By: Edward Nadurata

The NBA lockout ended, dear old basketball was back, and all the drama was gone…until the on again off again Chris Paul deal came along.

Supposedly, New Orleans Hornets player Paul was to be traded to the Lakers in a complicated move of players involving the Hornets, Rockets and the Lakers. Lakers Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom would have been shipped off to the other teams in order to acquire Paul. But before all this could have happened, NBA commissioner David Stern stopped it.
Stern should not have done this. It was a legitimate business transaction and calling it off was uncalled for. He may have thought that the Lakers was already a “strong” team, but why should that be a reason for the team to be more formidable.

I thought that the Lakers deciding to rid Gasol and Odom, or trying to at least, was too extreme in action. They are arguably some of the team’s most important players and without Gasol, the team would not have a center. The team would have been virtually incomplete.

But now all is done. Odom is with the Mavericks (yes, the same team that swept the Lakers last year during the second round of playoffs) and Paul is now with the Clippers.

Paul is joined by another star player, Chauncey Billups, and, of course, the Clipper’s main attraction, Blake Griffin.
When you hear Los Angeles, you think of Hollywood, sunshine and the Lakers not the Clippers.

The Lakers was and has always been the dominating team in the city and now with the decision of one man, the Clippers, which has always been the subpar secondary team stands against the prestige and strength the Lakers has had for decades.