Its not hard at all. In the NBA, players get traded. Morey has said over and over that he prefers to improve the team via trade. The players know where they stand. Martin is thankful that he got traded to the Rockets from Sac, and guess what -- we had to give up an "asset" in Carl Landry to make that deal happen. If the Rockets weren't always working the phones looking to make deals, Martin might still be a miserable Sacramento King. The Rockets have nothing to apologize for.
Man what a circus. If I were Stern, it would seem like the only way through this is to satisfy the majority of owners and the three teams involved in the trade (I doubt he cares much about CP3 or Gasol's feelings). I'd approve the trade if it were restructured to 1) give NO more (picks, expirings, or sending out long term contracts) 2) LA less (taking on contracts, sending over picks). MAYBE Hou gets something out of it, but if you can accomplish those things then Stern might save some credibility and restore some confidence back to the league. Win for everyone.....well maybe not LA but who cares...screw them....
It is not about apologizing Durv, it is about managing the situation. Players KNOW, sure, but they also care, so how Morey talks to them will help determine the course of the team. Because a "**** him" attitude can become cancerous.... Morey should just be up front and say, yeah, we tried, maybe take a page out of Rudy T's book in the Horry situation and explain why they did it and go from there. But silence would be 100% the wrong approach, IMO. DD
oh and if LA kills the deal because they don't get what they want or have to give too much, then it's on LA.....they would be responsible for killing the deal not Stern....Win again...
I would think the players know why the team is trying to make a trade. If all of us know it, then surely they would. I agree, its better for their to be a channel of communication if the players want to talk. But, at the same time, players should be mature enough to not require counseling whenever their name comes up in trade talks.
Assuming that Morey knows what he is doing in attempting to get Gasol, I kind of want this deal to go through. Looks like Howard wants to go to the Nets. After this trade, the Lakers would be relying heavily on Bynum's weak knees with no one legitimate center/PF to back him up. I don't see a team consisting of an Paul and an aging Kobe going very far. I suppose the trade gives the Lakers cap flexibility down the line, but who knows what the future may hold. I'm down for making the Lakers smaller by getting rid of their versatile bigs and picking up one of the smallest PGs in the league (albiet a great one).
I wish the deal was revived. I think now that the steps we're taking AFTER getting Gasol is clear, the deal certainly doesn't look half as bad.
Exactly. This isn't just a case of an owner not agreeing to a trade as some have said. The league operates under a legally binding collective bargaining agreement that allows trades like this to take place. The league has positioned itself as both the regulator and owner of a team, which isn't a defensible position and is complicated even more by the fact that: 1) the league had said it would divorce itself from NO basketball decisions when it took over the franchise 2) the trade that NO made was a good one for the franchise, which means the league is demonstrating bias instead of following its collective bargaining agreement. That bias will create legal problems. Not to mention that this is really bad from a PR position and a lawsuit by Paul or one of the other parties could throw the entire legal legitimacy of the Hornets franchise (when owned and operated by the league) into question. Is that what the NBA really needs right now? This whole thing is insanity. I'm sure Stern is looking for a way out. Perhaps the threat of the lawsuit gives him a way to go back to the hard line owners and say there is nothing he could do. I just hope this is done quickly so the Rockets can sign NeNe too.
@EyeOnBasketball Eye on Basketball Report: Rockets/Lakers/Hornets (?) will appeal Chris Paul trade block. tinyurl.com/7378y5h A way out of a bad situation for the NBA.
I have been telling anyone who will listen for the last 8 years on this board that the NBA is fixed. Playoffs are determined by TV ratings. Bad series ratings are rushed through in 4 or 5 games. Great ratings in the series almost always are pushed to a 7th game usually with a blowout win in game 6 with "questionable" officiating. This has been going on since the early 80's with teams being "guided" by Stern through the playoffs with directives by Stern on how to call individual games to the officials. Donahee or whatever his name was spoke out about being directed to call more fouls on a 7'6" Chinese guy we know!! Now he may as well be a Roswell conspirator!! So this action by Stern comes as absolutely no surprise to me.
@LScola4 Luis Scola I´m on my way to the Toyota Center, this is going to be fun. The good thing is that the TC it´s on the way to the airport, just in case...
sources* say that the trade will be tweaked where it will now be "acceptable basketball wise" to the league. I wonder what variation would work. Hopefully Rox give up less assets.
Where is that from? I wish there was a way to keep martin. I know others here don't love him, but I'm a big fan.
Probably the Lakers taking on more salary, and giving up a pick as well....hopefully the Rox can keep the knicks pick too. DD
