// One week after the infamous David Stern veto, the Chris Paul trade is finally getting done. It makes the Hornets infinitely worse in the short term than they would have been if they had done the original trade, but it gives them the hope that they’ll have two high lottery picks in next June’s stocked NBA draft to allow them to start rebuilding, Oklahoma City-style. That, however, will take years. If the original trade had gone down, the Hornets would be
Chris Paul to Lakers or Clippers? 50-50
The news of the afternoon was that the Magic have ceased all Dwight Howard trade talks. We shall see how long that lasts. As I said on the radio in Orlando this morning, the winds are constantly changing on that particular trade front. Earlier today, a four-team trade seemed possible. I also went on the radio this afternoon on Fox Sports Radio WIST-Am in New Orleans just as it was being announced that Chris Paul was being excused from media day, and host
Billups claimed by Clippers, plus other NBA news
With their trade talks for Chris Paul in the dead/alive/dead/alive/possibly-pending stage, the Los Angeles Clippers claimed guard Chauncey Billups off waivers today, then matched the Golden State Warriors’ $43.2 million offer sheet for DeAndre Jordan. And what about that threat from Billups to retire if something like this happened? Let’s just say he has $14.2 million reasons to show up in camp — along with a threat from the league office. From David Aldridge of NBA.com: “The NBA sent an e-mail to teams
Hubbard column: Stern gives players a reason to stop smiling
When he visits NBA arenas during the season, David Stern often makes a grand entry into each team’s locker room before the game to mingle with the fellows, perhaps giving them a brief but very inspiring pep talk and showing them the king has his common-man side. Usually, the commissioner is welcomed with smiles and handshakes and appreciation. When you have a leader who helped the average salary balloon north of $5 million, it’s only proper to be respectful. Plus it’s
Clippers are the CP3 flavor of the day
So it looks like Chris Paul night be headed to Los Angeles, Donald Sterling and David Stern permitting. The Los Angeles Clippers emerged early today as the leading contender to acquire CP3 in a trade, and if the reports out there are accurate, they are trying to get him without surrendering either of their two best players, Blake Griffin and Eric Gordon. It would be a deal that by anyone’s measure would be inferior to what the Hornets would have gotten from
Three-team Chris Paul trade is dead; D12 to LAL?
Time to start all over again, from scratch. Chris Paul to the Clippers? Chris Paul to Golden State? Dwight Howard to the Lakers? Dwight Howard to the Bulls? Yep, those rumors are all out there this morning after the three-team deal between the Lakers, Hornets and Rockets fell apart late Saturday night, with the Lakers making a different deal by sending Lamar Odom to the Mavericks for a first-round draft pick. The Mavericks were able to absorb Odom’s salary through the trade exception
Howard’s agent talking to Lakers, Nets, Mavericks
“Right now, we’re here in Orlando. We just had practice, and that’s what matters. Nothing else matters beyond today and this moment.” — Dwight Howard, Dec. 9. That is what we call living day to day, or moment to moment, and that’s what we’ll all be doing today – whether we live in Jersey, central Florida, the BK, El Lay, the Metroplex or the Bayou. Somebody is going to trade for Howard and/or Chris Paul, be it today, tomorrow or the next
Stern issues statement on Chris Paul veto
This was just sent out from NBA headquarters: “Since the NBA purchased the New Orleans Hornets, final responsibility for significant management decisions lies with the Commissioner’s Office in consultation with team chairman Jac Sperling. All decisions are made on the basis of what is in the best interests of the Hornets. In the case of the trade proposal that was made to the Hornets for Chris Paul, we decided, free from the influence of other NBA owners, that the team was better served with Chris in a