Sterling Is Ready to Buck a Trend and Open Wallet

Clippers’ owner Donald Sterling popped a lozenge in his mouth, and noticing the worried look on my face, he said, “I’m not going to choke,” as he began talking about the prospect of spending a lot of his money on basketball players.

Sterling is sitting on an NBA gold mine as long as he can continue to lay claim to the most promising talent in the league, which might mean putting out more than $80 million each for such players as Michael Olowokandi, Elton Brand and Lamar Odom.

“I spend that kind of money on any given day in some of my business dealings, and maybe that much twice a month,” Sterling said, while sitting down with The Times for only the third time since 1990. “Money is no factor to me.”

When I picked myself off the floor, I told him I’ve dreamed of the day when he has spent so much money on salaries, he’s forced to pay the NBA luxury tax.

“I think that would be so funny,” I said. “You’re the last guy in sports that anyone would ever think would reach the luxury tax. Imagine that, Mr. Cheapskate, having to pay the luxury tax.”

I laughed to show him how funny I thought that would be.

“I don’t see any humor in that,” Sterling said, and he wasn’t even smiling. “But that would be my No. 1 objective in the universe (hitting the luxury tax). That would mean I have the best players on my team. If I’m really sincere, and I am, that we will pay all-star prices for All-Star players, then that’s my clear business objective now.”

I’m not sure there is a bigger breaking news story in sports: “Sterling Wants to Spend Money and as Soon as Possible.”

“Why would people think I wouldn’t pay for the best?” he said. “Whether you’re in the business of buying buildings, buying banks or stocks, you want to buy the best. I’m not a slum lord. I buy Beverly Hills, Westwood, Brentwood. I’m the largest owner in five California cities and all those cities are the highest-priced cities. I want to buy the best and will pay the most. But I want quality for my money.”

Sterling has yet to demonstrate he’s willing to spend in the sports world, but he said it’s because he’s never been given the kind of player who deserves top money. The Clippers now have that in Brand, who was not only productive last season but showed the potential to become one of the most popular athletes in Los Angeles.

The team could wait two years from now to match an offer for Brand if he was successful in securing one as a restricted free agent, but Sterling suggested the Clippers intend to be very aggressive and spend more than $80 million to make Brand a long-time Clipper beginning this summer.

I apologized once again for falling out of my chair.

“We would like to sign him for six years [a maximum contract],” Sterling said. “I’m sure that’s Elgin Baylor’s plan to sign him, and to do it this year. Elton is a quality player and a quality person, and of all the players we have, there is a clear consensus he belongs here as a cornerstone of the franchise.”

*

STERLING SAID he would rely on Baylor’s judgment when it comes to paying Olowokandi. “If he wants Olowokandi,” Sterling said, “we’ll have Olowokandi.”

Baylor, without question, is Olowokandi’s biggest supporter, which suggests a big payday for the center, and smelling salts for Sterling’s accountant.

“Listen, we’re generating a lot of money from tickets, a lot of money from TV and we have some offers from some local TV stations that are astronomical,” Sterling said. “If we make $20 million in profit, or spend $20 million more than we take in, that’s no big deal to me.

“The issue in this business is to get the best players you can, keep them and put a competitive team on the floor. I look at Olowokandi, Odom, Brand, [Darius] Miles, [Corey] Maggette, [Quentin] Richardson and [Keyon] Dooling as major parts of this organization, and whatever it takes to sign them, we want to sign them.”

When there was talk Wednesday about trading Miles or Odom, Sterling offered an opinion.

“Any trade Elgin wants to make I would authorize him to pull the trigger,” Sterling said. “Would I personally like to trade Miles? My answer would be no. I would search every other possibility before I would trade him.

“Would you trade Odom for Baron Davis?” he asked. “Me, I’m optimistic that Odom is going to be every bit the great player he was two years ago.”

*

STERLING SAID, “I’ve won in every aspect of my life--except one--sports. It’s not easy to win, and that’s why you really have to congratulate [Laker owner] Jerry Buss. I think he’s a genius as a gambler, and maybe I’m not. He’s extremely intelligent. He signed [Phil Jackson to big money] and I don’t know if every owner in the league thought that coach was that good.”

Asked what it felt like to live in a city where the other team is always riding in a championship parade, he said, “One guy has a daughter who is Shirley Temple and one guy has a daughter who has no voice or timing, but both men love their daughters dearly, and I love my team.”

A number of local fans feel the same way. The Clippers have sold almost 1,500 new season tickets on top of last year’s record attendance, which included 16 consecutive sellouts. And most NBA observers believe the Clippers are playoff-bound, the future riding on Sterling’s willingness to pay.

“I’ve been excited before about our team and it’s never materialized,” Sterling said. “I’m optimistic, but like everyone else, I have to see it happen.”

I’m optimistic Sterling will spend the money, too, but I’ll have to see it happen.

*

T.J. Simers can be reached at t.j.simers@latimes.com.