Eight Points, Nine Seconds » New Orleans Hornets

RUMOR: Pacers Reportedly in the Mix for Chris Kaman

Jared Wade — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:24:10 +0000

Down in the Bayou, the NBA-owned New Orleans Hornets are reportedly trying to unload the recently acquired Chris Kaman. He is a decent center who can put the ball in the hoop who, until becoming a component of the Chris Paul trade, had played his entire career losing games as a Los Angeles Clipper.

It’s not so much that New Orleans has no use for the guy: he is a post threat and can rebound. It’s just that his play has fallen off since his All-Star year in 2009-10, he is a free agent this summer, the team isn’t exactly trying to make a playoff push this year, and with the similarly overpaid Emeka Okafor already on the roster, they likely have no interest in bringing him back next season. So If they can get something back for him rather than losing him at the end of the season for nothing, why not?

From the other front office’s perspective, the Pacers’ need for a guy like Kaman is obvious. Lou Amundson and Tyler Hansbrough have done a fine-enough job mopping up the back-up center minutes while Jeff Foster has been missing most of the season so far, but that plan will likely look a lot less appealing when the playoffs roll around and Jeff remains an injury risk.

So there could be something to this report that the Pacers could “be the leading candidate” for Kaman from Jimmy Smith, who works for the best-named newspaper in America. (via ESPN)

According to Jimmy Smith of The Times-Picayune, the Indiana Pacers may actually be the leader to land Kaman and he writes: “A league source said Wednesday night that the Indiana Pacers, one of several other teams reportedly in the mix for Kaman, could, in fact, be the leading candidate for a swap. The Pacers apparently are looking for a backup to Roy Hibbert.”

The Pacers currently have $14.27 million in salary cap room and they could absorb Kaman’s $14 million cap number without sending a player to the Hornets.

What Pacers fans should be concerned about is what Indiana has to give up to get Kaman.

It’s possible that Indiana could sure up their front-court depth issues without giving up much. The Hornets would obviously want something back, but I can’t see Larry Bird giving up any of players New Orleans would covet (Tyler Hansbrough, George Hill, Paul George) unless this turned into a much more complex deal. Maybe Bird would give up a future draft pick and perhaps that would be enough. The Pacers are (I think) the only interested party that could just take the whole salary and it’s possible that simply not having to pay Kaman the bulk of the $14 million he is owed this year would be enough for whoever is making the personnel/fiscal decisions in New Orleans.

We’ll see. But the addition of Kaman, as a half-year rental, does not strike me as anything worth giving up an significant asset for. You’re probably not going to win a title this year with or without him. And while it is understandable to want to push this season as far as you possibly can, the ultimate mission of this front-office should be building a team that could truly contend in 2013 and 2014, not giving up assets in an attempt to try to win two or three more playoff games in 2012.

Six Degrees of Chris Paul

Jared Wade — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 20:08:08 +0000

As Rob Mahoney has shown brilliantly in infographic form, everything can be traced back to Chris Paul. So when you watch David West play in a Pacers jersey or perhaps cheer the Pacers ability to acquire OJ Mayo, make sure to thank David Stern.

* Correction: Changed the title from “Seven Degrees” to “Six Degrees” after realizing I’m dumb.

David West, the Newest Pacer

Jared Wade — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 22:06:02 +0000

David West has a sterling reputation around the league so it’s no surprise that one of the best Hornets bloggers in recent years was sad to see him leave. Here is Sarah Tolcser of Hornets Hype letting Pacer fans know what is in store.

Pacers fans should know you are getting someone tough and talented and smart and totally badass. Much love from NOLA to Mr. West.

More importantly, she shared an excellent photo of your new starting power forward and, in so doing, reminded me of my favorite David West moment of all time.

My fave D West pic [above]. The fat lip is from Dirk’s elbow, which prompted the whole face tapping incident. NO won the serieshttp://lockerz.com/s/164078114

And here’s video of that wonderful face tapping (at the 35-second mark).

