NBA Rumors: Los Angeles Clippers Conspiracy Theories Hold No Water

In winning the bid for Chauncey Billups, there are some owners crying foul according to Ken Berger of CBS Sports. They are suggesting that there is a conspiracy surrounding the Clippers winning the bid because the NBA, as the bargaining agent for the New Orleans Hornets, also had all the bids in hand.

This, in conjunction with the fact that the Clippers winning the bid enables them to deal Eric Bledsoe in the Paul trade, the hang-up that stalled talks yesterday, has owners even stretching to call it a "conspiracy." 

Berger expands, 

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The salacious conspiracy theory was only perpetuated by the conflict of interest inherent in the NBA's handling of the trade for the Hornets, who were taken over by the league in December 2010. Given the backlash against the soap opera that has dominated the reopening of NBA business after the lockout—and the potential death knell for the New Orleans franchise if Paul were stranded there and forced to leave as a free agent after the season with no compensation—the pressure was never greater on the league to ensure that Paul was moved to L.A.

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Yes, we have reached the point where we are talking about the NBA conspiring to suppress the Lakers and help the Clippers.

Forgive me if I'm not quite ready to buy into the notion that the NBA is ready to try and undermine its most profitable and long-term successful franchise to prop up its long-time doormat.

While much has been made about how "fair" the deal was that the Lakers had worked out for the services of Paul, there is something to be said in defense of Stern. Of the players they received, there were only two who were under contract for more than two years—Luis Scola and Goran Dragic.

The other two players they would have received, Kevin Martin and Lamar Odom, would both be under contract for only two more years and become unrestricted free agents after that.

If we're speaking honestly, the reality is Stern wasn't completely wrong. In the long-term, the Hornets would not have been helped by the trade. They would have a been a moderately successful team for two years, and then after that they would have nothing to show for it. 

This way, they have a number of young players they can build around. 

As far as the possibility that the NBA leaked the other teams' bids to the Clippers, it's a reckless charge to make without anything to back it up. It's not like a $2 million bid is completely far-fetched to come by without collusion. Since the minimum is $1.8 million, it's pretty reasonable for a team that wants to beat out potential competing bids without overpaying. 

It's time to back off all the conspiracy theories and over-hyping of collusion. This is more media hype than reality.