5. Robert Sarver, Phoenix Suns
Fans of most of the teams on this list would be thrilled with the performance the Suns have mustered since Sarver took over. Suns fans can't help but wonder what might have been. Sarver's penny-pinching has cost the team several players (Joe Johnson, for example), and made giving up draft picks to the highest bidder standard operating procedure.4. Clay Bennett, Oklahoma City Thunder
Bennett's status depends entirely on perspective. He has plenty of fans in Oklahoma City -- but in Seattle, he's persona non grata, and rightly so. Bennett's group bought the Sonics intending to move them to Oklahoma, as was their right. But to say they weren't exactly truthful in saying they were working with the city of Seattle on an new arena deal stretches the term "understatement" to ridiculous proportions.3. George Shinn, New Orleans Hornets
Shinn wore out his welcome in Charlotte with complaints about the Hornets' home arena and allegations of sexual assault, then flirted just a little too openly with Oklahoma City in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, then started shopping players like Tyson Chandler for pennies on the dollar to reduce payroll. Unable to find a buyer for the Hornets, Shinn was recently bought out by the league. The NBA is now coordinating the search for a new buyer, putting the Hornets' future in New Orleans in doubt.
2. James Dolan, New York Knicks
It's hard to say which aspect of Jim Dolan's run as owner of the Knicks is least redeeming -- the atrocious hires (Isiah Thomas) and contract decisions (Eddy Curry, Jerome James, etc.) that left the team with the highest payroll in the league and one of the worst records... or the fact that, on his watch, Madison Square Garden management has been the target of multiple sexual harassment lawsuits?1. Donald Sterling, Los Angeles Clippers
Sterling presides over the most comically inept franchise in American sports -- and as long as the team continues to turn a profit, he's OK with that. That would be enough to land Sterling on this list. He takes the top spot for his off-court activities; he's repeatedly been accused of discrimination against multiple minority groups. In November 2009, Sterling agreed to pay over $2.7 million to settle a lawsuit alleging discrimination against African-Americans and violations of the Fair Housing Act, and ex-Clipper executive Elgin Baylor -- as part of a wrongful termination lawsuit -- alleged Sterling ran the team with a "plantation mentality."
As if that wasn't enough, Sterling has now taken to heckling his own players during games.
