By: Tyler Ward
New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul is looking for a new home. The teams he wants to join? The New York Knicks top the list, followed by Orlando, Dallas, and Portland in that order.
Paul, the 4th overall pick in 2005, has been one of the best point guards in the NBA ever since being drafted by New Orleans. If he does get out of Louisiana, whichever team he joins will not regret their decision. He has proven that he could play with the top point guards in the league like Steve Nash and Tony Parker.
The Hornets have scheduled a face-to-face meeting with Paul that will be on Monday. ESPN's Marc Stein reported that the Hornets will be represented by team president Hugh Weber, along with newly-signed general manager Dell Demps and head coach Monty Williams. Paul has told the Hornets that he wants a solid team around him and if they can't give it to him, he wants out of the Big Easy. It is a complicated scenario as the Hornets have huge contracts for this upcoming season like Emeka Okafor ($11.5 million), Peja Stojakovic ($15.3 million), David West ($8.2 million), and James Posey ($6.5 million). Paul is scheduled to make roughly $15 million this season. As of right now, the Hornets are expected to be the 10th highest paid team in the NBA, totaling at $68,762,118.
Okafor, the 2004 1st overall pick, hasn't really lived up to expectations, averaging 13.3 points and 10.3 rebounds per game. His stats are pretty decent, but he has no playoff experience and thus, it would be hard for the Hornets to depend on Okafor to lead them deep into the playoffs. Stojakovic is on the decline and hasn't really been the player he was when he played in Sacramento with Chris Webber, Mike Bibby, and Vlade Divac. Stojakovic, however, has stayed relatively healthy, missing 59 games in four full seasons with the Hornets. Ever since arriving in New Orleans in 2006, his points per game has steadily declined and he hasn't been the shooter that they've needed recently. David West is perhaps the second best player on the team and has been an All-Star twice (2007-08, 2008-09). The undersized West has been one of the best power forwards in the Western Conference recently, but he can't be that "go-to guy" that Paul so desperately needs.This is pretty much the same scenario that surrounded LeBron James in Cleveland. James did not need role players, but he needed another superstar with playoff experience that could finally deliver Cleveland a championship. And as we all know, James left Cleveland earlier this month to join Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami.
Paul, the former Wake Forest star, has proposed a list of his preferred destinations. He would like to go to New York, in hopes that he and Amare Stoudemire could lure Nuggets star Carmelo Anthony to the team and form their own version of the "Big Three". Anthony has one year left on his current contract and was offered a 3-year/$65 million contract by Denver a few weeks ago. He has not yet given a decision, which may play a major role in Anthony switching teams sometime soon.
The Knicks, who have been lackluster at best the past few seasons, have been major contributors to this year's frantic offseason. New York signed Amare Stoudemire to a 6-year/$100 million contract in July, when free agency officially began. They have also signed ex-Bobcat Raymond Felton to a three year deal, along with trading All-Star David Lee to Golden State, acquiring up-and-coming star Anthony Randolph, Kelenna Azubuike, and Ronny Turiaf. With Mike D'Antoni at the coaching helm, they are definitely on the uprise of a rather stacked Eastern Conference. New York is Paul's top choice, but it is unclear if they have enough pieces to satisfy the Hornets.
Mark Cuban and the Dallas Mavericks have also expressed interest in Paul. They may have the most desirable players for the Hornets, with trade pieces like Jason Kidd, Shawn Marion, Caron Butler, and maybe the newly-acquired Tyson Chandler. Although, it is unlikely that Chandler would be sent to New Orleans in a package deal because he has already spent a few seasons with the Hornets (and had his statistically best season ever in that stint.) Kidd, the ageless wonder, is on the decline of his career and having a player like Paul could give the Mavericks much needed depth at the position. The player most likely to be dealt is Marion, who hasn't played up to par recently and could have already worn out his welcome in Dallas after a somewhat average season.
Paul also listed Orlando as a possible destination and this could be where he fits in best. If they do acquire Paul, they will more than likely have to send Jameer Nelson to New Orleans in the deal. Vince Carter or Rashard Lewis would almost certainly have to be in the deal to match up deals - for the Hornets, Okafor would have to get traded, so it makes sense that they would do a Paul/Okafor for Nelson/Lewis deal. The Magic could also send Marcin Gortat to the Hornets, who signed a 5-year/$32 million deal with Orlando last fall. If Paul does go to Orlando, they could have one of the best 1-2 punches in the NBA with him and perennial All-Star Dwight Howard. The Magic could also challenge a team like the Miami Heat in the conference, who many are considering to be a "lock" to go to the Finals this year.
Personally, I would like to see Paul end up in Portland, his fourth team on the list. The Blazers would more than likely keep Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge and along with Paul, the Blazers could actually get out of the first round in the playoffs. Portland could send an expiring contract like Joel Przybilla to the Hornets or they could send Andre Miller to New Orleans to solidify their point guard problem. Camby could also be dealt, but it is unlikely, as he has expressed interest in staying with the Blazers. They have pretty much been a playoff lock the past few seasons, but have had back-to-back first round exits the last two seasons. Having a player like Chris Paul would give the Blazers a very talented point guard who can distribute the ball and be an accurate shooter.
Paul missed 37 games last season, with rookie Darren Collison taking over for him. In his absence, Collison was spectacular, averaging about 19 points and 9 assists per game. This make Paul expendable, as it seems Collison can be a very valuable point guard in a tough Western Conference. With a team that hasn't proved their committed to winning, it makes Paul's exit seem very forseeable. His demands come immediately after the Hornets completely overhauled their front office and coaching positions. They parted ways with general manager Jeff Bower, who in addition to being GM, was the head coach for a brief period of time last season. On Wednesday, they announced that they had hired former San Antonio Spurs front office member Dell Demps as their general manager to replace Bower. After relieving Byron Scott of his coaching duties last season, they hired Portland Trail Blazers assistant coach Monty Williams to be their new leading man. Williams, 38, is now the youngest coach in the NBA.
It appears that the Hornets are now in some sort of a rebuilding phase that Paul wants no part of. It is more than likely that he will get traded, but the main question still remains - where will he go? The Knicks are also in the same phase as the Hornets, but they have gotten better. If he goes to a team like Orlando or Dallas, he can contend for a championship and hopefully get his first title ever. In the end, I think he will either end up in New York or Orlando, and he will instantly provide something great to a franchise.
