The Lakers have pulled out of trying to trade for Chris Paul amid rumors that once again the NBA was running interference against the trade. Various accounts have the Hornets re-opening discussions with the Clippers and Warriors – though they now lack all leverage. Yay.
I wonder how willing Houston will be to remain in the trade now that Pau Gasol isn’t available. They were looking to pair him with Nene in a pretty formidable front-court, so I expect to hear that Orlando will move Dwight and Turkey-glue to LA, Gasol will go to Houston, and Bynum, Scola, and Martin will make a journey to just outside DisneyWorld.
And the Hornets? They’ll field a team of CP3 and the D-League All-stars.
I’m not bitter.
18 responses to “Chris Paul Trade dead again”
Glad to see you’re taking this so well. A smaller man would be angry at Stern
/oh I see what you did there
Sucks to be a Hornets fan right now. So much anxiety and excitement to have the lockout end only to be deflated at the team we will have on the floor. Kind of wish we were still locked out. O well, I guess it could be worst by having no team at all here…o wait maybe that’s the reality we will face next. Feels like 10,000 people got robbed by the NBA here this season. I’m sure it’s a lesson learned for many. ..
The only thing we can do is support the team.
Well, I can whine . . . and support the team. 🙂
This may be the oddest situation I’ve seen in my 20 years of consciously following sports. There’s a game in 5 days. Who exactly will be on the team then?
Why does everyone act as if the moment the season starts everything freezes and no more trades can be made? ( heard of the Trade Deadline?!?)
Stern did what any half-wit owner in the same position would’ve done for the best long-term interests of his team. Did it screw over the Lakers (yes, but screw them anyways) and does it appear sketchy to the rest of the League (yes… )? These questions aren’t our concern. Acting as the owner of the hornets, Stern killed a deal that was IMHO the 3rd best deal that had been floated anyways.
Instead of taking on the Celts and getting 1 legit All star who is YOUNG (rondo) plus picks, or taking the Clips non-Gordon offer of DJordan and Bledsoe (Both young as well), we take the trade that gives us a bunch of overpaid mediocre vets. Yes I’m aware that you can then turn around and flip someone like Lamar Odom … but the same reason he’s unattractive to us are the saem reasons most potential trade partners will be scared away. And to top it off, having that trade go through would’ve met that for the time being we would’ve fielded a half-decent team … which is good if you’re trying to sell the team ASAP since it makes for a good sales pitch (hey! we’re a 7 seed playoff team!) but bad for the ULTIMATE, Eventual outcome for the franchise in the long-term (hey! we’re never going to be better than a 7 seed and don’t have any youth or flexibility!).
It seems like Demps just went for sheer “value” and tried to get the most basketball talent in return for CP3 that he could. Which is a great short-term move, but it’s also the type of dumb long-term move that kills franchises. To rebuild in the NBA as a small market team you gotta build through smart drafting. Is drafting an exact science? Hell no. But what choice do we have? The events of the past few seasons have shown without a doubt that most star Free Agents covet big media markets and glamour teams. What are you gonna do about it? What is fielding a team of Scola-Martin-odom/west/etc – types going to do for us? That’s not how you get to the top… ANd i hope for everyone’s sake here that the management isn’t just aiming for permanent Milwaukee Bucks-land. That’s purgatory. You take your chances and you take the risks that may have big rewards and hope you wind up building an OKC or a San antonio.
All that being said, latest rumors are of the Clips once again being in the lead. I see no reason why trade talks can’t continue even as the season gets under way, and if we can somehow get Gordon from them plus the 1st rounder from Minn that they have, I think that’s a Fantastic potential scenario for us. And as for the current roster of D-league types, well, it’ll be tough to watch but at least they can easily tank and set us up for another lottery pick. And really, that’s the only viable course I see right now.
I generally agree with your take on the trade. However, I think you’ll find the offers the Hornets get now, after this mess, will be garbage. The Clippers weren’t offering Gordon and the Minny pick as it was. Now they are going to because . . . why exactly?
Every team in the league is going to lowball the Hornets now.
