Posts tagged Chrispaul at FanHouse - AOL Sports Blog

Chris Paul is considered a member of that group of players that includes Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, and others at the elite level, all of which had contracts set to expire after 2009/2010 through a variety of mechanisms. It would appear that at least one of them is happy where he's at.

The New Orleans Times-Picayune is reporting that Paul and the Hornets have agreed in principle to a three-year extension, with an option for a fourth year that brings the total value to $68 million dollars. The deal will keep him with the Hornets a while longer. It's a huge signing for the smaller market Hornets, and gives them a foundation for success for the next five years.

On a day where sadness seems to pervade the Internet regarding the Sonics departure from Seattle, its ironic that such a feel-good story as Paul signing a long term deal with what was a struggling franchise happens. Why? Because without the overwhelming and enthusiastic support of the citizens of Oklahoma City who did such a dastardly thing as "actually coming to the games," the Hornets might not have gotten enough support to even stay in New Orleans, where people are now actually coming to the games. Interesting. Of course, on the flip side, if it hadn't been for Paul's outstanding play, Oklahoma City may not have gotten so enthused about the NBA, which precipitated Clay Bennett's chicanery. It's the circle of life. Or at least greed, money, and marketability.

If you (note: Hubie Brown voice) are the New Orleans Hornets and you have a point guard under your control who is going to be a free agent in a few years, and you know that you need him to be competitive for an NBA title in a smaller market, you lock him up.

The Hornets -- despite notoriously "frugal" owner George Shinn's ways -- are doing just that, as John Reid of the New Orleans Times Picayune is reporting that Chris Paul and NOLA are getting ready to reach an agreement on a max-deal four or five year extension.

"We're going to try and get it done in the next 24 to 48 hours once I get down there,'' [Paul's agent Lance] Young said by telephone. "I think if you go back and look, there's nobody who did a three-year deal of all the max deals done in the last few years. I would say three years is not what he is going to do. It will be a four or a five-year deal.''

Paul's contract will range from $60 million to $80 million, depending on the length. Young said he and Bower spoke by telephone on Tuesday, the first day teams could begin negotiating contracts with free agents.

Let's be perfectly clear: if you are the the New Orleans Hornets, you give Chris Paul whatever money and how many ever years he wants. He is most certainly one of the top five players in the league, and while many might take Kobe or LeBron if they were starting a team, I think Paul is a legitimate candidate.

And even if you disagree, Paul was most certainly an MVP candidate last year, most certainly the reason for the Hornets resurgence and most certainly worthy of this kind of contract.

One of the biggest complaints about the announcement of USA Basketball's 12-man roster is the lack of big men. We are sending just one true center (Dwight Howard) along with two true power forwards (Chris Bosh and Carlos Boozer).

There are quite a bit of guys that excel at slashing to the basket (Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Carmelo Anthony) ... who also need the ball in their hands a lot. We also will send a gutty, defensive point guard in Jason Kidd.

Hmmm. This sounds an awful like how Mike Krzyzewski ... coach of Team USA ... constructs his usual team: the Duke Blue Devils.

Anyone who has followed Duke knows that they team has really had issues with depth and talent in the frontcourt in recent years ... while running a bunch of same-sized players on the perimeter. It works alright for a while, but them crumbles as the season wears on.

It could happen in Beijing as the group that Team USA will be in is rather weak, but they will see the big dogs in single-elimination play.

The drama is finally over, as the Bulls make it official and select Derrick Rose with the number one pick in the 2008 NBA Draft. As the analysts have been more than happy to tell us, Rose is a very special basketball player (duh), and after the season Chris Paul just put up at the point guard spot, anyone with Rose's talent level at that position isn't going to be passed up by many teams. Or as it turns out, by any team.

The Miami Heat also went with the logical choice, selecting Michael Beasley with the number two pick. And really, there was no other option. Beasley was too much of a statistical monster in college to let him go past two, even if (as had been widely reported) Pat Riley had issues with him and really wanted O.J. Mayo. Besides, if that's still the way he wants to go, he can now trade Beasley for Mayo and something else, instead of jumping Mayo to number two.

Crystal Ballin' takes a team-by-team look at what should, could, and probably will happen in the June 26th NBA Draft.

Now that the Birdman (Ka-kaw) is back, the Hornets are really only one or two pieces away from contending for a championship that they could have won last year anyway. Which makes this pick tough -- New Orleans certainly has needs, but whether or not those can be immediately answered at 27 will determine whether they actually end up pulling the trigger on any first rounders.

Picks: #27

Needs: A scorer from the two. They need some frontcourt depth too, but they can acquire that without having to use a draft pick. Not to mention an immediate offensive impact shooting guard takes the pressure off of Peja and Chris Paul (vis a vis Jannero Pargo seeing more minutes at the point).

Best case scenario: Chris Douglas-Roberts or Courtney Lee somehow drops to the Hornets in the first ... which a lot of mocks actually have happening. I think they gets pulled on before then but, oh, the three letter nicknames we'd see. Give me a second, I'll figure something out for Lee.