David West Signs With the Pacers for Two Years, $20 Million

Jared Wade — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 20:21:39 +0000

Larry Bird has waited. And waited. And waited. All the Chris Paul and Dwight Howard drama has dominated the lime light. Guys like Tyson Chandler, Thaddeus Young and Andre Jordan have gone to other, more aggressive bidders. Nene and Jamal Crawford have been wined and dined by others.

And Bird just sat there watching from the sidelines.

Until now — when David West, who was unable to find a team willing to give him a longer contract for the salary he demanded, fell into his lap. The Pacers just got a near-All-Star forward who was a marquee free agent to sign an unheard-of two-year deal. At a reasonable salary.

This is the critical, savvy, beneficial aspect of the signing by Larry Bird. It’s just an unbelievable deal for a team in the position that the Pacers are in. Any GM, regardless of his geography or current roster makeup, can get some free agent by throwing around piles of money. But Bird refused to play by anyone else’s terms, sticking to his guns about not overspending just to make an acquisition that would generate positive headlines. He wanted to make sure the deal made sense for the Pacers both in 2012 and 2014.

When free agency began, it seemed a distinct possibility the team that signed David West would be signing either get a great bargain or future albatross. People expected West to get a deal around $40 million over four years. And since he is coming off a major knee injury, that would either be entirely reasonable or a huge mistake. It would be one — but couldn’t be both. Somehow, Larry Bird, by signing West for $20 million over twos years, added a third possibility. He split the difference. And while West might not bounce back to his old self, this should always be considered a good signing.

Now the team is cluttered with good to excellent players on reasonable contracts.

There isn’t another team in the league that can claim that.

Indiana May Sign David West if Boston Can’t

Jared Wade — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 17:55:48 +0000

This is all coming from Adrian Wojarowski of Yahoo, so take it for what it’s worth. It certainly makes sense in a way that the Hornets dealing with the Celtics does not. I get that New Orleans would ideally like to get anything they can back for West, a free agent who, after all the chaos of recent days involving his former team, we can assume has no interest of signing with the Hornets. But what could Boston possibly be sending back? Rumors originally said Jermaine O’Neal, who makes about $6 million more than he is worth at this point. Obviously, a draft pick would be interesting.

I don’t know, but if Boston isn’t getting David West, it doesn’t seem like there are many other bidders. Which means the Pacers might have a realistic shot at getting him for a shorter deal.

The Celtics have been discussing a four-year deal with West, sources said. Still, Boston is limited under sign-and-trade rules with how high it can go with an offer. The Celtics can offer the first three years in the $24 million to $25 million range, but the fourth year would likely not be fully guaranteed.

Several sources believed there would be a resolution Sunday.

Indiana has been discussing a two-year deal with West but with a higher annual salary, sources said. The Pacers have cap space to sign West outright, while Boston, which is over the salary cap, needs the sign-and-trade scenario to acquire him. With the Chris Paul-to-the-Lakers deal falling apart again late Saturday night, the Hornets still hadn’t made any calls to pursue re-signing West, sources said.

If the Pacers can’t get West, former Purdue standout Carl Landry is likely Larry Bird’s plan B. Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star has repeatedly reported Bird’s interest in the forward and Woj, in this article, mentions that the two parties have been negotiating.

On David Stern’s Decision to Not Approve the Chris Paul Trade

Jared Wade — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 21:52:10 +0000

As you may have heard, the Lakers made a trade offer for Chris Paul to Hornets GM Dell Demps yesterday. After including Rockets GM Daryl Morey in the transaction to include the right combination of players to satisfy the needs of all involved parties, the Lakers (presumably with the approval of team GM Mitch Kupchak and recently hospitalized owner Jerry Buss), Morey and Demps all agreed to make the deal.

At this point, the news of the blockbuster move (which reportedly would have sent — perhaps among other assets — Paul to Los Angeles, Pau Gasol to Houston, and Lamar Odom, Kevin Martin and Luis Scola to New Orleans) was leaked to the media. For hours, Twitter and ESPN and all the other sports media outlets reported a completed deal.

