Regardless of your opinion about owners, the point of the lockout was to try to promote a level playing field ...in spite of dumb owners. Now fast forward to this trade ...the very first trade since the lockout ...and it involves moving two marquee players neither of which goes to the small market team. Stern needed to save face with the owners, since by pure chance, he had direct input over the trade. I don't disagree that small market teams CAN compete (see SA). But CAN and DO are different. All Stern is woried about is the END RESULT. If the end result is all the big market teams have all the good players then the league will implode.
I agree with trugoy and have said as much in other threads. Why would new orleans want scola,martin,and odom for a superstar like paul? I know demps personally, great guy, but he's never been in this kind of spot. Not only was he going to trade one of the 5 best players in the league, but he was going to do it in conference, an not get any top talent or picks back. Top that off, the team would be capped out interms of flexibility. It was bad move for houston and new orleans. The only team using rubbers at prom on that deal was lakers.
Clippers deal satisifed 2, 3, and 4. It was an average trade for a superstar like CP3, certainly better than the rejected trade, but if they had a better GM, more time, they could've got something better.
An interesting take on what happened. The trade was rejected for financial reasons. The league (other owners) were taking on 15 million for this year if the trade went through
I am with you. I thought it was a horrible deal for NO. Losing talent like Paul requires the team be put in a position to more quickly reacquire talent like him, not tread water and worsen cap position. Stern acted as any intelligent owner should have. NO should rather see Paul walk than take just anything in return for him. Youth, potential, and picks, if you cannot get back a star in return.
I somewhat agree that he should have done it. But I think he should have said something before these three GM's worked on this for as long as they did. To me, it seems like he was just biting his tongue until the new agreement had gotten ratified. Because he knew how bad the fallout would be.
The clippers offer is way better. Aminu was the 8th pick in the last draft. And they gave an unprotected lotto pick. Plus no long term salary commitments. Not the best they could've gotten, but an average haul for a superstar trade.
If you were to tell me I had to trade chris paul, the clippers deal is more than fair because of a couple of reasons. Gordon is on of the best scorers in this league. He's 22 Aminu is a young talent he's 22 Kaman is a good player when healthy with an expiring contracts Unprotected lotto pick from minny That trade satisfies everything you would want. They can win games and still grow going forward. Kaman and okefor is a good combo, plus they can flip kaman for another player, maybe even a pg. They have cap flexibility.
it all depends on what New Orleans is trying to accomplish. If New Orleans wanted to field a competitive team that would still sell tickets and have a shot at the playoffs, but also get a few picks and young prospects, they should have taken the deal. If they are trying to rebuild and are fine fielding a team that can't win and will toil in obscurity for a few years until some young talent develops, well then of course you don't trade for Scola, Odom, and Martin. Either way, Stern had no right to hurt Houston the way he did; to waste our time, to undermine the value of our players, to put Houston in a bad situation with players named in the trade, and to declare a legal trade illegal on the basis of an idealogical war over how the league should be run. If you don't like the fact that players have so much power over where they go in free agency, then change the freaking rules, but don't change the rules in the middle of the game, and don't make Houston collateral damage in the process. It's not right, and if i were Les i would be seriously considering hiring a hitman.
The OP is right. Everyone is assuming they know what Sterns motives were. He said he wanted youth and picks, and it makes sense why he would want that for a rebuilding team that they are trying to sell. And it appears that's what he got. Haters gonna hate but the original trade did not help NO rebuild and it did notake them more attractive to sell.
I would agree with you except that gordon is not part of the trade. If they got gordon, then yes, that would be a fantastic haul for NO. But gordon is not part of the trade.
Except Clippers didn't offer the deal. It's either the Minny pick or Gordon. Not both. League asked for both, Clippers said no. Kaman, frankly, has been crap recently. Eric Gordon is talented, but what exactly is his ceiling? DWade? Or more Caron Butler/Kevin Martin?
It's sad that people just ignore the whole "Conflict of Interest" thing like we're not dealing with real people here. No one has talked about what Hornets fans want. You know, those people who spend money on season tickets. Just look at this board. People who want to tank generally get unfavorable responses. NBA fans who pay their own money for tickets to watch their favorite team, don't wan that team to look like crap. Of course it's in the owner's interest for the Hornets to never pay salary, suck, and make it easy for investors. That's why they agreed to have an independent caretaker to manage the team. You know, someone who want to create the best team for the fans of the city. And not just maxmize money in the owners' pockets. This decision by Stern is the ultimate FU to Hornets fans. He's telling them that they don't matter, and that they'll suck in order for other owners to make more money. And it's sad that so many people agree with Stern here.
My main arguement would be that New Orleans may be in no position to look at the long term if they are not able to at least put a marginally good team on the floor this season. Nobody is going to pay to watch this team in led by Eric Bledsoe so this is going to put the franchise in further debt essentially putting the franchise over a barrel to accept any offer. Drafting high can make you Oklahoma City, it can also make you the Charlotte Bobcats, GS Warriors, Milwakee Bucks, Wizards, Kings, Raptors. My point being, most of the teams that are perrienial lottery teams do not eventually find the all star that lifts them out of the celler. Most of them stay there until they are able to luck into some complimentary peices.
I hope the Hornets end up with nothing, I feel bad for Demps, but it's f**king ridiculous that Stern is trying to bully teams into offering more by waving his veto wand left and right. Commish is totally in the wrong here.
And before folks argue that NO coils have flipped those other players for great picks, Athe best Odom could fetch was a protected 1st from Dallas.
He shouldn't have told people that Dell Demps had autonomy, cause clearly he didn't. Basketball wise, the Clippers trade is a better move, but Stern really blew this one.
