...and Stern kills the deal!
...and Stern kills the deal!
It looks like the NBA owners have been complaining to Stern and the League will block the completion of the trade. This could get interesting.
As a fan of the Rockets all I can say is thanks for killing it, Mr. Stern.
Wow couldn't this have been voted on before announcing it to the world? I understand the NBA owns the Hornets so technically all owners have a stake in the team...why not put the deal up for a vote before saying yes?
Now you have Chris Paul being tossed back and forth, Odom and Gasol back on a team that just traded them, and who knows what else. This kinda thing has to be avoidable.
Sounds like a bunch of whiny NBA owners to me.
Here is the proposed trade:
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/201...#ixzz1g0Ic8ZsXEarlier Thursday, the Hornets had agreed in principle to trade Paul to the Lakers for Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom. The Rockets, the third team in the trade, would have acquired Gasol from New Orleans and dealt shooting guard Kevin Martin, power forward Luis Scola, point guard Goran Dragic and possibly a first-round pick to the Hornets.
If I am reading this correctly, New Orleans obtains Lamar Odom, Luis Scola, Kevin Martin, Goran Dragic and a possible first-round pick for Paul. And Paul is a free agent after this year. Is that an unfair deal?
Last edited by texasdave; 12-08-2011 at 10:20 PM.
From the Rockets point of view, that trade was HORRIBLE. I don't even know that Gasol is better than Scola at this point in their careers. The Grizzlies gave it a run with Pau as their best player. And it didn't work out. Not sure why Morey would think he could have any better luck with it several years after the fact.
It's hard to say without knowing what else was being offered but it isn't like the Hornets are dealing from a position of strength, so getting Odom and Gasol looks like a pretty solid return to me. I'm not sure that I'd have turned around and flipped Gasol for Martin, Scola, Dragic and a first round pick but I think it's hard to argue that the Lakers weren't giving fair value.
I mean on one hand I can see why the NBA wouldn't want to deal away the club's best asset before trying to sell the team but at the same time how much value does the franchise lose when Paul walks and they get a couple of late first rounders from a sign and trade deal or possibly nothing at all?
In fairness, LeBron, Wade and Bosh colluding to play with each other was heavily investigated.
I think its more of the star players demanding to go to a few teams. I heard an email read on the radio this morning from Dan Gilbert to the commish. He was complaining about the trade but also made a very important point. He said something to the extent why don't we just have 5 power teams and 25 Washington Generals. The way things are headed in the NBA you will have power teams in LA, NY, Boston, Miami, and Chicago. As of now the only promising team not located in a geographic population center is Oklahoma City. For the betterment of the league and all 30 owners they better hope the NBA doesn't continue to spiral down this path.
Brandon Roy expected to retire.
Dan Gilbert can complain all he want. The fact of the matter is, he had a once in a generation player, playing in his hometown, and wasn't able to put the pieces around him to convince him to stay. Larry Hughes? Mo Williams? Give me a break. The Cavs created their own mess. They were a poorly run franchise for several years. True, Gilbert showed up late to the show. But he pampered and showered LeBron with every need. He enabled him. And he put a poor product around him.
If Gilbert doesn't like the situation, he should get out of the league.
This is strawman argument and Stern looks like a buffoon for going along with it.
While I'm not a huge can of there being a handful of "super" teams and a bunch of also-ran teams, the veto of this deal does nothing to change the way that the landscape of the NBA is evolving.
Chris Paul isn't re-signing with New Orleans and no amount of hand wringing is going to change that fact. Instead of allowing Dell Demps to deal Chris Paul and getting the best return possible, these petulant owners have created a situation where Paul is going to still end up on a "super" team and New Orleans is going to get nothing in return.
The fact that Stern was willing to go along for the ride shows that he's completely out to lunch.
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