Chris Paul to Clippers! (Also, Odom to Mavericks)

[shadowgrin]

lol at PG to run with Kobe. The Lakers won't do any running if Mike Brown has anything to do with it. Though Chris Paul has always been excellent in a slow offense.



I was about to call Chris Paul an unprofessional ass but I understand how he feels. Any player that missed out on the chance to play with The G.O.A.T. aka Kobe Bryant have every right to sulk.
And if the reports were true that Kobe had called Chris Paul before the (cancelled) trade, then that explains Dwight wanting to go to the Nets instead of the Lakers. Being rejected by the greatest player today is too much for any player, even Dwight, that he had no option but to want to be traded in that craphole known as the Nets.

[koberulz]

Lakers needed a great point gaurd to run with Kobe, and its just such a shame and a sad day for lakers fans that the trade did not go through. This is a very fair trade and the other owners should not have rejected it, the rejection of the trade is a travesty because the lakers won't win another championship until they get a star point gaurd.

[Andrew]

I'm furious at Dan Gilbert, as he was one of the owners to reject this trade saying, "That this would be a travesty and that the lakers would save over $40,000, plus they would'nt have to trade any picks, and on top of that Dwight Howard would also be able to go to the lakers, but we all no he isn't going to la.

Gilbert, you're probably just angry because your cavaliers didn't do anything this offseason as they usually never do! You say this was an unfair for the hornets, far from it. Hornets are getting some great talent as well. You don't like Mike Brown, well, too bad, he's coaching a superstar team which will win a championship very soon.

Lakers needed a great point gaurd to run with Kobe, and its just such a shame and a sad day for lakers fans that the trade did not go through. This is a very fair trade and the other owners should not have rejected it, the rejection of the trade is a travesty because the lakers won't win another championship until they get a star point gaurd.

The argument wasn't that it was unfair for the Hornets per se, it's that it's unfair to smaller markets in general with another star forcing a small market team to trade them to a big market. It comes down to competitive balance and inmates running the asylum, which was a key issue of the lockout that's just finished.

The Lakers being unable to win a championship isn't a travesty; that's not the responsibility or concern of the rest of the owners to ensure that happens. Furthermore, there's no guarantee that it would happen, simply acquiring Paul would not ensure a championship and indeed creates a few other issues with the Lakers roster. The issue here is that the situation was handled poorly, Dell Demps was made to look foolish and the NBA intervened way too late in the proceedings.

As for the Lakers' future, they're not exactly in a bad spot moving forward, perhaps even better not having to give up their two best forwards. It's not like they needed a great point guard to win their last five titles either.

[volsey]

From a business standpoint, one of the most profitable teams (just a guess), who contributes the most through luxury taxes to other teams would have $40 million dollars less over the next 4 years affects much more than just their own team, it affects (effects? i hate english) the other owners as well.

And again, I'm pretty sure the Lakers get the lesser end of that deal, not counting the budget cut. I can't see them being a more dominant team with CP3 than with Gasol and Odom (unless of course D12 showed up as a result of CP3 which is doubtful).

Again this has little to do with creating another superpower in the west or anything like that, and everything to do with putting another seat selling superstar in an already flourishing market. It's not that this season almost didn't happen because people thought it wasn't fair that Miami was stacked, it almost didn't happened because too many owners were loosing money, and it was only going to get worse in the foreseeable future if situations like Miami continued to occur (which seemed to be the trend).

The team was owned by the league, owned by the other 29 owners, who are commissioned by Stern. Therefore any major decision has to go through >29 owners in a vote... This had very little to do with Stern 'power drunk', it's business, they own the team why would they not have the right to make decisions? It was dealt with poorly but it was still their right to make that decision.

[qfrmcpt310]

But see the problem here is how is Dwight going to get traded from the Magic to the Nets if that rumor is true? The owners didn't vote for this, enough complained (see Dan Gilbert),but, this was Sterns' decision. The league said last year they were just taking care of the Hornets financially while they put a caretaker in place and Demps could handle roster moves, basically now they are going back on that and are putting 3 franchises in flux. This isn't just the Hornets, this basically is saying because the league has to review EVERY trade then how can anyone go anywhere anymore? If Stern can override it then who's to say he can't say Dwight must stay in Orlando? Or New Jersey can't acquire him because of "basketball reasons?"

