The NBA is a joke.

[ODUalum11]

What an absolutely joke this league is after what happened this offseason....first there is a lockout that ends up cancelling close to 1/5 of the season and then the commissioner "nixes" a deal that would have sent Chris Paul from New Orleans to Los Angeles, Lamar Odom from the Lakers to the Hornets and then Pau Gasol from LA to the Rockets plus other players moving around in a 3-team trade. Many few this trade to have been fair all around....the Hornets a small market team would have been the runaway bandits in this trade while the Lakers would have been getting their first prized point guard since the Magic Johnson days and meanwhile the Rockets would have been getting a Top-2 power forward in Pau Gasol. How can anyway take the NBA seriously after what just went down? I now understand why there is a strong percentage of people out there who absolutely hate the NBA and think its a complete joke. NHL fans hate Gary Bettman, MLB fans hate Bud Selig, NFL fans aren't crazy about Roger Goodell but how can anybody like David Stern? Guy is pure evil, you "google" david stern and this is what you get as your results....



To think I was actually going to be excited for the season to start on Christmas day and watch some great match-ups I seriously might not watch a single milisecond of a single game this year. To hell with the NBA!!!!!

[jwmann2]

I stopped watching the NBA a long time ago.
You should do the same. They notice, trust me. College basketball and the NBA have lost over 20% of their audience since 1999. Didn't someone liken David Stern to a slave owner? So apparently there are a lot of people that feel the same way that you do.

[SuperHornet]

I'm still interested to know the rationale behind both the intended trade and its blockage.

BTW, this isn't necessarily unprecedented, unpalatable though it may be. I think Bowie Kuhn was commissioner of MLB when he vetoed Charlie Finley's intended dismantling of the Oakland Athletics just so he could prove he was as good as Connie Mack in assembling winners from scratch. (Finley was also trying to get $$ for his stars rather than face losing them for nothing in free agency.) Kuhn said that was not in the "best interests of baseball." True That might be Stern's rationale as well, but he'd be wrong. Shifting big names around is about the only way to generate heat after that bogus lockout.

[clenz]

I stopped watching the NBA a long time ago.
You should do the same. They notice, trust me. College basketball and the NBA have lost over 20% of their audience since 1999. Didn't someone liken David Stern to a slave owner? So apparently there are a lot of people that feel the same way that you do.

The comparison to a slave owner was a terrible comparison.

[ODUalum11]

I stopped watching the NBA a long time ago.
You should do the same. They notice, trust me. College basketball and the NBA have lost over 20% of their audience since 1999. Didn't someone liken David Stern to a slave owner? So apparently there are a lot of people that feel the same way that you do.

The comparison to a slave owner was a terrible comparison.

Well I think at a time like this it is somewhat logical to think that...it's evident Chris Paul doesn't want to be in New Orleans and like a slave owner, David Stern is forcing him to stay with a team he clearly has stated he doesn't want to be with well before the new CBA was agreed upon...he is now forcing numerous players to stay where they don't want to stay anymore. For example, If you're Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom, even Derick Fisher someone who wasn't even involved in the trade how do you show up to the first day of preseason camp on Friday when it appears the organization you won 2 championships in the past 3 years doesn't have your back and is pretty much saying "you're not good enough". I'd say David Stern just ruined the season for 3 teams in the NBA. I think the NBA would have been in a much better situation if the lockout just lasted the whole season. I think if your a laker fan or not, or even a Hornets fan, or even a rockets fan, the NBA has absolutely ZERO credibility now.

[ODUalum11]

I'm still interested to know the rationale behind both the intended trade and its blockage.

BTW, this isn't necessarily unprecedented, unpalatable though it may be. I think Bowie Kuhn was commissioner of MLB when he vetoed Charlie Finley's intended dismantling of the Oakland Athletics just so he could prove he was as good as Connie Mack in assembling winners from scratch. (Finley was also trying to get $$ for his stars rather than face losing them for nothing in free agency.) Kuhn said that was not in the "best interests of baseball." True That might be Stern's rationale as well, but he'd be wrong. Shifting big names around is about the only way to generate heat after that bogus lockout.

funny that you mentioned that because Ian O'Connor mentioned this at the end of a piece he wrote tonight for ESPN.com....

