CP3 in a Lakers Uniform?

So a fellow on a Saints forum threw out a trade to NY for Wilson Chandler and Danilo Gallinari. If they throw in Anthony Randolph and a 1st round pick next year, I'm game. I don't want the Hornets to be shy asking for players. They need to ship off Okefor or Peja with CP3 and give us some breathing room.

Dammit, if we're going to lose the best PG in the NBA and one of the top five players overall, I want the moon.

 

This is why I thought the Hornets should have traded Chris Paul before Lebron signed a team because Paul's trade value was at its highest with that team hoping they could convince Lebron to sign and play with his friend, Chris Paul. Its been clear for awhile that Paul wanted out of New Orleans. Now, with Paul openly coming out and demanding a trade, the Hornets have lost a lot of their leverage.

So, if Paul leaves, does this mean NBA basketball is finished in New Orleans as you guys argued for why Paul shouldn't get traded? Either way, you guys are going to lose him- either you trade him now or next season or you lose him when he becomes a free agent and get nothing in return.

I'm not sure how they're the same.

Lebron was a unrestricted free agent, and had every right to go pick a new team. He put in 7 years for Cleavland, played his contract out, carried that team on his back, and left when his time was up.

Its not like Lebron was pulling a Paul, where he was under contract but still tried to force a way out. Or, Lebron pulled a Steve Francis, where he refused to play for the team that drafted him. And, Lebron didn't even pull a Vince Carter, who dogged it so his team was forced to trade him.

 

Lebron's team had the best record the past 2 seasons because Lebron carried them on his back. Look back at the roster of those Cleavland teams, and all the trades they made to surround him with talent. They had Wally's expiring contract to get a great player, but they chose to stand pat and let Lebron try to carry that team all by himself.

When Mo Williams is the second best player on your team, you're not going to win a NBA championship when almost every championship team has had at least two superstars or two great players.

 

Was Kobe the Man when he was paired up with Shaq to win his first three titles? With 5 NBA championships, is anybody seriously going to down grade Kobe because he had Shaq with him for those first three? If anything, people were critical of Kobe because wanted to be The Man and win championships without Shaq.

Magic was drafted by the Lakers when they won a coin flip against the Bulls.But, Magic has gone on record as saying he would have returned to school rather than play for the Bulls.

And, Magic wasn't the Man either when he joined the Lakers because Kareem was already The Man.

Retired players like Magic and Jordan are saying they wouldn't have left like Lebron, but they also had much more talent on their teams that they didn't need to.
If they were stuck with the same talent Lebron was given, they would have left too.

Jordon didn't win a championship till Pippin, one of 50 best players of all time, joined forces. He also got to play with European best player at that time and best rebounder in Rodman.

Magic had Kareem, one of best players of all time, #1 draftpick and all-star James Worthy, defensive specialist Cooper, etc..

You can't win it all by yourself, no matter how bad. Kobe had a bad Finals series capped off by a 6-24 shooting in game 7 because he had the talent around him to still win even when he had a bad game.

In 10 years, if Lebron wins multiple championships and continues to perform the way he has on the court, nobody is going to remember this 'who's the man' argument.

 

What leverage does Chris Paul have exactly? He's under contract for at least two more seasons. The Hornets are under no obligation to trade him. They have ALL the leverage. They can trade him or they can keep him. The decision is all theirs. If they feel that he will be a distraction, they will have multiple offers for his services. Word is that CP3 will come with Peja and/or Emeka as well. They also have several options on the table to trade for players that will improve the team, but will wait until the meeting on Monday with Paul before pursuing them.

Also, CP3 has not openly come out and demanded a trade...

 

I'm talking about the Hornets leverage in relationship to the other teams when trying to trade Chris Paul.

Before, Paul's trade value was higher because teams like Nets and Cavs were desperate to trade for Paul because they saw him as critically important to lure Lebron. Lebron is a student of the history of the NBA, and understood that almost every championship needed at least 2 playmakers. If Cavs had been able to trade for Paul, Lebron stays in Cleavland, etc...

