Photo: Zimbio.com
Just weeks after the five-month NBA Lockout ended, the first major trade of NBA superstars happened when Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in a three-team deal, but soon after the trade was completed, it was vetoed by NBA Commissioner David Stern.At the outcry of small market teams in the NBA, Stern felt obligated to step into trade negotiations and delve into whether the league-owned Hornets were making the right decision in trading away Paul. Evidently, Stern, who may or may not have had other NBA owners influence him, decided that trading Paul to Los Angeles at this very moment was not in the best interest of New Orleans.
Congrats, Commissioner. You may very well have just ruined one of the most awesome back court combinations in recent memory with Paul and Kobe Bryant. However, what can be considered even more criminal, is the fact that you vetoed a trade that the Hornets front office had been working on in an attempt to avoid the 'Melo-Effect' all over again in New Orleans.
After looking over the trade, (which ended up being a three-team deal between the Lakers, Hornets, and Rockets), it was totally legitimate. All teams involved got what they were looking for, especially the Hornets who would have ended up with a 2012 first-round pick, Kevin Martin, Louis Scola, Goran Dragic, and Lamar Odom. Houston would have received Pau Gasol, and the Lakers snagged Paul.
Of course, the player who will make the most impact in this trade will be Paul, who is arguably the best point guard in the NBA at age 26. However, Stern vetoed the deal on the basis that the Hornets were not getting fair value in return for their All-Star point guard. Keep in mind, this is the very same point guard who will leave via free agency at the end of this year, and New Orleans would get nothing for him.
But the absolute most mind-numbing aspect of Stern's decision is what it does for the players that were involved in the deal. Odom and Gasol found out they were traded, and then the deal was vetoed, and were still expected to show up to team practice and participate. Same goes for Paul, (who did show up to the Hornets team practice), and all the players involved from the Rockets organization.
Stern has put every single one of these players in a terrible situation, and it makes it tough to imagine any of these athletes playing out this season with their respective teams, knowing that they were traded away.
Luckily for all those involved, the Lakers, Rockets, and Hornets have all gone back to the drawing board in an attempt to make the trade more appealing for New Orleans. This, of course, in hopes that Stern lets the new trade proposal through, and all the teams can get the players they originally traded for with some new pieces involved.
The most likely bet for this trade going through is going to involve the Lakers giving up several draft picks, which would fill the alternative agenda of other NBA Owners in eliminating Los Angeles from the Dwight Howard race. With the trade that was called off by Stern, Los Angeles had a really good looking offer for the Orlando Magic, that would involve young center Andrew Bynum and an impressive set of draft picks that could bring Howard to the Lakers as well.
Stern ruined any chance of the Lakers landing both Paul and Howard, and they could end up not getting either of the two now. Because he had to play Big Brother, and cave into the clear demands of small market NBA Owners, Los Angeles, New Orleans, and Houston were robbed out of a totally fair and clean trade that would have benefited all three organizations.
The line has been crossed by Stern, and he will regret vetoing that trade later on. That's a guarantee.
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