NBA Thread

[BangersandMash]

Putting everything else aside, if Chris Paul stays in New Orleans, do they think this means everything goes into effect starting today? Do they think if Chris Paul goes to the Lakers there will be no parity in the league for the next 20 years? Dwight Howard and Chris Paul weren't resigning with their teams no matter what, but wholesale change in a major sport league takes more than a day and what Chris Paul or Dwight Howard do this off season has little implication to how things will stack up by the time this CBA is done. I mean seriously did Dan Gilbert think he'd get a title handed to him this season because of the new CBA? Last I checked they got two lottery picks he was on top of the world about and the if the NBA wants to be more like the NFL he should be worried about developing his draft picks with the hope that if change is really upon us, they will be franchise cornerstones years to come.

Also, who decided Dallas was a big basketball market? They just beat a "super team" for the title. Oklahoma City got to the conference finals and Indiana and Memphis had really good playoff showings.

 

[carphalen5150]

Dallas is the 9th largest city in America and has an owner with deep pockets...so yeah, they are a big basketball market.

 

[carphalen5150]

Nets Close To Signing Nene
Dec 09, 2011 1:41 PM EST

The Nets are close to acquiring Nene, according to a source. Adrian Wojnarowski reports the Nets will offer Nene a four-year deal worth between $60 million and $65 million.

It’s unclear if signing Nene would take the Nets out of the running for Dwight Howard.

After the team missed out on Tyson Chandler, they increased their offer for Nene.

The Pacers, Rockets, Warriors and Nuggets have also been in on Nene talks.

 

[Cythim]

You can take the Rockets out of the running for Nene. They needed to land the LA/NO trade to clear some cap space but that obviously isn't happening.

 

[Maveric]

Declining that trade was ridiculous. Stern weakened the Hornets' ability to function and angered a whole mess of people over appeasing a bunch of whiny brats. It's better than what they'll end up with if Paul leaves by free agency, and it makes the Lakers weaker. LET IT THROUGH!

 

[Cr122]

Weaker with Paul? I don't think so. Losing Gasol and Odom would hurt, but I'm sure the Lakers were going to address those areas too.

 

[Maveric]

Weaker with Paul? I don't think so. Losing Gasol and Odom would hurt, but I'm sure the Lakers were going to address those areas too.

Until they would, the only big presence they'd have down low would be Andrew "66 games? Let's see, I only play 38 to 45 games of an 82 game schedule; so this year I'll end up playing???" Bynum. I don't see how that can be a positive thing, no matter who's in the backcourt.

 

[Cr122]

So now Lamar Odom is getting traded to the Mavs for unspecified draft considerations? Wtf.

They aren't saying yet why the Lakers pulled out of the Paul trade. I like Gasol so I'm not too disappointed but Paul with Kobe would've been epic win.

Odom on the other hand sort of sucks. I don't know the reasoning why the Lakers still traded Odom, unless he wanted out because the attempt to trade him.

 

[Maveric]

So now Lamar Odom is getting traded to the Mavs for unspecified draft considerations? Wtf.

They aren't saying yet why the Lakers pulled out of the Paul trade. I like Gasol so I'm not too disappointed but Paul with Kobe would've been epic win.

Odom on the other hand sort of sucks. I don't know the reasoning why the Lakers still traded Odom, unless he wanted out because the attempt to trade him.

Partially that. He was the only one after Paul who was vocally upset publically about the whole deal.

Like one article said, though, it might also be so they can clear up cap room and put themselves into the Dwight Howard race.

 

[Cr122]

Like one article said, though, it might also be so they can clear up cap room and put themselves into the Dwight Howard race.

I like it.

 

[RoyTheHammer]

They aren't saying yet why the Lakers pulled out of the Paul trade.
.

..because it was shot down?

 

[Cr122]

..because it was shot down?

lol They aren't out of it yet.

 

[Cr122]

Updated: December 13, 2011, 9:27 PM ET

Dwight Howard's wish list said short

By Chris Broussard
ESPN The Magazine
Archive


Howard OK In Orlando?

