Stern's Court

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     It looked like a very fair trade in the NBA yesterday, that sent Chris Paul to team up with Koke Bryant on the Lakers, Lamar Odom, Kevin Martin, and Luis Scola to the Hornets, and Pau Gasol to the Rockets.  David Stern inexplicably vetoed the trade in a move that is causing outrage throughout the league.  The real thoughts of reversing this trade started when Cavs owner, Dan Gilbert emailed Stern.  Gilbert is a joke to begin with, so if Stern really did decide to veto a perfectly fine trade based on this guy, then it makes Stern look worse.
     Ultimately, the point is that Stern pulled the trigger on the veto and it has sent shockwaves through the NBA.  The last thing the NBA needed after a long lockout, was more drama with the owners and David Stern.  Stern came off as power hungry and egotistical during the CBA negotiations, not fearing a year without basketball because he was in favor of making more money for his owners and thus, himself.  Stern now has done the unthinkable, and taken a fair trade and blocked it from happening.  What does this mean for the NBA now and the teams and players involved?

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     Let's start with the players involved.  It is already being reported that Paul will not report to the Hornets camp on Friday.  Odom has spoken publicly about his thoughts on the trade, and his feelings on the Lakers after he thought he would end his career there and then learning of the trade through media outlets.  As for the owners, they are split on this, some in favor and some not.  The NBA as a whole is completely split on this issue.  It is going to be interesting to see how fans in these markets respond.  The league is receiving tremendous backlash already, and who knows if Stern will fold under pressure again...I wouldn't put it past him to reverse the trade again.  I think in the end, Stern's way is the only way,  and the NBA looks like a joke.
     It is unbelievable to think that this can happen in a professional sports league.  The Hornets made a trade that would help their future after Chris Paul.  Now what?  Paul will leave next year, and the Hornets will be left with nothing.  In the meantime, Paul is considering a lawsuit, all of the players involved are outraged, owners are sending emails and acting like they are working hand in hand with Stern and are calling the shots.  All of which makes the league look like a joke.  Stern made a ridiculous mistake.  Today, people would be talking about the great 3 way trade that took place, and how New Orleans salvaged their franchise with this trade.  Instead, the Hornets look like they will be left with nothing.  Stern needs to figure some things out because this whole situation is a disaster.  More details will come out and Stern will make up some ridiculous story, but what he did was ludicrous and this story will not go away for a while.  The reality now is that these players will have to return to teams that they feel like do not want them.  Stern could not handle the pressure from owners, who were simply mad because they couldn't get a trade done to land Paul on their team.  Gilbert after all, knows what it is like to lose a player and get nothing back, when he lost LeBron James.  Why would anyone want to see it happen to another organization?  If it was another owner's team involved, they would not be calling the commissioner and crying for him to use his powers to unjustifiably veto this trade.  The ball is in Stern's court, lets see if he can do anything (allow the trade) to bring some respect back to the NBA.

Chris Paul Wants to be a NY Knick

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     According to Yahoo! Sports, Chris Paul's agent has told the New Orleans Hornets that Paul will not sign an extension and wants to play for the Knicks.  This looks like it might shape up to be a Carmelo type situation.  Paul has one year left, but if he leaves now, the Hornets can get something out of it, next year, they are left with nothing.  If Paul were to get traded and sign an extension this year with the Knicks, he would be able to receive a 4 year max $55.5 million deal.  If he were to sign next year, they would be able to sign him to a 4 year $74 million deal.  So how much does he want to go?  Will he sacrifice $18.5 million over the four years?  We will have to wait and see on this one.  If Paul really wants to be in New York, then the money won't matter and he will take the pay cut.  It was speculated with the lockout ending, this type of thing could still happen.  The CBA did not address this issue of creating 'super teams', and now the Knicks might be one step closer to having one. 
    Michael Kay made a good point today...if the NBA cared about competitive balance, then they would have added franchise tags, so players couldn't dictate where they go.  Should a player have a franchise tag placed on him, then a teams best player would have to stay with that team.  A very good point, and an excellent way to even out the league. 
     I believe that the NBA is banking on making the money in the big markets with a handful of 'super teams' and letting the other teams get by with what they have.  It seems it is going to be first come first serve on who can create the super teams fastest in the next couple years.

NBA Expected to Begin On Christmas Day

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     Early this morning, NBA players and owners tentatively agreed on a new CBA.  The deal is expected to be somewhere between 49%-51% in relation to BRI (Basketball Related Income.)  The owners did not want to give the players over 50%, and the players would not take less.  Stern was able to get the sides to meet and although the number is not solid yet, the projected number that they will agree on is just over 50%.  We have to remember, that the deal is not in ink yet.  This was merely a handshake agreement.  There is still a long way to go, as the revenue sharing is still being figured out. 
     It is planned that the normal 82 game schedule will be shortened to 66 games, beginning on Christmas Day.  Training camp and free agency is tentaively slated to begin on December 9th.  Free agency will look a bit like the free agent situation this year in the NFL, a short amount of time but a lot of players in the free agent market.  The bottom line here is that by Christmas Day, we might all have forgotten there was even a lockout.  The NBA makes all the best matchups for Christmas Day, so its a win for the NBA and a win for fans.  With the NBA coming off one of their best season, it was essential that this deal got done for the holidays.