Good grief I freakin hate this generation of young superstar athletes.

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According to a source with knowledge of his plan, Chris Paul has requested that the Hornets trade him to the Knicks, Magic or Lakers before the season begins.

"He wants out," the source told Ken Berger of CBS Sports. "He wants to play with another superstar. He wants to follow LeBron's model of teaming up with other great players."

NBA sources say that members of Paul's camp recently told them, "He's not going to start the season in New Orleans."

The Hornets will try to persuade Paul to remain based on the team's new direction.

"Paul won't go public with his trade request -- if he did, he'd be subject to a fine under NBA rules -- but those with knowledge of his plans believe his desire to pair up with another superstar (or two) has gained too much momentum to stop," writes Berger.

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http://www.cbssports.com/nba/story/13659617/new-hornets-brass-already-facing-crisis-with-paul/

For some reason, I don't mind if it's Chris Paul. He's done more than enough for that franchise and city than he needed to. And it's not even his home state like it was for LeBron. And also unlike LeBron, the Hornets either have not tried or are incapable of trying to surround him with the necessary talent to compete.

I honestly thought he would have been out of there a couple of years ago. Or at least, right after Byron Scott got the axe.

Actually, I find Paul's situation very close to Lebron's. New Orleans has done a lot to try to surround Paul w/ talent (Peja, Mo-Pete, Posey)... but their management has just done a poor job at it and now Paul has a supporting cast of very good role players but no legit title-contending #2 players. The ONLY difference between the 2 in my opinion is one did it in a douchy way on live television. The other is doing it relatively 'quietly'.

Lebron's done as much if not more for the Cavs and their standing in the NBA than Chris Paul has done for the Hornets at this point.

[This message has been edited by ATM9000 (edited 7/22/2010 8:49a).]

My other issue is that Paul's complaint seems to be the issue with the team cutting salary due to a poor owner. well, aren't they in the process of getting new ownership? Why not wait and see how the new owners approach the club. Maybe they are willing to spend more money to put together a better team? Why the rush to join LA or Orlando or NY?

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****

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[This message has been edited by MW03 (edited 7/22/2010 9:15a).]

The difference is that Lebron met his contractual obligations, and then left Cleveland.

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New Orleans has done a lot to try to surround Paul w/ talent

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Disagree.

New Orleans traded a Lottery pick for two late picks to dump MoPete's contract.

They traded Rasual Butler for a conditional second round pick (top 55 protected). Just dumping talent for cash.

They tried to trade Tyson Chandler for Chris Wilcox and Joe Smith.

They released Chris Andersen after he was reinstated to the NBA and let him walk to Denver.

New Orleans has done an absolutely piss-poor job of putting talent around him.

What CJnumbers said above. I don't blame Paul for leaving one bit, but what makes him worse than Lebron in my opinion is that Lebron at least played out his contract with little to no public *****ing.

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Disagree.

New Orleans traded a Lottery pick for two late picks to dump MoPete's contract.

They traded Rasual Butler for a conditional second round pick (top 55 protected). Just dumping talent for cash.

They tried to trade Tyson Chandler for Chris Wilcox and Joe Smith.

They released Chris Andersen after he was reinstated to the NBA and let him walk to Denver.

New Orleans has done an absolutely piss-poor job of putting talent around him.

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But they also shelled out a lot of money to James Posey and Peja. I don't understand how out of one side of your mouth you can defend Cleveland's management re: putting talent around Lebron yet throw New Orleans under the bus on this one.

**** like this is what makes me irritated about the lebron james deal. All these punk asses are going to want to play in these "exotic" locales with their superstar buddies and play on narcissistic all-star teams instead of trying to build things on their own.

MLB had the steroid era; the NBA is entering it's own version of the steroid era. If these arms races continue, winning a ring won't mean much in terms of a players greatness.

Makes me respect Jordan and Bryant a hell of a lot more.

Glorified AAU.

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But they also shelled out a lot of money to James Posey and Peja.

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Horrible decisions. Both of them. They outbid themselves in both cases.

Those two contracts kept them from being able to retool and kept them from being able to sign other people.

