read it, but wouldn't listen to any of this until it's official.

keep in mind most trades happen without the media's knowledge until deal complete let alone the pieces involved in the deal.

Its official.

Kobe24, source?

Every major outlet I've been to says it's still in discussion.

Other trade offer listed was Paul to LA for Gasol and Odom.

Frankly I think ditching both Gasol and Odom is the dumbest idea. Need to keep one for the starting PF position.

Ahh Espn, Hoopshype ahhh espn haha

Deal is off! Espn just said some of the owners got together and complained to David Stern and apparently no deal... Will be interesting to see what follows.

Its going to get very ugly! Deal was 100% legit, and if anything the Lakers came off worse off. Silliness, word is Odom said he would retire, and Gasol didnt want to head to Houston, but yet they all claim its a business and they play for love of the game. Im not an LA fan, but i still think they will make moves that get them the title, 66 game season, will be able to manage Kobe's body pretty well, look out, Lakers have found that chip on their shoulder they lacked last season.

THE NBA REJECTED THE TRADE.

Stupid stupid decision by the league.

They say they didn't want Paul going to the "star-studded" Lakers, but if he did, Kobe & Paul would be the only stars on the team.

Giving up Gasol and Odom for Paul is more than fair.

Jealous, incompetent, whiny small market owners applying more pressure?

Mick are you a Lakers fan? You really think this is a great deal for the Hornets with them acquiring Luis Scola, G Kevin Martin, G Goran Dragic, 1st and second round picks for Chris Paul?

I am actually wondering if the small market teams are starting to give up now and are just taking any players for the sake of it. I remember when the Grizzlies virtually gave away Gasol to the Lakers for complete scraps (Kwame Brown). This kind of crap where the Lakers and the Knicks can cherry pick the players they want is not going to be solved until a hard cap is introduce.

I am for one am celebrating that the Lakers have not been able to pull out another robbery like they did with the Grizzlies a couple of year ago and the Hornets GM who tried to pull this carcass of a trade should be fired!

This is a joke.

What if the trade was CP3 to Minny for Love?

Does this mean that Paul can't be traded at all now while the NBA owns the team? If so then the same commissioner and owners that cried poor during the lockout will have a lot to answer for when they sell the Hornets for much less than they are worth because their best player left in free agency and they got nothing for him.

Or is this just a timing thing and the trade might yet go thru once the CBA is all sorted?

There could be more to this with a report that Chris Paul is fumeing and considering Legal Action. Also it has been suggested in the same report that Dwight Howard want's to play in New Jersey and considers the NETS his number one choice.

http://aol.sportingnews.com/nba/story/2011-12-09/chris-paul-fuming-may-pursue-legal-action

Can I also point out the hypocrisy of critics of David Stern. People slammed Stern because they believed he was trying to get the Lakers in the Finals over the Sacramento Kings because he wouldn't take action against the refs in game 6 of the 2002 conference finals. Stern then steps up for a small market team at the Lakers expense and suddenly he is once again in the firing line. You dammed if you do your dammed if you don't.

Mate the lockout was partly called because of the Miami Heat big three. But the NBA did'nt solve the problem because they could'nt get a hard cap which would level out the playing field like the NFL. The Chris Paul trade to the Lakers is a vindication that smaller teams are getting screwed and that the Lock out did'nt solve the problem of what is happening with the Miami Heats and New York Knicks where players can dictate the terms at will.

As for your point about how can the players return to there teams because they feel unwanted is laughble. Your telling me these millionare basketball players can't return to there teams because there feelings are hurt? These are not cry babies these are grown men for God sake. My advice to them if there having trouble returning to there teams because they feel unwanted is GROW UP! These players always say that "it's a business" and you can't take it personal then how about putting into practice. Also Chris Paul's feelings can't be hurt, Paul is forceing a trade the Hornets want to keep him.

David - the number one reason for the lockout was $. Competitive balance was a distant, distant second.

Yeah it was Dollars but the owners wanted a hard cap which was the main reason for the lock out which I stated in my original post. The hard cap would of killed two birds with one stone which was teams would have saved money and it would of made the league more balanced like the NFL.

I only said partly as well, I didn't say it was the only reason the lockout was called. Your post has not corrected me because I never said the lock out was only called to make smaller market teams more competitive.

The New Orleans Hornets, Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets are "hopeful" of reconfiguring their three-team trade to the point that NBA commissioner David Stern signs off on the deal, according to sources close to the process.

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/7336597/teams-chris-paul-trade-hopeful-revival-sources-say

Makes me love college ball even more!!!!!!

In odom you have the best sixth man and possibly all round player in the league. Scola is an 18 and 9 player and has some of he best post moves in the league. Kevin Martin is one of the most pure scorers in the league, and is young. Great trade for the hornets. Not gonna get much better than that for a guy who wants to leave through free agency. And for all those whiners that say Memphis was robbed of gasol, everyone forgets that they went further than the lakers this year with Marc gasol being on of the primary reasons, ie one of the pieces of that trade, plus other players who they signed due to the cap room that trade freed up. This was a fair trade for all involved. The lakers gave up the best sixth man in the league and arguably the best 4, and the hornets get some quality building blocks while getting rid of Paul before the season and eliminating that distraction.

People forget that star players have leverage because they are in such high demand.