In my 7 years as an independent businessman, maybe the most important lesson I have learned is that "who you know" is just as important as "what you know" and "what you do".

I've seen sportswriters and guys on this board commend the winning GM's in the Garnett and now the Gasol trade. But these were not actually "good trades". They were favors. Favors that artificially threw off the balance of the NBA landscape.

We all know about the Ainge-McHale collusion in Minnesota trade, but let us examine the Memphis-Lakers trade:

Memphis trades one of the better, most productive, and skilled PF/C's in the NBA to the Lakers who are 1-2 pieces away from being a bona fide a contender and Memphis takes back Kwame Brown (Biggest Bust of the past 10 years), Javaris Crittenton (Hasn't looked too good to me) and 2 first-round picks that will probably be #25 -- #30.

Jerry West is considered to be possibly the best GM in NBA history. Mitch Kupchak has gotten fleeced on his big trades: Shaq and Caron Butler. All of a sudden they make an incredibly lopsided trade to the Laker's benefit? Was that really the best they could have gotten for Gasol. There were seriously no better offers or possibilities?

The only rational explanation is that West is hooking up his protege Kupchak. There is no way that the best the Memphis could get for Gasol is creamed crap on toast and 2 late first-round picks.

I understand that friends will help out friends, but I don't think it is to the benefit of the NBA to have the league's balance of power manipulated so obviously as it has been with Boston and L.A.

It's not just about New York, it's about Houston, Detroit, Cleveland, Chicago, Phoenix, San Antonio, Dallas, New Orleans and other teams who have fielded competitive squads without the benefit of huge favors.

It's not fair to the teams or the fans. I'm so tired of Stern and the funny business that has become almost normal under his watch. It is time to level the playing field, and I don't think it will happen under his watch.

oohah

West is no longer the GM in Memphis. Ironically its Ainge old right hand man Chris Wallace.

solution: fire Thomas and put an ex-Celtic in NY's front office

[Edited by - McK1 on 02-02-2008 4:30 PM]

There's nothing fishy about the Gasol trade. West couldn't give a damn about the Grizzlies or Mitch, certainly not enough to interrupt a golf game long enough to influence a trade. If it were up to West, Memphis would have gotten way more considering his relationship with Heisley.

Wallace is just an idiot who should have stuck to scouting high school kids. He was the GM of the Celtics for the last 10 years before this season. What did the Celtics accomplish in that time, a time most Celtics fans consider the worst 10 years in franchise history? He traded Joe Johnson and a first round pick for Tony Delk and Rodney Rogers for ****'s sake. There's no collusion, just more stupidity from a guy known for being absolutely horrid when it comes to making the best deal for his team.

Don't be upset because the Knicks' management has pissed off the entire league and is looked at as the ugly drunk girl with self esteem issues willing to do (or trade for) whatever for a little attention. Almost every big trade that has happened in the last 4 years, Isiah has offered a better deal than the one that was taken, yet no one bites except for when they want to dump their headcases and salary onto the Knicks. Why do you think that is?

Conspiracy!

Its definately fishy.

So should Dolan hire that crazy psycho Ford? What other former celtic are interested and available?

Posted by EnySpree:

Posted by TMS:

when is Isiah going to make an earth shattering trade with Joe D is what i wanna know.

Detroit don't have anybody and neither do the Knicks.....unless Dumars wants Zach.......

Hmmmmmmmmm

Zach, Q & Selfishbury for Rip, Tayshaun & Sheed... get it done Isiah!

[Edited by - TMS on 02-02-2008 2:30 PM]

fishy is the knicks getting the #1 pick in the first ever draft lottery for patrick ewing. i think stern already did his job to help the knicks.

Well the Zach trade look like a lopsided trade in the begining. But I agree that the trade is potentially shady, or is It possible they really wanted the cap space.

Bottom line is we aren't making any trades as if we have what it takes already, Isiah is the one that needs to stick to scouting if you ask me. He has shown on this west coast trip that he absolutely can not coach and never will no matter who is on his roster. The knicks should be at .500 at the very worst, and he is responsible for at least 12 of the losses if not more.

We could have been 5-0 on this west coast trip.

I think Stern and the NBA has input on these trades...What a coincidence Boston and Los Angeles benefited in gifts no GM with half a brain would pull off...Is it not obvious to everyone...Let's face it, the NBA is in a bit of a decline and there is lots of executives who got rich off this product...Stern is just trying to inject the NBA with once loved rivalries again...Dolan wouldn't listen to him so the Knicks get no love...But I really feel there are more to these trades than meets the eye...



[Edited by - holfresh on 02-02-2008 6:55 PM]

Memo to Dolan: Next time don't hire the guy with the most enemies in the league.

It's a shame some of you don't have the information to realize just how ridiculous you sound. First of all, NY is the largest media market. Period. Any conspiracies would begin and end with how they benefitted the Knicks if such conspiracies ever existed. I wonder if you'll be crying conspiracy when the Knicks finish with the 5th worst record and still get the number 1 pick in the draft this year and everyone from Minnesota to Oklahoma to Miami to Memphis screams '85.

