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David Stern blamed the Rockets and Lakers for the fallout of Chris Paul-Lakers veto. Stern blamed the former Lakers general manager, Mitch Kupchak, for failing.
And now, Stern blames the chief executive of the Pelicans, Dell Demps.
<p class = "canvas-atom-text-canvas Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "Reminder about events: In 2011, Stern was As NBA commissioner and owner representative of the New Orleans franchise (then called Hornets), George Shinn had resold the Hornets to the league, which was selling the franchise.Chris Paul asked for an exchange in New Orleans and Demps agreed to send him to the Lakers in a three-way exchange with the Rockets: the Hornets would have had Lamar Odom, Kevin Martin, Luis Scola, Goran Dragic and a first round choice. But Stern – acting as a representative of the owners of New Orleans, not a commissioner, he says – vetoed the contract. This is the norm for homeowners to exercise their last word on deals of this magnitude, but Stern's dual role has raised many questions about his real agenda. The Hornets then traded Paul to the Clippers against Eric Gordon, Al-Farouq Aminu, Chris Kaman and a first-round pick (possibly used the Austin Rivers). "data-reactid =" 20 "> Recap on the events: In 2011, Stern served as NBA commissioner and owner representative of the New Orleans franchise (at the time called the Hornets). George Shinn had resold the Hornets to the Chris Paul asked for an exchange in New Orleans and Demps agreed to send him to the Lakers as part of a three-way deal with the Rockets. The Hornets would have gotten Lamar Odom, Kevin Martin, Luis Scola, Goran Dragic and a first round choice. But Stern – acting as a representative of the owners of New Orleans, not a commissioner, he says – vetoed the contract. This is the norm for homeowners to exercise their last word on deals of this magnitude, but Stern's dual role has raised many questions about his real agenda. The Hornets then traded Paul to the Clippers against Eric Gordon, Al-Farouq Aminu, Chris Kaman and a first-round pick (possibly used on Austin Rivers).
<p class = "canvas-atom-canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "It depends on the degree of recoil and guess you want Dragic has become a star and Martin and Scola have been quality contributors for a while, but Odom has fallen away, and the Hornets would probably have been mediocre with the original project.Young players like Gordon and Aminu , and Kama's expiring contract gave New Orleans more flexibility, and although Gordon fought many injuries, Aminu did not flourish until his departure and Rivers was a disappointing choice in the top 10 After leaving New Orleans, New Orleans had another turning point: a new direction: New Orleans was bad the following season and got the first pick, Anthony Davis. "Data-reactid =" 21 "> It depends on the postulate and the assumptions you want to apply, but Stern probably got a better deal with New Orleans Dragic became a star and Martin and Scola contributed to the quality during some time, but Odom fell away, and the Hornets would probably have been mediocre with the first exchange.Young players like Gordon and Aminu and the expiring contract of Kama gave much more flexibility to New Orleans. When he left the club and Rivers was a disappointing top 10 (which also took off after his departure), New Orleans has another activity in the trade: a clear rebuilding, the New -Orléans was bad the following season and got the No. 1 choice, Anthony Davis.
Nevertheless, the episode casts a shadow over Stern's legacy – from people who do not understand Stern's unique location as a commissioner / landlord and people who understand but are wary of impossible motives. keep Paul from the Lakers.
So, Stern always fights against perception.
Stern, via Chris Ballard from Sports Illustrated:
"I did not explain the situation very well at the time. There was a trade that [New Orleans GM] Dell Demps wanted us to approve and I said no, no, but he had said [Rockets GM] Daryl Morey and [then Lakers GM] Mitch Kupchak, he had the power to do it and he did not do it. I said no. We just settled a lockout and you want me to approve a basketball exchange?
"[Demps] had agreed to [trade Paul to the Lakers for] Kevin Martin and Luis Scola or something, and I said we can do better than that …. And the next trade was [to the Clippers for] Eric Gordon and Al-Farouq Aminu and what we thought was a very good choice, the 10th choice, which turned out to be Austin Rivers. At least these three and some one else [center Chris Kaman]. But Dell Demps is a lousy general manager and none of these players are currently in the team, and he stands to lose Anthony Davis. "
It's wild! Forget a moment if Stern was right or wrong to handle the situation. He still holds a title in the league, "Commissioner Emeritus". Although I have already criticized teams before, it is extremely difficult to attack so violently a running general manager.
Just as Stern was not wrong about trade, he is not necessarily wrong here. Demps has a dismal record, although he has recently improved his performance to question it. And Davis could leave the pelicans, a potential result that weighs on the franchise.
But – wow. This hell of a message from Stern, even taking into account his abrupt and confrontational way (which is perfectly visible in the excellent profile of Ballard, which deserves to be read in full).
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