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Daniel Plainview He's immensely athletic and talented, but like Jeff Green, kind of a tweener. I wouldn't call him a "bust" just yet, but I agree that he's probably not going to be as good as everyone thinks.

jameshardensbeard 05-06 they finished ahead of the Lakers and made the second round of the playoffs (and took the Suns to seven games in round two).

justin_miajameshardensbeard

Justin, you are annoying. Were you abused as a child? Always gotta prove something wrong. #GetALife

In_OKCjustin_miajameshardensbeard Looks like he's just setting the record straight which practically everybody is very good at doing around here. :)

Why would you be mad at him for pointing out accurate information? Geeze! Some people...

From Royce's DT Commenting Guidelines:

4. Absolutely no personal attacks on other commenters or writers. If someone misspelled something or forgot a comma, don’t go grammar police and point out everything and disregard anything they said based on that fact alone. We’re all our own editors. People make mistakes. If somebody thinks Earl Watson should be an All-Star, don’t call them a moron — call them a moron and explain WHY. Not really, just disagree, make your point and move on. Instead of saying, “You idiot, Kyle Weaver could never be an All-Star,” say instead, “Kyle Weaver could never be an All-Star.” It’s actually pretty simple to be nice.

justin_mia I have no problem with justin pointing this out. Ive been coming here for years and appreciate everyone for different reasons. I knew they got to the playoffs that year, but didnt recall how the lakers did.. To be honest, the few years before the thunder were acquired are kind of a blur as far as the NBA goes.. I just was pointing out how they may stay consistently better than the lakers for a while now..

Bryson You need to take another look at their team, use 82games.com. Paul, Billups, Butler, Jordan, and Griffin all out performed their opponents last year. Billups at SG probably isn't the best spot. Thats a good team, not a favorite to win the west but if for as long as they can keep those pieces together, thats a team that will contend for the western conference title. Their depth is where they have problems, Gomes isn't that bad coming off the bench, Bledsoe might develop, and they will most likely trade Mo Williams for bench players. Having Caron Butler is a lot bigger than people think, he hasn't averaged below 15 ppg since 2003, and he averaged 15 with the Mavs who have plenty of other scorers. Billups is still a scorer as well who hasn't scored less than 15 ppg since 2003 as well, how he plays off the ball will be interesting but if anyone can make it work its Paul. I think it all comes down to how much teams can take advantage of the poor bench play and if Blake learns to play good defense.

MonsterPerk yeah they are more than just those 2 players and I wouldnt be surprised if mo williams gets traded for a sg. I think they are the best team in their division, but still behind us, dallas and spurs.

Steve H Why should they apologize? Stern still vetoed a good trade for them. Just because the Clips finally through in Eric Gordon doesn't mean Stern is absolved from a horrific situation he created.

Steve H Doesn't changed the fact that the league said for weeks that Dell Demps had authority to make roster moves and then cut his legs out from under him at the last minute. Or that saying it was for "basketball reasons" with no explanation of what that meant. It was just as bad as Dan Gilbert asking players to "trust his gut".

I think he is referring to the comments from the national media that there was no way the Hornets would get a better offer than the one from the Lakers, which actually added to their payroll and made them older. This trade really resembles the initial trades that Presti made to rebuild the Thunder.

Adub At the time, that was absolutely true.

Nobody actually paying attention in NBA circles thought Eric Gordon would get thrown in, and he's the only thing that puts this trade in the league of the LA/Houston deal.

Just because I successfully ran across I-35 at 5 p.m. doesn't mean it was a good idea.

Adub That makes sense. Still, though, this trade is only 'better' in the sense that it gives them a roster to build on with cap flexibility rather than an arguably better roster now (from the Lakers/Rockets trade) with little flexibility. My point is Stern could have avoided the entire situation by simply explaining that they were looking for a better core to build around for a new owner instead of acting like, well, Stern.

These are both good comments. I certainly wouldn't have predicted that Eric Gordon would have been offered along with the unprotected first round pick.

With regard to Stern's comments, the only person who mentioned that the goal of rejecting the trade was to re-tool with a younger roster that I remember was Tom Penn. Instead most media jumped to the conclusion that he was listening to Dan Gilbert and trying to impose his will on larger markets.

When the Thunder traded Ray Allen and began the process of rebuilding through the draft they were accused of destroying the team. I think it is a hard thing to tell the 10,000 people who have ordered season tickets that the team might have to endure a 3-29 start like the Thunder did.

It would have been better for David Stern to use your phrase of "a better roster to build on with cap flexibility" to describe the trade.

SergeIblaka _ Yes.

Serghei Ibaka Darn it. Guess I have to get cable back

SergeIblaka Maybe not. Register for a VPN. I haven't tried it but I'm told it works.

Bryson They also have Chauncey, Mo Williams, Caron Butler, DeAndre Jordan, Eric Bledson, Randy Foye and Ryan Gomes. They are more than just 2 players and we should view them as a legitimate threat to us in the West. Plus, CP3 will make every man on that roster better.

Daniel HawaiiBryson especially when he teaches all of them how to flop

SergeIblaka LOL! Yeah, and if I remember from last year, Blake Griffin flops quite a bit himself. I think I remember being angry after watching an OKC-LAC game last year because of all of Griffin's antics.

Daniel Hawaii

That and his tendency to stare down the crowd after every basket he made. It's much easier to be a fan of his during the off-season/lockout

If Chris Paul sign long term with the Clippers after this deal then I think it was a good deal. If he bolts after two seasons then probably not.

beardjr bill Simmons wasn't a fan.

beardjr To get CP3, I think it was worth it to trade Eric Gordon. Skip Bayless made this argument on First Take this morning and I agree with him.

It's only worth it if CP3 stays with the Clippers and also stays healthy. Eric Gordon is a future all-star and would've more likely committed long term to the Clips. CP3 on the other hand has been known to be all buddy buddy with Melo etc so chances of him leaving are pretty high. I bet you if New York manages to get themselves in a better situation in 2012-13, CP3 will bolt for sure in free agency. If he leaves, and with no Gordon around, Griffin will have no reason to stick around. In conclusion, Hornets > Clippers in this trade. The Clipper jinx looks likely to continue. Daniel Hawaii beardjr

Olajuwon87Daniel Hawaii i dont mostly because yes he can score and is probaly the best passer but with blake gordon and jordn they had they same situation the thunder had, which is a core group of young players growing together, i think if they really needed a pg there are plenty in next years draft they should have waited, mayeb they could have got him in FA or drafted one, but in the win now era i guess its a good trade