NBA offseason--trades, free agency, murder stories

• Commander of Awesome

  

  For me it was the lack of loyalty. Either I get what I want, or as Ironman said, take his ball elsewhere. I think the Clippers have tried to improve their team in every way possible, including getting good players to surround around CP3. Now the Celtics can bed them over backwards and jeapordize thier future over him wanting Doc Rivers? There are plenty of good coaches out there, esp onces that dont have the quitting history as Doc Rivers does.
  
  Guess that's the way the NBA works, doesn't mean I have to like it.
• like_that

  

  Commander of Awesome;1480802 wrote:For me it was the lack of loyalty. Either I get what I want, or as Ironman said, take his ball elsewhere. I think the Clippers have tried to improve their team in every way possible, including getting good players to surround around CP3. Now the Celtics can bed them over backwards and jeapordize thier future over him wanting Doc Rivers? There are plenty of good coaches out there, esp onces that dont have the quitting history as Doc Rivers does.
  
  Guess that's the way the NBA works, doesn't mean I have to like it.

  Exactly why outside of the Cavs, my interest of the NBA has been dying.
• Heretic

  

  Commander of Awesome;1480802 wrote:For me it was the lack of loyalty. Either I get what I want, or as Ironman said, take his ball elsewhere. I think the Clippers have tried to improve their team in every way possible, including getting good players to surround around CP3. Now the Celtics can bed them over backwards and jeapordize thier future over him wanting Doc Rivers? There are plenty of good coaches out there, esp onces that dont have the quitting history as Doc Rivers does.
  
  Guess that's the way the NBA works, doesn't mean I have to like it.

  Yeah, you have LeBron's "DECISION", the Dwight Howard saga of the past couple years and now this. Seems more and more that to be a true star in the NBA, you have to be a little attention whore bitch who needs to have everything go exactly the way you want it to or you'll leave.
• Midstate01

  

  The nba is a players league. They run the show.
• Ironman92

  

  Commander of Awesome;1480802 wrote:For me it was the lack of loyalty. Either I get what I want, or as Ironman said, take his ball elsewhere. I think the Clippers have tried to improve their team in every way possible, including getting good players to surround around CP3. Now the Celtics can bed them over backwards and jeapordize thier future over him wanting Doc Rivers? There are plenty of good coaches out there, esp onces that dont have the quitting history as Doc Rivers does.
  
  Guess that's the way the NBA works, doesn't mean I have to like it.

  
  I see no reason to announce those thoughts to anyone. If he is a free agent and wants to take his talents elsewhere...fine so be it....the threatening to leave stuff just means that whenever something doesn't go the way he wants he is going to leave.
  
  I like Chris Paul.....but I don't like when professional athletes have the financial assets to buy pretty much anything they want for them and their next 2 generations of their family because their team has invested all that money in them to do it.....and then they demand stuff.
• lhslep134

  

  I'm torn on the issue. Part of me thinks it's absurd that the patients are running the asylum. The other part of me applauds him using his leverage to better his situation, because ultimately it was up to the Clipper higher-ups whether to comply with Paul or not.
  
  I can't agree or disagree with anyone who chooses either side of the debate.
• Azubuike24

  

  Not quite a murder story, but monumentally moronic still.
  
  http://www.katu.com/news/local/Former-Jefferson-High-star-NBA-Terrence-Jones-arrested-in-Portland-Houston-Rockets-217775421.html
  
  2 AM, leaving a bar probably with a huge buzz, stumble across a homeless man and kick him, yelling "wake up." I can picture this whole thing playing out. It's all good and funny except when a police officer witnesses it...
• robj55

  

  Azubuike24;1480868 wrote:Not quite a murder story, but monumentally moronic still.
  
  http://www.katu.com/news/local/Former-Jefferson-High-star-NBA-Terrence-Jones-arrested-in-Portland-Houston-Rockets-217775421.html
  
  2 AM, leaving a bar probably with a huge buzz, stumble across a homeless man and kick him, yelling "wake up." I can picture this whole thing playing out. It's all good and funny except when a police officer witnesses it...

  What a piece of shit
• jordo212000

  

  like_that;1480823 wrote:Exactly why outside of the Cavs, my interest of the NBA has been dying.

  
  This sort of thing (Paul dictating who is head coach) has been happening for years. See Johnson, Magic.
  
  It's not new. Not sure why people are surprised or enraged all of the sudden
• Commander of Awesome

  

  jordo212000;1480935 wrote:This sort of thing (Paul dictating who is head coach) has been happening for years. See Johnson, Magic.
  
  It's not new. Not sure why people are surprised or enraged all of the sudden

  Magic won rings, was drafted by the Lakers and didn't QQ to the media that he was going to leave LA if he didn't get his way. He played all 13 of his NBA seasons with the Lakers, was the HC, 4% part owner, and a Front Office exec. that's loyalty, CP3 has none of these qualities. Nice fail.
• Commander of Awesome

  

  Before Jordo gets us off track, here is an excellent article on why John Wall didn't deserve the max contract he recieved. Sherridan pwns the Wzards FO.
  
  http://www.sheridanhoops.com/2013/07/28/statbox-breakdown-why-is-john-wall-getting-a-max-contract
• lhslep134

  

  Commander of Awesome;1480948 wrote:Before Jordo gets us off track, here is an excellent article on why John Wall didn't deserve the max contract he recieved. Sherridan pwns the Wzards FO.
  
  http://www.sheridanhoops.com/2013/07/28/statbox-breakdown-why-is-john-wall-getting-a-max-contract

  Zach Lowe did a good job of questioning it as well, at least the mindset in doing so now
  
  http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/69608/nba-free-agency-on-john-wall-getting-paid-and-mike-millers-move-to-memphis
  
  Silly Wizards
• jordo212000

  

  Commander of Awesome;1480947 wrote:Magic won rings, was drafted by the Lakers and didn't QQ to the media that he was going to leave LA if he didn't get his way. He played all 13 of his NBA seasons with the Lakers, was the HC, 4% part owner, and a Front Office exec. that's loyalty, CP3 has none of these qualities. Nice fail.