Chris Broussard on Dwight Howard's change of heart about leaving the Magic.Tags: Dwight Howard Trade, NBA Trade Rumors,Chris Broussard, SportsCenter

VIDEO PLAYLIST

• Howard OK In Orlando?
• Gasol, Bynum For Howard?
• Rumor Central: Dwight Howard
• Howard Softens Stance On Trade Demand

While the Orlando Magic are keeping all of their options open, Dwight Howard is not.
There are only four teams that Howard would sign a long-term contract with, according to a source close to the situation -- the Magic, New Jersey Nets, Dallas Mavericks or Los Angeles Lakers.

Howard​

That severely limits the trade possibilities for Orlando, which has said it will not rule out trading Howard to any of the league's 29 other teams. Without a long-term commitment from Howard, no club is likely to put an enticing offer on the table.
Howard's stance essentially relegates the Magic, whose ideal scenario is to re-sign Howard, to trade talks only with the Nets, Mavericks and Lakers.
There has been speculation that the Chicago Bulls might be a possible destination for Howard because the Bulls offer a big-city environment, a superstar in Derrick Rose, and plenty of talent to send back to Orlando. But Howard's refusal to sign there ends that possibility.
While Orlando will field offers for its All-Star center, it also will take its time in an attempt to rebuild its relationship with Howard and improve the strength of its team.
New Magic CEO Alex Martins met with Howard Monday morning at Amway Center. Afterward, Howard sounded as if he he had softened his stance against staying in Orlando, as long as there are some changes.
"I love this city, there is no place I'd rather be but Orlando," Howard said. "I just want to make sure we have the right things here so we can win a championship. I'm all about change. If you're willing to change and you're willing to do what it takes to win, then, you know, you got me."
Martins, who took over at CEO just last week after the surprising resignation of Bob Vander Weide, is making a strong public stance that the franchise believes it can keep Howard and convince him to extend his contract. Howard has the option to become a free agent next summer, which created the leverage to force a trade.
On Friday, the Magic announced they would allow Howard to speak with the Lakers, Nets and Mavericks about a trade.
A day later Howard announced he'd indeed asked to be traded. Then, on Sunday night, he followed up with an explanation that his relationship with Magic general manager Otis Smith had eroded, in part because Smith had not acquired players Howard had suggested in the past several years.
Chris Broussard is a senior writer for ESPN The Magazine. ESPN.com's Marc Stein and Brian Windhorst contributed to this report.
Follow Chris Broussard on Twitter: @chris_broussard

 

[Cr122]

Updated: December 13, 2011, 10:41 PM ET

Sources: Chris Paul talks continue

By Marc Stein and Chris Broussard
ESPN.com



Chris Paul Latest

Sources: Lakers back in discussions with Hornets about potential Chris Paul trade

VIDEO PLAYLIST

• Chris Paul Latest
• Gasol, Bynum For Howard?
• Will Kobe Be A Problem For The Lakers?
• Problem With NBA Vetoing Paul Trade?

League officials representing the New Orleans Hornets and the Los Angeles Clipperscontinued discussions into Tuesday night on a trade that would put Chris Paul on the same team with Blake Griffin, according to sources briefed on the talks.
But the sides have yet to find a framework that satisfies both, sources said, with the NBA not relenting on its desire to acquire the Clippers' top five available trade assets in return for Paul, who would invoke the 2012-13 option in his contract as part of any trade between the teams to ensure the Clippers would have him for at least two seasons.

Paul
​

"They're still asking for everyone," said one source with knowledge of the Clippers' thinking.
With a deal seemingly imminent, talks hit an impasse Monday when the Clippers finally decided that the league's asking price for the All-Star guard was too steep. Sources told ESPN.com that the Clippers balked when the Hornets, at the league's insistence, asked for Clippers shooting guard Eric Gordon, youngsters Al-Farouq Aminu and Eric Bledsoe, former All-Star centerChris Kaman and Minnesota's unprotected 2012 first-round draft pick.
Sources said one of the wrinkles added to the deal in Tuesday's talks involved the inclusion of Clippers point guard Mo Williams going to the league-owned Hornets in a swap for swingman Trevor Ariza, an L.A. native. But the Clippers, feeling even stronger about their position after acquiring Chauncey Billups on Monday on a waiver claim, are insisting that the league has to scale back its demands if it wants a trade, believing that they're the only reasonable trade suitor in circulation for Paul.
The Los Angeles Lakers, however, continue to loom as a potential destination, sources said, despite their apparent exit from the Paul sweepstakes on Saturday. The Lakers walked away from the table after multiple attempts to complete a three-team trade with the Hornets and Houston Rockets for Paul, and then agreed to trade New Orleans-bound Lamar Odom to the Dallas Mavericks instead.
Free-Agent Analysis

