As Chris Paul trade rumors reach a fever pitch, David Stern's problem gets bigger and bigger. If the NBA-owned Hornets deal CP3 to a major market, how can Stern keep a straight face when talking to small-market owners about competitive balance?
Dec 6, 2011 - David Stern is still bunkered down somewhere in a law firm's conference room; the only difference between now and two weeks ago is that no reporters are sending cakes from the lobby with the whole world watching. There's no chance Stern is oblivious to what is happening in his NBA, even as he and negotiators from the players' union hammer out the full collective bargaining agreement in time for free agency and training camps to begin on Friday. But his attention is surely primarily tied up in the negotiating room, not the rumor mill.
But there's a special circumstance that will require his attention once he does look up, and that special circumstance is named Chris Paul. CP3 won't sign an extension with the small market New Orleans Hornets, instead looking forward to free agency in 2012. His agent has reportedly told the Hornets that if the team decides to trade him, he's only interested in signing a new deal in July with the New York Knicks. That will really mess up the trade market for CP3.
This is a long-running problem for the NBA insomuch as the NBA repeatedly pushes the importance of competitive balance, of having 30 teams that can contend for a championship. The biggest hurdle to competitive balance in the NBA is the dearth of truly elite players. When those talents create flock to where other talents play, the talent gap among teams spreads. This is an issue Stern claimed to want to fix during the NBA lockout; the solution was apparently to put a timer on extend-and-trade deals and maintain longer contracts and higher raises for in-house stars.
Clearly, at this point, that wasn't enough.
CP3, of course, presents an additional problem for Stern, because Stern is essentially the owner of CP3's team, the Hornets. It was just over a year ago that Stern asked 29 of his owners to bail out old Hornets owner George Shinn -- one of the most contemptible owners in American pro sports -- by buying the New Orleans franchise for $300 million. Those owners complied with a unanimous vote. Then Stern made the proclamation that the league wouldn't be selling the team until the brewing labor issue was resolved, and that the NBA would be looking primarily for local ownership that would keep the Hornets in New Orleans. So attached to this commendable goal was Stern that he reportedly rejected a $350-million bid from Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, who planned to move the Hornets to San Jose, Calif. (That would have involved a hefty payout to the Golden State Warriors, no doubt.) If the lockout rhetoric showed Stern to be a showman on issues of protection for small markets, the commissioner's salvation of New Orleans is the exact opposite. It's real meat.
Without Chris Paul, the Hornets are going to be awful. We know full well how hard it is to get fair value for a true superstar, and I'm not talking about Carmelo Anthony. Even if you strip CP3's specificity of market, this is a difficult trade. Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom sure as Hades aren't enough for New Orleans -- what's the point of a 32-year-old Odom on a team that will win 30 percent of its games? There isn't a player under the age of 30 on the Lakers roster worth considering an asset except Bynum, and he's so far below Paul's level as to be almost a cruel joke played on Hornets fans.
And that's one of the good offers. If Paul won't commit to a team like the Warriors or Hawks, those teams won't be giving up players like Stephen Curry or Al Horford. The Knicks have nothing. The options for New Orleans GM Dell Demps, the league-appointed president Jac Sperling and Stern himself are to accept a lower offer to send Paul to the highest bidder regardless of his preference (shooting themselves in the foot once), send Paul to his preferred team even though the offer is bottled garbage (shooting themselves in each foot once) or sucking it up, playing the season out and hoping something magical happens in southern Louisiana before CP3 leaves as a free agent in July (sawing their foot off with a butter knife).
You want another complication? The league has a labor deal, so it's time to sell the Hornets. Who is going to buy a team that already struggles financially due to a lack of population, corporate sponsors and a good arena that happens to be in the throes of being forced to sell off its prized asset at a bargain basement price? The Hornets need to resolve this on-court matter so that the off-court matters can be attended to. That means acting quickly in a trade process that would naturally take months to reach a conclusion. It's one helluva shove forward by circumstance on Demps and Sperling.
