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Chris Paul's "Big Three" Fantasy May Be Just That
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By Andy Roth
Contributing Editor
Recent Articles
Where Politically Correct Opinions Get Rejected
New York, NY (Sports Network) - Chris Paul is looking to follow in the
footsteps of his good friend LeBron James and form his own trio of star players
in the hopes of winning an NBA championship. The Hornets' talented point guard
reportedly has told the club he wants to be traded and has given a wish list of
four teams to which he'd like to be dealt. The Knicks top that list with the
Magic being his second choice, followed by the Mavericks and Trail Blazers.
 Chris Paul has been in the league just five years and has now demaned a trade out of New Orleans. |
I can't blame Paul for wanting to leave New Orleans to pursue a title, but
he'll have a much more difficult time putting himself in the kind of position
LeBron did in Miami since he's not a free agent like James was. In all
likelihood, the exchange of talent it would take to acquire Paul would leave
that team with a very weak supporting cast, and some clubs may not even have
the players it will take to make the deal. Let's take a look at what the four
teams face that are on Paul's wish list.
KNICKS: Paul would join Amar'e Stoudemire in New York, but that's where the
good news would begin and end. A trade for Paul would leave the rest of the
roster, which isn't very good at this point, even worse. The Big Apple may be
his first choice, but I say it would be his worst choice if he hopes to win an
NBA Championship.
MAGIC: I'm sure Dwight Howard would love to have Paul join him in Orlando and
give him the chance to play with a point guard that actually makes other
players better. But I have to wonder if the Magic have the pieces to pull off
this deal. Other than Jameer Nelson, I don't see any other players that would
be attractive to the Hornets. Even if the Magic were able to acquire Paul,
they'd still be a long way from competing with the likes of the Lakers and
Heat. After the Big Two of Howard and Paul, you're left with a supporting cast
that's weaker than last year's that failed so badly in the playoffs.
MAVERICKS: The combination of Jason Kidd and Dirk Nowitzki has produced some
very good teams in Dallas, but zero NBA championships. Even though Paul would
be a significant upgrade over the aging Kidd, it wouldn't be nearly enough to
make Dallas serious title contenders.
TRAIL BLAZERS: Of the four teams reportedly on Paul's wish list, Portland has
the best talent to make the deal, but once again would probably be left with a
roster that wouldn't be in a position to contend for a championship.
QUICK DRIBBLES
It's a free agent signing that won't get much attention, but the Lakers made a
terrific move with the addition of Matt Barnes. He's an excellent defender who
can also knock down the open jump shot, and there should be plenty of those
available playing with Kobe and Gasol.
The Heat re-signed free agent point guard Carlos Arroyo. "By re-signing Carlos,
we feel we have accomplished another big step in adding to this team," Heat
president Pat Riley said." A big step? I didn't realize bringing back a player
that averaged 6.1 points and 3.1 assists in 22 minutes would elicit such a
reaction.
Former Knicks guard Allan Houston reportedly is the front-runner to be the
club's next general manager under team president Donnie Walsh. I guess owner
James Dolan wants the Knicks to continue to be irrelevant by hiring a GM with
no experience or track record.
Andy Roth covered the Knicks for NBC Radio and AP Radio for eleven years and was an NBA Columnist for Celtics Pride Magazine for two years. He's covered many of the major sporting events, including the Super Bowl, World Series, NBA Finals, U.S. Open Tennis and Golf.
Copyright
2010
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