Paul to Clipper deal submitted to League (and Reports say deal dead)

[celticinorlando]

WojYahooNBA Adrian Wojnarowski
Clippers are refusing New Orleans-NBA steep asking price for Chris Paul, league sources tell Y! Sports. "Deal could be dying," source says.

[indeedproceed]

Clippers aren't bidding against another team. They're bidding vs. Stern's ego. Only way to win this is by threatening to walk away

Remember when David Stern warned of a nuclear winter? Well, he's creating one all by himself

@ramonashelburne

Lotta speculation there from a reporter who judging by her twitter likes saying catchy eye-grabbing speculative comments. Would take that with a grain of salt.

[barefacedmonk]

The Hornets-Clippers deal for Chris Paul has died, league source tells Y! Sports.

@WojYahooNBA

[Kane3387]

The Hornets-Clippers deal for Chris Paul has died, league source tells Y! Sports.

@WojYahooNBA

YAY! Lol Come on DA! Get back in it.

[PosImpos]

unfreaking believable.

what was the steep asking price? gordon, bledsoe, aminu, kaman, t-wolves pick, and what else?  if that's all they were asking, you do that deal. 


stern is seriously killing this off-season.

I don't think the clippers are willing to give up Gordon/Beldsoe/Pick since CP3 might bail.

My guess is that they asked for the Pick and Gordon and were shot down.

well, reportedly paul was willing to "opt-in" for next year, so i have a hard time believing that's all there is to it.

[barefacedmonk]

Deal is dead, "for now, anyway," source tells Y!.Could still be restructured again, but Clippers resisting steep asking price for Paul.

@WojYahooNBA

All I can offer at this point in CP3-to-Clippers talks comes from source close to situation: "This is a circus."

- Sam Amick

Circus sounds right.

[Fafnir]

unfreaking believable.

what was the steep asking price? gordon, bledsoe, aminu, kaman, t-wolves pick, and what else?  if that's all they were asking, you do that deal. 


stern is seriously killing this off-season.

I don't think the clippers are willing to give up Gordon/Beldsoe/Pick since CP3 might bail.

My guess is that they asked for the Pick and Gordon and were shot down.

well, reportedly paul was willing to "opt-in" for next year, so i have a hard time believing that's all there is to it.

Was he though?

We also heard the Gordon and the Pick were in the offer, and denials of that as well.

[wdleehi]

We do not know what the actual offer is.  Lets see if once we hear the offer, we agree or disagree with the decision.  


I would not make the trade until Gordon, the draft pick and Bledsoe is included.

[Chris]

unfreaking believable.

what was the steep asking price? gordon, bledsoe, aminu, kaman, t-wolves pick, and what else?  if that's all they were asking, you do that deal. 


stern is seriously killing this off-season.

I don't think the clippers are willing to give up Gordon/Beldsoe/Pick since CP3 might bail.

My guess is that they asked for the Pick and Gordon and were shot down.

well, reportedly paul was willing to "opt-in" for next year, so i have a hard time believing that's all there is to it.

What was just another report, just like the others.  Who knows whether it is true?

It would certainly have been a heck of a risky move by Paul to do that though, since if he blew out his knee next season, he would have cost himself a lot of money for no good reason.

[snively]

Clippers aren't bidding against another team. They're bidding vs. Stern's ego. Only way to win this is by threatening to walk away

Remember when David Stern warned of a nuclear winter? Well, he's creating one all by himself

@ramonashelburne

I'm sympathetic to Stern here.  Trading a superstar under a lame duck regime is tough.  Neither Stern nor Demps have been positioned to make moves in accordance with a long-term strategic plan.  They badly need a new owner to swoop in and start making decisions, even if one of those decisions is getting the heck out of New Orleans.

[celticinorlando]

chris paul will not be traded to anyone. he will play out the season in NO...IMO

[rondohondo]

The Hornets-Clippers deal for Chris Paul has died, league source tells Y! Sports.

http://twitter.com/WojYahooNBA

are the c's still alive in this?

[barefacedmonk]

Already being discussed here:

http://forums.celticsblog.com/index.php?topic=51238.msg1086514;topicseen#new

[pearljammer10]

chris paul will not be traded to anyone. he will play out the season in NO...IMO

This would just be a bad idea on the hornets part. At this point they should just take what they can get rather than let him walk for nothing.

[Roy H.]

No surprise to anybody, but per Woj:

The NBA has been been running the trade talks for Paul, usurping the power of general manager Dell Demps. The league took over the Hornets in December, and are angling to maintain value to sell the franchise for the highest possible price.

Having the Commissioner -- who is supposed to be looking out for the best interests of all 30 teams -- negotiating specifically on behalf of one of them is a huge conflict of interest to me.  It was one thing when Demps was walled off and allowed to do his own thing, but to allow the supposedly unbiased Commissioner to become Negotiator-In-Chief is a terrible situation for the league.  It makes it appear that Stern is steering CP3 to the franchise of his choice.