One last Buss family drama for the road

The NBA's most dysfunctional family says goodbye ... maybe.

Good morning. Do you really want a take on Dennis Schroder? Really? Let's basketball.

But First, A Brief Word on Ballmergeddon

ESPN's story – triple-bylined by Don Van Natta Jr., Baxter Holmes and Ramona Shelburne – reporting that the NBA, who did not lead the investigation into the Clippers' alleged salary cap circumvention, did not find evidence of salary cap circumvention, is worth reading in full. Notably, the NBA called it out as inaccurate as soon as it hit. Holmes has covered this story for ESPN and is a respected, credible reporter on NBA matters. DVN is a respected investigative reporter who typically doesn't dip his toes in the NBA. Shelburne, of course, had what I would consider a tee-ball interview on television with Steve Ballmer last summer when all of this first broke. (Softball pitchers go hard. The concept of a "softball interview" is outdated.)

Take that for what you will. We know the Clippers trust Shelburne specifically and ESPN broadly. It's notable that none of ESPN's high-level investigative reporters have broken anything of note on this story until this, which I would characterize as an attempt (conscious or not) to lower expectations for sanction dramatically. Even the interesting news that the ESPN team breaks here – that a third Clippers partner, Boingo Wireless, was investigated for a possibly sketchy deal with Kawhi Leonard – is couched in the suggestion that the Clippers didn't actually do much wrong.

Some have suggested this is a "trial balloon," which NBA PR pros are obviously smart enough to try. I actually think it's more that the sides are negotiating in public. Much has been made about how long the NBA's investigation has taken. You know who is probably most annoyed by that fact? The Clippers! Especially if they reasonably believe they will be mostly absolved, they would assuredly love the NBA to announce the resolution to take the sting out of whatever else Pablo Torre is digging up, and complete their trade with the Raptors. This isn't to say that the ESPN reporters got all of their info from the Clippers; I strongly believe there is some stuff from the NBA in there, too. And quite possibly the players' union.