Just when you thought this nixed Chris Paul trade couldn't get any crazier. Now comes the news that Dan Gilbert—the guy who used to sign checks for LeBron James when he was in Cleveland—was one of the NBA owners who reportedly complained to NBA Commissioner David Stern in order to try and stop the CP3-to-the-Lakers trade from going through yesterday. In an email sent to Stern, which was obtained by Yahoo! Sports late last night, Gilbert calls the trade a "travesty" and says he feels that the NBA-owned Hornets shouldn't make the deal. Here's the email in its entirety:
Commissioner,
It would be a travesty to allow the Lakers to acquire Chris Paul in the apparent trade being discussed.
This trade should go to a vote of the 29 owners of the Hornets.
Over the next three seasons this deal would save the Lakers approximately $20 million in salaries and approximately $21 million in luxury taxes. That $21 million goes to non-taxpaying teams and to fund revenue sharing.
I cannot remember ever seeing a trade where a team got by far the best player in the trade and saved over $40 million in the process. And it doesn’t appear that they would give up any draft picks, which might allow to later make a trade for Dwight Howard. (They would also get a large trade exception that would help them improve their team and/or eventually trade for Howard.) When the Lakers got Pau Gasol (at the time considered an extremely lopsided trade) they took on tens of millions in additional salary and luxury tax and they gave up a number of prospects (one in Marc Gasol who may become a max-salary player).
I just don’t see how we can allow this trade to happen.
I know the vast majority of owners feel the same way that I do.
When will we just change the name of 25 of the 30 teams to the Washington Generals?
Please advise….
Dan G.
In their defense, the league claims that neither Gilbert nor any other other NBA owner had anything to do with the CP3 deal falling apart. But, uh, yeah. If you believe that, we've got this bridge out here in Brooklyn that we'd like you to come take a look at...
[via Yahoo! Sports]
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