No shock Magic Johnson, Guggenheim would be interested in Clippers

And this must come as a complete surprise to absolutely no one: reports that Magic Johnson and his Guggenheim buddies are interested in buying the Clippers.

More shocking than Capt. Renault learning that gambling was taking place at Rick’s Café. And your winnings, sir.

Who can really say they’re shocked, shocked to find that Clippers owner Donald Sterling is an old racist? Anymore than discovering that Magic and Guggenheim would be interested in taking the Los Angeles NBA team off his hands?

The Clippers, of course, are not currently for sale. Neither were the Dodgers when their troubles exploded. Sterling is unlikely to be interested in selling his most high-profile prize, but initially Frank McCourt wasn’t either.

But like McCourt, ultimately the hopelessness in his continuing to own the team will finally hit Sterling. And that reality, and the money he’ll make, will spur the sale.

The Times’ Mike Bresnahan reports that a person familiar with the situation said Magic and Guggenheim were absolutely interested in buying the Clippers.

There are all kinds of irony going on here, since it was a social media picture of Magic and Sterling’s female friend that ignited this entire uproar. Selling to Magic & Co. would be about the best move Sterling could make, though his sad legacy is set now. I’m not buying, however, that he is now the most hated man in Los Angeles. I’m a white guy, but mostly I just feel sorry for this archaic bigot. It’s 2014 in Los Angeles, not 1914 in Birmingham, Ala.

Guggenheim has already purchased the Sparks, and Dodgers CEO Stan Kasten has a long history of running the Atlanta Hawks and Braves. They remain financially ambitious. And with the Magic connection (and his inability to cut the NBA cord), they seem a natural.

If Magic is seriously interested in buying the team, he should probably stop with his calls for Sterling to sell the team. Despite Sterling drawing him into this mess, it could be construed as self-serving. Magic may have figured this out after tweeting he was done talking about it.

Of course, if Guggenheim does eventually buy the Clippers, hang onto your cable bill. If it were not to rise, it would be shocking.