And wtf does "basketball reasons" mean? You telling me the league couldn't come up with a better excuse? Come on man. The deal to get Pau to the Lakers if anything was highway robbery at the time, this time the Lakers actually made a fair deal that has potential great and bad benefits. And if this was going to be a problem, why didn't anyone say anything to the Hornets before hand? Why wait till the damn deal was done? Obviously you can't send him to Boston now because of "basketball reasons", Knicks either, Clippers too(LA also remember), GS not giving up Curry and they lost out on Chandler, so what now?

[shadowgrin]

But see the problem here is how is Dwight going to get traded from the Magic to the Nets if that rumor is true?

Prokhorov will bribe Stern and the other owners with high class whores. That's how he rolls.

the league has to review EVERY trade then how can anyone go anywhere anymore? If Stern can override it then who's to say he can't say Dwight must stay in Orlando? Or New Jersey can't acquire him because of "basketball reasons?"

All trades are reviewed by the league before being approved even before this and Stern has the power to veto trades and FA signings. See Juwan Howard and the Heat in the 90's.

And wtf does "basketball reasons" mean? You telling me the league couldn't come up with a better excuse? Come on man. The deal to get Pau to the Lakers if anything was highway robbery at the time, this time the Lakers actually made a fair deal that has potential great and bad benefits.

Ever considered that it's payback for what the Lakers did in the past?

why didn't anyone say anything to the Hornets before hand? Why wait till the damn deal was done?

Because the league was too busy making sure a signed and sealed CBA was in place before training camp starts? No matter how you look at it, forging a CBA that will last for 10 years to be done in just 2 weeks is still a lot of work.

[Patr1ck]

So, the Hornets looked like they were in pretty good shape after this trade picking up three solid players for one, where they could use them or trade them for other players. I actually think this would have made them more competitive, and the Lakers less. Gasol may have had some wife issues towards the end of last season, but he was and is still a major part of the franchise and it's victories. Not to mention Lamar Odom's contributions. What were the Lakers going to do at the 4 spot? Start Caracter?

My conclusion is that it was all about the luxury tax revenue sharing. The stupidest idea ever because it allows owners to sit on their ass with crap teams and get free money. If they are not willing to shell out to win, they will never gain recognition in their market. Fans and players alike won't want to come to them. Look at San Antonio. Who said "I want to go play in San Antonio!" Michael Finley did, but only after the Spurs had won a title. Also, I think star stacking makes the league better, because it allows other players to develop into stars themselves. Nobody develops on the bench. It also shows you how talented these "stars" really are as they have to discipline themselves not to be the man all the time. Right, Bosh?

[Axel The Great]

The Rockets were just getting raped in that deal. Take Martin out, then it's fine.

This. I'm glad someone said it. I am SO glad the league cancelled that deal. I don't know where some people are getting the "fairness" of this deal from. Gasol would be a welcome addition to the team, but who's left on the wings? Budinger and Lee? I see those two as role players who should come off the bench, not start. In my opinion, had that deal gone through, it wouldn't have improved things for the Rockets.

Plus I love Kevin Martin. It would add more to my despair (see: my avatar) to have another one of my favorite players leave.

[benji]

[Jackal]

Talks seem to be on again, Stern's directed NO to get "younger" so they can compete for years to come. Freaking fiasco.

[Alejandrov011]

Awesome ahhahah


Now, I say that the Rockets are getting RAPED with this trade.. They're giving Martin and Scola for Gasol... Right now Scola's scoring and rebounding is similar to Gasol's.. And he has a lower contrat.. They should take Martin or Scola out of the trade.

What the hell are they thinking?

[NovU]

On personal level, I thought this whole ordeal was stupid as fuck and should only be seen in 2nd tier leagues. But on the bright side, what could have been really is downright scary as motherfucker. The Heat trio were soon to be called "Little Big Three" with the new Lakers' Kobe-Chris-Dwight. WTF mang u kiddin meh?

[Andrew]

For what it's worth:

As for Dan Gilbert email obtained by Y! Sports, timestamp shows he didn't send to Stern until after 10 PM ET. Trade already had been killed.