Then, at some point — and I’m definitely not purporting to know the time line or exact events that occurred during this process — David Stern said New Orleans would not be doing the transaction.

This is where things get murky and all the outrage is stemming from.

See, Stern is the commissioner of the league. And the league owns the Hornets.

The 29 other teams each put up an equal stake to purchase the franchise in December 2010 from a debt-laden ownership group led by George Shinn, who was unable to find a local buyer for the team he wanted to sell. So Shinn approached the league suggesting that they buy the Hornets. He wanted to be out from under the burden of ownership — and a presumably a huge chuck of money — and had exhausted the possibility of finding anyone in New Orleans willing to pay the price he was asking.

Especially following the fiasco that was the Sonics relocation to Oklahoma City, the NBA (and, at least when speaking publicly, Shinn) believed that keeping the Hornets in New Orleans was a priority. So it came down to either the NBA buying the team or Shinn opening the bidding for his franchise nationwide, which would presumably include suitors who, like Oklahoma City Thunder owner Clay Bennett, would be buying the team with the intention to relocate it to a location where it is easier to run a profitable professional basketball franchise (like perhaps San Jose, Kansas City, Anaheim, Chicago, Las Vegas or, somewhat ironically, Seattle.)

So the league told the owners about all this and got them all to agree to pony up enough money to pay 1/29th of the price Shinn demanded for the Hornets. Just like that, the NBA owned the team. And under the stewardship of the league — not to mention a lease with Louisiana and a hefty re-location fee that from the NBA on any buyer who wanted to move the team — it seemed as though the process of finding an owner in New Orleans could continue along a time line that did not include the financial pressures that massive credit financing imposed on the Shinn ownership group.

“I wanted to ensure that the team remained in New Orleans, if that was possible, and recognized that the league could provide the necessary funding while a new owner was sought in New Orleans and negotiations with the city and the state could continue,” Stern said.

But the major question presented by the Chris Paul trade fiasco is not who owns the team; it’s who runs the team. Ultimately, the league and David Stern can step in and micromanage any aspect of the team’s operations. But should they? More importantly, throughout the duration of the league ownership, the league has maintained that the day-to-day operations and decisions would be made by the Hornets’ managemenn team in place at the time of the sale (Demps and Hugh Weber) and the league-appointed top boss, Chairman Jac Sperling.

On December 6, as the league was in the process of buying the Hornets, Stern said the following during a media conference call. [Quote marks added by me.]

while this [league takeover] process has been going on, there have been two significant transactions [made by the team]. And our response to both of them was “you guys are management, you understand your budget and your instructions, just go ahead,” because we’ve got Jac Sperling, Hugh Weber here, and if they recommend it, then we’re going to be approving it.

That certainly sounds like a commissioner stating that management has autonomy. As far as I know, there aren’t any GMs across the league who are allowed to make major transaction (or, for some, any transactions) without consulting their owners. I don’t believe, for Larry Bird can just say “I’m trading Danny Granger for Al Jefferson” and not at least run it by Herb Simon. He probably can, however, sign Jeff Pendergraph to a low-salaried two-year deal without anything more than a courtesy call/email/text to Simon so the owner doesn’t have to read about it on the internet.

So a large issue here, to me, is whether or not Demps should be able to make a major, franchise-altering deal with Los Angeles/Houston with only the approval of his immediate supervisors, namely Jac Sperling. If Sperling gives the OK, which he reportedly did, should the trade be done? Or do they have to consult the true owner of the team, the league and, effectively, Stern?

Stern, by words and all previous actions, to my knowledge, had been hands off with team management. I don’t believe he was engaged in the decision to, for example, trade Marcus Thornton for Carl Landry last season. To my knowledge, the league office and Stern found out about that decision the same way they found out about, say, the Jermaine O’Neal trade to Toronto: the teams agreed to a transaction and sent the particulars to the league office for processing. Stern did not get a call from Sperling telling him about the Landry acquisition and say “that sounds pretty good, but try to get them to throw in a second-round draft pick.” He was not involved in the decision in any way.