Second of all, David Stern works for the owners. Once again, David Stern works for the owners. They are his employer. Do you really think 30 owners are going to agree to make a handful of teams competitive money makers based on market size and rivalries as the rest of the league flounders? Do you really think the 30 owners in this league who have carte blanche to investigate Stern whenever they feel like it (and do) wouldn't have put a stop to that even if it was happening?

Funny how there was no conspiracy when the Knicks had one of the longest playoff streaks in NBA history from '88-'01.

David Stern is a Knick fan for ****'s sake. If Stern had THAT much power, Dolan, Cuban, Sterling and Atlanta Spirit would have been gone a LONG time ago. No amount of Dolan hate could ever prevent Stern from fixing the Knicks' situation if he was into setting things up for the betterment of the league. Every league is financially healthier when their NY teams are doing well. If he had the power to get rid of Dolan he would have. If he had the power to steer free agents their way, he would have. It's not his fault the Knicks didn't use the Allan Houston Rule on....Allan Houston. It's not his fault the Knicks didn't protect their lottery picks or that they had to pray that Chicago didn't get Oden or Durant or that they don't lose Stephenson or Favors to Utah in 2010.

Do you think David Stern would have let Pat Riley, Jeff Van Gundy, Larry Brown, Dave Checketts or Lenny Wilkens...all either Stern guys or Knicks money makers to leave NY the way they did?

If David Stern really cared that much, why would he have "allowed" San Antonio, the very definition of a small market team, to win 4 of the last 9 championships? Why didn't Shaq "end up" in NY instead of Miami? Why was he ever "allowed" to leave LA, a team that was making money hand over fist for the entire league? Why would a place like Detroit house an elite franchise? Why would he "allow" the Clippers to suck for so long? Where was the "collusion" and "insider trading" when Denver...DENVER....got Allen Iverson for pennies on the dollar? Iverson who sells more jerseys than the Knicks entire roster combined. What makes more sense...setting up cash cow Michael Jordan with a job in NY, LA, Chicago or....Charlotte? Why would he "allow" New Orleans a team with historically horrible attendance, to field a playoff squad when he'd prefer to have nothing to do with the area...even before Katrina?

Maybe you guys should investigate the reasoning behind ownership sabotaging their own investment on and off the court at every level of the operation rather than trying to convince yourselves there's an undercover scheme going on around the rest of the league because Isiah spends more time improving other teams than he does his own.

Posted by nysportsfan11:

It's a shame some of you don't have the information to realize just how ridiculous you sound. First of all, NY is the largest media market. Period. Any conspiracies would begin and end with how they benefitted the Knicks if such conspiracies ever existed. I wonder if you'll be crying conspiracy when the Knicks finish with the 5th worst record and still get the number 1 pick in the draft this year and everyone from Minnesota to Oklahoma to Miami to Memphis screams '85.

Second of all, David Stern works for the owners. Once again, David Stern works for the owners. They are his employer. Do you really think 30 owners are going to agree to make a handful of teams competitive money makers based on market size and rivalries as the rest of the league flounders? Do you really think the 30 owners in this league who have carte blanche to investigate Stern whenever they feel like it (and do) wouldn't have put a stop to that even if it was happening?

Funny how there was no conspiracy when the Knicks had one of the longest playoff streaks in NBA history from '88-'01.

David Stern is a Knick fan for ****'s sake. If Stern had THAT much power, Dolan, Cuban, Sterling and Atlanta Spirit would have been gone a LONG time ago. No amount of Dolan hate could ever prevent Stern from fixing the Knicks' situation if he was into setting things up for the betterment of the league. Every league is financially healthier when their NY teams are doing well. If he had the power to get rid of Dolan he would have. If he had the power to steer free agents their way, he would have. It's not his fault the Knicks didn't use the Allan Houston Rule on....Allan Houston. It's not his fault the Knicks didn't protect their lottery picks or that they had to pray that Chicago didn't get Oden or Durant or that they don't lose Stephenson or Favors to Utah in 2010.

Do you think David Stern would have let Pat Riley, Jeff Van Gundy, Larry Brown, Dave Checketts or Lenny Wilkens...all either Stern guys or Knicks money makers to leave NY the way they did?

If David Stern really cared that much, why would he have "allowed" San Antonio, the very definition of a small market team, to win 4 of the last 9 championships? Why didn't Shaq "end up" in NY instead of Miami? Why was he ever "allowed" to leave LA, a team that was making money hand over fist for the entire league? Why would a place like Detroit house an elite franchise? Why would he "allow" the Clippers to suck for so long? Where was the "collusion" and "insider trading" when Denver...DENVER....got Allen Iverson for pennies on the dollar? Iverson who sells more jerseys than the Knicks entire roster combined. What makes more sense...setting up cash cow Michael Jordan with a job in NY, LA, Chicago or....Charlotte? Why would he "allow" New Orleans a team with historically horrible attendance, to field a playoff squad when he'd prefer to have nothing to do with the area...even before Katrina?

Maybe you guys should investigate the reasoning behind ownership sabotaging their own investment on and off the court at every level of the operation rather than trying to convince yourselves there's an undercover scheme going on around the rest of the league because Isiah spends more time improving other teams than he does his own.

There's just one thing I'm not clear on. Who does David Stern work for?