The Dust Settles: Ballmer, Cuban Stand Down

And we all thought maybe this would end up on The Jerry Springer Show.

Unfortunately, two reputable businessmen and NBA franchise owners -- Mark Cuban of the Dallas Mavericks and Steve Ballmer of the Los Angeles Clippers -- decided to speak in person and settle any differences they had after the whole DeAndre Jordan saga took place.

Sorry drones, no cage match necessary to resolve this manufactured issue.

Dammit! That means only one bout:

For starters, it really wasn't that big of a big story.

Only in LA fashion would Jordan commit to the Mavs and then ultimately back out of the deal. A man-style soap opera for all of us sports fanatics.

Once word broke about the defection, Ballmer & Co took one last stand, Clint Eastwood style.

A chair may or may not have been blocking the door, but Ballmer, head coach Doc Rivers and a few pivotal teammates wanted Jordan to re-sign with the Clips and, after the dust settled, Jordan stayed with LA. All the while, he decided not to return any calls from a persistent Cuban, who'd flown to Jordan's home to speak with him in person.

Cuban wasn't too pleased with the avoidance. Dallas Mavericks forward, Chandler Parsons, who was a key player in Jordan's recruitment, wasn't too happy, either.

Regardless of how it went down, it was well within the rules.

An unwritten violation, perhaps? That's a whole 'nother story.

It's just business, and sometimes, that's the way business is conducted. It gets a little ridiculous at times, but in the greater scheme of things, Cuban and Ballmer fully understood the nuances that the NBA throws at you, especially during free agency.

And that whirlwind was just for Jordan. Wait until the summer of 2016, when Kevin Durant's services will be for sale.