Chris Paul has demanded to be traded from the New Orleans Hornets to another team with a superstar. He actually made a list. Read more.
Chris Paul is unhappy, he’s not feeling the love in New Orleans anymore that’s for sure. Paul has demanded a trade because he doesn’t feel the Hornets are committed to winning. And let’s be real, they’re not, but the risk of losing Paul has rattled management, and a face to face meeting with Paul has already been scheduled.
NBA fans saw this coming. As soon as Lebron James made his move, it was only a matter of time before other superstars stranded on teams without a chance in hell of winning decided to jump ship to join other superstars. For the old school NBA fan, this is an abomination to true competitiveness, what ever happened to being the alpha dog and beating the other alpha dogs? What’s all of this teaming up bullshit? Welcome to the new NBA.
Paul might just get his wish. On his list includes the Knicks, Lakers and Magic among others. The Lakers aren’t a good fit for Paul with the triangle offense and considering that Paul does need the ball in his hands a majority of the time to be truly effective. The Knicks are a possibility, and Paul has openly stated he would like to play with Amare, but sorting out the trade details could be tricky. What about the Magic? The Magic make the most sense, Paul and Howard would be a lethal combination. In fact, if you put a true floor general like Paul on the Magic, that team could be the best team in the NBA.
Sportsbooks and oddsmakers will have to rewrite their odds if Paul ends up on the Magic. With shooters surrounding Paul and the most athletic defensive center in the league setting pick and rolls for him, it could get ugly in the East. I’d even go ahead and say the Magic would be more of a contender than the re-vamped Heat.
So is this what we can expect in the future? Superstars playing on the buddy system to try and win rings? It sounds a little weak to me, but then again, I can’t blame the players, I have to blame the owners and the teams for not doing enough to keep their franchise players happy. It’s a business like anything else, and if your main bread winner isn’t happy, you could lose him to someone who will meet his needs.
It looks as if the players are gaining a little too much pull in the league, surely we can find a way to blame this too on Lebron James?