So there is, to my knowledge, no precedent for Stern serving as the de facto owner of the Hornets when it comes to player personnel decisions. I could be wrong. And I don’t know to what degree Stern has been involved with other aspects of managing the team. I would expect that Stern, via his marketing and sales teams, have had some input into things like season ticket sales strategy. Those types of matters would directly impact the finances of the team in a way that payroll does not.

But many would reasonably argue that Stern should have no role in player personnel decisions. They are arguably “below his pay grade.” Try to improve the team’s overall finances in things that occur off the court, but give the basketball operations staff the autonomy over decisions related to winning basketball games — which are what trades and free agent signings are by and large.

The flip side to all this is whether trading Chris Paul, the best and most important player in Hornets franchise history, is just a player personnel decision. It is also reasonable to suggest that the fate of Paul could significantly impact the valuation of a team that someone higher up than Sperling is responsible for overseeing.

This certainly seems to be the argument that Stern has made in his official statement on the current uproar over the proposed Chris Paul trade.

“Since the NBA purchased the New Orleans Hornets, final responsibility for significant management decisions lies with the Commissioner’s Office in consultation with team chairman Jac Sperling. All decisions are made on the basis of what is in the best interests of the Hornets. In the case of the trade proposal that was made to the Hornets for Chris Paul, we decided, free from the influence of other NBA owners, that the team was better served with Chris in a Hornets uniform than by the outcome of the terms of that trade.”

Whether or not he is correct in his assessment of how keeping Paul, especially now after all the fallout, will effect the team’s valuation is really not all that significant. You can look at that either way. Mark Haubner, an excellent basketball writer from The Painted Ares, questions Stern’s logic.

if there’s one team that got screwed over today, of course it’s the team the NBA owns, the New Orleans Hornets, in one of the league’s smallest markets. Now they apparently can’t trade Chris Paul, and are presumably stuck with him for a lame-duck season, in which the story of the blocked trade will follow him and the franchise around all year, at the end of which, New Orleans will end up with no compensation. This helps increase the value and facilitate the sale of the Hornets how?

Compelling argument.

And that’s what everyone else is doing today: questioning Stern’s logic. But not about how the proposed Paul trade — or how the effect of the Paul trade being called off — affects the team’s valuation. No, people are questioning how Stern thinks he can the right to interfere with the personnel decisions of a management team we were all under the impression was authorized to direct basketball operations autonomously. People are questioning if the league is now effectively run by an irate, stubborn group of small market owners who demanded that the Los Angeles Lakers, of all teams, not be allowed to employ the best point guard since Magic Johnson. People are questioning if the league is rigged.

What gives Stern the right to do this? Well, the sale of the team to the league is what gives it to him.

The question is whether or not he should have exercised it.

And Starting at Small Forward, from New Mexico, Stern’s Bitch

Jared Wade — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 17:07:41 +0000

Danny Granger, a New Orleans native, has some thoughts on the league’s commissioner nixing the Hornets’ trade that would have sent Chris Paul to Los Angeles. (via Deadspin)

Due to the sabotaging of the LA/NO trade by david stern, and following in the footsteps of my athlete brethern Metta World Peace and Chad Ochocinco, I’m changing my last name to “Stern’s Bi#&h” #effectiveimmediately

Emma Carmichael of Deadspin took it upon herself to create the custom jersey.

Trade Rumor: A Chris Paul-to-Boston Trade Could Net the Pacers Rajon Rondo

Jared Wade — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 15:49:08 +0000

Dave Navarro said it best when he released Trust No One. When it comes to NBA trade rumors, the trust old journalism axiom also applies: If your mother says she loves you, check it out.

Unfortunately, I have no sources to either confirm or deny the validity of the most recent Chris Paul-related rumor from Yahoo’s Adrian Wojnarowski. But if they come to fruition, good lord, the Pacers would be proving just how valuable having some cap space can be. Just by jumping in to help facilitate a Paul-to-Boston deal, Woj is saying that Larry Bird can get Rajon Rondo without giving up all that much.