By summoning the spirit of Blockin' Bowie Kuhn, Stern has turned his entire sport upside down. This could go down as the worst call a commissioner has made since Pete Rozelle chose to play football after the murder of JFK.

http://espn.go.com/new-york/nba/story/_ ... proportion" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[TwinTownBisonFan]

Stern is desperately trying to save basketball in NOLA...

New Orleans and Minnesota are contraction candidates if they can't get something going on the court... dumping Paul - and sending him to the Yankees of the NBA would be the death knell for the Hornets.

As for the jibber-jabber about "slavery"... bullshit.

Let me say this. A man has every right to control his own labor, if Chris Paul doesn't want to play in New Orleans - he can tell the team he wants out... but they are NOT OBLIGATED TO TRADE HIM. He has a SIGNED CONTRACT - his alternative option is breach his contract and suffer the consequences, if TRULY wants out, and is willing to pay the consequences... then I salute him for having the courage to commit to it.

However... what this seems like is "I don't like this... I want to go play in the big market and be a star..."

[ODUalum11]

I agree, he is under contract so you're right but I think their is a SLIGHT comparison. In other words, I agree with you at about 90-95%. The Hornets agreed to trade him so why not let him be traded? The Hornets agreed to trade him....thought I'd repeat it a second time. This is a trade where truly all the parties benefitted, ESPECIALLY the smaller market team (the Hornets). I applaud Demps who I think is the temporary owner of the Hornets for the time being for waiting to get the best possible offer he could get. The Hornets would have gotten a very sweet deal if the trade went through.

I tell you, the NBA opened up a can of worms now since they blocked this trade. What happens next time when ANY team wants to trade a super star? You also have to remember, Chris Paul is or WAS opting for Plan B. PLAN B. He first wanted to go to the Knicks but reports were saying he wouldn't disrespect the Hornets like that since the Knicks didn't have any trade assets...the Lakers did, however.

Two things that I hope happen as a result of this....A) Chris Paul sues the NBA for everything they are worth which I think reports are saying he plans on filing or taking at least some legal actions and B) the Lakers go out and trade for Dwight Howard still...that would send a big "*&^% You" and to David Stern and the rest of the NBA...but then again the rest of the NBA owners might say that isn't fair and demand that trade to be blocked as well.

[ODUalum11]

Danny Granger of the Indiana Pacers via twitter...

Due to the sabotaging of the LA/NO trade by david stern, and following in the footsteps of my athlete brethern Metta World Peace and Chad Ochocinco, I'm changing my last name to "Stern's Bi#&h" #effectiveimmediately

[TwinTownBisonFan]

I agree, he is under contract so you're right but I think their is a SLIGHT comparison. In other words, I agree with you at about 90-95%. The Hornets agreed to trade him so why not let him be traded? The Hornets agreed to trade him....thought I'd repeat it a second time. This is a trade where truly all the parties benefitted, ESPECIALLY the smaller market team (the Hornets). I applaud Demps who I think is the temporary owner of the Hornets for the time being for waiting to get the best possible offer he could get. The Hornets would have gotten a very sweet deal if the trade went through.

I tell you, the NBA opened up a can of worms now since they blocked this trade. What happens next time when ANY team wants to trade a super star? You also have to remember, Chris Paul is or WAS opting for Plan B. PLAN B. He first wanted to go to the Knicks but reports were saying he wouldn't disrespect the Hornets like that since the Knicks didn't have any trade assets...the Lakers did, however.

