“Optics and what you are convicted of and what the league finds are to two totally different things her [sic].
"Unless there is a paper trail where basically and a paper trail does not consist of seven former workers who are masked behind one of those devices that disguises your voice…You’re going to need to show a paper trail of evidence in that the money that Steve Ballmer paid for this startup company which actually went bankrupt and is now in under a criminal investigation… That the money that Steve Ballmer invested in this company went into Kawhi Leonard’s pocket directly. So basically, when he made the money the um the the when he wrote a check or sent a wire, that wire directly went into Kawhi Leonard’s pocket. I think it’s going to be extremely, extremely, extremely difficult to do that."
Bobby Marks, uber-respected former NBA GM. Shams Charania said this in fewer, less categorical terms. I am shocked that this is the standard of proof--this is higher than proof beyond a reasonable doubt, the highest standard known to American law. Pablo Torre made an excellent case. I myself thought it was open-and-shut, but I believe Marks on the standard of proof and that means that the NBA's salary cap rules are a paper tiger, no teeth, unenforceable, able to be evaded with the most transparent effort.
