Doc Rivers and a poker game

After all the well-documented hoopla swirling around the Sterlings and who's going to wind up owning the LA Clippers, head coach Glenn "Doc" Rivers has made his presence known at the poker table. Not only that -- he just went "all in" with a recent remark.

The good "doctor" said he would resign his position if the Sterlings wound up retaining ownership of the Clips. As we all know, the court battle rages on, with both sides trying to out-ludicrous the other. This is what happens when lawyers get involved and there's a couple billion dollars at stake. In the meantime, NBA Commish Adam Silver and his minions, along with the always politically correct mainstream media, continue to fan the flames of discontent. Sterling must go, they say, though to date, yours truly still fails to comprehend what he supposedly did wrong in the first place.

Last time I looked, espousing an opinion was not only protected by First Amendment freedom of speech rights, but who among us can truthfully say they have never participated in a private conversation that was meant to be just that -- private? We all say things, even tell and laugh at jokes that debase others, whether it's gender, race, religious, national origin, physical attributes or lack thereof, political, or otherwise. This has been around forever, and likely always will be. The language police have their limitations.

Sterling never intended his original remarks to be made public. That only happened because his "arm candy" at the time, one V. Stiviano, illegally recorded him and turned the tape over to the media. Ironically, Sterling is on the hot seat, but Ms. Stiviano has disappeared from the radar, though she's the one that apparently committed a crime in the first place. But logic is often skewed in today's politically correct world.

Nonetheless, Doc Rivers has pushed his pile of chips into the middle of the table. No dummy, he's gambling that the Sterlings -- one way or the other -- won't own the team when the 2014 season starts in a few months. He might be right.

Then again, it might be a colossal bluff as well. Other than New England Patriots' head coach Bill Belichick, who earns a $7.5 million yearly salary, Doc Rivers ranks second of ALL head coaches/managers in pro sports at $7 million. Belichick has won multiple Super Bowls. Rivers has won nothing since he's been with the Clips. Sure, there are many that vouch for Doc. He's a father figure to the Clips players, they respect him, and he knows how to maximize their potential. Like Sara Lee, nobody doesn't like Doc.

But what happens if the Sterlings still own the team when the 2014 NBA season starts? After all, given the legal system and the appellate process, it's entirely possible this could drag on at least that long, if not much longer. Adam Silver can thunder from on high all he wants about the NBA possibly confiscating the LA Clippers and putting them up for auction -- and the media can buy into it as well to further peddle their propaganda to a gullible public. But Adam doesn't get to make that call -- nor does the mainstream media. It's up to a judge. And regardless of that ruling, it will certainly be appealed. This could take a while, perhaps even years, before it's all over.

In a way, yours truly hopes it plays out that way, just to see what Doc Rivers would do. Would he walk away from $7 million a year as the highest paid NBA coach because Donald Sterling, his owner that has been signing those paychecks all along, made some private comments that offended him?

Or is he bluffing? Doc could probably find another head coaching job, but he'd take a paycut. Nobody else is going to pay him Belichick money because he hasn't earned it. And once the season starts, every team already has a head coach and their staff in place. It's highly unlikely any other owner/front office would kick them to the curb just because Doc became available. Very bad timing, to say the least.

Thing is, given his public statement -- if the Sterling matter remains unresolved -- then Rivers has two choices. Be a man of his word and walk away from mega-money and the team he has shaped into a contender, or stay on collecting the Sterling paychecks and try to spin the story into something the media and public will buy into.

Glenn Rivers has gone all in at the table. The only way this becomes fun to viewers is if somebody calls him, and we get to see the rest of the cards.

If the status quo remains for a few more months and the next season gets underway, one character much more famous than the Sterlings, Silver, Rivers, and all the other NBA players that have been chiming in, may have to come forward and pose the only question that really counts.

As Elmer Fudd would say -- that wascally wabbit. And, of course, Bugs Bunny would ask what he's always asked. This time of Rivers.

What's up Doc?