Return to Sender: The Mark Williams Thread

[SWedd523]

This makes me lean even more towards LA got cold feet.

Otherwise why would Charlotte pursue it further?

[NCHeels2008]

This makes me lean even more towards LA got cold feet.

Otherwise why would Charlotte pursue it further?

Because its a bad look on the Charlotte medical staff

[Diop]

This makes me lean even more towards LA got cold feet.

Otherwise why would Charlotte pursue it further?

Because its a bad look on the Charlotte medical staff

if its true, how would pursuing it and putting more light on the medical staff help?

[JDR720]

I think it'll get reversed, if the Hornets actually challenge then their case must be pretty solid.

[Diop]

i never really hated Lakers before, but their fans have been terrible through this whole thing.

[NCHeels2008]

This makes me lean even more towards LA got cold feet.

Otherwise why would Charlotte pursue it further?

Because its a bad look on the Charlotte medical staff

if its true, how would pursuing it and putting more light on the medical staff help?

Because everyone is clowning their medical team, its an attempt to save face

[SWedd523]

This makes me lean even more towards LA got cold feet.

Otherwise why would Charlotte pursue it further?

Because its a bad look on the Charlotte medical staff

If it's a bad look then why continue to push the subject and draw even more scrutiny?

[EmpireFalls]

I think it'll get reversed, if the Hornets actually challenge then their case must be pretty solid.

Nah I don’t think there’s any precedent

You can’t force a team to keep a player

[JDR720]

Saving face doesn't make any sense when the damage has already been done. There is a 0% chance the Hornets will ever win a PR fight with the Lakers.

If anything, challenging without a legit chance to win just makes things worse.

[KingCat]

Saving face doesn't make any sense when the damage has already been done. There is a 0% chance the Hornets will ever win a PR fight with the Lakers.

If anything, challenging without a legit chance to win just makes things worse.

This isn't about saving face with the fans, it's about saving our reputation within the league. No one will want to trade with us if other front offices think we tried to gib the golden child of the league.

[fatlever]

Never a dull moment when it comes to this franchise.

I kind of hope that Ben's version of events is closer to the truth, that the Hornets talked to Mark and his agent and all of them came to the agreement to fight this versus the Lakers if anything to restore credibility in the Hornets and also to restore mark's value. They may all full well know that nothing will come of this we'll do the best in terms of repairing that relationship long-term with Mark, but decided to do this as a show of solidarity to Mark to say we got your back. We're not going to let the Lakers completely ruin your value either to you trade or your second contract.

I can't imagine there's a precedent for this in the league. I can't imagine that they actually reverse the trade and everything goes back to the way it was Friday. Perhaps the middle ground is the Lakers owe the Hornets a future second round pick or some nonsense... If the end result is proven that the Lakers exaggerated the failed test as a way to back out of the trade.

[luciano-davidwesley]

I don't even think they are necessarily pushing for the trade to go through at this point.

Just calling out the Lakers on their rescission being BS is my guess.

Perhaps looking for some kind of financial, draft pick or reputational acknowledgement for the Hornets AND Mark Williams that they were not in the wrong.

The trade itself is dead though.

[Hornet Mania]

I also think this is more about saving the FO's reputation rather than forcing the trade to go through.

It is within the Laker's rights to fail Mark on his physical for any reason, but they went one step further and also claimed Charlotte withheld medical information which is a major violation. The new FO would not want that stain on their reputation.

We also have conflicting reports that Charlotte initiated the contact and that LA 'aggressively pursued' Mark which suggests they were the driving force behind the deal. It could be as simple as LA initiated the deal, then failed Mark for reasons we all expect (his foot) and never withheld any info.

If that's the case the Hornets would want it on the record they gave LA all the medical records as legally required and furthermore they weren't desperately shopping Mark looking for a sucker. Otherwise it's a double-whammy of smearing the FO as liars while also tanking Mark's value both as a potential trade asset (so Charlotte would want to fight it) and in his future contract negotiations (so Mark has a financial stake in fighting it too).

[Slava]

The reporting on this is bad. First The Athletic were reporting that the hornets called the lakers and offered Mark Williams after Pelinkas press conference where he said the market for centers is dry. Then it comes out from the lakers beat reporter for espn that Luka pinpointed Mark Williams the center he wants to play with and Pelinka pushed hard and made it happen. Then Hornets statement after the rescinded trade says that the other team pushed hard and they are happy keeping Mark. Now Shams is reporting again that the Hornets would like to appeal the lakers medical findings. NBA reporting used to be far better when Woj was around.

[kzt123]

The simple solution is for the NBA to give both teams a 24 hour window to renegotiate the trade. Players involved in the trade from both teams want to move on. If we are truly in the right which I believe we are then we need to threaten the NBA and the Lakers that we will take this to the public. I'd want the Lakers to publicly clear our name and give us Knecht and that 1st and we can provide whatever salary filler they need or toss in a couple 2nd round picks to make it work.

[DanishLakerFan]

This makes me lean even more towards LA got cold feet.

Otherwise why would Charlotte pursue it further?

But why would LA get cold feet unless they found something bad? They have no means of replacing Mark Williams at the 5 at this point and no real chance at making a real push unless they solve their C-situation. The price was steep, but by no means unfair. Everyone basically agreed it was a solid move for both teams.

[kzt123]

This makes me lean even more towards LA got cold feet.

Otherwise why would Charlotte pursue it further?

But why would LA get cold feet unless they found something bad? They have no means of replacing Mark Williams at the 5 at this point and no real chance at making a real push unless they solve their C-situation. The price was steep, but by no means unfair. Everyone basically agreed it was a solid move for both teams.

LA got cold feet because some other 3rd star expressed interest in coming to LA in the offseason and you guys needed the assets to make that deal. You guys got secretly offered Luka when no other team even knew he could be traded so I don't buy for a second that other players aren't talking through Klutch sports to try and make their way to the Lakers. The Mavs should've got a WAY better return for Luka than just an injured Anthony Davis. I don't care about you guys getting a 3rd star that's not the issue us Hornets fans have. The issue we have is the Lakers going back on an already agreed deal just because they find out later that they can make a better one in a couple months and trash our front offices reputation in the process.

[wilson115]

It is within the Laker's rights to fail Mark on his physical for any reason, but they went one step further and also claimed Charlotte withheld medical information which is a major violation. The new FO would not want that stain on their reputation.

Where exactly did the Lakers say that? As opposed to some hack with unverified information?

[countryboi]

I’m going to tell you exactly what happened. Mark is healthy enough to pass the physical, but when examined by doctors, they found something long-term that is most likely catastrophic. The Lakers got cold feet and complained that the Hornets didn’t provide accurate medical information—when, in reality, we gave them everything we had. Mark is healthy enough to play 25 minutes right now. There is no obligation to ensure that he remains healthy three to five years from now.

If I’m in the NBA, I send Mark to a third-party physician and whatever he says is binding and you complete the trade or don’t based on his ruling

[TheKingofSting]

Watch on YouTube

Great listen! From the 5:00-7:00 minute mark on the video.

“I’ve been told it’s not his foot either.” “Mark Williams is not injured.” “It’s something that the Lakers claim they saw on the medical imaging that they didn’t like for the future.”