Last Thursday the NBA was all the buzz as All-Star point-guard Chris Paul appeared to be on his way to the west coast to become the newest member of the Los Angeles Lakers. A three-team trade which included the Lakers, Hornets and Rockets was agreed upon and only needed the approval of the Commissioner's office given the Hornets are currently a league-owned franchise. In exchange for Paul, the Hornets would've acquired Lamar Odom from the Lakers as well as Kevin Martin, Luis Scola, Goran Dragic and a 2012 first-round pick from Houston, sending Pau Gasol to the Rockets. Several hours later, however, NBA Commissioner David Stern pulled the plug on the deal after receiving a slew of calls and e-mails from team owners against the trade.
Determined to reconstruct a deal, all three teams continued to negotiate on into the weekend before the Lakers withdrew their name from the hat in the Chris Paul sweepstakes on Saturday evening, instead trading last year's Sixth Man of the Year, Lamar Odom to the Dallas Mavericks. Upon first hearing the news that he was dealt to New Orleans in the Chris Paul trade, an emotional Odom was heard on sports-radio where he sobbed and began crying after expressing how much he wanted to be a Laker for the rest of his career. Once the trade was vetoed, Odom took to his Twitter account by tweeting, "When a team trades you and it doesn't go down, now what?" With training camp the next day, many were pondering what the akward scene would be like in L.A. and if Odom would even arrive to camp.
Unhappy about being included in the trade, Odom showed up to the Lakers' training facility 90 minutes late according to sources and left early after meeting with general manager Mitch Kupchak where he requested to be traded. Less than 24 hours later, Kupchak granted his wish by dealing him to the defending World Champions in exchange for a first-round pick. I can see why Odom was angered about being included in the three-team trade considering how valuable he's been to the franchise having helped them win back-to-back titles in 2009-10, but Kupchak expressed his interest in landing both Chris Paul and Dwight Howard days earlier and said everyone on the Lakers' roster not named Kobe Bryant was available. So unless Odom didn't get the memo, he should've known there was a possibility of him being dealt.The day following Odom's departure, both Kobe and Lakers point-guard Derek Fisher let their discontent be known regarding him being traded to the Mavs of all teams who have recently become a rival of L.A.'s. Though the Lakers are still a contender without him, the team will surely miss Odom's defensive presence as well as his versatility.
As for the state of the Hornets, the vetoed trade that was of the team's best interest according to Stern, could instead hurt the franchise in the future with the unlikely scenario of them landing a group of players as good as or better than what they were receiving from the Lakers and Rockets. And what a shame it would be if the Hornets fail to get rid of CP3 and the team is forced to move on next season without getting anything in return for their star player. If so, good luck finding someone interested in buying the franchise then.
The most recent trade talks involving Chris Paul, however, has the Hornets jumping back into the trade-o-sphere with a deal that would send the star guard to the team the Lakers share the same building with -- the L.A. Clippers. According to sources both teams were working on a proposed deal that would package Eric Gordon, Eric Bledsoe, Chris Kaman, Al-Farouq Aminu and Minnesota's unprotected 2012 first-round draft pick. That trade was also put to rest, this time under the power of the Clippers who backed out after saying the Hornets' asking price was too high. As of now a deal for Paul is on hold, but both teams are said to be re-working on a proposal. If the deal eventually goes down, a tag-team of CP3 and Blake Griffin could be one of the more lethal duo's in all of basketball.
From a fan's standpoint: Personally, I wasn't the biggest fan of the initial trade for Chris Paul given the Lakers were dealing a huge part of what most teams feared them for -- size, but at the same time they were upgrading at the one position they needed the most help in at point-guard not to mention with one of the game's elites. Having said that, I guess you can say I was 50/50. Other than Stern and company not wanting to see Paul land with a big market team, I can't come up with a logical explanation why the deal was vetoed given it was the Hornets who came out as winners in the trade. The Odom trade on the other hand was just plain dumb if you ask me. I understand that he wanted to play elsewhere after feeling unwanted and all once the Chris Paul trade collapsed, but why help the defending World Champs of all teams? The only thing I can come up with is that they're stocking up in preparation to send Orlando an offer they can't refuse for Dwight Howard.
One thing that's certain, however, is that under new head coach Mike Brown, the Lakers' season storyline will definitely be one to keep an eye on. Follow me on Twitter: @FraserKnowsBest
With the NBA currently in a lockout much like the NFL was for four and a half months before finally striking a deal in late July, some players have already begun seeking work elsewhere. While free-agent Delonte West who last played for the Boston Celtics is trying his luck like many other Americans by applying at his local Home Depot, other players have already signed to play ball overseas in countries like Turkey, Italy and Greece among others. LeBron James, however, is considering an alternative route.
The Akron native has had a lot of free time on his hands this offseason which has allowed him to make use of his extended vacation. Instead of hitting the court with his Miami teammates in preparation of the upcoming season, King James has hit the Twitter feed in search of a new hobby. And though he's joked about it in the past, the rumors of the two-time league MVP trading in his sneakers for a pair of cleats are once again surfacing with the recent developments that are threatening the possibility of a 2011-2012 NBA season taking place. NBA Commissioner David Stern made what was first thought to be a fantasy among sports enthusiasts become a little more realistic this past week when he announced to the public that the first two weeks of the NBA's regular season have been cancelled due to the continued bumping of heads between the league office and the Player's Association.
Having been named first-team all-state as a wide receiver during his sophomore year in high school, James is no stranger to the game of football. And if anything could help him restore his image in the city that has despised him since ditching the state he grew up in for the sandy beaches of Florida, it's playing for the Cleveland Browns. Then again putting on a helmet and pads and taking hits on the grid iron would also be a good way to put an early end to his Hall of Fame campaign in basketball. For that very reason I would call it a long shot. Besides, I highly doubt LeBron who's arguably the most criticized player to ever step foot on the hardwood would like to add yet another thing to his resume that people can scrutinize him on.
