I guess we should have expected all this insanity seeing how it needed to be jammed into a 1 month span before Christmas…
It has certainly been an emotional roller-coaster for Lakers fans. One minute they think they have a top point guard in the game (Chris Paul), the next he’s back in New Orleans. They were trying to get rid of Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol for Chris Paul in a 3 team deal. Of course, the Lakers have always had a huge advantage by playing a 3 7 footer lineup with Bynum, Gasol and Odom, but it was clear in the playoffs last year that their point guards could not keep up with anybody as JJ Barea was able to make them look like their sneakers transformed into cinder blocks.
There seemed to be a knee-jerk reaction by league owners for the trade to land CP3 to the Lakers. To be more specific, Dal Gilbert sent an email to commissioner David Stern about how upset he was about the trade. “When will we just change the name of 25 of the 30 teams to the Washington Generals”? He seemed to have a point when he said that it is unfair for one of the best teams in the league to end up with the best player in the trade and save 40 million in the process.
The league may have overreacted by vetoing the trade. Seemed like this trade was going to be helping all three teams in the trade. The hornets would be receiving some great talent in Lamar Odom, Luis Scola, Kevin Martin, and Gordon Drajic. The Rockets would receive one of the best power forwards in the game and clear lots of cap space to possibly sign Nene to give them some brutal muscle on the block. The trade is still in the works, probably with some minor tweaks David Stern will finally allow CP3 to go to leave Mardi Gras and go to Hollywood.
What is going to happen to the Hornets if this trade doesn’t go through? Seems that it will set their franchise back at least 5 years. They are going to lose their best player at the end of the year, and get nothing in return. Maybe good old Dan Gilbert wants another team to feel his pain just like he did when Lebron left town.
Santa may have the Celtics down on the “good boy” list for Christmas. They are still in the mix and looking to land all-star power forward David West. If they could land Jermaine O’neal for David West deal, they will be getting some serious talent down in the paint for the league opener. By only giving away Jermaine, they are able to add a talented power forward to the lineup and hold on the the athletic talent of Jeff Green. Maybe the league should call for a veto for David West to the Celtics and get their minds off Chris Paul? Lets hope not…