David Stern Interview Video: Watch NBA Commissioner Discuss Chris Paul Trade

ESPN’s Rachel Nichols sat down with NBA Commissioner David Stern to discuss to what happened with the Chris Paul fiasco.

It was the same old story with Stern. He sat there with a smug look on his face as he talked a good game.

I’m not sure how he doesn’t “understand what the conflict is” because it’s apparent to many.

Depending on who you talk with, the first New Orleans Hornets trade with the Los Angeles Lakers was equal if not better than the one that finally went through with the Los Angeles Clippers.

These are trades that will have a major impact on multiple franchises for several years, yet Stern can’t see where the conflict is?

What a joke.

I can see both sides of story. I understand that bringing in Lamar Odom, Kevin Martin and Luis Scola would help the team immediately, but I also understand that the NBA is about star power. These three players are quality players in the NBA, but they aren’t to the star caliber as Paul.

But are they three starters in the NBA? Without question. Those three players would have given the Hornets a great boost for the upcoming season.

Say what you want about the trade, but Eric Gordon has the potential to be one of the best players in the Western Conference for years to come. He averaged 22.3 points, 4.4 assists and 2.9 rebounds per game last season. But the best part about Gordon is the fact that he’s just 22 years of age.

The deal-breaker was obviously Minnesota Timberwolves’ 2012 first-round selection. With 2012 expected to be a deep draft class, New Orleans should be able to draft somebody that could make an impact for years to come. That would give the Hornets possible two future superstars on the same roster. It sounds exactly like how the NBA works these days.

But it doesn’t matter who would have received the best deal in either trade because only two teams were a part of the deal that’s now set in stone.

Only time will tell if it works out.