The talk of LeBron playing football again was brought up on Tuesday when he tweeted ESPN's NFL insider John Clayton, asking him when the deadline for an NFL team to sign a free agent was. Following Clayton's response, Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll jumped in the discussion and began lobbying for James by sending him a photo of a customized Seahawks jersey with his name on it. It's too bad for Carroll that James wasn't a former quarterback during his playing days as his 1-4 team could definitely use an upgrade in the QB department with both Tavaris Jackson and backup Charlie Whitehurst struggling to say the least. But if such a move were to happen it would have to be done before 4 p.m. on Tuesday which coincidentally is a key date for progress to be made regarding the NBA labor negotiations.
According to Commissioner Stern, if nothing is worked out before then it could very well threaten a slew of games scheduled to be played on Christmas which just so happens to be one of the biggest dates on the NBA calendar as watching basketball on Christmas has become just as synonymous with the holiday as opening presents. For both the sake of the fans and the sake of the league, let's hope a labor agreement can be made in the next couple of days. Since taking his talents to South Beach in July of 2010, LeBron James has been public enemy number one not only in his native state of Ohio, but in many parts of the country. And I'm sure I speak for a large group of people when I say there's nothing I'd like to see more than King James being leveled by players like Patrick Willis and Ray Lewis who are among the hardest hitters in the NFL. Follow me on Twitter: @FraserKnowsBest
October 26th marks the start of a new season, as the Los Angeles Lakers hope to recapture NBA supremacy with a third straight championship. But with another NBA season around the corner, comes another set of rules. However, the newest rules also might make the list of the dumbest. Similar to the NFL which has become known by many as the 'No Fun League' for its excessive rules, the NBA is beginning to crack down on its players. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell took some heat from his players this past season after putting a touchdown celebration rule into effect and has been touched up as recent as this year. The rules outlaw any sort of excessive celebration that comes after scoring a Touchdown as well as any other play.
Meanwhile in the NBA, commissioner David Stern is doing his best Roger Goodell impersonation by making his stamp on the game and showing his low tolerance for those who complain a foul or any other call for that matter. A new set of rules is understandable, but when something as small as raising your hands or even looking at an official a certain way can get you a technical foul or worse -- ejected, you've gotta believe the league is over doing it. Sure the fans in the stands don't pay to see grown men whining and protesting every other call, but they don't pay to see their marquee players get ejected either. These calls have only been seen in the Preseason thus far, but what everyone wants to know is if they'll make their way to the Regular season, and if so, how long will they last until they take their tole on fans.
Now coming into the equation is the Players Union which is protesting that the new strict technical foul policy is excessive and was made without consulting them. It'll be interesting to see how this thing plays out, but I do know one thing, if I was paying top dollar to watch my favorite team and or player, I'd be pissed if he were to be ejected for something as dumb as raising his arms after a ticky-tack foul. And while we're on the subject of absurd rules in today's sports, who came up with this new NFL rule that bans celebrating a tackle, when one's knee is on the ground? To me, it's starting to sound like they're nitpicking in certain areas and towards specific players. Need an example? See Vikings defensive end Jared Allen for instance who has done his same old calf roping celebration that has become as symbolic as his mullet. Unless he modifies his signature celebration, it looks like those days are dead. Unless he plans to pay a fine and cause his team a few yards every other drive...
Make My Day - With the first round of the NBA Playoffs already underway, commissioner David Stern has become one of if not the most busiest man in the league for dishing out fines and suspensions for those in need. Take Kevin Garnett for example who was issues a 1-game suspension earlier this week for throwing an elbow that connected to the face of Miami's Quinton Richardson after a sideline scuffle between the Heat and Celtics. And then there's the $35,000 fine that Lakers head coach Phil Jackson received for his comments towards how the refs were treating Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant like a superstar, sending him to the foul-line every other trip down the court. Stern has had his hands full as of late by trying to defend his officials, whether it means dishing out fines or suspensions to whoever speaks out and criticizes their officiating, player or coach.Stern, who's been atop the throne as the commissioner for 26-years now says he wishes he done this 20-years ago when Pat Riley and Phil Jackson first started the trend of questioning calls on behalf of the refs. Two decades later, it looks like he's is finally ready to take charge. A message was sent out to the entire league by David Stern himself who tried giving his best Clint Eastwood impression by saying, "If someone wants to try me in the rest of these playoffs, make my day." Stern's 5-foot nothing physique might not scare anyone off, but his commitment to fine you $30,000 big ones might do the trick. And if that doesn't, threatening to suspend you for a game when everything including a championship is at stake, surely will.Head coach of the defending Eastern Conference champions Orlando Magic - Stan Van Gundy recently made the news by criticizing not the officiating of the NBA, but rather the length of the playoffs. Stan Van commented that the first round takes longer than three weeks and that there's too many off days in between games. Although his comments aren't expected to lead to a fine, they could however, lead to a quicker, more fast pasted playoffs, right? Wrong. Whether or not the fans, players and coaches agree with the many days off in between games, the league brings in more money by stretching out the length of each series. After all, they did change the playoffs from a best of five to the best of seven for a reason... The Benjamin$.
One thing the NBA is planning to change however, is the voting process for who makes it into the Basketball Hall of Fame. Supposedly the league is trying to become more "transparent" and "fan friendly" by letting fans be the ones who make the decision and vote for whoever they feel is most deserving of a spot with the game's all-time greats. & If you ask me, aside from letting fans get complete control of who gets to play and make it onto the All-Star team considering it's a popularity contest, this is one of Stern's worse decisions yet.
