Mark Cuban does make good points regarding the mistakes done by the league’s executives, chiefly David Stern. But going off on how Chris Paul should have stayed with the Hornets instead of getting traded at all? Simply sounds like Cuban trying to get under Stern’s skin, and asking for another fine probably.

After the Dallas Mavericks played the Los Angeles Clippers, Cuban opened up about the deal he was a vocal opposition to back in the day when we really didn’t know what was going with Paul, who nearly landed with the Lakers before Stern vetoed the deal. When it seems Paul would spend his final contract year with the Hornets and go away for nothing, he got traded to the Clippers for Eric Gordon, Chris Kaman and Al-Farouq Aminu.

Image: Source

How did that work out for them so far? The Hornets are a Western Conference worst 5-23, Gordon will leave in free agency and the Timberwolves pick doesn’t look like such a fantastic bargain right now. They’re just doing too good, finally, probably for the first time without a Kevin Garnett.

The deal that was planned out with the Lakers would have given the Hornets Lamar Odom, Luis Scola, Kevin Martin and Goran Dragic. It’s all hypothetical after all, but instead of having both the Hornets and the Lakers come away with what they wanted, the Clippers got Paul, the Lakers got nothing and the Hornets don’t look like a healthier club with a better future.

I don’t think it was about the Lakers, per se. I think it was just the way they did the deal, which was ridiculous. I don’t think it was about which team. I think it was the fact that, even with the Clippers, we just went through this whole CBA and said the incumbent team still has the advantage and then the team the league owns wimps out. And look how it’s worked out for them.

Bad management gets you bad results. You’re better off just taking the cap room, or whatever. It’s not about being better or worse. It’s hard to judge any trade until it’s done. It’s about the concepts involved and the integrity of what we went through for the CBA. That’s what it’s all about. The NBA screwed the pooch either way. The whole idea about having most of these rules is that you’d have an advantage and wouldn’t have to trade people.