As you'd probably expect, Los Angeles Lakers fans are not happy that the NBA has called off a trade that would have sent Chris Paul to their favorite team. Over at SB Nation's Lakers blog Silver Screen and Roll, Dexter Fishmore writes that this is a "deep stain" on commissioner David Stern's legacy and that it signals his time is over..
This is a deep stain on Stern's reign as commissioner. He got bullied by small-market owners into prolonging the lockout, and they just did it to him again. His stewardship of the sport is a bad joke. It's time for him to go.
I don't understand how the players' union can be OK with this. They fought a four-month lockout and lost 16 games' worth of paychecks to preserve the right of players to move between teams, including by trade. Now the commissioner is facilitating collusion among owners to block fairly negotiated deals.
The blog post ends with a pretty funny line about Lakers owner Jerry Buss. The reaction is predictable, and it's also completely understandable given the circumstances.
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