The Paul trade has been resubmitted to Stern with some reconfigurements.
Does the Nets tampering with Howard mean they are 'banned' from signing him? They were saying that on PTI but I'm not sure if they were being serious.
Magic spokesman Joel Glass says the team has granted New Jersey, Dallas and the L.A. Lakers permission to talk to Dwight Howard's agent Dan Fegan to discuss possible trades.
If the Heat get Billups, I fancy them for the title, they lack a big man but they'll have a great squad with Billups.
In a somewhat shocking move, the Dallas Mavericks acquired Lamar Odom from the Los Angeles Lakers late Saturday night.
The move comes on the heels of the news that the three-way trade between the Lakers, Houston Rockets and New Orleans Hornets that would have sent Chris Paul to LA is officially dead.
The real question here is why the Mavericks would help the Lakers in this way. Instead of sending out players, the Mavericks sent the Lakers the trade exception they just acquired as part of the Tyson Chandler trade. The Mavs were expected to use that exception to absorb additional salary in a trade for Dwight Howard.
Now it seems the Lakers will have the opportunity to try and do just that.
I don't think they can afford him.
Seems we have gotten very little for Odom who will be a loss for us and a good gain for the Mavs. I hope we can get Howard now otherwise it'll be a dreadful pre-season.
Stern has behaved like a cnut and I hope Paul considers some form of legal action against him. Whilst I am disappointed he has not come to the Lakers I'm astonished how Stern can use 'basketball reasons' as justification for killing the trade despite it being a very good trade for all 3 parties. This is probably the equivilent of winning the NBA championship for Dan Gilbert.
If the Heat get Billups, I fancy them for the title, they lack a big man but they'll have a great squad with Billups.
I would certainly like to see someone decide whether Stern had the right to do what he did, because it seems pretty clear he didn't.
Who knows, maybe we'll get Paul next season after he stays with the Hornets because Stern won't approve any trades.
I would think the Odom trade means Howard is coming, but who knows with these new rules what the idea is.
When the team was sold to the league, Stern came out and said that there was no conflict of interests in the owning the Hornets, and that the GM would be allowed to make basketball decisions, including trades, without interference.
Of course now it looks like they just said what they had to to get what they wanted.
Now, when it matters, they want to decide Hornet policy. If the other owners have the right to vote up and down any decision by the GM, fair enough, but I don't think anyone has said that's the way it would go. Because there's a huge conflict of interests there.
I don't get it. If Paul is not allowed to move to the Lakers, then why is being allowed to move elsewhere?
Its all over Twitter now that the CP3 to Clippers deal is dead. Seems like unless you want to deal every asset on your roster to the Hornets, NBA just wont deal him.
I just dont get it. The Clippers were offering a good package with young talent and a draft pick. How is it better that Paul walks at the end of the season, and the Hornets cupboard is completely empty.
I think the Lakers' deal was better as in Hornets would have got a better deal out of that trade. Stern is a cheap ass, corrupt, fecking idiot.
No, the Clippers deal was significantly better. In the Lakers deal they got three good players, but it wouldn't have made them contenders, they weren't getting any young players back, and their cap siutation would have been ruined for a long time. That's not what a team losing their only star needs. A rebuilding team needs prospects, picks and cap flexibility. They were getting all of these things with the latest deal, and I can't for the life of me figure out why Stern blocked it. Paul isn't getting traded at this point.
That Clippers deal was great for the Hornets, should have went through. Feel bad for the Hornets in all of this.
After a seemingly imminent trade routing Paul to the Clippers collapsed earlier Monday, sources told ESPN.com that the league officials negotiating on the Hornets' behalf had aggressively re-engaged the Clippers in talks in hopes of completing a deal as soon as Tuesday.
Well Jordan is staying with the Clippers, so is Gasol with the Grizzlies. David West is with the Pacers. Billups is with the Clippers. The Lakers are running out of options for backups.
The article I just read on ESPN said that 'league officials' are now directing the trade negotiations with the Clippers on behalf of the Hornets! Did Stern trick the owners into buying him a team, that's he's now doing to run himself?
That would be some fecking balls.
The Hornets GM should resign, he looks like an idiot otherwise.
At this point I'd rather we go for Howard than Paul. Signing Howard on his own with Kobe still at the team makes sense, signing Paul with Kobe and hoping to rely on Bynum for the entire season is taking a risk. Everyone can see Howard>>>Bynum but it appears the Buss twat who drafted him in the first place would rather keep Bynum.
Bynum + Gasol should be enough to entice the Magic to trade. Possibly a draft pick as well. I doubt they could get a better deal than that?
