NBA Season

[VegasJustin]

Mitch Kupchak is a warlock! Chris Paul is now a Laker in exchange for Gasol and Odom. We finally have a PG!

How has everybody else's offseason been?

[MisterF]

Wow seems like the deal is on hold now. Would be pretty crazy to see Paul and Kobe together if it does go through. How would they do on the low post with Odom and Gasol gone though?


As a (casual) Cavs fan, all these major market teams forming all-star teams is getting pretty annoying.

[VegasJustin]

The deal could be killed. Apparently the owners got pissed that we were going to get Paul. The NBA owns the Hornets so shit went south. Yeah, because letting him go to the Knicks for absolutely nothing is so much better for New Orleans. We had to give up our front court for Paul, this wasn't a Gasol situation where we gave up nothing.

This is complete bullshit from Stern and owners can go you know what. Basically they are screwing the city of New Orleans because the owners are pissed because Paul was coming to LA. This was an amazing deal for New Orleans and Stern is an idiot for giving into pressure from the owners.



This is OK because we will get Dwight Howard and destroy the league and I hope that Jim Buss tells Stern to fuck off when that trophy is being handed to the Lakers.

[VegasJustin]

So Howard wants to go to the Nets. Thanks Stern for ruining our franchise. If you really care about small market teams then block this trade if it happens. You don't care because it's not the Lakers.

The Lakers should drop a $500 million lawsuit on the NBA. If they aren't going to let everybody play by the same rules then fuck them and make them suffer. This action by Stern is so bad that even guys like Chris Broussard are siding with the Lakers here and Chris Paul. Stern needs to go.

[VegasJustin]

This article is the best I have read in a long time. The NBA has screwed themselves.


http://www.cbssports.com/nba/story/1637 ... ush-league

[VegasJustin]

The NBA rejected a second trade for Paul. The Lakers pulled out now and had to trade Odom because he was pissed and we got nothing much for Odom from the Mavs. The NBA has screwed all three teams. Does Stern not realize Paul is going to leave New Orleans for nothing? I think every potential owner knows this so why for him to stay?

The Rockets got screwed too. They really wanted Gasol and build a good front court. But no, Stern needs to feel like a powerful dumbass and block the move.


The team who got screwed the most is the Lakers. Thanks to the NBA we had to trade Odom for nothing. Thanks to the NBA we have no PG. Thanks to the NBA we have no shot at a title. Don't tell me there's no conspiracy here. The NBA would've allowed this to happen if it was to an East Coast team. The NBA is the biggest joke of the league in all of sports.

[SoCalJoe]

Justin, you know I'm as big a Laker-hater there is, but almost everything you've said I agree with The only thing I disagree with is the conspiracy theory against the Lakers since they are one of, if not the most important franchise in the league. What has happened is that somehow the NBA runs a team in a city that simply cannot support a franchise, and the rest of the owners actually get to vote on moves. We both know that's BS. I expect Dan Gilbert to whine like the punk-ass he is, but for Mark Cuban (who I respect) to come out and LIE threw his teeth is infuriating. The Lakers salary-dumped Odom, but picked up a contract exception for the sole purpose of trying to land Howard.

Further reason to hate what the NBA has become, is that the Clippers put together a great deal for Paul also, but the LEAGUE wants them to throw in an extra player...????? 2 letters...F.O

As far the off season for my team (Portland)? Our franchise player Brandon Roy had to retire from injuries just as he was entering his prime. Greg Oden was resigned and the odds of him playing more than 10 games are slim to none. In other words, No Hope. The odds of me watcing a single regular season game??? ZERO

[VegasJustin]

Stern is being an idiot. He knows he screwed up by rejecting the Lakers trade so now has to ask the house for Paul. Even if they throw in Bledsoe or another pick that deal wouldn't have been better for the Hornets. I watch some Clippers games and Bledsoe and Gordon aren't savior by any stretch. So if Stern accepts the trade then hopefully the Lakers drop a lawsuit on the league.

The Lakers look like they won't get Howard and I seriously think we should start over with Bynum as the centerpiece. This means trading Kobe and Gasol. We are nowhere near the level of the Mavs and Heat now and if we traded both players we could contend in a couple of years. If you're going to start over now is the time as this draft is loaded. Maybe I'm not thinking straight, but I don't know what else we could do.

Sorry to hear about Roy. That franchise looked so promising a few years ago and hopefully you guys can bounce back.

