by Josh Kipnis
The owners of the NBA are cry-babies. We saw them whine and tear during the lockout, and now they think that’s the only way they can get what they want. They crawl up to Daddy (Commissioner David Stern), scrunch up their chubby little cheeks, and let him fix the problem in his little princess’ life.
Pappa Stern was protecting his kin this past Thursday when he vetoed a three-team trade that would send Chris Paul to the Lakers; Luis Scola, Kevin Martin, and Lamar Odom to the Hornets, and Pau Gasol to the Rockets.
“Wha wha wha. It’s just not fair!”
So David Stern did the only thing he felt he could do, veto the trade. Is this guy ever going to think outside the box? It’s starting to get ridiculous.
Stern claimed that the Hornets were “better served with Chris [Paul] in a Hornets uniform than by the outcome of the terms of that trade.” Maybe. But still, he would undoubtedly hang up that uniform at seasons end. Paul’s contract expires this summer, and last time I checked the definition of a current asset, it had the word CURRENT in it. The NBA officials ruling on this trade are completely blind of the future. Do they not understand? If Paul is not traded this year the Hornets will be left with nothing next season.
During the lockout, we saw this exact same mindset. The lockout was lifted, but in the least effective way possible. Both the players and the owners were dissatisfied with the deal reached, and are definitely going to opt out of the current bargaining agreement six years from now (If you take $300 million out of my pocket each year for the next six years, I’m going to be back for you). Neither side got what they wanted, and soon the boomerang is going to start flying back this way.
Stern has no sense of what is going on in his league anymore. He’s lost it. Does he understand what a bargaining chip is? By vetoing this trade, he is essentially destroying any future success the Hornets can have.
When this deal took place I was pumped. Paul’s career was finally going to mean something, the Hornets weren’t going to be treated like Cleveland, the Knicks weren’t going to get him, and LeBron was going to go another year without a ring. It was perfect. But nooooooo, the spoiled little owners threw a tantrum and Daddy wasn’t going to let that happen. Gimme a break.
To this day, I have never seen a trade vetoed-not even in Fantasy Sports. It’s time for Stern to get off his high horse and stop ruining this league.
