Last night, NBA commissioner David Stern killed a three-team trade between the New Orleans Hornets, Houston Rockets, and L.A. Lakers that would have sent NBA All-Star and Olympic Gold Medalist, Chris Paul to the L.A. Lakers to team with Kobe Bryant. Why was the trade killed? Yesterday the NBA said it was a basketball decision. The assumption is that the league fears that competitive balance will be lost if superstars can dictate where they want to play. Today, the league came out and said that If the Hornets don’t have Chris Paul, they are not aren’t as valuable and it was a business decision.
Paul’s contract is up at the end of the year, so he’s going to leave the Hornets at seasons end. If keeping competitive balance is the league’s objective then allowing the trade to happen would have been in the best interest of the NBA. Trade Paul now, and the Hornets, Rockets, and Lakers all get a fair deal. Hold Paul hostage in New Orleans, then he leaves at the end of the year and the Hornets get nothing.
What do you guys think? Is the NBA being fair or not fair to Chris Paul?
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
Pretty wild decision, but glad that he didn’t go to LA.
Stern is slick…he’s going to get the best possible “business deal” for Chris Paul’s services. As long as the NBA owns the hornets, it will be business decisions only. The NBA will not be looking to rebuild for the future, but rather, pack their pockets today.
Well, in other news, the Knicks got Chandler… So the Mavs will go back to being weak in the paint unless Brendan Haywood got any better (highly doubtful) since last season. Additionally, there was a rumor floating around saying if the Knicks got Chandler, they would be willing to trade Stoudamire for Paul. I really can’t see that happening since the Knicks don’t have much to give up; however, all this hoopla should make for a thrilling and interesting NBA season.
That was the best possible deal, the only reason it didn’t go through is because Stern was getting shit from the small market owners. The Hornets would have gotten Lamar Odom, last year’s top sixth man, from the Lakers, as well as forward Luis Scola, shooting guard Kevin Martin, point guard Goran Dragic and a first-round draft choice from the Houston Rockets. Every team involved would have gotten better. Now they run the risk of having to keep Paul on the payroll for the rest of the year and then having him walk way for nothing.
The NBA shouldn’t have ownership of any team because of conflict of interest issues like this.
good point.
First, Stern is a dickhead, I know it’s crude, but it’s true. Second and not to get too political, these multimillionaire and billionaire, so called small market owners are a trip. Those guys are the same conservatives who block all the social programs for the middle-class and working poor in this country and are so afraid socialism and social programs, but turn around and need bailouts for their business and want profit sharing to be apart of their sports league. Hypocrisy!! I am not the guy that is going to cosign the players calling themselves slaves and things of that sort either. It is a privilege to play professional sports. While I do agree the that the way the league works and the way revenue is divided in the NBA et al, is not fair, these guys make too much money for me to call them underpaid; tell that to the school teachers in the ghetto, who get assaulted by their students everyday. All that to say, let Chris Paul go to LA and send Dwight Howard while you’re at it. You took half the season from the fans, give them something to look forward to in the finals. Miami vs L.A., two major markets and big three teams. I wouldn’t be mad at that. Send D. Williams to the Knicks while you’re at it. That would be a big three too. Let’s make it interesting. I’m fucking bored.
All these teams starting to look like somebody went into “create a team” in the 2k series anyway.
why is that bad?
i like it.
A business decision and Paul is just an asset or piece of property. Isn’t what the players were battling against.
Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom are NOT shitty players. How could getting two very solid teammates (and NBA champions) weaken the team? It sounds like they are talking about slaves
Slave is a harsh word, they’re highly paid employee’s.
NBA gets me angry so shit cant they be like football alot of sick players will retire without a ring being the only star player with a basic squad
That´s a nonsense…