On Thursday night, arguably the most desired free-agent to be in the NBA seemed destined to become the next superstar point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers. Chris Paul was going to be sent to the city of angels to play alongside Kobe Bean Bryant, Pau Gasol would be the next great big man for the Houston Rockets and the New Orleans Hornets would get a cadre of individuals such as Kevin Martin, Lamar Odom and Luis Scola.
Then, in a moment's notice, the hating commenced.
What lies below, per Yahoo! Sports, is another infamous e-mail sent from Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert as the man couldn't stand to see someone else prosper while the man and his "assets" are mired in the everlasting struggle. Gilbert sent the e-mail to Stern, deputy commissioner Adam Silver and a handful of Gilbert’s ownership peers on Thursday.
Note: If I knew how to change the font to Comic Sans MS on this new website, I would...just for comedic effect. Okay, read this.
Commissioner,
It would be a travesty to allow the Lakers to acquire Chris Paul in the apparent trade being discussed.
This trade should go to a vote of the 29 owners of the Hornets.
Over the next three seasons this deal would save the Lakers approximately $20 million in salaries and approximately $21 million in luxury taxes. That $21 million goes to non-taxpaying teams and to fund revenue sharing.
I cannot remember ever seeing a trade where a team got by far the best player in the trade and saved over $40 million in the process. And it doesn’t appear that they would give up any draft picks, which might allow to later make a trade for Dwight Howard. (They would also get a large trade exception that would help them improve their team and/or eventually trade for Howard.) When the Lakers got Pau Gasol (considered, at the time, an extremely lopsided trade), they took on tens of millions in additional salary and luxury tax, and they gave up a number of prospects (one in Marc Gasol who may become a max-salary player).
I just don’t see how we can allow this trade to happen.
I know the vast majority of owners feel the same way that I do.
When will we just change the name of 25 of the 30 teams to the Washington Generals?
Please advise….
Dan G.
Sigh............
A couple of key takeaways; some from the good folks on Twitter and some from yours truly:
"Dan Gilbert basically sounded salty, because the Lakers made a smart business move. Why is Gilbert so concerned about another man's business? Maybe he should take some notes and improve his own franchise..." - Anthony Ramsey/@A_RamseyLTSB
- Great point, Brother Ramsey; the first thing I thought. It's the reason why Cleveland might become the 21st century version of the Los Angeles Clippers. At this point, what player is actually going to want to play for the Cavaliers? Let's not act like that just because the lockout is over that everything is copasetic with the owners and players. Those rookies Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson need to make a mental note: ball out for two years and get the hell up on outta dodge as soon as the opportunity arises.
"Lesson learned tonight is @cavsdan (Dan Gilbert) must give approval on Twitter of every major @NBA trade. So, Dan, what say you about Dwight (Howard) to NJ?" - Kyle Stack/@KyleStack
- Another excellent point, Brother Stack. What's obvious is that the NBA owners are calling all the shots, in regards to the New Orleans Hornets. (This will be important in a moment.) As Justin Tinsley and I discussed on gchat a few days ago, I told the man that the only real destination that makes the most sense is the New Jersey Nets. Recognize that Howard doesn't want to go to the Lakers, as he's trying to get out of Shaq's shadow. In
BrooklynNew Jersey, the man will get to play with the arguably the best point guard in the league, an owner who's deep pockets promise to make the team competitive and, of course, being able to play in New York and hang out with Jay-Z. What more could you want??? Oh, a cock-blocking owner of a moribund and decrepit franchise to quit meddling and let you live. Right.
*a gchat conversation between Justin Tinsley and Eddie Maisonet at 12:34am*
J. Tinsley: "So what happens next year when (Chris) Paul leaves New Orleans and they get nothing in return?"
Ed: "You know what...maybe they're counting on it. If Chris Paul leaves, there'd be no one left worth a damn on the roster. With all the owners controlling the Hornets, this only means one thing....contraction."
*drops mic*
- It's the only thing that makes any real sense from this, and Gilbert might've tipped the NBA's hand. If there's no motivation for the NBA to improve the Hornets situation, then its obvious that their motive could be to run the team into the ground. Emeka Okafor, Trevor Ariza and a few other random players that you'd probably ask yourself, "Hmmm....didn't know they were still in the league." If you contract the Hornets, then CP3 still walks away for nothing and goes to the highest bidder. (Chaos would ensue, and would be AWESOME to see.) The other players would probably become free-agents, of some sort, and go to teams that need help, and New Orleans would lose an NBA team for a third time. The negative of this is that the city of N'awlins would lose the Hornets, which just plain sucks. Plus, there'd be no opportunity for the NBA to come back for an All Star Game....which was dope. But hell, if they don't plan on coming back (looking at you, Seattle), then why would they really care?
It's a shame that Dan Gilbert can't get past himself and his bitterness and really focus on taking his talents to improving his team. His fan base doesn't deserve the outright cruelty he provides them and, maybe one day, we'll have a discussion about contracting his team.
Eddie Maisonet is the founder and editor emeritus of The Sports Fan Journal. Currently, he serves as an associate editor for ESPN.com. He is an unabashed Russell Westbrook and Barry Switzer apologist, owns over 100 fitteds and snapbacks, and lives by Reggie Jackson’s famous quote, “I am the straw that stirs the drink.”