Now add in the other 29 owners, 28 of which will be steaming mad if Stern allows CP3 to be traded to the Knicks for a pittance (Frozen Envelope Part 2) and 28 of which will riot if a Stern-owned team deals another superstar to the Lakers, the league's richest team who survived the lockout relatively unscathed and has missed the playoffs all of four times in 51 years since moving to L.A. Seriously, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was pissed at the trade deadline because the Hornets took on something like $750,000 in extra salary in a Carl Landry-Marcus Thornton swap, presumably because picking up Landry made New Orleans more formidable in the playoffs, where the teams might have met. Cuban was getting twisted up over Carl Landry. What's he going to say if the Hornets pawn off Chris F. Paul to the hated Lakers for a bargain price? He will not be pleased, and neither will any other Western contender or hopeful.
Finally, we have the small markets. Early in lockout talks, the league caved on the hard salary cap. The league caved on its threat to move below a 50-50 revenue split. The league caved on its harshest transaction restrictions for luxury tax teams. The league still doesn't have a final revenue sharing plan in place. The small markets lost all of those concessions just so that the NBA could return to business. And as soon as the NBA return to business, it's business as usual, with a small-market club being cajoled into trading its best player, its raison d'etre for the past six seasons. And not only will it be business as usual, but it will be David Stern, the man who caved on all of those deal points that the small-market owners so desperately wanted, signing off on the deal.
We lost 16 games, all of November, hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue. And it's the same damn NBA, where the small markets remain the league's picked-on little brothers. Good luck spinning this one, Commish.
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Bravo
by chenp22 on Dec 6, 2011 9:26 AM EST reply actions
New Orleans is screwed. Paul was always destined to leave.
Howard on the other hand, should be willing to stick it out with Orlando. Yet, like most stars, he wants it both ways. Howard will find out that with the bright lights in LA, all he’ll hear is that he wasn’t winning championships. Fans have no patience or interest in rebuilding in LA, and the Lakers know that.
But if the Lakers are gutted just to get Dwight Howard, exactly how will the Lakers be an improvement for Howard in this instance? He gets to be in more movies now?
Personally, LA really doesn’t have the assets to get Dwight Howard and Chris Paul. And, I’m not really sure what is in it for New Orleans to trade Paul to the Lakers in this instance either. The Clippers have the best assets for Paul, and I’d trade him there.
The Magic though? They can hold fast with Howard I think and be okay. They just need to find a way to deal Arenas or Turkoglu (nearly impossible I understand) to gain flexibility and use the amnesty on the other to get a player in Free Agency.
The real problem is the players, and the owners honestly, think they can have it both ways. You can’t be committed and have all the players on your team. You can’t be a star on your own team and have whatever you want when you want it. Yet, stars time & again think it’s all possible for them to do so. I think this reality will crash down on them fairly quickly if they don’t wake up and smell the reality that the NBA as a league helps drive their popularity with the small markets a part of that.
And to the owners end, you can’t expect profitability and then not expect stars to continue to attempt to profit in whatever way you can. The owners just won a landmark victory in the CBA and within days of the announcement it comes down to another round of “where does name star end up heading to this time?”
A silly situation, but not entirely unavoidable. That’s the whole problem with all of this.
No mistakes in the tango, Donna. Not like life. Simple. That's what makes the tango so great. If you make a mistake, and get all tangled up, you just tango on.....
by pookeyguru on Dec 6, 2011 9:39 AM EST reply actions
Let me give you a Beno Udrih proposal
Hey pooks, how are you doing? Out of curiosity, do you think the kings would be open to a Hedo and 3 million dollars for a 2nd rd pick? Kings get a distributor for tyreke, fridette and Demarcus plus hedo’s ungodly contract goes a long way towards what they have to spend minimally on the cap.
Magic then amnesty arenas, and they would suddenly have about 11-14 million dollar of cap space (assuming they do not resign Richardson.)
Proudly mocking the Disciples of Panic (some Magic fans) since October 29, 2010.
by funny80sguy on Dec 6, 2011 10:48 AM EST up reply actions
Not a chance. If he was an expiring contract maybe. But not with the length of his current deal.
by SPTSJUNKIE on Dec 6, 2011 12:35 PM EST up reply actions
hahahahahaha
Uh, no.
"Victory goes to the player who makes the next-to-last mistake."
- Chessmaster Savielly Grigorievitch Tartakower
by lietothegirls on Dec 6, 2011 12:49 PM EST up reply actions
Both Clippers and Warriors make sense to me.
