shucks...too bad that didn't work out cause we could've had him a year later for Farmar and Brown
Quote of the day, how conflicting rumors get started
By Kurt Helin
"Right now Wes is talking out of six sides of his mouth."
--One anonymous general manager, about what CAA employee and LeBron insider William Wesley is doing right now on the LeBron James and Chris Paul rumors (as tweeted by Brian Windhorst of the Cleveland Plain Dealer).
Chris Paul May Be the Unforseen Catalyst This Summer
By Matt Moore
*********************
Magic Come Knocking for Chris Paul
By Sam Amick
Orlando's Interest in Chris Paul Involves Vince Carter, Jameer Nelson
By Tim Povtak
The Orlando Magic's preliminary inquiry into the availability of point guard Chris Paul involved a discussion that included a trade of both starting guards Vince Carter and Jameer Nelson to New Orleans.
The Magic, as part of the early discussion, would receive both Paul and small forward James Posey, according to a second NBA source that confirmed the original FanHouse story by Sam Amick involving the two teams.
Although Paul clearly is the best player in the talks, the Hornets are interested in reducing future salary obligations. The team is in the midst of an ownership sale/transfer that has been stalled by the debt obligations that the new owner would incur.
Paul has three years remaining on his contract worth $49 million. The final year, at $17.7 million, is a player's option.
Although Carter is past his prime, he is attractive because he has only one year remaining on his contract, worth $17.7 million. It would allow the Hornets to drop below the salary cap next summer. Nelson, an All-Star point guard two seasons ago, has three years remaining at $6.7, $7.3 and $7.8 million, making less than half of Paul's salary.
The inclusion of Posey, who is scheduled to make $6.4 and $6.9 million, would make the deal work under salary cap rules and give the Magic a starting small forward to replace Matt Barnes, who is expected to leave as a free agent this summer.
The Magic, who lost in the NBA Finals two years ago and this season in the conference final to the Boston Celtics, are looking to upgrade the roster surrounding franchise center Dwight Howard.
The Magic are just one of several teams that have inquired into Paul's availability, according to league sources. Paul would be considered a significant upgrade over Nelson.
Paul averaged 19.4 points and 9.9 assists in his first four seasons in the league. Last season, though, he missed the final 37 games with knee and ankle problems, averaging 18.7 points. He is expected to be 100 percent by the start of next season.
One reason the Hornets would be willing to entertain the thought of parting with Paul was the rapid growth of Darren Collison, who was a huge surprise as a rookie last season.
In his 36 starts -- after Paul left for the season -- Collison averaged 18.6 points and 9.1 assists. Combined with Nelson, the two could provide an adequate replacement for Paul at half the cost.
The Magic, meanwhile, would be taking on more future financial obligations, but they have expressed a willingness to delve into the luxury tax territory in their quest to win a championship. Their incoming revenue stream is expected to increase significantly next season when they move into a new downtown arena.
They also were disappointed this spring in the performance of Carter, who struggled in the conference final against the Celtics, failing to provide the offensive leadership the Magic expected.
Why trade for another PG? We already have Collison.
Updated.
Hornets new coach doesn’t want Paul traded
By Brett Martel
Monty Williams would rather not contemplate making his NBA head coaching debut without Chris Paul.
So with trade talks intensifying as they often do in the final days before the NBA draft, Williams made it clear on Tuesday that he expects his new employers to turn down whatever offers they get for their biggest star.
“Chris was the main thing that excited me about this job,” Williams said after a pre-draft workout Tuesday at the Hornets’ suburban training center. “So many people are begging for a point guard. You’re talking about the best one in the game. I couldn’t envision being here without Chris.”
The Hornets have the 11th overall pick in Thursday night’s draft and likely could move up if they decided to deal their three-time All-Star.
Meanwhile, those teams which plan to pursue LeBron James in free agency might enhance their chances of success by trading for Paul.
Paul and James are close friends who spend a lot of time together in the offseason and were teammates on the 2008 U.S. Olympic team that won gold in Beijing.
When James premiered his do entary, “More Than A Game,” in Akron, Ohio, last year, Paul was on hand to help promote it.
Hornets general manager Jeff Bower said he has received many calls about possible trades but declined to specify which teams, or how many, inquired about Paul.
“I’m not going to comment on rumors, regardless of confirming them or denying them or saying how believable or unbelievable they are because it’s something that’s going to be there all throughout the free-agent process,” Bower said. “We have a duty to listen and have dialogue with teams about all of our players … and our job is to be aware of the interest in every player in this league, not only other (teams’) players, but our own.”
The Hornets’ uncertain ownership situation could be playing a role in other clubs’ pursuit of Paul as well.
When Hornets owner George Shinn reached an agreement in early May to sell his shares to minority partner Gary Chouest, it appeared that the franchise would be on stronger financial footing.
Now the sale of the team to Chouest is on hold. Team president Hugh Weber said recently that uncertainty caused by the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has contributed to delays in the transaction because Chouest and many of his business partners work in the oil industry. Chouest owns a company that designs, builds and operates supply vessels for companies operating offshore oil platforms in the Gulf and around the world.
With the Hornets’ ownership situation in flux, other clubs are reaching out to test Shinn’s interest in being relieved of his financial obligation to Paul, who is entering the second year of a four-year contract worth about $68 million.
Yet, if the Hornets traded Paul, they would risk alienating not just their new coach but also their fans. Paul is not only their most popular player for his showmanship on the court but also for the way he has embraced his community service role during New Orleans’ recovery from Hurricane Katrina.
While Bower stopped short of guaranteeing that Paul would be in a Hornets uniform when the 2010-11 season opened, he added, “I can guarantee that we are very much aware of Chris’ abilities, skills, talents and what he provides to our community and what he provides to our basketball team—and we don’t take that lightly.”
Last edited by duncan228; 06-22-2010 at 06:58 PM.
The Magic would upgrade big time if they could get Paul and Posey for VC and Jameer..
If anyone wants to know the William Wesley story.
William Wesley in the spotlight
By Henry Abbott
Magic GM Denies Asking Hornets About Paul
SportingNews
Magic general manager Otis Smith today denied reports saying he had inquired about the availability of Hornets point guard Chris Paul.
Smith said "Nope" when asked by the Orlando Sentinel via telephone if he had asked New Orleans about Paul.
AOL FanHouse’s Tim Povtak, a former Magic beat writer for the Sentinel, reported earlier in the day that the Magic offered guards Jameer Nelson and Vince Carter for Paul and forward James Posey during preliminary talks.
FanHouse’s Sam Amick reported Tuesday morning that the Magic were among teams expressing interest in Paul. New Orleans executives have said Paul isn’t available.
Smith also told the Sentinel that he’s not close to making any trades, and that he plans to hold onto the 29th overall pick in Thursday’s draft.
Hornets already dealt a champion guard this season by shipping off DOWNTOWN Devin Brown....
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