I am pretty impressed with Okafor and Diaw when I saw them live... they were totally overpowering David Lee and Al Harrington when I caught them live at the MSG.
He didn't. But the NBA's collective bargaining agreement has two other "scenarios" where players can veto a trade, besides the no-trade clause (which, as another poster already mentioned, only Kobe has and no other player): (1) A former restricted free agent who previously signed an offer sheet with another team but had that offer sheet matched by his original team cannot be traded without his consent for one year after the offer sheet is matched. Once that one-year period expires, the team can freely trade the player. Hence, Carl Landry (whose offer sheet with the Bobcats was matched by the Rockets last September) cannot be traded without his consent until September 2009. (2) A player currently on a one-year deal but whose current team would have either Early Bird or full Bird rights on the player can veto a trade, since the player would lose his Bird rights once he went to the new team. Devean George (then on a one-year deal, with the Mavs having Bird rights on him the following summer) invoked this right in early 2008 with the first iteration of the Jason Kidd trade. This rule makes sense and was specifically negotiated in by the players association. Hope this clears things up.
LMAO, wow, this is nothing. When has a player ever went to meet the team he was being traded to, before actually being traded? The majority of trades happen without the knowledge of said player. Most guys find out they got traded through TV or another media source. Move along folks, nothing to see here. The Power of Tracy McGrady. Turns a normal situation of any normal man into something bigger.
Imagine if other teams fans reacted the same way some do here when one of our players is in another NBA city. How many live/train in Houston in the offseason? Must drive those fans bats*** crazy. "OMG OMG OMG __________ is being traded to Houston. He's there now playing at Westside!" Then again, they might just be a little more sane than some of us.
I don't think it's unreasonable at all. McGrady met with the Rockets before he was traded here. Francis met with the Magic before he was traded there. Given McGrady's attitude questions, you better believe his next employer is going to have a very long conversation with him before sealing anything. The analogy is very flawed as well. Houston is the fourth-biggest city in the US, of course people come here. Charlotte, not so much. I said in the initial post, if you read it, that it was probably nothing. And when someone pointed out that he went to high school and possibly had family connections in the area, I said it made sense. I didn't say OMG OMG OMG McGrady is being traded to Charlotte. There's no insanity here. But if McGrady is in a small-town NBA city for several days this offseason, I think it's worth noting.
My post wasn't so much about this situation, but the reaction of the GARM in general when one of the Rockets is seen in another city.