  
  He got a coach fired and used his star power as leverage. That's what we're talking about here, no?
• SportsAndLady

  

  jordo212000;1480975 wrote:He got a coach fired and used his star power as leverage. That's what we're talking about here, no?

  Do you look at everything in black and white?
• lhslep134

  

  SportsAndLady;1480985 wrote:Do you look at everything in black and white?

  While we normally disagree with Jordo, he's kinda right here...
  
  Magic to Lakers: Fire Westhead or trade me
  
  Paul to Clippers: Do more to hire Rivers or I'm out of here
  
  Same concept- star player to management telling them to do something or I want out of here
• Mulva

  

  I don't get why anyone would have a problem with what Paul did. He was a free agent, he didn't owe the Clippers anything. He could have just left. Instead he told them what it would take for him to stay.
• SportsAndLady

  

  lhslep134;1480987 wrote: Same concept- star player to management telling them to do something or I want out of here

  True..but that doesn't mean it's comparable. Like Coa said, the situations are different.
• Ironman92

  

  jordo212000;1480935 wrote:This sort of thing (Paul dictating who is head coach) has been happening for years. See Johnson, Magic.
  
  It's not new. Not sure why people are surprised or enraged all of the sudden

  
  Where did Magic threaten to go?
• like_that

  

  jordo212000;1480935 wrote:This sort of thing (Paul dictating who is head coach) has been happening for years. See Johnson, Magic.
  
  It's not new. Not sure why people are surprised or enraged all of the sudden

  
  So you are comparing one player from one era to most of the whiny bitch stars of this era? Got it.
  
  Also you weren't even old enough to legitimately follow magic when he played (neither was I), so not sure how either of us (most of the OC actually since a lot of us are in our early to late twenties) could be "enraged" by magic. GTFO with that comparison.
• jordo212000

  

  Mulva;1480988 wrote:I don't get why anyone would have a problem with what Paul did. He was a free agent, he didn't owe the Clippers anything. He could have just left. Instead he told them what it would take for him to stay.

  
  This.
  
  It worked out well for everybody
• jordo212000

  

  like_that;1481040 wrote:So you are comparing one player from one era to most of the whiny bitch stars of this era? Got it.
  
  Also you weren't even old enough to legitimately follow magic when he played (neither was I), so not sure how either of us (most of the OC actually since a lot of us are in our early to late twenties) could be "enraged" by magic. GTFO with that comparison.

  
  I am saying that stars have been calling the shots for years on head coaches. The NBA is a player's league and has been for about the last 30 years.
  
  I was laughing at how some were saying this sort of thing is causing them to stop watching the NBA "now." Where have you been?
• like_that

  

  jordo212000;1481090 wrote:I am saying that stars have been calling the shots for years on head coaches. The NBA is a player's league and has been for about the last 30 years.
  
  I was laughing at how some were saying this sort of thing is causing them to stop watching the NBA "now." Where have you been?

  Yes, my point is I know there has been a history of a player acting like a bitch here and there (key: here and there). I have been watching the NBA since the mid 90's, when Jordan was playing, and I don't recall a bunch of whiny bitch stars constantly crying to get their way. This current culture evolved only after Lebron became a star. Keep being a smug ass and "laughing," while looking at this as a black/white situation as S&L pointed out.
• Automatik

  

  I'm sure we know a lot more today regarding what is going on behind the scenes compared to years past. Blame ESPN, and their lame "entertainment" motive.
  
  As far as Paul, no issue with it. The Clippers have an awful history, he knows the time is now.
• lhslep134

  

  Automatik;1481131 wrote:I'm sure we know a lot more today regarding what is going on behind the scenes compared to years past

  Eh even if that's true, the fact that people at the time made a stink about means it was publicized. I'm guessing if it happened more often, it would have been publicized more, but I have no basis to believe that I'm just speculating.
• Heretic

  

  lhslep134;1480987 wrote:While we normally disagree with Jordo, he's kinda right here...
  
  Magic to Lakers: Fire Westhead or trade me
  
  Paul to Clippers: Do more to hire Rivers or I'm out of here
  
  Same concept- star player to management telling them to do something or I want out of here

  I'm more and more understanding what you were saying about how this is sort of a matter of opinion thing where you can see it from both angles and not disagree. Because I read this and agree with what you were saying, but...
  
  Magic was a long-time Laker who was, as CoA said, essentially the face of the franchise for a long time. This all happened really early in his career, though, but as a young draftee who'd already been really good for them, you could easily state he was a guy they were planning to build around for the future.
  
  Meanwhile, Paul was a free agent signing to a historically horrible franchise that's having a shocking burst of competence in recent times, to where it feels more like a "do what I want...or you guys can go back to being a perennial lottery team" ultimatum.
  
  As a question, while looking on Wiki for the time this happened with Magic, I read this: Although it is commonly believed that Magic Johnson orchestrated Westhead's ouster, a 1987 book called "Winnin' Times" (about the Los Angeles Lakers' franchise history) indicated that Laker owner Jerry Buss wanted to fire Westhead several days prior to the actual occurrence.
  
  Any truth to that or is it more of an owner "falling on the grenade" to prevent a star player from getting any sort of a prima donna reputation?