2011 Toronto Raptors/NBA/Labour Negotiations Spectacular

[L K]

I think, long term there's no question in my mind that they'd be better off if this deal had gone through. I'm not sure it's even close. Martin and Scola are very good pieces, not to mention Odom (role player) and the potential in Dragic as well as a 1st.

If anyone's getting screwed in this veto it's NO, in my opinion.

I don't know if I'd dismiss Odom as just a role-player. He averaged a 14-9 last year off the bench for the most part. Gasol blocked him at his natural position. He could be an 18-10 guy in the right circumstances.

Anyways, we'll see how this shakes out. I know LK thinks that this means the Hornets can't trade Paul at all but they may still swap him if the only objections to a future deal would be Jerry Buss.

Unless it's to another larger market team though, I wonder if some of the teams that are paying massive amounts of revenue sharing stand up and make a fuss.  Right now if I'm Jerry Buss I'm absolutely livid when the NBA is boasting about the potential 50 million in revenue sharing that the Lakers will hand over every year.  The Knicks are reportedly in line to hand over 30 million/year.

Last CBA the total contributions were 50 million dollars.  So the Lakers get to hand over an entire team salary and get screwed over by Stern...I think there are going to be some long-term problems coming out of this one.

 

[Kin]

Unless it's to another larger market team though, I wonder if some of the teams that are paying massive amounts of revenue sharing stand up and make a fuss. 

I doubt it. Most of them will probably pull a MLSE and shrug as they pile the greenbacks.

Even the Lakers, I mean, worst comes to worst you could say this just means they go harder after Howard who might be a better fit than Paul.

 

[chestyleroux]

Paul on Twitter: WoW

And now the reports that he's pissed and won't come to camp.

The NBA. It's Fan-tastic.

This is unbelievable. Eastern European soccer leagues are less corrupt than the NBA. I've never seen a league trying to screw over the team it owns.

 

[Erndog]

Can someone explain to me WHY the league is nixing the deal?

What's the logic behind this, especially considering Paul probably leaves for nothing in a year?

I actually don't mind the deal at all from NO's standpoint.  Most tweets I was reading last night said the same.

 

[Erndog]

Kevin Martin: 23.4 PTS, 3.2 REB, 2.5 AST

Lamar Odom: 14.4 PTS, 8.7 REB, 3.0 AST

Luis Scola: 18.3 PTS, 8.2 REB, 2.5 AST

Goran Dragic: 7.5 PTS, 2.0 REB, 2.9 AST



That's not exactly a pitiful return for Paul.

 

[L K]

On the Raptors front, Colangelo finally acquired Michael Pietrus from Phoenix for a 2nd round pick.  Another stop-gap player who can hopefully provide good defense at the SF position and the occasional 3-pointer without adding much in terms of wins.

 

[chestyleroux]

Can someone explain to me WHY the league is nixing the deal?

What's the logic behind this, especially considering Paul probably leaves for nothing in a year?

I actually don't mind the deal at all from NO's standpoint.  Most tweets I was reading last night said the same.

The real reason: because all the "small market" teams probably went ape-poop when the deal was announced and shouted "why the heck did we lose so much money by locking out the players when you're allowing what we wanted to prevent?" (superstar player leaving a small market team for a larger market).

Still, it was the Hornet's choice to trade him and they got a decent return. This is the equivalent of a commissioner nixing a fantasy league trade because a couple of his/her friends didn't like it.

 

[Kin]

Can someone explain to me WHY the league is nixing the deal?

I think chesty basically has it right. The NBA, as much as the lockout was about money, was just as obsessed with control. Remember that letter Gilbert wrote after Lebron left?

I think that this just smacked of that. A young superstar getting to dictate where he's traded to. Some of the owners just can't stand the legitimate control the players have over their own talents.

 

[Erndog]

Yeah, it reeks of abuse of power. 

Can someone explain to me WHY the league is nixing the deal?

I think chesty basically has it right. The NBA, as much as the lockout was about money, was just as obsessed with control. Remember that letter Gilbert wrote after Lebron left?

