| David Stern |
After not being able to come to an agreement on a contract extension by Wednesday's deadline, Gordon- Who will become a restricted free agent come July 1, may not end up in the Hornets plans at all.
So after the cancelled Chris Paul Lakers trade, Gordon failing to reach a contract agreement, Chris Kaman being on the Hornets trade block, an all the other speculative banter being tossed around, Chris Paul essentially was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers for an unprotected first round pick and Al-Farouq Aminu? If this Eric Gordon situation indeed blows up, All fingers will be pointed at Stern and his inability to be genuine in his dealings in a free market. I understand the NBA needs the Hornets to be viable for a potential buyer, I get that. But the initial three way between the Rockets, Lakers, and Hornets benefited all parties more than the commissioner would have you believe.
| (From Left) Al-Farouq Aminu, Eric Gordon, Chris Kaman |
When we look back in history 10 years from now at blockbuster trades that transpired on Stern's clock, This trade- non trade-veto and again trade will be a severe black eye on his resume. Business dealings among franchises should be just that. Getting NBA approval on acquisitions is one thing, meddling in franchises affairs (especially when legit) is another- In this case, David Stern is guilty as charged.
AK, I'm going to have to disagree with you. The Hornets were in a place where they had to blow the ship up in order to start over. In the original trade, they would've gotten Odom, Martin, and Scola back. While that looks good in the present, they would've been a perennial middle of the pack team while still having a bloated payroll. And that's where you don't want to be if you are trying to rebuild. Middle of the pack means picking in the 8-18 range in the draft, and the chances of getting a franchise-savior in that position in the draft is slim to none.
ReplyDeleteLook at the Thunder model. 5 years ago, as the Sonics, they got rid of their 2 best players in Rashard Lewis and Ray Allen. While it looked bleak at first, drafting well and making sound moves have propelled the Thunder to championship contender status.
Look at the Grizzlies. Everyone was ridiculing Chris Wallace for trading Pau Gasol to the Lakers for pennies on the dollar. But he had to blow that thing up to start anew, and look at them now.
On the other side of the coin, look at the Knicks. They decided to go for the homerun and get two high priced vets in Melo and Amare, instead of investing in youth and player development. The result has been a middle of the road team.
So, while I understand you're anger towards not getting CP3, as far as a basketball move that looks towards the future goes, the deal with the Clippers was the best way to go. You get two good young players (Gordon and Aminu), a trade chip (Kaman), and a draft pick.
If done right, the Hornets will be right in the thick of the playoff hunt in about 4-5 years.