Chris Paul to the Clippers falls apart--NBA asking price too high

Just when it appeared that Chris Paul was getting his wish to be shipped out of New Orleans, the NBA stepped in and shut it down--again.  

The NBA, which currently runs the New Orleans Hornets, apparently wants Eric Bledsoe added to a package from the Los Angeles Clippers that includes Eric Gordon, Chris Kaman, Al-Farouq Aminu and a protected first-round pick that the Clippers had acquired from Minnesota. 

That was asking too much, apparently, and the deal is reportedly dead. This is the second agreed-upon trade that the NBA has nixed. Paul was originally supposed to be sent to the Los Angeles Lakers as part of a three-team deal including the Houston Rockets. Czar Commissioner David Stern stepped in, however, and vetoed the deal saying it was not int he best interest of the Hornets.

At the time, some said it was because Paul was headed to a high-profile team, and smaller-market owners were unhappy with that. The Clippers are certainly not a perennial title contender like the Lakers, so it will be interesting to see what kind of backlash this episode gets.

What do you think? Was shutting down the Clippers' deal appropriate?