So, in those cases, as good as Chris Paul was, he was worth even more to those teams because of the ability to land Lebron. Now, with Lebron off the table, he's simply not as valuable for those teams.

And, its an open secret that Paul told the Hornets that he wanted to be traded and to whom he wanted to play for. Again, its hurts Hornets leverage because the other teams know the Hornets have a disgruntled player on their hands and are more likely to trade him vs. the Hornets being more than happy with Paul where you'd have to offer the moon before they even listened to a trade offer.

Its like if you were trying to sell your car to me. If I knew you had to sell the car because you desperately needed the money, I'd offer you a lower price because I know you'd still take that lower price.

I'm just pointing out that the Hornets already knew Paul wanted out before all the recent headlines that he demanded a trade, and that the Hornets should have moved him before when his trade value was highest. Instead, everybody here stuck their heads in the sand and waited too long to the point that it got leaked that Paul demanded a trade. And, who do you think leaked that info to push for a trade, hmm?

Sure, the Hornets will get multiple offers but my point is that they would have gotten
better offers if they hadn't waited. As I pointed out before, it was a win-win situation for everybody to trade Paul then.

 

You give Lebron James far too much credit. Any team that sees Chris Paul as less valuable will not be winning an NBA Championship until after they fire their idiot GM.

Regardless of what CP3 wants, he's obligated for two more years. If he decides to become an issue, no team, is going to touch him for the money he wants because no one wants that kind of B.S. on their team. The Hornets are under no obligation to kowtow to his demands, demands that he hasn't even made. The only one's even talking this right now are Lebron's idiot people who want a piece of the CP3 pie.

You're entire premise that the Hornets have lost leverage is based on CP3 becoming a problem and the Hornets wanting to get rid of him. That's not even close to reality. The Hornets can still name their price if they're interested in trading CP3.

Fortunately for us, they're not.

 

Forbes estimated that the value of the Cavs franchise lost 100 Million dollars when Lebron decided to leave. The inability to get Paul basically cost the Cavs 100M.

If the Nets had traded for Paul and that convinced Lebron to join the Nets, then the Nets value skyrockets- they push aside the Knicks, with all that history, to become the #1 basketball team in NYC, the biggest media market in the country. How much do you think the Nets are worth then?

So, yes, I'm sorry to tell you, Chris Paul's value is less to those teams today.

Who do you think leaked that Paul wanted out of New Orleans now, and gave a list of his preferred destinations?

 

We ought to trade Paul right now so any incoming players can be coached into a team. Waiting for the season to start or the trade deadline can only hurt us.

And as far as his "exit strategy" and wish list goes.....screw him and Lebron's agent. If first round draft picks are involved with the trade. I imagine the one from the worst team in the NBA will end up being a he!! of a lot more valuable, when all is said and done, than one from the Magic or the Lakers. I bet the Clippers have a starter or two that we'd be interested in right now.

It's really too bad that Paul turned into such a bum...he really used to be such a great team player. At least he gave all his effort during his stay here...but that's what he got paid mega bucks to do. There's nothing special about that...I do that every single day I go to work.

What's holding the NBA back these days is the fact that the players and their concern with bucks and bling have become more important than the team. Miami isn't invincible. Any real team should be able to beat that group of individuals. I would like to see one of the NBA general managers go out and get the entire Yugoslavian Olympic team and their coach and let them show the rest of the league what real team play can do.

The owners don't have to have a lock out to regain control of the NBA....they just have to have a couple of rule changes. The owners ought to be able to slap franchise tags on their best players. They also ought to eliminate individualism and egocentricism by allowing full blown zone defense...then the best TEAMS would triumph and the collection of individual players will go by the wayside.

But that will never happen unless most sports fans turn off the NBA on TV and quit drooling over every word that drips from the mouths of the talking heads on ESPN. Ultimately, we're the ones that empower those idiots as well as the "me first" players.