e-monk

so what did the Hornets get for Paul if Gordon walks? cap space and the #10 pick?

"basketball reasons...."

girllovesthegame

I still think I'd rather have that than Scola, Martin. Cuz if the Hornets would've ended up with Scola, Martin, chances are great that we wouldn't have ended up with .....

Tooeasy

Yup. Dominoes all fell into place correctly, so if you look at it like paul for davis/10/aminu/cap space then I'd say it was an absolute steal. If gordon fills the cap space left behind then great, if he doesnt then someone else will replace it.

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TOOEASY'S FAVE FIVE

1. Chris Paul
2. Kevin Durant
3. Derrick Rose
4. Rudy Gay
5. Kobe Bryant

Basel

I guess when you look at it that way, the deal you got from the Clippers ended up being better. But originally, I still believe Lakers made the better offer until Stern screwed us.

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RollWithEm

Lakers/Rockets offer was better in my opinion. I wasted every dollar I spent on Hornets tickets last season. I would have loved to watch that KMart/Odom/Scola/Dragic/Okafor/Ariza/Jack team go to the second round of the playoffs this year.

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But that's just me.

girllovesthegame

Stern didn't screw you. Paul's agent shouldn't have fed Broussard (his little media girlfriend) all that info before a deal was agreed upon/ok'd by the league. Sure you think the Lakers deal was a better one. For the LAKERS. The Clippers deal was better for the long term of the Hornets. Not everything is about the Lakers. But I think you know that already.

ETA: Broussard and Paul's agent thought they were going to intimidate Stern into a bad deal by using the media and it didn't work.

girllovesthegame

That deal was NOT better for the Hornets. Not then, and not now. And I seriously doubt that team would've made it to any second round of any playoffs.

RollWithEm

That team was MUCH MUCH better in the short term and arguably better in the longterm (depending on what you see the Brow's ceiling as). Also, that team would have been significantly better than this year's Clippers. The Clippers made the second round.

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But that's just me.

girllovesthegame

I don't even know how you're including Jack who was injured a good bit and especially Okafor who missed almost the entire season as making some kind of impact. Kevin Martin missed 26 games, and Odom would've been sulking. I'm glad Stern/the league didn't just settle on instant gratification.

Bogg

Never mind the fact that Odom was a serious non-factor all season. The Lakers trade would have locked the Hornets into an aging core that would have been fighting to get a seventh or eighth seed this year and next before it nose-dived off a cliff.

girllovesthegame

That's exactly right.

RollWithEm

Let's start with Jarrett Jack. He had only missed three games before they shut him down for the season with a stress fracture that many players play with. There was simply no reason for him to continue playing when the team would only benefit from better draft positioning. Furthermore, there is no way of knowing if he even would have gotten that injury had Dragic been around to take some of the pressure off. Also, he's only 28. It's not like he doesn't have another 5 good years in front of him. He's on a deal that expires this coming season... so the team still has plenty flexibility with his deal.

The same is true of Okafor's injury. There's absolutely no way you can say whether or not he would've sustained the same injury to his knee had the roster been deeper. He's also not yet 30 and had 4 consecutive healthy season before this one. He is not an injury problem. His contract expires when he will be 31 and still an effective player.

Dragic is a young guy who had a very big year in Houston. Kevin Martin is not a huge downgrade from Eric Gordon. Luis Scola would have been the oldest core piece, and his contract expires a year or two before I expect his production to drop off. It's not like he relies on his athleticism and above-the-rim game.

The Hornets also still would have had their own draft pick as well as the Rockets' pick this year.

Not to mention the most important part is that they would've remained competitive. How much money did you waste on tickets this year? I'll tell you my number, if you tell me yours.

Also, that part about them struggling for the 7th or 8th seed is ridiculous, IMO. They would have been the 4th best team in the West, the Clippers would be in the lottery, and the Rockets would, too.

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But that's just me.

girllovesthegame

I'll just say I disagree.

Bogg

Competitive enough to get bounced in the first round for two years and then disband. Even if you think they would've all stayed healthy(unlikely) and been a lock for the playoffs, that team doesn't beat OKC, San An, the Lakers, or Memphis. Whether they could beat Dallas is doubtful, I think Dirk just absolutely takes that series over, and they're maybe as good as Denver, but maybe not. Teams being bad for a few years is how you rebuild, if Davis pans out nobody's going to be lamenting the lost opportunity to lose in six back in 2012.

RollWithEm

Who says no to an Okafor, Ariza, and Anthony Davis for Dwight Howard swap?

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1...howard/page/20

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But that's just me.