So it looks like I jumped the gun with the whole “this Chris Paul thing will be fascinating” because it’s about as plain and simple as your mom’s underwear. According to Adrian Wojnarowski and Marc Spears at Yahoo!, Paul’s agent has already told the New Orleans Hornets not to bother trying to sign CP3 to an extension – duh? – because he wants to be traded to the New York Knicks as soon as it’s convenient to the league, the team and his heavenly desires.
You know, I was just thinking about how funny it was when Carmelo Anthony bragged about the owners invoking a “Melo Rule” during the lockout so a player couldn’t drag his feet and demand to be traded wherever he wants to play and not to a team that, you know, offers the best deal. That sure was funny, wasn’t it? Too bad the Knicks don’t have crap to trade.
… the prospects of the Hornets executing a trade with the Knicks appear to be relatively dim. The Knicks simply don’t have the trade assets that come close to meeting New Orleans’ criteria for a deal. Demps has been listening to overtures from teams around the league, and has been actively working under the assumption that Paul would reject a contract extension.
The Hornets have no intention of letting Paul walk away at season’s end without trying to get maximum value for him. There are several teams, including the Boston Celtics, that could be willing to make a deal for Paul with the hope of convincing him to eventually sign an extension.
And Paul already said that he won’t sign an extension if he is traded to the Celtics, so he’s already essentially poisoning the prospects of any great deals being thrown at the Hornets. The one apparent caveat to Paul’s “My Super Sweet 16” demand is that he really wants to play with Dwight Howard (here’s a crazy thought – ask for a trade to the Orlando Magic). The Knicks trading for Paul isn’t impossible, but Howard, too? Simply outrageous. Hold on, a bottle from the future just appeared in the mailbox at my lake house and there’s a note in it…
“Otis Smith is still the general manager of the Orlando Magic.”
OK, looks like the Knicks will be getting Paul and Howard soon.