Both would seem to be big enough markets in nice locations. And both could put together a solid package for Paul without gutting their team, so Paul would get a nice location, competitive team and the max contract allowed under the CBA.
From the Hornets perspective you get either: Curry, Klay Thompson, and 2 first rounders or Eric Gordin, Aminu, Kaman’s expiring and the TWolves unprotected 1st round pick.
The Clippers still have Mo Williams, Paul, Griffin, DeAndre Jordan and a solid cap situation to bring in another free agent.
The Warriors would still have Ellis, Wright, Lee, Udoh and enough cash to land Chandler or Nene if the deal went down soon.
The Hornets start amnesty Okafor and start out with a young team and then get a top pick in this year’s draft.
by SPTSJUNKIE on Dec 6, 2011 12:42 PM EST up reply actions
Want to solve the dearth of talent? Contract some teams. It won’t happen of course, but it should be an option on the table.
by daileysc on Dec 6, 2011 11:26 AM EST reply actions 2 recs
In other words
help small markets by getting rid of small market teams. I’m not saying it doesn’t make sense, but it doesn’t make people in New Orleans feel any better.
by Mark Mandingo on Dec 6, 2011 11:59 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
Excellent Article.
by Zanzabar on Dec 6, 2011 12:50 PM EST reply actions
There's only one good answer
Make a trade of both CP3 and D Howard happen to a small market team. Once they were both on the same roster as they apparently desire – would they really bail with almost no chance of making that future pairing a reality?
Tyreke would look good in New Orleans . . . .
"Victory goes to the player who makes the next-to-last mistake."
- Chessmaster Savielly Grigorievitch Tartakower
by lietothegirls on Dec 6, 2011 12:54 PM EST reply actions
I completely agree.
And I think that team should be the Magic. Seriously, A trade of CP3 and Jarret Jack to the Magic for Turkoglu, Nelson and Brandon Bass, and I don’t know what picks the Magic even have, maybe a third team gets involved. I don’t see how cp3 or D12 bails on that team. Buy a helicopter to take you to South Beach, and quit whining about being in a small market. Or I can see Sacto having the assets to acquire both.
by Kfunk on Dec 6, 2011 3:33 PM EST up reply actions
Hornets should have stayed in OKC
That is where the league made their critical mistake. It was a charitable sentiment to move the Hornets back to New Orleans, but a dumb business decision.
by DW19 on Dec 6, 2011 1:50 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
How about this?
Lakers trade: Metta World Peace, Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, Andrew Bynum, and two first round picks.
Lakers get: Chris Paul, Dwight Howard, Hedo Turkoglu, and Trevor Ariza.
Magic trade: Dwight Howard and Hedo Turkoglu
Magic get: Andrew Bynum, Metta World Peace, and a first round pick.
Hornets trade: Chris Paul and Trevor Ariza
Hornets get: Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, and a first round pick.
—Lakers get their stars, a proven defensive SF, and Hedo Turkoglu.
—Magic lose Howard, who they likely can’t keep, but get one of the better young big men in the leauge in addition to a pretty solid (though eccentric) defensive SF (which you need in the East), and a pick. They also get to unload Turkoglu’s contract. Give’s them pieces and cap space to work towards a future.
—Hornets lose Paul, who they know they can’t keep, but get a perennial all-star PF, one of the best sixth men, and a pick. They lose Ariza, but as things stand, would you rather lose Paul for peanuts and ask Ariza to lead or Pau and Odom?
I think everyone comes out a winner, but then again, I’m a Wizards/Hawks fan…so anyone in this situation feels like a winner.
by GeorgiaGator on Dec 6, 2011 5:01 PM EST reply actions
horrible deal
by MrDollarBills on Dec 6, 2011 5:04 PM EST up reply actions
For whom and why?
by GeorgiaGator on Dec 6, 2011 5:05 PM EST up reply actions
I look at it like this...
Look at the teams expressing interest in either Paul or Howard. CP3 to Golden State, Clippers, Rockets, Hawks, Lakers, or Knicks. Howard to Clippers, Nets, Bulls, and Lakers.
