The NBA Comes Down - Kinda - on Suns Owner Robert Sarver. LeBron Says More Punishment Needed.

It's not been a good week for the NBA. While we inch closer to training camps and the start of all the fun stuff, the league announced it would be suspending Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver for a year and fining him $10 million for ... well, a tremendous amount of racism and misogyny that permeated the organization for years. An independent review confirmed the core of what ESPN's Baxter Holmes revealed in a report last year, and put the league in a postion where it had to act. Still, the consensus is that Sarver got off easy, and when Silver spoke to the media about it Wednesday, he seemed to confirm that different rules exist for owners vs. players, when it comes to conduct. Certainly Lakers star LeBron James seemed ticked, Tweeting his disapproval. As did Chris Paul. Others will surely follow. But Silver inelegantly noted the League's hands are tied, insofar as it comes to removing Sarver from his team. They can suspend him, and could have suspended him longer. But removing him as owner? That's a taller order, full of courtrooms and legal jousting. So is this a situation more like the Clippers, when Donald Sterling was suspended for life, and eventually squeezed to sell the team? Is it more like the investigation that revealed deep problems in the culture of the Dallas Mavericks? Something in between? What does the league think is going to happen next? And finally, how do fans react when ownership does things they're ashamed of (or should be), while the team is quite good? For a long time, the Suns under Sarver were seen as bad not just because Sarver's personality has always been suspect, but because he was seen as cheap. Even when Phoenix was winning, Sarver wouldn't spend to sustain it. How much honor would fans trade for a shot at winning? What are they willing to overlook? Why, for all of their problems, does this sort of thing (thankfully) not seem to have happened in El Segundo, even while other issues persist? HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky SEGMENT 1: The NBA punishes Robert Sarver. LeBron James responds. SEGMENT 2: Did the NBA let Sarver off easy? If so, why? SEGMENT 3: How much are fans willing to compartmentalize if it means a winning team? Why doesn't this sort of thing happen with the Lakers? Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! Built Bar Built Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKEDON15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order. BetOnline BetOnline.net has you covered this season with more props, odds and lines than ever before. BetOnline – Where The Game Starts! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices