Stern is building an even worse reputation for the NBA. People in LA, Hou, and NO hate this guy right now. This is getting ridiculous.
There are no hard and fast rules for trading a superstar. You may be correct if New Orleans plans on rebuilding, but what if they want to follow the same route Morey has decided on?
You know you ****ed up when the Lakers hate Stern. Me thinks Kobe won't be getting superstar calls anymore.
Not a fair question, because the Hornets have almost no leverage. It's like the Carmelo situation - why would a team give "fair" value for a player who will leave after one (shortened) season? Paul holds the cards with where he'll re-sign; you have to deal within those parameters or you probably lose him for nothing. The value the Hornets would have received from both the LA/HOU and Clippers trades was comparable, if not better than the value Denver got for Carmelo. Moreover, this misses the bigger point, which is that Demps was told repeatedly that he had autonomy and authority to make a deal, when in reality he has neither. This has wasted the time and effort of numerous executives around the league and has damaged team-player relationships with the Rockets, Lakers, Clippers and maybe more. Stern needed to tell it like it is - that Paul's not going to be dealt prior to new ownership unless there's a king's ransom. He didn't, and that's why we're in this mess.
Hornets still have leverage to get something back in a S&T or even re-sign him. Paul would be leaving behind something like $30 million if he were to sign with another team outright.
I look at it this way, which team will have the cap room to sign him straight out in the offseason? Top that off, a team where he would like to sign. Unlike the year lebron and crew were free, their teams would lose them for 0 and that's why a sign and trade happened. This is why I think the rockets should just give the hornets a blank sheet of paper and start with lowry,scola,martin, and the knicks pick or hill. In the offseason, the rockets would have cp3 bird rights and enough money to offer howard a max type contract. Howard,paul,patterson,chase,and lee is a contending team. Not to mention the guys who will come to play cheaper because of those 2.
AGREE All the fans always clamouring to give these pompous arrogant spoiled players a dose of "humility" while the common man has to scratch and claw... Sterns listens to that and acts like a school chancellor/principal giving the players dress codes and such. (Whether its effective strategy or not, its school principal like) Then you see consumate professional, leader and champion Chauncey Billups bickering loudly now - STOP THESE BIG HEADED PLAYERS from doing what THEY want! No, its players have a right to be bullish with their demands. And GMS have the option of CHOOSING to meet them or don't meet them. Stern isnt as dumb as he looks. Its the approach he choose can be conflicting IN an OF itself - does he want to satisfy fans, does he want to help the league image, does he want to help the marquee franchises for NBA bottom line? Does he want to help the owners who HIRE HIM?
You're right until you realize that Stern decides what's the best possible deal out there for the Hornets, since the league owns them.
First of all this is a superstar who is in the last year of the contract who has gone on record to say he is leaving the team at the end of the year ... secondly, lakers dont have to give him much bc they know they will be in the running for him the next year even if they dont get him now ... third this is a superstar with a history of injury ... fourth if you get rid of your bad contracts then you have to take back more salary (since they have to match with a absence of a trade exception) .. lastly teams are not willing to give as much for a player that they may lose after a year .. so no i dont think you assessment is correct
Kobe - 27MM Pau - 19MM Artest - 7.2MM Walton - 6.1MM Blake - 4MM Fisher - 3.4MM How are they in the running for him next year with that cap number?
1. Even if Stern was acting as owner who has right to veto trade, no owner waits for trade to be done to veto 2. How was that not a good haul compared to other trades? Look at what Minn received for Garnett: Al Jefferson and Gerald Green (who amounted to nothing...), Denver got for Melo AND Billups: Lawson, Gallo, Chandler, Mozgov. Both those guys were/are superstars, but they also didn't have the same injury history Paul has. NOLA not only got a lot very good veterans, but also a lot of versatility. It would have been very easy for them to flip Odom, Martin, Scola, or any of those guys for draft picks or someone younger.
I am no GM or a cap expert but they just took odoms 12 million off the books... artest can be amnestied (7 million) and fishers contract is a players option which if he doesnt take frees up about 10 mill .. then you just trade or drop a few players and u have cap space
That was supposed to be Dell Demps job. He was supposed to run the Hornets until the team was sold. The league getting involved is a clear conflict of interest. Stern should never ever choreograph player movement. That is clearly unethical and makes the NBA a complete farce
Which he can't very well do if only a few teams are making money. Ever heard the cliche "A rising tide lifts all boats."
