I read the email myself and can verify that Coon did agree with Jason. Q and A's on Twitter are so difficult. Luckily, we have the man on speed dial!!

They very well may reject it, but we're taking a sg off their hands in salmons. So their logjam doesn't get affected, except they get a player who is actually good. Cousins is great, I know, but he's probably not looked at as a max talent yet. And he comes with risks, I'd say he's worth slightly less than EJ on the open-market. But I'd also rather have him on my team, so maybe I am not accurately diagnosing the market. Yeah, no amnesty for salmons, I guess. Makes it that more reasonable to demand something of value to make up for taking his absolutely horrid contract and the talent discrepancy (maybe only my mind) between EJ and Cousins. We won't really need need the money he's eating up until his deal is up in three years and we need to resign the core. I think Sacramento would consider a the most talented SG under 30 for the "potential" of cousins. But I could be wrong...It just feels like with Monty and our recent Kentucky connections, we are one of the few teams who could honestly feel pretty decent about Cousins impact on the locker room/court. He's already killed a coach, and he's not even an all-star. Of course, I love him, so maybe sacramento feels like I do...

I'd planned to keep my promise to shut up & wait, but since you asked about the CBA, I thought I should respond. What I can tell you is the Restricted Free Agency language in the 2011 contract is essentially the same as in the previous two CBAs, except that now the ROFR team has only 3 days to match a signed offer sheet. My understanding is this reduction to 3 days was sought by the Players Association and agreed to by the owners in the 2011 CBA. It sounds like having a copy of the 2011 CBA is pretty valuable. Also, my personal opinion is, if the Hornets have received or do receive the elusive signed offer sheet for Gordon, I'd like to see them match it. He'd be a heck of a 2 surrounded by Anderson, Davis, Rivers, etc., and I'm confident Monty has what it takes to "manage" Gordon effectively. So, I'm actually rooting for you to be right on the offer sheet issue. Finally, you may wish to take a look at the "Time Periods" provision of the CBA. Now I will definitely shut up & wait. Keep up the good work.

I'm a little insulted that you won't acknowledge the obvious difference between the signing of an offer sheet, which by itself requires no response from the Hornets (for example, either Eric Gordon or the Suns or both could simply choose to put the offer sheet away in a drawer in order to use it as leverage and to buy more time to make a decision or a deal), and the offer sheet having been “actually received by the ROFR [Right Of First Refusal] Team” (see Article XI of the Collective Bargaining Agreement). Your website gained credibility by confronting the Times-Picayune's July 5 sign & trade error, but now you appear to be doing the same thing you accused the T-P of doing. Assuming a tweet is an acceptable source by today's journalism standards for an initial internet posting, shouldn't there be some eventual confirmation from a more legitimate source? It's now more than HALFWAY through what you claim is a pending 72 hour deadline (perhaps the most important 72 hour decision in franchise history), and, though you brag that you have Larry Coon "on speed dial," you still haven't verified what the real deadline is, if in fact there is one pending at all. And there's a decent chance your report of a Saturday afternoon deadline may be wrong; for example, even if it's true that an offer sheet was signed in Phoenix on Wednesday (as has been reported by the Suns and only by the Suns), the signed offer sheet probably could not have been delivered to the Hornets until Thursday, at the earliest, which, if true, means the Hornets' deadline is Sunday and not Saturday (as I noted earlier, the CBA provides "An Offer Sheet shall be deemed given only when actually received by the ROFR Team"). What's happening here is, just like John Reid did, when confronted with facts that contradict your story, you're holding your breath, concocting versimilitude and hoping events will not unfold in a way that exposes an error. I hope you're not forced to backpedal when Saturday afternoon comes and goes with no news that the Hornets have matched or rejected a signed offer sheet or if we receive news of some type of sign & trade. I'd certainly prefer to know the facts rather than for you and I to speculate about them. In the end, you guys and your website are a great source for accurate information (usually) that we Hornets fans crave. If it turns out, however, that your reported Saturday afternoon deadline passes without any decision, or if a sign & trade occurs instead, I hope you'll have the cojones to admit that the fundamental premise of your report (“The Hornets have until the afternoon of July 14th to make the decision on whether or not to match the offer and keep him on the Hornets. If they do not act in this time, then Eric Gordon will become a member of the Suns”) was wrong. Now that I've done your CBA research for you, I wouldn't mind it at all if -- before your alleged deadline arrives -- you were to find out from the Hornets, the Suns, Eric Gordon, Gordon's agent, the NBA or the Players Association (all of whom should know, according to the CBA) if and when a signed offer sheet was “actually received by the ROFR Team.” I mean no disrespect, but I'd try to find out the answers myself if I had your media credentials. I'm going to conclude by emphasizing what's clear to me -- that you do not have sufficient facts to support the existence of any deadline -- and then I'll just shut up and wait to see what happens.