On Monday, USA Basketball announced its men's roster for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Here's who will represent the U.S. this summer:

Carmelo Anthony (F - Denver Nuggets)
Carlos Boozer (F - Utah Jazz)
Chris Bosh (F - Toronto Raptors)
Kobe Bryant (G - Los Angeles Lakers)
Dwight Howard (F/C - Orlando Magic)
LeBron James (F - Cleveland Cavaliers)
Jason Kidd (G - Dallas Mavericks)
Chris Paul (G - New Orleans Hornets)
Tayshaun Prince (F - Detroit Pistons)
Michael Redd (G - Milwaukee Bucks)
Dwyane Wade (G - Miami Heat)
Deron Williams (G - Utah Jazz)

The biggest surprise is Boozer being taken over Tyson Chandler. This would've been a small team even with Chandler on board, but now the U.S. only has one legitimate center (Howard). This is obviously a team that's going to press and push the ball up the floor, which is risky but certainly plays to the United States' strengths.

More to come (USAB is holding a conference call at 12:30 PM ET today) but for now, I just wanted to get the official lineup out there.

Cheer up, Lakers fans: there's always next year. Not even 24 hours after the Celtics completely dismantled the Lakers to win the NBA title, Boston is getting very little respect from the oddsmakers regarding their chances to repeat the feat next season. According to one website, the Celtics aren't favored to win the championship in 2009: the Lakers are. Boston is currently a 4-1 favorite, while the Lakers are just 2-1. Some of the more notable teams' odds are as follows:

Spurs: 8-1

Pistons: 10-1

Jazz, Suns, Hornets, Rockets, Mavericks, and Cavaliers: 15-1

Magic: 30-1

It goes without saying that these types of future wagers are complete sucker bets, because obviously anything can happen over the course of an 82-game season. Like, you know, blockbuster trades that completely change up a team's roster. But if you absolutely have to have this type of action (and if you do, seek help, and seek it now), you want to look for some value in the odds, making it somewhat worth the ridiculous risk.

So which teams above give you the best value? New Orleans at 15-1 looks interesting. With Chris Paul turning into the next "greatest player of all-time," certainly the Hornets could be seen as making that leap next season. What about the Pistons at 10-1? They've been to the Conference Finals each of the last six years, so you're at least guaranteed to get close with them. Orlando at 30-1 looks pretty strong as well. Let's be honest though: the Celtics' performance is fresh in our memories, and they way they play defense, getting 4-1 odds on a repeat might be the best value of all.

While the reigning MVP is busy trumpeting his way to the finals and Chris Paul at least able to be satisfied with the progress made this season, the Cavaliers are looking at how to improve their team. And by "improve their team" I mean, "do whatever in God's name it will take to convince LeBron James not to go to New York and abandon them to a cold and lonely legacy of abject failure after being granted one of the greatest draft picks ever." You know. In so many words.

So if you're going to go out and get an upgrade for LeBron, and it's pretty evident that it needs to be scoring. So who's available?

Survey says: Michael Redd.

In an article in the Akron Beacon Journal, Pat McManamon writes that there is a "lot of talk about acquiring Michael Redd from the Milwaukee Bucks" for the Cavs. Redd's got a big contract on a rebuilding squad, and it's been proven that he can't be the guy to get the Bucks where they need to go. Putting him on the Cavs for the 19th pick and trigger-happy Wally Szczerbiak plus parts may be the way to make it happen.

The Rotation is a weekly study on the NBA by one of our All-Star voices. In rotation this week is Brett Edwards.

The playoff series between the Hornets and the Spurs has been consistently one-sided so far -- the home side. The local team has won each of the six games by at least 11 points, the first time such a statistical anomaly has occurred in NBA history. I think that's likely to change tonight though, because for all of the Hornets talent, the Spurs' collective experience is likely to be the deciding factor.

It's been argued that experience is overrated in the NBA playoffs, and Chris Paul was used as the poster boy and case study to prove the argument to be true. But playing well individually and winning home games is one thing.

The Hornets have really been the better team this entire series. They've largely stuck to what has worked for them all season, while the Spurs have had to make some substantial adjustments from game to game. But now the Hornets will have to prove they can evolve: For an upstart team to eliminate a team with a ring in a Game 7 -- even in your own building -- is something else entirely.

Game Seven. No way out except onward. The defending champs responded at home and sent a message about their physical approach. Now the Hornets are at home, hoping to knock off the Spurs and keep them from their "one for the thumb." In an expanded edition of our playoff game previews, here are seven things to keep an eye on in tonight's Spurs-Hornets Game 7.





1. Let's Get The Ugliness Out Of The Way: David West will play. So will Robert Horry. And it'll probably be fine and nothing else will happen. But the tension will be there. And don't be completely shocked if there's another incident of "good playoff basketball" somewhere that ends up with West clutching his back again. These things "just happen." Meanwhile, Horry will be booed like he probably never has been before. Suns fans didn't get another shot at him that season and are notoriously civil. I would not expect the same treatment from the New Orleans folks. There's going to be a lot of physical play and don't be surprised if we see more technical fouls as both teams are really getting to dislike one another.

2. Duncan Versus West: Mano A Mano: The Spurs are 1-1 in putting Tim Duncan on David West one on one. Duncan was able to shut down the All-Star before the "good hard playoff basketball" by using his size and length in conjunction with a cohesive Spurs effort that jacked up the spacing for the Hornets on the offensive end. Conversely, in Game 5, with a healthy David West and the confidence of homecourt, West was nearly unstoppable. If he gets separation from Duncan and freezes him with the drive fake, he can get his jumper going, and that's when he gets scary. Conversely, Tyson Chandler has the job of guarding Duncan on the defensive end, but West has held his own. You never know which Tim Duncan is going to show up anymore. The bamboozled veteran that seems to slow and too clumsy to ever get anything going, or the best power forward in the history of the game. The Spurs can win without Duncan going off, and they can lose with Duncan scoring 30+, but both scenarios are very difficult to achieve.