NBA Chaos and Chris Paul Trade Veto Reactions

I've contemplated bringing back the blog for a while now. The recent NBA developments have shown me that I have too many opinions to vent to too many different people, that it's easier to put it all on this forum. With that said, DishingDimes is back!

Has there ever been a situation like this in pro sports? Has there ever been a situation like thisat your work? School organization? Fantasy League? The answer is probably 'No'. This doesn't happen in legitimate organizations.

I'm going to quickly try and dissect 3 interesting issues that are in this Chris Paul situation.

1) Dan Gilbert leading a group of owners to lobby David Stern to veto the trade.

This has ruined David Stern's legacy. He let a group of owners tell him what to do, and when to do it. What trade can go through now? We've found out that the league can veto any trade they don't feel "makes basketball sense"? They lost their purpose and role in the league when they stepped in to buy the Hornets, and now they've showed why. From what we understand, the owners were upset that the Lakers were saving upwards of $57 million in cap space. Really? Is that what this comes down to? We just got out of a lockout where we touched up the system to discourage big spending (this should have been called the LA/Miami/NY/Dallas Clause), and the Lakers try to get their books in order only to be smashed by the league. This was a win-win for all parties involved, and a deal that would have spared the Hornets a Melo-Nuggets fate. What kind of partnership would ever crush their associates for saving money? The example I've been using with everyone I've talked to is if you bought a company-owned car, and your colleagues looked at you and said, "No, don't think you can do that. You're getting way too great of a deal!" That type of thing doesn't happen, and if it did, you'd probably be pretty close to having an Office Freakout.

Bottom line: The only way this gets resolved and the NBA can salvage any sense of reputation is to reverse this trade. If Dwight gets traded to the Nets later today, I think everyone will be raising an eyebrow.

2) The reality that players and teams involved will have to go through an incredibly awkward period.

This will undoubtedly effect play in an overwhelmingly negative way. Lamar's already tweeted that he doesn't feel comfortable coming to training camp. An unhappy team behind closed doors already looks out of sync on the court. I can't imagine what a publicly unhappy team will look like on a court. Did we already forget when the Hornets traded Chandler to the Thunder only to to be turned down by the OKC training staff, and sent back to the Hornets? Don't think anyone was comfortable with that.

This also sets an awful precedent for future players like Chris Paul. He went through this whole process with incredible class and respect to the Hornets and the city of New Orleans. If he dragged his team and city through the mud, would the outcome have been the same?

What about Dell Demps? Everyone thought he was at the helm of the Hornets, and he just got smacked in the face by the league. Undermining someone's position of power is one of the most embarrassing things that can happen to someone, and it just happened very publicly. Not sure how he recovers from this without resigning and going elsewhere.

3) Still holding out hope that the league will respond appropriately.

I still have one ounce of hope that the league will come to their senses, and reverse their decisions before we go down a treacherous road. It doesn't even need to come with any explanation. The general consensus among basketball fans seems to be outrage that an administration would intervene to stop movement. It undermines business to an incredible extent, and with all of the backlash, I think the league might take a step back and change their stance. If you're an NBA fan, it's understandable that you take this as a slap in the face. Lets just hope that they'll give us some ice to heal from the wounds.

Good to be back,

Izzy

The Devastating News out of Laker Nation

The news coming out of Lakerland today is that Andrew Bynum has torn his MCL and is out for 8-12 weeks. Collectively, Laker fans everywhere are saying, "We have heard that one before." Right after Laker fans said that, GM Mitch Kupchak is talking about how his life can never be easy. So here we go, another obstacle for Kobe and the Lakers to climb in order to get that championship that has eluded the team since 2003.

Since this news has come out there have been many opinions on what the Lakers need to do. In reality, the Western Conference is nowhere near as strong as it was a year ago. Despite what the standings may imply, the Spurs and Lakers are the top two teams in the Conference, and it isn't even close. The Hornets, Rockets, Nuggets, Mavs, Blazers, Suns, and Jazz are all in the same bucket. Will one of those teams make a move for a big man for the short term? I would expect that they are all going to try. Bynum's injury doesn't open up the West as much as people are thinking it is going to. We have to remember that the Lakers made it to the Finals with this same team. Farmar has also improved drastically, and you would be hardpressed to find a bench that goes as deep as the Lakers right now.

The one team that could break away from the pack right now would be New Orleans (when healthy). They have the pieces to be able to compete with the Lakers. The Spurs are the biggest concern for the Lakers. The Spurs had a 50% healthy Manu last year when the Lakers took the series from them. If San Antonio stays healthy, they have the pieces, experience, and everything in between to steal this away from the Lakers. Lets assume that does not happen. The top 3 teams in the East, Boston, Cleveland, Orlando, can all beat the Lakers. The Lakers and Celtics will play on Thursday, and we are going to get a taste of how the Lakers adjust to big competition in the absence of Bynum. Will they change their style from the Finals last year? Circle the game on your calendar because it is going to be our best assessment of the Bynumless Lakers. The game on Christmas Day with the Lakers/Celtics was not decided until the vey end of the game. Bynum added another dimension to the team, but it is up to the rest of the team to pick up from where they left off last year when Bynum went down, and hope for the best on his recovery.

The Lakers don't need to trade, they don't need to switch things up too much, they dont need to sign a free agent. They just need to play the same game they have been playing. This means that Lamar Odom needs to step up and be the 3rd option. Odom needs to be superior defensively. This is a contract year for LO so him playing well will be an audition for a big contract this off season. This also means that the Laker bench needs to step up more than ever. Josh Powell will need to suit up and is going to start getting big minutes. He is a more complete offensive player than Turiaf last season, and he brings another level of size off the Laker pine. Of course, #24 will be suited up and is going to take it upon himself to be a little more aggressive offensively. Kobe has mastered the, "when do I take over the game?-role". I do believe that if he feels the game slipping away early, he will be Kobe and do what Kobe does. Score and win.

There is no quesiton that this news has just made the playoff race a lot more interesting. Teams are salivating right now, but from here on out, it is up to the Lakers as well as the rest of the teams in the NBA to prove that they are worthy of a spot in the Conference Finals, and Finals.