Two things that I hope happen as a result of this....A) Chris Paul sues the NBA for everything they are worth which I think reports are saying he plans on filing or taking at least some legal actions and B) the Lakers go out and trade for Dwight Howard still...that would send a big "*&^% You" and to David Stern and the rest of the NBA...but then again the rest of the NBA owners might say that isn't fair and demand that trade to be blocked as well.

Um.... the NBA owns the Hornets...

[ODUalum11]

I agree, he is under contract so you're right but I think their is a SLIGHT comparison. In other words, I agree with you at about 90-95%. The Hornets agreed to trade him so why not let him be traded? The Hornets agreed to trade him....thought I'd repeat it a second time. This is a trade where truly all the parties benefitted, ESPECIALLY the smaller market team (the Hornets). I applaud Demps who I think is the temporary owner of the Hornets for the time being for waiting to get the best possible offer he could get. The Hornets would have gotten a very sweet deal if the trade went through.

I tell you, the NBA opened up a can of worms now since they blocked this trade. What happens next time when ANY team wants to trade a super star? You also have to remember, Chris Paul is or WAS opting for Plan B. PLAN B. He first wanted to go to the Knicks but reports were saying he wouldn't disrespect the Hornets like that since the Knicks didn't have any trade assets...the Lakers did, however.

Two things that I hope happen as a result of this....A) Chris Paul sues the NBA for everything they are worth which I think reports are saying he plans on filing or taking at least some legal actions and B) the Lakers go out and trade for Dwight Howard still...that would send a big "*&^% You" and to David Stern and the rest of the NBA...but then again the rest of the NBA owners might say that isn't fair and demand that trade to be blocked as well.

Um.... the NBA owns the Hornets...

um...yeah I realize that...I stated it at the beginning of that post, although I will admit it wasn't clearly stated...if the NBA truly wanted this trade to be blocked, they would have done so from the very beginning...

I guess the main point is that I've never seen a trade so evenly balanced get blocked before...

[TwinTownBisonFan]

Um.... the NBA owns the Hornets...

um...yeah I realize that...I stated it at the beginning of that post, although I will admit it wasn't clearly stated...if the NBA truly wanted this trade to be blocked, they would have done so from the very beginning...

I guess the main point is that I've never seen a trade so evenly balanced get blocked before...

Which the league... as owners... had a right to do. People are losing their minds about this, but it all makes good sense...

The NBA is out to prove that small markets can compete in this environment with the new CBA - a team dumping a superstar player because they can't pay him... undermines ALL of that talk about competitive balance.

On top of that... probably a lot easier to sell a franchise with a guy like Paul than with nothing.

It's a unique set of circumstances - the league owning a team, combined with the CBA stuff... Stern used his authority as the stewards of the team...

hardly surprising with 28 owners irate over the deal and what it would mean.

[clenz]

Um.... the NBA owns the Hornets...

um...yeah I realize that...I stated it at the beginning of that post, although I will admit it wasn't clearly stated...if the NBA truly wanted this trade to be blocked, they would have done so from the very beginning...

I guess the main point is that I've never seen a trade so evenly balanced get blocked before...

The NBA did stop this trade from the start. The NBA owns the Hornets, there is no temporary owner like you stated. Anything the Hornets do have to be approved by the governing board - which now includes owners from the other 29 teams. The trade was never "done/official" due to the vote having not taken place....when the vote was taken it was shot down.

[clenz]

um...yeah I realize that...I stated it at the beginning of that post, although I will admit it wasn't clearly stated...if the NBA truly wanted this trade to be blocked, they would have done so from the very beginning...

I guess the main point is that I've never seen a trade so evenly balanced get blocked before...

Which the league... as owners... had a right to do. People are losing their minds about this, but it all makes good sense...

The NBA is out to prove that small markets can compete in this environment with the new CBA - a team dumping a superstar player because they can't pay him... undermines ALL of that talk about competitive balance.

On top of that... probably a lot easier to sell a franchise with a guy like Paul than with nothing.

