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| Chris Paul should be a Laker. But will he? |
At about
6:30pm EST the Los Angeles Lakers seemed to have acquired
New Orleans Hornets star Chris Paul in a three team trade. What seemed like a done deal didn’t even last three hours. By
9:00pm NBA commissioner David Stern vetoed the trade following the outcry of league owners.
The owners felt like allowing Paul to choose a trade destination is the essence of what went wrong in league structure over the last year and a half. They feel that small market teams need to keep their marquee players to create and maintain a league-wide competitive balance.
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| Kevin Martin has had 5 straight 20 ppg seasons |
If that’s the case, wouldn’t it make sense for New Orleans to get a ransom for Paul rather than risking the team getting “LeBroned?” This isn’t Pau Gasol for Kwame Brown here. The Hornets were set to get three all star caliber talents for the price of one superstar. That’s even better than what the Nuggets received from the Knicks in the Carmelo Anthony deal, and we thought they gave away a fortune. The Hornets would have been able to put a line up together that included Kevin Martin, Lamar Odom, Luis Scola and Emeka Okafor. Not too shabby considering your trading just one player, albeit the league’s best point guard.
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| David Stern needs to focus on league welfare |
David Stern has ruled this league with an iron fist for far too long. He levied a league dress code, he added an age limit upon league entrance and now he vetoes a trade that not only saves the Hornets from getting nothing for Paul but also allows one of the league’s glamour franchises to be able to make more money in ticket sales, TV deals and merchandise for the entire league.
Paul, although he doesn’t want to be a Hornet long-term, actually wants the franchise to get something for him rather than watching the team fade to abysmal status as Cleveland did after losing LeBron James. It’s time for Stern to realize that he is neither a king nor a dictator. He should only be concerned with what is truly best for the league. Adding another basement dwelling team sure isn’t.
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