Wow...Serious Gamble Coming

[heybigmatt]

Scenario 1:Once the clippers and lakers start losing/ not do as well as predicted, the clips/lakers front office will have their feet held to the fire, subsequently giving the hornets a better deal.

Scenario 2: If the clippers/lakers end up doing OK, we risk losing him to free agency, with the small chance he signs for a big payday.

I actually think scenario 1 is likely to happen.

[cmac81]

I just feel for CP3 at this point. His career is being f***ed by all this.

[Saints Fan in A]

I don't feel for anybody. It's business.

[cmac81]

Ya but if he's being made an example out of then that's just a sh**ty situation for him. When he stated he just wants to win I don't think this is what he had in mind..

[SeauxCrazy]

Don't demand a trade and this debacle never happens.

[maingee]

I said this several times over the weekend:

None of these superstars has ever been challenged on their willingness to leave significant money on the table for the chance to play someplace else. CP would be leaving $26m in guaranteed money on the table if he goes someplace other than whatever team he's on at the end of the season. In order for CP to qualify for max deal w/ new team he has to be on that team for 6 months. So... IF CP3 isn't traded by the end of this year, I think we force him to decide between N.O. (which he says he loves), or $26m less for a team that's not the Lakers or the Knicks. OR at least that's the threat the creates leverage with other teams and CP3.

I believe this deal gets done before the end of the week- for a GREAT package, or not at all.

Don't count out CP3 to the Warriors for Curry coming back up as a possibility and me being able to take my #30 Davidson Wildcats jersey out of the closet.

[DroopyDawg]

It's not that idiotic, really. First, they have time. They don't have to deal him today. Paul and the NBPA's threat to sue will fall on deaf ears because truth be told, he's under contract. He cannot request a trade. To do so would be in violation of his contract and make him subject to a fine. He can be as pissed off as he wants to be. The reason why he wants a trade isn't because the next four months would be so horrible in New Orleans, but because he wants to protect his business interests moving forward. Fact is, the team that owns his rights at the end of the year can offer him significantly more than an outside franchise and there aren't many teams out there to begin with. The Hornets have made it clear that they WILL NOT give him up in a sign-and-trade because cap space isn't their issue. He would have to agree to forfeit nearly $40M (if not more) just to sign with a team with cap space. If he were to take less, he would give up much more than that. He's popular but he isn't LeBron James or Tiger Woods. The endorsements will only make up so much. For a player that didn't know if he would play again two years ago, passing up that kind of money will give him pause. Losing Paul for nothing isn't the worst thing in the world, if it comes to that. $18M would come free on the books and we've already lost David West. We're not about to contend. But it's a game of chicken and David Stern plays it better than most. Check his history, if you don't know.

This makes the most sense... and you're right when you say "we have time".

[LuckySunday]

I just feel for CP3 at this point. His career is being f***ed by all this.

Our city is being f***ed by all this. I don't feel for CP3 at all.

[DroopyDawg]

Our city is being f***ed by all this. I don't feel for CP3 at all.

Yep... at the end of the day CP will still get his money. our franchise is the laughing stock thanks to Stern.

[Defuz]

Glad I didn't waste $$ on season tickets

[Saints Fan in A]

Paul wants his bird rights money. OK, re-sign where you're at. Paul wants to leave. OK, lose the bird rights. His options have consequences

https://twitter.com/#!/HPbasketball/...40928649564161

[PELICANSFAN]

Glad I didn't waste $$ on season tickets

Smart one!

[Century City]

I said this several times over the weekend:

None of these superstars has ever been challenged on their willingness to leave significant money on the table for the chance to play someplace else. CP would be leaving $26m in guaranteed money on the table if he goes someplace other than whatever team he's on at the end of the season. In order for CP to qualify for max deal w/ new team he has to be on that team for 6 months. So... IF CP3 isn't traded by the end of this year, I think we force him to decide between N.O. (which he says he loves), or $26m less for a team that's not the Lakers or the Knicks. OR at least that's the threat the creates leverage with other teams and CP3.

I believe this deal gets done before the end of the week- for a GREAT package, or not at all.

Don't count out CP3 to the Warriors for Curry coming back up as a possibility and me being able to take my #30 Davidson Wildcats jersey out of the closet.

Had to bump this. Was the last paragraph of what I'm quoting actually on the table?

[AusPel]

Wow... Serious bump coming

[UNO Gracias]

So many good posters in this thread.

[13 - 3]

Holy Chit

[msusousaphone]

Had to bump this. Was the last paragraph of what I'm quoting actually on the table?

I mean.......we also drafted Kobe. JS

[luigi modelo]

Had to bump this. Was the last paragraph of what I'm quoting actually on the table?

Yes! The crux of the deal was Klay and Steph for CP3, but then CP3 refused to commit resigning with the Warriors, thus nixing the deal.

[Eman5805]

Imagine the course of events if this happened...

[Century City]

Yes! The crux of the deal was Klay and Steph for CP3, but then CP3 refused to commit resigning with the Warriors, thus nixing the deal.

Ahh, that makes a little more sense now. My concern was Demps actually nixing this deal. Throwing in Klay would've make it all the more deplorable but if CP was going to nix the deal, then they have a justifiable excuse.

[Century City]

Imagine the course of events if this happened...

Piggybacking off my last reply, Steph and Klay could've won titles here. With Steph's gimpy ankles that season, the Hornets/Pelicans probably would've had a similar ping pong combo so adding AD or someone decent to those 2 would've been good. I doubt our FO had the smarts to get Draymond in the 2nd round but Steph and Klay alone get you deep into the playoffs.

[msusousaphone]

But would the NBA have evolved to make Steph and Klay elite?

The Warriors revolutionized the game. Before their dynasty, the NBA was dominated by big men. You HAD to have a big man to win. That's why the Asik signing gets way overblown. In the context of that NBA, it was a decent signing because he was like the bottom tier of the caliber of big you had to have to win. Steph and Klay had the skillset but it was Golden State and Kerr.....maybe even Jackson a bit.....that allowed them to start playing small and chucking 3s.

If we could do a What If version where this trade happens, I think it's more likely we use Steph and Klay in the traditional sense and the game never evolves.....and then these two guys would just be good to great.

[Century City]

But would the NBA have evolved to make Steph and Klay elite?

The Warriors revolutionized the game. Before their dynasty, the NBA was dominated by big men. You HAD to have a big man to win. That's why the Asik signing gets way overblown. In the context of that NBA, it was a decent signing because he was like the bottom tier of the caliber of big you had to have to win. Steph and Klay had the skillset but it was Golden State and Kerr.....maybe even Jackson a bit.....that allowed them to start playing small and chucking 3s.

If we could do a What If version where this trade happens, I think it's more likely we use Steph and Klay in the traditional sense and the game never evolves.....and then these two guys would just be good to great.

All good points. My sense is that Monty and Steph would've hit it off. Whether Monty would've let him grow to who he is at GS is something we'll never know. But I have to think that Steph's evolution had just as much to do with his abilities as it did the Warrior's FO and coaching staff trying to revolutionize the game through his talents.

Regardless, it's neat to speculate. NBA TV has those "What if" segments from time to time. What if Kobe had been drafted by the Nets at 8 instead of Kittles and what if Steph gets taken by Minnesota were the two that I can think of off the top of my head.

We could go on and on. What if the Army corps of engineers does their job correctly back in the 60's? We don't have the post Katrina flooding that led to the 2 year stay in OKC. OKC never gets discovered. Would that mean that the Sonics would still be in Seattle? I often wonder how that whole thing would've gone down.