2005: Traded Baron Davis for Speedy Claxton
Traded starting SG and #2 scorer David Wesley for Jim Jackson, then traded Jim Jackson for Casey Jacobson and two other guys who were out of the league within a year
2006: Let Speedy Claxton walk.
S&T for Peja
2007: Let Desmond Mason walk.
Let Brandon Bass walk
Signed MoPete with MLE
2008: Used Full MLE on Posey
Couldn't afford Chris Andersen (they had his bird rights) and let him walk to Denver
Traded first round pick for cash
2009: Traded starting SG Rasual Butler for a top-55 protected pick
Tried to trade Tyson Chandler for ending contracts Chris Wilcox and Joe Smith, but was rescinded when Chandler failed his physical
Traded Chandler for Okefor
Did not use MLE
2010: Traded Hilton Armstrong for cash
Traded lottery pick for two low picks so they could get rid of MoPete's contract


Yeah, don't know what I was thinking when I said that NO has done a ****ty job surrounding Paul with talent and keeping talent.

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I don't understand how out of one side of your mouth you can defend Cleveland's management re: putting talent around Lebron yet throw New Orleans under the bus on this one.

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The Cavs never traded away a starter for absolutely nothing because they couldn't afford him. The Cavs spared no expense and consulted James every step of the way. The same cannot be said for New Orleans.

New Orleans has sold draft picks, traded starters for nothing, refused to use the MLE, etc.

I'd take him in Dallas...

He also tore his meniscus last year. He is a year or two away from being a liability because of his lost step. Once that initial burst is gone he loses the one thing that makes him great.

Sportsguy: Boston has the hammer offer if they want to make it: Rondo, Perkins, Sheed's ghost, No. 1 + 3m for CP3 + Okafor. NO has to say yes to that.

Why would you trade Rondo?

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The Cavs spared no expense

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If that were true, Mike Brown would have been fired a season ago and replaced with a top notch coach, they'd have had Stoudemire last season instead of Jamison, and they would have drafted a useful player to the team in 09 who might contribute immediately instead of a 2-3 seasons stash away.

I'm not denying the New Orleans has done a horrible job re: actually surrounding Paul with a good team, but the situation is pretty much Lebron's EXACT same situation in Cleveland yet the OP is cool w/ Paul wanting out, but takes issue with Lebron.

Because Paul doesn't have a right to block a trade, stick him in Charlotte and make him deal with Larry Brown:

Paul/Okefor/Posey to Charlotte for

Dampier UST
DJ Augustin
Devin Brown
Gerald Wallace
+picks/cash

Okefor/Diop
Tyrus Thomas/Najera
Diaw/Posey
SJax/Carroll
Paul/LIvingston

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the situation is pretty much Lebron's EXACT same situation in Cleveland yet the OP is cool w/ Paul wanting out, but takes issue with Lebron.

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That's just not true. In Paul's tenure, the Hornets have let multiple starters walk or trade for nothing to save money. They have sold draft picks.

None of that happened in Cleveland.

GSoup,

What's the rule on trading a player that you just acquired [such as CHA flipping Damp]? I thought they could trade the player, but couldn't combine him with any other players/assets in a trade?

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What's the rule on trading a player that you just acquired [such as CHA flipping Damp]? I thought they could trade the player, but couldn't combine him with any other players/assets in a trade?

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This is true. Restriction lasts 60 days. So it could still happen before the season starts.

You could do Damp for Okefor straight up right now and work out something else for Paul/Posey in a totally separate and unrelated trade. DJ+Wallace+Nazr for Paul/Posey works. NO doesn't save as much money that way, though.

The Cleveland and NO comparisons are WAY off.

Cleveland bent over backward to put stars around Lebron. And he had some good ones, like Jamison, Oneal, Verajao, Mo Williams, Hughes, etc.

New Orleans killed their team chemistry by repeatedly releasing veterans and entertaining trade requests after a highly successful season, and firing a very good coach. They were trying to shop Chandler around, HARD, despite the fact that it was against Paul's wishes, and despite the fact that the chemistry between Paul/Chandler was probably the best on the team between any two players.

There may have been talent in NO, but it wasn't because the Hornets were trying to get it there. If anything, they were trying to run their franchise "on the cheap".

[This message has been edited by MassAggie97 (edited 7/22/2010 12:26p).]

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Makes me respect Jordan and Bryant a hell of a lot more.

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Oh really and Jourdan and Bryant did it "by themselves" right. You know, it's amazing to me how some of you just lack brain memory cells. Apparently, everyone on here forgot that the Bulls had this other guy by the name of , oh let me see, Pippen, who is one of the NBA's 50 greatest players, and a plethora of really really good players with the best coach in the history of the league.

Oh and that other guy, who now is seen as a "the last of the greats" and the "last to do it on his own." The first 3 Lakers championships were won by Shaq, not Kobe. They had a monstrous team with the best coach of all time (see a trend here).