It's a unique set of circumstances - the league owning a team, combined with the CBA stuff... Stern used his authority as the stewards of the team...

hardly surprising with 28 owners irate over the deal and what it would mean.

FWIW, I agree with the trade being stopped because the small market owners got their panites in a bunch is a crock of shit.

It isn't because they can't pay him...it's because he doesn't want to be there and is in the last year of his deal. In stead they will force him to play there this entire year, and then allow him to sign wherever he wants as a free agent (will likely sign with LA) and NOLA will get NOTHING in return for him.


Which one is the better deal - Sending 2 perennial all stars to smaller market teams, who are under contract for a couple years in return for Paul, or allowing Paul to walk away and get nothing in return.

Which do you think is going to hurt the small market clubs more? Paul might as well hold a TV special next year and say "I am taking my talents to Long Beach", as that is what this is setting up for.

[bluehenbillk]

I was going to give the NBA a chance but I think I'm just going to avoid it this year & watch college hoops instead.

I've never been a fan of Stern & am even less of one now.

There is ZERO way this turns out to be a good thing. Chris Paul is not going to play in New Orleans next year, if there is no trade theh he will leave as a free agent next summer with the Hornets getting nothing versus the proposed Lamar Odom & 3 other players this deal would've brought.

There are reports Chris Paul is not going to report to the Hornets now & is also considering filing a lawsuit against the league. With the new CBA that was signed Chris Paul can lose up to $40M dollars if he has to go the free agent route versus being traded to another team this year & then getting more "max money".

It's now basically impossible for Paul to be traded anywhere else without the NBA looking even worse, if that's possible.

Dan Gilbert, man if anyone thought this guy was a whiny b-iotch last year when LeBron left Cleveland, which Gilbert still obviously can't get over, he comes off as more of a pu**y after last night's e-mail he sent out.

I would like to propose in honor of Dan Gilbert's e-mail that for the remainder of the season that all media refer to the pro basketball franchise in cold/snowy/desolate/miserable Northeastern Ohio as the Washington Generals.

[ODUalum11]

I absolutely agree with billk and clenz, what they stated in their two posts is exactly what I've been trying to say all along...which looks worse? Having Paul be traded in which they get some pretty damn good assets in return that they can build around OR forcing him to play somewhere where he doesn't want to play...wouldn't be surprised at all if he goes all Carson Palmer on the Hornets and he still leaves at Free agency and signs with a bigger market team (most likely LAL) and then the Hornets find themselves in even a worse situation because they'll have absolutely NOTHING...I'll admit that the lakers were benefitting from this trade FINANCIALLY but the Hornets were getting the best out of this deal and even the Rockets...I think all three teams in this trade were winners and this trade was more evenly balanced then when Pau Gasol was traded to the Lakers back in 2007...I know that trade in the long run has paid-off huge for all parties involved but many thought that trade should have been stopped...people thought the Lakers just robbed the bank BUT look how great the Grizzlies were last year....Point is that you can't have knee jerk reactions to these trades because quite frankly nobody knows how they are gonna pay off in the long run. Someone said the Hornets or the "NBA" stopped this from the beginning....oh please NO THEY DIDN'T....the Hornets fielded a bunch of offers, offers from the Lakers, Celtics, Warriors plus a few other teams such as the Clippers with no interference from anybody...Demps who was put in charge by the NBA was given full authority of the operations of that franchise and he did exactly what every owner in every sport would do...he took the best offer available and then out of left field you have owners of teams like the Dan Gilbert's and Mark Cuban's get their panties in a bunch and threw a hissy fit how this wasn't fair and then all of a sudden Stern "nixed" the trade. Dan Gilbert and Mark Cuban as far as they are concerned, especially Dan Gilbert, know their franchise will be stuck in mediocrity for a LONG LONG time. I think everybody knew CP3 was going to be dealt to a bigger market team so if the NBA stopped this from the beginning they would have told Demps, "okay, you can deal with team A, team B, team C BUT you can't deal Team D, Team E, or Team F because they are bigger market teams." OR "he's under contract so we're not gonna allow you to trade him".