Clippers are chalk full of young talent, but as they continue to buildup, the question is what they are willing to part with. Griffin is surely off the table, which leaves Aminu, Bledsoe, Gordon, Kaman, and Thompkins. Would any combination of those be better for the Hornets or Magic? The Knicks have nothing to trade, so they are off the table. Nets basically have Brook Lopez and now don’t have picks. The Bulls are solid where they are, but could trade Noah and some role players. Rockets have some potential. They could swap Kevin Martin or Scola and throw in some young talent, say Patrick Patterson, Thabeet, Flynn, Jordan Hill, Lowry, or Motiejunas. They could be contenders. Golden State is in the same boat as the Clippers though. Sure they could move Monta Ellis or David Lee, as well as young players like Udoh, Biedrins, or Curry (who is probably off the table), but where does that leave them?
I think a lot of GMs will look at last year and think long and hard about making blockbuster, bench clearing trades for stars. Melo trade decimated the Knicks. After DWill, the Nets have very little trading power and have to pray for FA movement. The Heat lost to a Mavs team with arguably inferior talent because the Mavs had depth and the Heat didn’t. I suspect it will be harder to find teams willing to cash in all their chips to land a superstar or even two after seeing not just the Heat’s difficulty, but also the unintended consequences that the Knicks and Nets have felt.
by GeorgiaGator on Dec 6, 2011 6:10 PM EST up reply actions
Here's the problem
A team trading Howard or Paul will be losing their superstar and will be entering a rebuilding phase. Bynum is a piece who can help a team rebuild, so it makes complete sense that if the Lakers acquire one of these players he would be the center piece of the deal along with some draft picks.
However, for the Hornets, netting two players over 30 who are still solid talents, but on the downside of their respective careers makes very little sense. Their team would become worse and also not be rebuilding. It would be a disaster.
by SPTSJUNKIE on Dec 6, 2011 8:25 PM EST up reply actions
Put Arenas in that deal instead of Hedo
And involve a 4th team that takes Odom/Artest + gives ORL & NO another 1st Rd pick or it makes no sense for either team.
Also, NJ still has their pick and Houston’s pick this year, both better then any pick LAL, CHI or NYK has plus Marshon Brooks & Bojan Bogdonovic so that’s almost like trading 4 first Rd picks in the late-teens to 20’s + Brook = better.
He still ain’t going to Jerz though, no chance
Were they saying "Boo" or "Boo-urns?"
@SlayerSantana on Twitter
by Kendrick Jay on Dec 6, 2011 11:54 PM EST up reply actions
I could have sworn they went to Utah
Thanks for correcting me. I missed the last half of the season because of the Army, so, this is a great Christmas gift. As a result, my memory of those trades is pretty shallow. The problem with sending Odom/Artest to fourth team is that it then messes up the money.
I also heard Arenas will have his contract amnestied, so they wouldn’t need to take it.
by GeorgiaGator on Dec 7, 2011 1:42 AM EST up reply actions
I used ESPN’s NBA Trade Machine to see if the money worked, and it says it does. Has the Lakers bringing in 2 more wins, Hornets with 6 more wins, and the Magic lose 10. Without Hedo in the trade, they have the Magic losing 7, so that makes me wonder about how valuable the Hollinger’s analysis really is, but whatever.
by GeorgiaGator on Dec 6, 2011 5:05 PM EST up reply actions
It's easy to rosterbate with the trade machine.
Has it even been updated to follow the new CBA?
I will love Steve Nash... forever and always.
by NashMV3 on Dec 7, 2011 12:48 AM EST up reply actions
Naw, still doesn't have rookie contracts either
by GeorgiaGator on Dec 7, 2011 1:38 AM EST up reply actions
This story had a lot less R2D2 then I was hoping for
"I really wouldn’t wish rooting for both the Isles and Blues on anyone." Dominik
Contributor to Lighthouse Hockey not sure if I'm the Sniper or the Enforcer.
by Mark D on Dec 6, 2011 10:33 PM EST reply actions
Stern should've sold the Hornets to Ellison
Who cares whether they stay in NO, Ellison is rich beyond rich. The sort of owner Stern should be trying to get in the league.
And in other news tonight...Voltron totally got served.
by GoForthAndDie on Dec 7, 2011 5:41 PM EST reply actions
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