And number 3 and my main point- Everyone forgets the amount of *****ing Kobe made in the summer of 08', I believe it was. Going on the radio and doing the exact same thing Paul is doing right now- requesting trades. Except when the Grizzlies just magically gave Gasol to the Lakers for free, Mr. Bryant became the good sumeritan, shut his mouth and now he's seen as some type of saint? Please, Bryant did the exact same **** Paul is doing now. Don't say it was any different with him.

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Cleveland bent over backward to put stars around Lebron. And he had some good ones, like Jamison, Oneal, Verajao, Mo Williams, Hughes, etc.

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David West is a better player than all of these 'stars' Cleveland surrounded Lebron with.

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Oh really and Jourdan and Bryant did it "by themselves" right.

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No one said they did it by themselves. But they didn't call up 3 of the top players in the NBA, collude to take less money in order to get together on the same team.

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Everyone forgets the amount of *****ing Kobe made in the summer of 08', I believe it was.

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Summer of 07.

I don't blame any star for *****ing about not getting talent around them, however, I think there are better ways to take care of things, too.

But Kobe also didn't call Chauncey Billups and Rashard Lewis (best FAs that summer) and say "Hey, lets force our way onto Orlando to team up with that Howard kid and win the next 10 titles."

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Going on the radio and doing the exact same thing Paul is doing right now- requesting trades.

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I don't think the accused rapist ever publicly demanded a trade.

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Except when the Grizzlies just magically gave Gasol to the Lakers for free, Mr. Bryant became the good sumeritan, shut his mouth and now he's seen as some type of saint?

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I know Lakers fans who still ***** about Kobe being a ***** and pretending he was going to sign with the Clippers. Kobe came off really immature. Seems to be a common theme among players that jump from HS to the Pros and become multimillionaire superstars.

West doesn't really count because he was drafted by New Orleans and developed in their system prior to Paul's arrival. That's like saying the Spurs "put talent around" Tim Duncan early in his career by drafting David Robinson.

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David West is a better player than all of these 'stars' Cleveland surrounded Lebron with.

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West was in NO long before Paul was. It isn't like they surrounded Paul with West or went out and got West. West was injured the year the Hornets tanked for the Andrew Bogut lottery.

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don't think the accused rapist ever publicly demanded a trade.

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Pretty sure he did. If I can find it I'll post it here.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2886927

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First, Bryant said on 1050 ESPN Radio in New York: "I would like to be traded, yeah. Tough as it is to come to that conclusion there's no other alternative, you know?"

Bryant, interviewed by Stephen A. Smith, was asked if there was anything the Lakers could do to change his mind.

"No," Bryant said. "I just want them to do the right thing."

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There you go.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?page=kobetranscript2
Here is Kobe saying three hours after that SAS interview that he didn't want to be traded and that he wants to remain a Laker.

Ok. What's your point? That he's a complete maniac?

You just proved my point. I can't see why Bryant is so revered when he's just as big a baby as Lebron or any other of these "new generation players" or w/e the OP said.

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No one said they did it by themselves. But they didn't call up 3 of the top players in the NBA, collude to take less money in order to get together on the same team.

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No one said they did it by themselves. But they didn't call up 3 of the top players in the NBA, collude to take less money in order to get together on the same team.

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So much Lebron butthurt around Texags it amazes me. I'll say it again, the way Lebron left Cleveland was ******y no doubt. His situation's and Paul's weren't much different in that they were both stuck with management who were/are sort of ruining their primes as players with terrible moves. Were they both being ruined in the same exact way? Of course not, but that doesn't change the fact that both were/are on teams with terrible supporting casts and playing on teams that could be managed SO much better. If anybody would understand the effects of good management of an NBA team in a small market and what that does to keep a star around, I'd think it would be a freaking Spurs fan.

Onto what Lebron did. I'll equate it to this. You and your buddies go to a gym to play pick-up ball. You get knocked off of the court early. All of a sudden 5 guys who are a ton better show up at the court but you've got next. The team that just lost has a bunch of mediocre to bad players on it. So do you go about picking 2 of the losers, a friend of yours, and 2 of the really good players for the sake of fairness? Of course not you either take your friends, take the good players that just arrived or a mixture of both and go kick some ass. That's what Lebron just did. And that factor alone doesn't make him less of a man for doing so like it doesn't make you less of a man when you do that.

Some of the old farts who had amazing teams need to check themselves a bit. Magic played in LA with Worthy and Kareem... both top 20 players at the time and Jordan had Pippen... easily a top 15 player in his prime if not better. Barkley needs to shut his hole as he left Philly for a better team in the middle of his prime to make a run at it.

Darn kids these days and all their "colluding"