The only thing I "feel," sir, is like I felt on July 5 when I was conversing with John Reid about the Sign&Trade issue. You reported that the 3-day deadline began yesterday ("The Hornets have until the afternoon of July 14th to make the decision on whether or not to match the offer and keep him on the Hornets. If they do not act in this time, then Eric Gordon will become a member of the Suns"); I didn't report that. I'm just a casual fan. I've looked everywhere and have seen no report that the offer sheet was "actually received by the ROFR Team." What facts do you have to support your claim that it was? It seems to me you could be wrong in your calculation of the deadline. I'm honestly just curious and I sincerely mean no disrespect. I love your website and the great work you guys do.

From Article XI of the CBA: When a Restricted Free Agent receives an offer to sign a Player Contract from a Team (the "New Team") other than the ROFR Team, which he desires to accept, he shall give to the ROFR Team a completed certificate substantially in the form of Exhibit G annexed hereto (the "Offer Sheet"), signed by the Restricted Free Agent and the New Team..... On the same day as the giving of an Offer Sheet to the ROFR Team, the ROFR Team shall cause a copy thereof to be be given to the NBA, which shall cause a copy thereof to be promptly given to the Players Association. An Offer Sheet shall be deemed given only when actually received by the ROFR Team.

The way I read the Collective Bargaining Agreement, it appears it is the PLAYER himself who is responsible for delivering the signed offer sheet to the "ROFR" (i.e. Right of First Refusal) team (meaning the Hornets); it also appears that the simple act of "signing" an offer sheet in and of itself has no significance, or in other words, imposes no obligation on the ROFR team to match or not match. Perhaps Larry Coon can clarify whether this is a correct reading of the CBA. But it appears to me that unless and until Eric Gordon actually gives the signed offer sheet to the Hornets, then there is no pending deadline.

Am I the only person who thinks it's odd that even now, 18 hours since you reported that one of the most important 72 hour decisions in Hornets history was pending, you still don't know the real answers to any of these questions. I'll "stay tuned," as you suggested.

Howard is looking to play for a contender in a large market. Reports say he wants to play in Brooklyn. I don't think Howard is a possibility nor does the team want/need the headache and hassle. Unless you are referring to another D. Howard. Or joking. I don't believe Anderson has never been quick enough to guard SFs.

CP can't sign for the same as d-will and Griffin. He can only sign for four years because each team can only have one 5 year player. This becomes particularly important because the last year of the contract is worth about 25% of the entire value in a 5 year deal

It's not such a crazy idea. The Hornets could still sign & trade Gordon, with his consent, after matching the Suns' signed offer (if it's really been delivered to the Hornets). Blazers' GM knows Gordon from the Clippers. Batum has said he likes the idea of playing for Monty and he wants no part of playing for the Blazers. Portland just withdrew its qualifying offer to Hibbert. And ESPN is reporting that a 3 team deal for Batum that lands a shooting guard in Portland is under consideration. http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/8157984/source-portland-trail-blazers-minnesota-timberwolves-discussing-nicolas-batum-deal This story may still have a few twists & turns before it's over.