I agree and it’s probably the best deal we will get by far. Further the salaries come off the books in fairly even increments from the Lakers/Hornets deal in three of the next four years, giving the Hornets a shot at rebuilding over the next few years with those pieces or others.
Apparently the reason the Clippers did not want to give up Gordon and the Minny pick was Paul’s refusal to commit long term to them. His attitude may change given the fact that the Knicks will not have cap space to sign Paul during the offseason. The Clippers will then have to decide whether they want to pass up the opportunity to have one of the most entertaining duos in the league in order to keep Eric Gordon. I bet they won’t pass up that opportunity.
Is that Golden State option for Steph Curry and co. still available?
And how are we doing with free agents like Marcus Thornton or somebody?
If we can somehow work out a deal with Golden State for Steph Curry, that would be pretty amazing.
Until then, we are the official laughing stock of the league. That said, the league is the permanent laughing stock of all professional sports. Glad we’re all in to enrich these a-holes…
They say Boston is the fronrunner but i believe that Boston is because of DWest but everyone wants the TWolves 1st rd pick. All of us hoping that we get the #1 pick in the 2012 draft yeah it’ll be deep draft forsure but D.D wants to bulid a team with youth and vetrean experience.GSW is a possiable i’ve 3 different trades that could happen
N.O-HOU-GS
N.O gets: Steph Curry,Udoh.Klay Thompson and 2012 1st rd pick (GS),Kevin Martin,Luis Scola,Terrence Williams and 2012 1st & 2nd rd picks (HOU)
Hou gets: David Lee (GSW) and Okafor (N.O)
GS get:CP3
N.O-LAC-Cle
N.O gets: Ramon Sessions, Anderson Varejao (CLE) and Eric Gordon,Al Aminu and 2012 1st rd pick via TWolves
CLE get: Okafor
LAC get:CP3
N.O-Bos
N.O gets Rondo,Avery Bradley,Jeff Green and Jermaine O’Neal but is waive later from the sign and trade of DWest and 2013 &14 1st rd pick (BOS),Kevin Martin,Pat Peterson and 2012 1st rd & 2nd rd picks (HOU)
Hou get: Okafor
BOS get: CP3
I meant the Clippers is the frontrunner sorry i wrote Boston twice
This whole situation was exacerbated the lockout. In a normal offseason, we’d have had time to talk to David West, talk to Chris Paul, know for sure what was what, and go from there. With the lockout, we couldn’t even contact them. Who knows? Maybe with a normal free agency period we could have made some moves that would have caused Chris to reconsider, which would probably have netted DWest as well. When the lockout ended it was basically – “make a decision now, Chris”.
When they finally do move Chris, we’ll almost be back to where we were when the team first moved here from Charlotte. No connection whatsoever to the players on the team. No continuity. No emotional ties between the city and the team. CP3 will be gone. DWest is gone. No Aaron Gray. Who exactly do we have on the team that’s been here more than one season? Okafor and Ariza, and they’ve only been here two years. There’s no way in hell we can entice any free agent to come here. And anyone who is traded here will be looking for a way out the minute their contract is up. Thanks, NBA.
Maybe this is the league’s way of preparing us for contraction, so it won’t hurt so bad.
In the meantime I’m spending $4000 on season tickets for what. This is bull@&@$ and I think it sucks. I’m being ripped off by the NBA and the Hornets.
Chris Paul for Deron Williams and Brook Lopez just a thought
As a Clippers fan, I just don’t think Hornets fans are being realistic at all when you talk about getting Gordon AND the Minny pick. It seems to me like that offer would be far, far better than the dead Lakers deal and any of the offers that has been reported in the media so far. Most people agree that the Hornets front office has less leverage now than it had before. Why would your consolation prize be so much better than the deal you lost out on?
The Clippers should build an offer centered around the Minny pick, young players, and expiring contracts. That makes the Hornet’s own draft pick this year even more valuable. If absolutely necessary, the Clippers should consider offering Gordon, but never Gordon and the Minny pick.
Lakers were willing to trade an all-pro who was integral in helping them win two championships and the 6th man of the year. Gordon is still a work in progress and we don’t know how high the Minny pick will be, therefore, that is not a very high price at all to obtain the best point guard in the league and one of the top ten players in the league.