[Gil Dobie]

Stern is the JOKE

[ODUalum11]

Stern is the JOKE

Completely agree, I think he is the one commissioner in all of sports who has the least credibility...under his time as commish I think there has been two lockouts, the referee scandal with Donaghy, the malice at the palace, and now this....

Also I think this is what's getting a lot of people including myself so upset...

The league made a point of saying that Demps had been empowered to make any trade (without interference). Every team dealing with New Orleans believed that Demps was in charge — without any question — and that they weren't wasting their time spending their days batting around ideas with him

On Wednesday morning, when I was working on my column about Paul trades, I sniffed around on Stern's role in the trade talks and got the same answer from different people: It's Dell Demps' call

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/733 ... -christmas" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[GannonFan]

Yup, I agree with the other posters - while the NBA may say they are looking out for the small market teams, they essentially devastated the Hornets by blocking this move. Now Paul stays for a year and may or may not play, depending on which course of action he takes, and then he walks at the end of the year and New Orleans is left with nothing. Amazing how they can actually cause the hurt they say they are stopping by nixing this trade.

[AZGrizFan]

I was going to give the NBA a chance but I think I'm just going to avoid it this year & watch college hoops instead.

There are reports Chris Paul is not going to report to the Hornets now & is also considering filing a lawsuit against the league.

I stopped watching the NBA a long time ago. And I hope to Christ CP3 files that lawsuit.

David Stern is a cancer.

[Ibanez]

I stopped watching the NBA when Jordan left the Bulls. The NBA is comical.

[tampajag]

Let's be honest here, the Hornets have been set up to fail since they came to N.O. Honestly they probably should have been allowed to move to OKC after Katrina. Chris Paul has been trying to leave for the last 3 years. I used to be a HUGE NBA fan, but not my fandom has dwindled so much I'm not even worried about taking the trip to Orlando to see some games. Hell I'm not even bothered to watch it. David Stern has been an ass forever, the NBA will continue to drop in popularity.

[BlueHen86]

If the NBA was really looking out for small market teams there would still be a lockout. The owners and players settled, there was no legitimate reason to block this trade.

And where will the Hornets be next year, when Paul signs with another team and the Hornets get screwed?

[ODUalum11]

Well it's starting to be reported again that trade talks have been brought back up between the three teams and all three organizations are looking to reconfigure the trade...just one question what was so unfair about the last trade?!

I just find it comical that while the NBA is trying to help the Hornets they are in fact actually hurting them in the long run.

Having the trade been blocked for 24 hours now I do see the point that the commisioner's office has the right to make decisions for the Hornets organization and make decisions that are in the best interest of the franchise but blocking this trade was NOT in the best interest of this franchise. The Hornets would have been the primary winners of this trade if it wasn't blocked. Also Demps was in constant contact with the NBA throughtout all the trade discussions and not once did they say anything. In other words, I'm calling BS on the fact that the NBA is saying that the owners DID NOT have any influence on Stern to veto the trade.

[BlueHen86]

Well it's starting to be reported again that trade talks have been brought back up between the three teams and all three organizations are looking to reconfigure the trade...just one question what was so unfair about the last trade?!

I just find it comical that while the NBA is trying to help the Hornets they are in fact actually hurting them in the long run.

Having the trade been blocked for 24 hours now I do see the point that the commisioner's office has the right to make decisions for the Hornets organization and make decisions that are in the best interest of the franchise but blocking this trade was NOT in the best interest of this franchise. The Hornets would have been the primary winners of this trade if it wasn't blocked. Also Demps was in constant contact with the NBA throughtout all the trade discussions and not once did they say anything. In other words, I'm calling BS on the fact that the NBA is saying that the owners DID NOT have any influence on Stern to veto the trade.

David Stern has to go. I think he's lost it.