After today’s most recent Chris Paul to blank L.A. franchise deal was called off due to the NBA overstepping it’s boundaries again it’s become quite clear that in fact the NBA has no intention of Paul leaving N’Awlins and the Hornets any time soon. The Chris Paul saga has heated up dramatically since the lockout ended on December 8, 2011 with Paul being linked to the Knicks, Clippers, and Lakers. Since the famous wedding toast of last summer when Chris Paul, Amar’e Stoudemire, and Carmelo Anthony decided they wanted to play together last summer rumors have been afloat that the three were going to meet up in New York and create a ‘Big 3’ to rival Miami’s trio of LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh. Everyone and their mother knows that Paul isn’t long for New Orleans and he won’t sign an extension with them beyond this year fully expecting to opt out after this year for greener pastures.
The acquisition of Paul had been the last piece of the trio for the Knicks after signing Stoudemire to a 5 year/$99.7 million deal and then trading all their worthwhile assets to the Rich n’ Creamies for Anthony at last year’s trade deadline. The unification of the three seemed all but inevitable until this summer’s NBA lockout and the new CBA that made it near impossible for the Knicks to acquire Paul unless he signs for one fewer year and about $40 million less than he can with his hometown Hornets or whatever team acquires him and has the cap space to spoil him. The Knicks don’t have the cap space to laud Paul in riches unless he takes $40 million less and the Knicks only roster 3 players. That meant the Knickerbockers were out of the running and it was now down to the two L.A. franchises and the Golden State Warriors to via for Paul’s services.
The race appeared over before last weekend when the Lakers struck a three-team deal with the Houston Rockets and Hornets to land the PG of their dreams: Chris Paul. The Lakers were to receive Paul, the Rockets would get C Pau Gasol, and the Hornets would receive the bounty of scorer Kevin Martin, versatile F Luis Scola, 2010-2011 Sixth Man of the Year Lamar Odom, young PG Goran Dragic and a 2012 first round pick. That doesn’t sound like a bad haul at all to me especially for a player who everyone knows is going to skip town next year when he can opt out his current deal but then the NBA stepped in and things went from crazy to ridiculous. Since last year when the NBA bought the Hornets from George Shinn the NBA has been in control of the franchise. This wasn’t a problem towards the end of last year when the Hornets made a few deadline deals but everyone knows its not good for anyone when the other 29 owners collectively own one team. That means that everyone gets a say in the day-to-day matters of this one team. All 29 owners have equal say in any move the Hornets make, which the league attempted to reconcile with by saying that GM Dell Demps had full power to make any basketball related move he felt was in the best interest of the team. A.k.a. trade Chris Paul for valuable longterm assets.
The main problem that none of the three teams involved in the trade foresaw was that the NBA knows it is going to have a harder time selling the money pit Hornets to a new owner without a star player like Chris Paul. Think about it if you’re a billionaire and you want to own your very own NBA franchise do you want to buy one that is devoid of a superstar or one with a marketable asset for the next 10 years in Chris Paul? Easy, you take the team with Paul on it. The NBA knows this and David Stern knows this that’s why he stepped in and did the unthinkable when the three-team blockbuster reached his desk: he vetoed it. He claimed it was for basketball reasons and indirectly cited the fact that the point of the lockout was to allow small market teams to offer more money to their stars and keep them from jumping ship a la LeChoke yet Paul has made it quite clear he has NO INTENTION of staying in New Orleans. Dell Demps knows this, as does every other GM in the league that’s why it was amazing that he was able to acquire three veteran starters and a young up and coming PG for a guy everyone knows is fleeing town after 66 games. Demps did what small franchises are supposed to do just look at the Oakland Athletics and their constant 5-year cycle. Small market teams grow talent on the cheap and once it becomes too expensive they sell it off for a new batch of young and cheap talent. Demps did this to the best of his abilities and then Stern and the NBA overstepped its boundaries and vetoed the trade.
