How David Stern Has Screwed over the Future of the New Orleans Hornets

David Stern has screwed over the future of the New Orleans Hornets, while he's allegedly trying to protect it. He has yet to explain how making sure that the Hornets have no players and no assets is good for them, but it's what he insists he is doing. 

First he killed a deal from the Lakers which would have landed the Hornets a gaggle of players which included Kevin Martin, Luis Scola and Lamar Odom. That's a nice haul, albeit a bit long in the tooth for a team that is intent on rebuilding. 

While I didn't agree with his decision, I at least could understand that and was probably the lone person at least partially defending him. 

Now he rejects a deal that was incredible if you're a young team that included a fantastic young player in Eric Gordon and the Minnesota Timberwolves first-round pick. 

The Clippers were offering plenty, but the league (i.e. Stern) wanted even more. 

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The league, which owns the Hornets, wants the Clippers to add Eric Bledsoe to a package that already includes guard Eric Gordon, center Chris Kaman, forward Al-Farouq Aminu and Minnesota's unprotected 2012 first-round pick.

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On the one hand, you want to ask the Clippers, Eric Bledsoe? That's where you're going to draw the line? But you get the feeling that if they agree to Bledsoe then the league was going to start pressing for Blake Griffin. 

It seems like Stern's strategy is to keep asking for more until the other team backs out; that way it's not his "fault" the trade doesn't go through. 

So why is he so intent on not trading Paul while giving the appearance that that's what he's trying to do?

One word: contraction.

It's starting to look like David Stern isn't just ruining the New Orleans Hornets, he's doing it on purpose. This way he can say he tried to save the franchise while all he did all along was ruin it.