Deal in the Clippers
Lisa Dillman
Los Angeles Times
Mad Men, part II? Not exactly.
Chris Paul can't pack up one weekend, join forces with a couple of other superheroes and leave the Hornets with a bunch of empty desks, full wastebaskets and a few stray basketballs.
It only happens on TV with the fictional advertising execs from Sterling Cooper. Oh, yes, and LeBron too.
What should the Hornets do, besides spin the story? It's easy. Nothing, for the moment.
But there is one suggestion, well down the road: Move Paul to the Clippers at the trade deadline. They need to do something big and relevant after a season of promises. The Donald, as in Sterling, did inform Paul last season he belonged in Hollywood after he scorched the Clippers at the Staples Center.
And, just maybe, Paul will recognize Sterling by then.
ldillman@tribune.com
Not buying the spin
Orlando Sentinel
All the breathless suspense on Monday surrounded whether Chris Paul would ask the New Orleans Hornets for a trade. Well, it appears the star point guard and the team indeed struck a deal.
In exchange for Paul agreeing to quietly walk the company line, the Hornets bought some time — maybe one season — to display some home improvements or line up trading partners without the background noise from Paul's camp.
How else do you explain Paul's sudden about-face after urging his handlers to leak his dismay and promote an exit strategy?
The club releases a statement saying that Paul wants to be a Hornet "for years to come"?
Huh? Not buying the Chamber of Commerce spin.
bschmitz@tribune.com
Just let him go
Ethan J. Skolnick
Sun Sentinel
The old NBA axiom is you never trade a superstar because the odds are strongly against getting equal value. And while that likely will be true if the Hornets deal Chris Paul, there's a newer approach that should take precedence: If you can't beat 'em, don't bother trying.
The Hornets, even with Paul, aren't going anywhere for a while. New Orleans has never been a particularly attractive NBA free agent destination, and the management situation is in turmoil. So rather than make a futile effort to stay just competitive enough to earn a No. 8 seed, the Hornets should take a page from Seattle/Oklahoma City. Let your star veterans go, and replace them with draft choices who can grow together.
Once the foundation is rebuilt, then try to capitalize on your cap space to add a couple of veterans to become a serious contender, and not just a pretender. eskolnick@tribune.com
Time to sit tight
K.C. Johnson Chicago Tribune
Here's what the Hornets should do with Chris Paul: Absolutely nothing.
Beyond the fact it would be hard to get equal value at this stage for their franchise player, Hornets management needs to handle the situation the way the Lakers did with Kobe Bryant. Remember when His Kobeness demanded a trade, the Lakers listened politely, smiled, did nothing and won championships?
That's not to say the Hornets are anywhere close to an NBA title — because they're not. It is to say franchise players need to be reminded what signing a maximum contract means. To turn your back on your franchise is despicable.
The best times to get value for players are at trade deadlines and at the draft. The Hornets could revisit talks then. Until then, Paul should shut up and play.
kjohnson@tribune.com