . ? Like Commissioner David Stern , the boss of bosses. Three sources describe an exchange in an owners meeting in Las Vegas a year or so ago: Sterling: You don't want to hear what I have to say. Stern. Yes, we do. Sterling. No you don't.

Nick Young couldn't stop smiling. He made his Clippers debut Sunday against the Detroit Pistons, doing his share to help L.A. win in overtime. Young, acquired from the Washington Wizards on Thursday, scored nine points. He missed five of his six shots, and his only three-point attempt. But Young was seven for eight from the free-throw line. "It was tough because of going into overtime," Young said. "My back is a little sore right now. It was all good. " Young had a steal in the overtime that led to two free throws, which he made for a 76-74 Clippers lead.

Yeah, there's a curse. His name is Donald Sterling. You've believed it, I've believed it, but the idea of a single ominous factor fueling the 26 seasons of Clippers disaster grew even deeper roots Friday when a noted basketball witch doctor pointed his bony finger. Now, even Phil Jackson believes it. "I come from a generation that believed in karma," the Lakers coach said last week when asked about the Clippers' problems. "I do think there is karma in effect ultimately."

It's Roseanne Barr night! At a prime courtside seat in the Sports Arena, in which she has been preceded by Jack Nicholson, Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Douglas, Orel Hershiser, Alan Thicke, Boom Boom Mancini, Craig T. Nelson, Bruce McNall and Al Davis--to name a few--the famed comedienne and her family sit, watching the Clippers and Seattle Supersonics. To her left, her host, Donald T. Sterling, sits in warmups and gathering gloom. His Clippers are sinking once more.

The Phillies' 10,000 losses are even more remarkable when one considers that Donald Sterling has never owned the franchise. JACK WOLF Westwood

Was there a public ceremony when Philip Anschutz took over from Donald Sterling as the worst local owner of a pro sports team or was the torch passed privately in one of Staples Center's suites? ROBIN MACMIN El Segundo

Judging by the similar ways that they operate their franchises, Donald Sterling, Georgia Frontiere and Jackie Autry must be comparing notes over lunch these days. On second thought, that couldn't be true. None of them would ever pick up the luncheon check. JOE McCARTHY Irvine

Let's all wish L.A. legend Elgin Baylor good luck as the new general manager of the Clippers. Working for Donald Sterling and Alan Rothenberg, he'll need it. FRANK MALFITANO Los Angeles

I believe! Any GP in the same predicament would tell you the same thing. I took a few days this week to visit the grandkids in Arizona, finding the daughter upset when I arrived. She had just taken the 7-Eleven Kid and the twins to see the movie "We Bought a Zoo. " I remember as a parent how upset I was when I had to sit through dumb kid movies just because I was a father. But she was angry because Matt Damon , the father in the movie, was saying he had a 7-year-old daughter who still thinks the Easter Bunny exists.

Fasten your seat belts, gang. Given the Clippers' euphoria around here, I thought I'd check with the broadcaster who seemed to be doomed to a lifetime of defeat, Ralph Lawler , and ask him where in Staples Center he'd now like the championship banner to hang. Oh me oh my, he takes me seriously, and bless his soul. "Opposite end," he says of the Lakers. Then he looks up to the American and Canadian flags' end of the building, and while chuckling, adds, "There's really quite a bit of room for it. " PHOTOS: Lakers vs. Clippers Bingo!

Donald T. Sterling Sterling World Plaza Beverly Hills, CA 90210 Dear Donald, I wanted to say hi before it gets hectic with the Lakers in the playoffs and you making plans for the lockout as the hawk most likely to shut the league down for as many years as it takes. I know you've been busy too, with the Elgin Baylor trial, and the upcoming Mike Dunleavy arbitration. By the way, even though everyone else was surprised, I found your testimony that you didn't really know who Elgin was when you hired him totally credible.

Elgin Baylor testified Monday in his wrongful-termination lawsuit against the Clippers, saying he felt  "insulted and humiliated" after receiving a letter in August 2008 that the team wanted him to become a consultant and retire after 22 years as an executive in the organization. "I felt sick to my stomach. I felt crushed," Baylor said as a seven-man, five-woman jury heard testimony in Los Angeles Superior Court. Baylor, 76, is suing the team, Clippers owner Donald Sterling and President Andy Roeser for wrongful termination based on age discrimination.

Come on, Bill Plaschke, you know why Donald Sterling gave free admission to 1,000 underprivileged children for a game against Houston, in March; the Clippers had only two home games in February, against the Bulls and Celtics, teams that people will pay to see. Would Sterling give up 1,000 paying customers to do something for charity? David Saw Diamond Bar :: How dare Bill Plaschke take on Donald Sterling! It would seem that Donald is single-handedly trying to ensure the financial well-being of The Times with his daily advisements touting himself and his rental properties.

Elgin Baylor on Friday dropped part of his wrongful-termination lawsuit that alleged the Clippers and owner Donald Sterling committed racial discrimination against him when Baylor was a team executive. Baylor, 76, is pressing ahead with the rest of his wrongful-termination claim that he suffered age discrimination and was unjustly fired. Baylor was the team's executive vice president and general manager for 22 years until August 2008. The defendants ? who also include team President Andy Roeser and the NBA ?

This truly is a match made in heaven: Larry Brown, the coach who never saw an opportunity he didn't like, and Donald Sterling, the owner who never saw a coach he could tolerate for more than two years. It will be interesting to see who loses interest first. JACK FRISCH, Manhattan Beach

The Clipper players certainly feel the harshness of management's treatment of fellow players. The same harsh treatment is now being applied to the Clippers' coach. It has a definite effect on player, coach and, above all, fans. Donald Sterling and his wrecking crew need help. Maybe they can contact the Dodger and Raider owners and ask for lessons on how to run a professional sports team. GEORGE B. PARKS Los Angeles

Their best player soars over the imagination, their young stars sprint past old stereotypes and, goodness, they were even athletic enough to kick out Baron Davis. If only the Clippers could stop tripping over their owner. When Blake Griffin roars, it is drowned out by Donald Sterling's heckling. When Eric Gordon shoots, it is overshadowed by Donald Sterling being sued. Nowhere is the tug between good and creepy more evident than in this newspaper, where, for every positive Clippers story, there seemingly appears an awkward Sterling advertisement, which brings us to the latest Donald T. Shame.