Which free agents are still available and where might they land? Chad Ford

• Hollinger: Rating the latest deals

• TrueHoop: Free Agent Reports »


ESPN.com learned Tuesday that a Lakers deal for Paul has not yet been ruled out, contingent on the fact that they can recruit at least one other team to supply some of the young pieces that the league is demanding. But the Lakers do still have Gasol as a centerpiece, who could either replace Paul as the Hornets' franchise player or give New Orleans a top-20 player to be dangled in subsequent deals.
"The Lakers are definitely still in this," said one source close to the talks.
The NBA's preference, however, remains a trade with the Clippers. The Lakers' co-tenants at Staples Center can best supply New Orleans with the combination of youth and draft picks to provide a solid and cost-friendly platform for the Hornets' next ownership group. Although many rival executives privately expressed the belief that Hornets general manager Dell Demps did well in the original three-team trade to come away with three starters -- Kevin Martin, Luis Scola and Odom -- Stern blocked the deal over concerns that New Orleans was taking back too much salary in the deal and not getting back enough youth.
Sources close to the talks insisted that both Gordon and the Minnesota pick were on the table for much of Monday's talks, but that's one of the main reasons that the Clippers backed away. The Clippers have repeatedly expressed to the league's lead negotiator, Joel Litvin, that they fear surrendering both Gordon and the highly coveted pick in a deal for Paul will make it more difficult for Los Angeles to re-sign Paul as a free agent in the summer of 2013. At the point, the team's core could be stripped down to Griffin, Paul, newly re-signed center DeAndre Jordan and recent acquisitions Caron Butler and Billups.
More on the Clippers

For more news, notes and analysis of the L.A. Clippers, check out the ClipperBlog. Blog


The Clippers have also privately argued that it would be a mistake for them to surrender so much now for Paul when they'll have the salary cap space in the summer of 2012 to bid for him outright. Yet it remains to be seen what impact the Lakers' possible re-emergence would have on the Clippers.
For the Lakers, though, there are also risks involved in re-joining the Paul bidding. If Los Angles finds out it has no shot at trading for Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard unless it sends both Andrew Bynum and Gasol to the Magic, then it can't lodge a new bid for Paul.
Yet sources say there is some sentiment within the Lakers' organization that actually rates Paul as a bigger free-agent priority than Howard, based on the premise that they'd still have Kobe Bryant and Bynum to team with Paul in a formidable new three-man core.
Marc Stein is a senior writer for ESPN.com. Chris Broussard is a senior writer for ESPN The Magazine.

 

[Cr122]

Eat shit, RTH the Lakers are still in it. lol

 

[RoyTheHammer]

Eat shit, RTH the Lakers are still in it. lol

lol

Hey, i never said they weren't going to try again. But when the league shoots down the original deal, that i thought was pretty fair for all teams, i can't imagine them coming up with a deal that Stern would let through, especially now that they have one less bargaining piece.

 

[Cr122]

CP3 is being traded to the Clippers. Details of the trade aren't known yet.

 

[Cr122]

lol

Hey, i never said they weren't going to try again. But when the league shoots down the original deal, that i thought was pretty fair for all teams, i can't imagine them coming up with a deal that Stern would let through, especially now that they have one less bargaining piece.

They're officially out of it now. lol The league must of limed the Clippers latest offer.

 

[RoyTheHammer]

They're officially out of it now. lol The league must of limed the Clippers latest offer.

Can't imagine what the Clippers could've offered that would be better than the haul they would've gotten from the LA/Hou trade scenario.

Any idea what it was yet? Is it a 2 team deal or 3 team?

 

[RoyTheHammer]

Can't imagine what the Clippers could've offered that would be better than the haul they would've gotten from the LA/Hou trade scenario.

Any idea what it was yet? Is it a 2 team deal or 3 team?

I stand corrected. The headline tomorrow should read,

"Stern Rapes the Clippers..and Himself."

Silly me, thinking he would look out for the competitive balance of the league.. he pretty much just assured that the LA Clippers will continue to be irrelevant for years to come. Nice job, commish.