We have heard about this rumored deal before, but never with some many of the moving parts so fully detailed.

Ainge and Rivers believe they can convince Paul to stay with the Celtics beyond this season. That’s why Ainge has been so relentless on the phones, trying to secure the players beyond Rondo and Green that New Orleans would want for Paul.

The Celtics had discussions with the Indiana Pacers about the framework of a deal that could’ve sent Paul to the Celtics, Rondo to Indiana and a package, including former Hornet Darren Collison, Tyler Hansbrough,Brandon Rush and draft picks, to New Orleans, sources said.

New Orleans would have keener interest in small forwardsDanny Granger or Paul George, but Pacers president Larry Bird has declared those players “untouchable” in trade talks, sources said.

Losing Collison is something but not really when you upgrade to Rajon. So all you’re really losing there is Hansbrough, a valuable piece but not irreplaceable, and a few picks, which are crap shoots anyway and unlikely to be of the lottery variety, and Brandon Rush, who isn’t good.

This doesn’t really pass the smell test though.

Really, New Orleans can’t get anything better for the league’s best point guard than Jeff Green, Darren Collison, Tyler Hansbrough, Brandon Rush and a bunch on non-lottery picks? I dunno. There are a few fringe starters there, sure, and I like DC and Bro Hands (and very much don’t like Jeff Green), but this sounds like the opposite of the Herschel Walker deal.

Then again, if Paul is only a four-month rental who won’t commit to an extension and no teams will give up a sizable asset on that type of gamble, perhaps this is the best offer? It’s a least good volume. They do need warm bodies just to field a team next season, particularly since it’s hard to believe David West will re-sign with a team that lacks both an owner and, soon, an all-world point guard.

The Hornets have only six players under contract, and had hoped they could find a trade for Paul – who has told them he will leave as a free agent after the season – before the start of Friday’s training camp. That scenario looks less likely, because, as one executive in the talks said Thursday, “They’re bringing in more teams, more scenarios, when we thought they wanted to narrow it down.”

More than anything, however, I’m just shocked that the Warriors and Clippers have put, repectively, Steph Curry and Eric Gordon “off limits” in a Paul deal. Really? Then again, who am I to judge. It’s decisions like these that have left the Clipps and Dubs mantle’s littered with Larry O’Brien trophies.

Oh wait …

Will Indiana Sign David West?

Jared Wade — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 02:38:20 +0000

Starting next week, we will begin an in-depth examination of this summer’s free agent class. Given the lockout and the uncertainty surrounding what contracts will look like in the future, this entire endeavor will be difficult. But mostly we will be discussing the guys that are available and how they might fit.

Given the George Hill trade, and just what we’ve seen from the team’s big men in recent seasons, the Pacers need for front court help is paramount. And with Roy Hibbert theoretically entrenched at center and Tyler Hansbrough still unproven as a reliable starter in this league, power forward is presumably the area ripest for a talent infusion.

Coincidentally, it just so happens that David West opted out of the final year of his contract with New Orleans. He has said he wants to play somewhere that he can contend for a title, but we have heard that story before from many players who soon after sign wherever the best offer surfaces. Realistically, West is a player who has “only” made around $40 million in gross salary so far in his career and is presumably both looking for a final pay day and just as worried about his long-term future coming off of knee surgery as any GM who signs him will be.

So if we can assume that he indeed wants to sign for what most would agree is his market value (about $10 million per year under the old CBA), the three most likely destinations who can afford and have the need for the two-time All-Star are New Orleans, New Jersey and Indiana. A few other cities may be in play, but those three stand out. And since he is the only marquee power forward in this year’s free agent class (other than Thaddeus Young, who is restricted and likely to remain in Philadelphia), it stands to reason that some team will throw some money at him.

Will it be the Pacers? They reportedly will pursue him.

As noted, we’ll dive into this fully next week. But for now, I discussed this very topic with the good chaps who run Hornets247 the other night. They know him better than anyone and offer some interesting insight into a guy who may be a Pacer next season — whenever it starts.