[VegasJustin]

The Clippers are trading for Paul. They have given up Eric Gordon, Al-Farouq Aminu, Chris Kaman and Minnesota's 1st round pick. This is much better than the Lakers offer. I mean they gave up so much while the Rockets and Lakers gave up nothing.

This is a fucking joke. The Lakers should sue because how can the league accept this offer while declining ours? This was a conspiracy against the Lakers and nobody can say any different. The league made sure we couldn't get Paul or Howard. We offered a better deal and got fucked because of some dipshit East Coast idiot.

[AggieMatt]

It was not a conspiracy against the Lakers.

I abhor the NBA, so take my opinion with a grain of salt, but the players and owners agreed to this new deal and part of it was to try and keep the distribution of talent from concentrating in 5-6 cities. Teams have historically bent over to restock the Lakers, so if they wind up on the wrong end of it for once then it's about time.

[VegasJustin]

It was a conspiracy. The proof is in the trade and the emails sent to Stern last week. Teams got pissed off and made sure the Lakers couldn't get either guy. It was the stupid small market idiots who did it.

This was also about forcing players to stay horrible teams so they can sell tickets. What's so stupid about this is that if they would simply build better teams in the smaller markets then players would want to stay. Durant signed an extension with Oklahoma City because they built a good team. If New Orleans had a title contending team then I doubt Paul is Bitching at all.

[SoCalJoe]

Paul and Griffin on the same team? The Clipper curse will surely strike one of them down.

I despise the Lakers, but they got shafted. It's not their fault other teams have bent over to restock them, they were just smarter. In this day and age (facebook, twitter, aau hoops, etc) all these superstar players have been friends since they were 15/16 years old. They will always want to play together, and at the clamor franchises. The only way any small market team will ever win, is to draft that one superstar and hope you can build around him in order to convince him to stay.

I will agree that the owners 'conspired' to block the trade, because the last thing they want is the Lakers to reload w/Kobe still having a few good years left. Stern is employed by all the owners and was pressured by the majority. If the same thing happened to Cuban as happened to the Lakers he would be screaming from the mountain top, instead he hid like a coward behind 'the small market keeping talent' bs. I expect the Pacers, Cavs, or Bucks owner to do that but Cuban? He's a bald face liar and it came down to him not wanting to be outmaneuvered.

[Clevelandmo]

Well I dont really know the latest NBA drama that you guys are talking about, but I can tell you this, Lebron threw the series against Boston the season he left the Cavs. There is no friggin' doubt. He and his buddies had already hatched their plan to have their contracts expire at the same time so they could be on the same team. Cavs owner Dan Gilbert has proof of this and undoubtedly proof of other Lebron shenanigans. The NBA doesnt want their big star to be exposed so Gilbert is getting things in return like the 1st and 4th round draft picks. And probably all this other small market stuff you guys are talking about. Also, most owners, small market or not, dont want to be victim to they type of thing Lebron and his VBFs did.

And if you guys are considering Cleveland a small market then I guess you think pro leagues should consist of LA, NYC, and Chicago. Say what you want but when it comes to sports Cleveland is no small market. Last season without Lebron the Cavs were third in attendance in the NBA. Well ahead of the Lakers. If I'm an athlete attendance is what I care about.

[VegasJustin]

That's not really what happened here. Owners like Gilbert and Cubana called Stern and told him how bad it was that Paul was going to the Lakers. Stern then blocked the trade despite it being a pretty Damn good deal for all teams. This is collusion and it's wrong.

If you don't think it's OK for Lebron to collude with friends, though I don't know ifhe did, then why should owners be allowed to do so?

[Clevelandmo]

That's not really what happened here. Owners like Gilbert and Cubana called Stern and told him how bad it was that Paul was going to the Lakers. Stern then blocked the trade despite it being a pretty Damn good deal for all teams. This is collusion and it's wrong.

If you don't think it's OK for Lebron to collude with friends, though I don't know ifhe did, then why should owners be allowed to do so?

I'm not saying any of this okay. I'm suggesting Gilbert could bring down the NBA's biggest star and Stern doesnt want that. So Gilbert is getting some things in return - - owners collusion, rigged draft picks, etc. I know it sounds a little crazy, but there have been more shocking revelations coming out of the sports world lately. Plus it's the only thing about the NBA that interests me at all anymore.