He wrote an email this time:

Yahoo says that the timestamp indicates Gilbert sent the email after the trade had been killed. He wrote, in part:

?I cannot remember ever seeing a trade where a team got by far the best player in the trade and saved over $40 million in the process. And it doesn?t appear that they would give up any draft picks, which might allow to later make a trade for Dwight Howard. (They would also get a large trade exception that would help them improve their team and/or eventually trade for Howard.) When the Lakers got Pau Gasol (at the time considered an extremely lopsided trade) they took on tens of millions in additional salary and luxury tax and they gave up a number of prospects (one in Marc Gasol, who may become a max-salary player).

?I just don?t see how we can allow this trade to happen.?

 

[L K]

Can someone explain to me WHY the league is nixing the deal?

What's the logic behind this, especially considering Paul probably leaves for nothing in a year?

I actually don't mind the deal at all from NO's standpoint.  Most tweets I was reading last night said the same.

The real reason: because all the "small market" teams probably went ape-poop when the deal was announced and shouted "why the heck did we lose so much money by locking out the players when you're allowing what we wanted to prevent?" (superstar player leaving a small market team for a larger market).

Still, it was the Hornet's choice to trade him and they got a decent return. This is the equivalent of a commissioner nixing a fantasy league trade because a couple of his/her friends didn't like it.

Which is especially awesome because supposedly they were losing so much money that they were better off not playing...well that and they were perfectly fine when the Lakers were set to be paying 50 million in revenue sharing a year. 

 

[hockeyfan1]

Anyone feeling sorry for Odom's wife Khloe Kardashian now that her nubby Lamar no longer L.A.-based?  (Yes, I mean those Kardashians).  Poor thing.

 

[chestyleroux]

Anyone feeling sorry for Odom's wife Khloe Kardashian now that her nubby Lamar no longer L.A.-based?  (Yes, I mean those Kardashians).  Poor thing.

Not like I care, but the deal was vetoed by the league and he's still in LA.

 

[Kin]

Anyone feeling sorry for Odom's wife Khloe Kardashian now that her nubby Lamar no longer L.A.-based?  (Yes, I mean those Kardashians).  Poor thing.

Oh those Kardashians. See, when you said Khloe Kardashian I immediately thought of the dozens of Kardashian families I know.

But no, I don't feel terrible for her because:

A) New Orleans is a great town
B) She wouldn't have to relocate
C) HE DIDN'T GET TRADED

 

[L K]

Brandon Roy retires due to his degenerative knees.  Too bad for him, some minor retribution for Colangelo for staying away from that?

 

[Kin]

Brandon Roy retires due to his degenerative knees.  Too bad for him, some minor retribution for Colangelo for staying away from that?

I guess. So the official "Guy he should have picked" trophy now goes to Aldridge.

 

[chestyleroux]

Lakers/Hornets/Rockets are appealing the veto decision:

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/7335040/teams-blocked-chris-paul-trade-appealing-nba-sources-say

 

[L K]

Brandon Roy retires due to his degenerative knees.  Too bad for him, some minor retribution for Colangelo for staying away from that?

I guess. So the official "Guy he should have picked" trophy now goes to Aldridge.

Yes.

 

[L K]

Apparently Prokorov and Billy King went behind Orlando's back to talk to Dwight.  Orlando is contemplating tampering charges.  This truly is the offseason of the owners.

Also Stern released quite possibly the worst explanation for the trade block in the history of everything.  It had to do with Paul being more valuable in New Orleans (a valid point).  He then proceeded to say that he would not be giving any basketball related reasons for why he vetoed the trade.  His entire justification for the veto yesterday was "basketball related reasons".  Good job Stern.

 

[maplesyrup]

Of the 4 major sports in NA, I'd say basketball is the one I follow the least (I'm a fan though nevertheless.) Anyway, is it just me or is the whole league just a gong-show right now.? 

 

[Kin]

Of the 4 major sports in NA, I'd say basketball is the one I follow the least (I'm a fan though nevertheless.) Anyway, is it just me or is the whole league just a gong-show right now.?

No. I mean, some owners are acting like idiots and the Commissioner is joining them but for the most part it's pretty normal.