Here’s that podcast. Go listen.

I put the odds of DWest becoming a Pacer at around 50/50 but also question the logic of rolling the dice on a 31-year-old coming off significant knee surgery. I just think it’s too big of a risk if you have to invest $45-50 million. We also discuss former Hornet Darren Collison’s first year in Indiana, which, if you were watching, was fairly underwhelming.

How much of the 17-Foot Assassin’s productivity was predicated upon the amazing creativity of the Hall of Famer pictured here on the left? How will he, at 31-years-old, recover from knee surgery? And most importantly, how much are the Pacers will to pay to find out?

Game #78 Recap: Despite Blowout Loss, Pacers Inch Closer to Playoff Spot

Ronald Eugene — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 02:58:32 +0000

(Footage of the Pacers valiant, fourth quarter “comeback.” via Graydon Gordian)

The Pacers lost in New Orleans badly (108-96) in a contest where the final score was not very indicative of the whole game. The end result was pretty apparent toward the beginning of the third quarter as the Hornets padded a lead north of 20 points. Both teams had their starters out by the start of the fourth, and there was even an alleged James Posey sighting. A flurry of outside shots got the Pacers much closer in the waning minutes, but the game was never in doubt.

We could go over the stats, but it’s not really necessary. Chris Paul was excellent and New Orleans’ starters shot 32-for-55 (58.2%) while nothing really stood out for Indy aside from decent play by AJ Price and Paul George’s 1-for-5 shooting, 3-point performance. This was his the 12th time in his 15 starts that he failed to score in double-digits and the 9th time in this stretch he has failed to even put up 7 points. Meanwhile, Mike Dunleavy dropped 15 points on 7 shots, in fewer minutes than George played, largely because he got to the line 6 times in just his 3rd game back from sitting out for five weeks with a busted thumb. Paul George has only attempted 6 free throws once in a game since February 12.

Pointless numbers aside, the outcome should not have been too surprising.

The Hornets, with a current record of 44-33, will ultimately wind up as either the 6th, 7th or 8th playoff seed in the vastly superior Western Conference; the Pacers, with a 35-43 record, are destined for the 8th seed in the East (which comes with a I-65 playoff date and a two games in a half-red Conseco Fieldhouse in a series against the Bulls).

Yes, I wrote it.

The Pacers are headed to the playoffs. Tim Donahue may not have been ready to call it after the team’s nail-biter against Milwaukee last Friday, but I’m ready to dive across Charlotte’s limp carcass like a UFC referee just 48 hours later.

Perhaps the assertion that Charlotte has no interest in making the playoffs and receiving a first-round smackdown is true. The Bobcats, just two games back in the standings, lost 97-91 at home to lowly Washington in what was just the Wizards’ third road win in 38 tries. Charlotte’s leading scorer, the infamous Stephen Jackson, did not play due to a sore hamstring, and the team seems to be in no hurry to bring him back. This does not seem like a club very intent on winning.

It may seem out of place to be so upbeat about the season after the Pacers were on the receiving end of such a solid beating. Sure, there were some really disconcerting things to see, especially confirmation of an earlier assertion that the starting line-up just doesn’t play very well together.

But if the team’s preseason goal was to make the playoffs, it looks good now.

Milwaukee is too far back, and Charlotte is seemingly holding up its white flag. Before play started Sunday, Hollinger listed Indiana’s chances at appearing in the playoffs as 94.2% (with Charlotte at 5.7% and Milwaukee at a thread-like 0.1%). Essentially, there is no one left to challenge the Pacers for the final playoff spot; it’s just a matter of cleaning up with a couple of wins in the final four contests against teams already locked into playoff positioning.

The champagne is on ice.

Stay tuned.

Other deep thoughts:

Looking for a time-killer at work this week? Play ESPN’s playoff predictor and try to get the Pacers into the Finals. Odds are between 0.2% and 0.3%. Good luck!

I would pay any price for a Charlotte Hornets Starter jacket.