Sterling and Dunleavy feud — let’s judge this

Lets judge the Mike Dunleavy, Donald T. Sterling feud: Dunleavy has lost his cool, big time.
In case you havent heard, Sterling criticized Dunleavy and Elgin Baylor in Tuesdays T.J. Simers column in the L.A. Times. Simers is known for being combative and abrasive in interviews, and that may or may not have helped Sterling be so critical. Who knows? Sterling said if more wins didnt come he would think of replacing Dunleavy and Baylor.
The owners statement was a shock because Dunleavy is in the first year of a four-year, $22 million deal and Baylor has been with the team since 1986. Still, Sterlings words werent off base. The NBA is a results-based business, and if there arent positive results, replacing a coach and/or general manager is reasonable.
But heres where things went wild. Dunleavy fired back at Sterling, saying “Be by guest, with replacing him as well as criticizing management for not following through on two deals he wanted.
That was completely o.b. — out of bounds.
Dunleavy is the coach of the basketball team, not the owner and not the GM. He should not have the right to criticize his co-workers and should still be indebted to Sterling for signing off on his mega-millions contract. As owner, the signer of paychecks, you earn the right to criticize your guys, as long as its done fairly.
Dunleavy deserves a thumbs up for speaking his mind. But a little diplomacy would have gone a long way in handling a situation that is getting worse.
Today, before the Clippers meet the Kings, it will be interesting to see where the coach is with his comments. Also, these two, Dunleavy and Sterling, should speak face to face, but there is no guarantee they have even done that even with all of these insults flying.