The NBA not only screwed over Paul by forcing him to play in a city he wants nothing to do with and the Hornets who were going to be getting valuable assets in return for a man on his way out the door but the Houston Rockets were major collateral damage. The Rockets have been acquiring assets and shedding cap space for the past 3 years with a plan in mind. Acquire frontline talent at the F and C positions that can replace the retired Yao Ming and team with a good young backcourt and give them a vision for the future. Their plan was finally going to come to fruition with the acquisition of Gasol that would then allow them to sign free agent Nene to a big contract giving them a formidable frontcourt. To create that cap space the Rockets needed to clear Scola and Martin off their payroll now they have been left with no ability to sign Nene, no Gasol, and an awkward situation with two of their better players who know they were traded and then got forced back to Houston. The Rockets are going to receive no compensation or even the courtesy of a reach around from the NBA after their plans were foiled in the NBA’s attempt to hold Paul hostage in New Orleans in an attempt to convince him to sign their long-term. That’s the best way to get him to stay of course in the NBA’s eyes. Basically break his will and eventually he’ll say yes to the money and sit in unhappiness for years.
I am by no means a Lakers fan I’m a Celtics fan and I would’ve hated nothing more than to see Paul teamed up with Kobe in L.A. but I know what is right and what is wrong. When a deal is agreed on and the pieces are finalized that’s the end of the story. It’s up to each individual team how they conduct their business and this case should be no different even though the NBA owns the Hornets. The other owners had no right to be crybabies and whine about this trade thus forcing it to be vetoed especially Dan Gilbert. He’s been crying ever since the day LeBron left his franchise a mess and he clearly doesn’t see it fit for anyone else to be able to field a winner or do business the way they want. He’s continuing to cry over spilt milk and wants everybody to know it. Yet I digress now where were we? Right, we were at the point when Paul got traded to the Lakers and then it got rescinded thus leaving him in New Orleans and the Lakers with two huge bruised egos to mend. But who cares about the Lakers let’s move onto today’s debacle by the NBA where the Clippers and Hornets agreed on a trade that would’ve netted the Hornets 3 potentially star assets and a great expiring contract to dangle to other teams only to be shot down by the NBA.
In today’s deal the Clippers agreed to send former all-star C Chris Kaman and his expiring contract, Al-Farouq Aminu, Eric Bledsoe, and either young stud Eric Gordon or Minnesota’s unprotected 2012 first round pick that appears to be destined for the top 3 (there had been no official word yet on which piece it was). A deal consisting of the three players and Minnesota’s 1st round pick sounds like a damn good coup to me but again the NBA screwed it up by insisting the Clippers include both Gordon and the 1st round draft pick. That’s 5 players, 4 with tremendous upside including the 2012 draft pick, all for 1 player with potentially faulty knees. If I were the Clippers I would’ve backed out too because it’s become quite obvious that the NBA and it’s other owners are content on sticking it to the Hornets and George Shinn for leaving them with a debt ridden franchise. The NBA pretends to be protecting the future of the Hornets when really all they are doing is forcing them to hang onto a player who will leave them with nothing much like James and Bosh did to the Cavs and Raptors, respectively. If the NBA truly wants to help the Hornets and the rest of it’s teams it’ll let them deal Paul to the Clippers for the previously AGREED upon package and watch as Paul and budding superstar Blake Griffin take the NBA by storm this year. A team with those two players playing in a big time market like Los Angeles would mean years of money and interest for the NBA yet they continue to shoot themselves in the foot after losing their casual fans to the NBA lockout. A team with Paul and Griffin would excite the casual fan and even draw in the passerby’s.
It’s obvious to me that the NBA needs to step aside give GM Dell Demps the power and abilities it claims he has to swing a deal involving Paul no matter where that destination happens to be. If David Stern really wants to act in the best interests of the Hornets and the city of New Orleans he’ll allow Paul to leave while his value is highest and the Hornets can get the most bang for their buck. If they wait until the February trade deadline and Paul isn’t performing up to snuff due to his happiness then once again the Hornets will be getting screwed with the Clippers and Lakers offers off the table. Nice work NBA Commisioner’s Office you’ve done it again by overstepping your boundaries and trying to bend and contort the already written rules. If the NBA has an ounce of sense left they’ll allow Paul to be traded to the Clippers and reap the benefits of the L.A. market have two marquee franchises. Until we cross paths again.
Geoff Jablonski
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