Stern meanwhile insists that no owners influenced the decision:

“Since the NBA purchased the New Orleans Hornets, final responsibility for significant management decisions lies with the Commissioner’s Office in consultation with team chairman Jac Sperling. All decisions are made on the basis of what is in the best interests of the Hornets. In the case of the trade proposal that was made to the Hornets for Chris Paul, we decided, free from the influence of other NBA owners, that the team was better served with Chris in a Hornets uniform than by the outcome of the terms of that trade.”

Simmons and Woj weigh in, both have a pretty good take. Meanwhile, the decision has been appealed and talks have resumed to see if there's a way that the deal can still go through. It might not be over just yet.

[Houndy]

I'm tired of Dan Gilbert

[Andrew]

Who isn't, but at the very least it seems the significance of his email was overblown. That's not to say its sentiments can't be picked apart and scrutinised but if it came through after the deal was killed, suffice to say those words had no impact on the matter.

[Mavs4Life]

This offseason alone has bassicaly been "As The NBA Turns". Just look trade murder, then trade comes back from the dead. And there's been tampering!

[Jhiane]

It's Bynum and Walton to Orlando for Dwight and Turkoglu.

what?

[Andrew]

That's one of the rumours.

[benji]

The Los Angeles Lakers have pulled out of the three-team deal with New Orleans and Houston that would have landed Chris Paul in L.A., according to sources close to the talks.

The reason for the Lakers' withdrawal was not immediately known.

The Hornets, Rockets and Lakers had been working for the past 48 hours to complete a reconfigured version of the trade that the teams struck Thursday that had been vetoed by NBA commissioner David Stern.

The Hornets, according to sources, will now redouble their efforts to trade Paul elsewhere. Paul can become a free agent at season's end.

The Lakers are now expected to turn their full focus to obtaining Dwight Howard, who has asked the Orlando Magic to trade him.

One source close to the process said that the Lakers will instead trade Lamar Odom to the Dallas Mavericks.

http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/stor ... ng-sources

[Mavs4Life]

Lamar means Kardashians in Dallas. Glad Humphries is no longer a Mav

[benji]

Sources close to the situation tell ESPN that Clippers have emerged as "early frontrunner" to acquire CP3 now that Lakers out of running

[benji]

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=a ... lks_121011

The NBA has taken complete control of the Hornets front office and left general manager Dell Demps and coach Monty Williams without a deal that they wanted to make for Paul. The Hornets have been left in an impossible predicament by commissioner David Stern, who has positioned himself as basketball czar of the Hornets.

In his desire to keep the All-Star point guard on the roster to maximize the league’s selling price of the team to potential owners, Stern has shot down two deals to send Paul to the Lakers. Now, teams are leery of entering into trade talks for Paul with the Hornets basketball executives, and this could collectively cripple the franchise’s ability to get maximum value for Paul.

The Hornets front office and coaching staff is beyond devastated over this deal falling apart on Saturday night. They’re three days into training camp, and they don’t have a legitimate NBA team to put on the floor.

As a rival league executive told Yahoo! Sports on Saturday night about the possibility of getting involved in the derby for Paul now: “My initial reaction is, ‘Who wants to go through that headache with the NBA playing God?’ You want to do a deal. New Orleans’ front office wants to do a deal. And the third party – the NBA – says you can do it? Should I call Stern and see if they’re going to waive Patrick Ewing Jr., since he’s only partially guaranteed? ”

The Hornets had delivered a reconstructed framework of the three-team blockbuster trade that would have sent Paul to the Lakers into the NBA office for approval Saturday, but the NBA still refused to approve it.

...

The NBA was clearly dictating terms of the possible trade of Paul to the Lakers. The league office is running the Hornets, while it waits to sell them to an ownership group. The NBA took over the Hornets in December, buying them from George Shinn.

After the NBA furnished GM Demps with fresh directives on the kind of deal it would approve on the league level, Demps re-engaged the Lakers and Rockets in talks early Friday afternoon that carried deep into the evening, sources said.

[Jhiane]

they will shift pursuing Howard..

[J@3]

Why the Hornets would want to take on three 30 year olds on multi year deals that would likely lead them to a late lotto pick in the best draft in years is beyond me. I'm happy for them that it didn't go through.

[Andrew]

As I said in the Lakers thread, the fact they've gone through with the Odom trade suggests they're pretty confident they'll be able to use the trade exception to land Dwight Howard. If not, that swap is going to look pretty bad.