What happened to the Chris Paul magic?

[exodus]

The Hornets have lost 8 straight games and are 2 games under .500. So far this month Paul is shooting 36.7%.

Of course there could be good excuses for Paul.

-He could be playing hurt.

-He could have hit the rookie wall.

-He could just be in a normal slump.

However it could also be that teams are starting to figure out how to play him.

[dalamchops]

he still averages 8 assists a game

[tmac13]

So, you didn't want to give him the credit when they were play well, but you do want to give him the blame when they play poorly??..Interesting

[exodus]

YOu must have me confused with someone else.

get your facts straight

[tmac13]

Get your facts straight..Here are 2 different threads where you attempted to diminish Pauls effect on the New Orleans record.

http://www.hawksquawk.net/forums/showflat....r=122501&Forum=,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,All_Forums,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,&Words=&Searchpage=20&Limit=25&Main=122493&Search=true&where=&Name=1000&daterange=&newerval=&newertype=&olderval=&oldertype=&bodyprev=#Post122501

"Most people don't know what is going on with the Hornets. the fact is their offense is lame. They are where they are because they are playing good team defense, and their defense is better when Paul isn't on the floor.

I think they may come after Al because they need scoring. Paul is forced to take a lot of tough shots. Here lately he has decided to just start taking it to the basket a lot to draw fouls and get to the line. He is shooting only 41% this month, which is what happens when a good shooter has to shoot over taller players. Hinrich has had the same problem trying to play the 2.

Over the last 10 games the Hornets are giving up less than 91 ppg while the Hawks are giving up over 103 ppg. That is the reason they are so far ahead of us. " Exodus

[exodus]

Everything I said in both threads was true. In the first thread I pointed out that the Hornets defense wasn't getting any credit, which was true. It is also true that they play better defense when Paul isn't on the floor, as pointed out by a HORNET'S FAN on the RealGm board.

The Hornets average about 4.5 fewer ppg than the Hawks, so why do they have a better record?

The second thread was started by someone else who basically posted the same thing I did. Here is every comment I made in the second thread:

Quote:

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I noticed that not long ago but it fell on deaf ears when I mentioned it.

While I am still not sold on Marvin I also think people may be getting a little carried away praising Paul. I like Paul but the Isiah comparisons are hard to swallow.

That isn't entirely true. Their offense is lame. As the season has progressed Paul's solution, when the clock is running down, is to take it to the basket, creating for himself or someone else.

His ball handling skills are such that he can get past almost anyone guarding him.

The downside is that you take a beating. He will probably end up wearing a lot of protection on his body

I am not criticizing Paul if that is what you are implying.

I have seen a lot of their games and I would certainly love to have him here.

However their offense isn't that good. Paul has to carry a lot of the load himself, too much really.

He has to accomplish a lot more before I will compare him to Isiah, who is one of the all time greats and certainly better than any pg that has played recently other than Stockton and Magic.

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Those comments appear biased to you because you are biased yourself. You can't handle any negative comments about Paul, which is very odd considering you are supposed to be a Hawks fan.

I start a thread entitled "Paul owns NY" and you say I can't give Paul credit? Next thing you will be trying to tell me the Earth is flat and Santa Claus is real.

[tmac13]

"Most people don't know what is going on with the Hornets. the fact is their offense is lame. They are where they are because they are playing good team defense, and their defense is better when Paul isn't on the floor."

Hey Diesel,I mean Exodus, those are your words..How that comment is not trying to diminish Paul is beyond me..You play both sides of an argument(much like your arch rival Diesel).

[exodus]

So what part of that comment is wrong? Their offense is lame. They average 4.5 ppg less than we do. what part of that do you not understand?

If they average 4.5 ppg less than the Hawks, obviously it is their defense that is winning games for them. And do you think Paul is the reason they are a good defensive team? That isn't the case according to a Hornets fan.

Funny how you missed the comments i made that Paul's ball handling skills allow him to get by anyone off the dribble or that I would love to have him here. That is definitely Diesel worthy.

Funny how you post my comments but YOU CAN'T POINT OUT ONE THING I SAID THAT IS WRONG.

[Dakin]

ugh. why do so many threads turn into perjury hearings.

[tmac13]

I didn't say what you said was wrong, I said you has posted before that Paul's effect on the New Orleans improvement wasn't that important..Then today you basically said New Orleans recent slide was Pauls fault..Which way is it?

[exodus]

Wrong.

I have said all along that Paul has been better than I thought he would be. However people have been overrating him.

They average 4.85 ppg fewer than the Hawks and give up 8.19 ppg less than the Hawks. Obviously it is their defense that is the reason they have a better record than the Hawks.

Offensively Paul does everything well. On defense he is average. In your mind that may be a contradiction but in reality it isn't.

Right now he is in a shooting slump. I gave several possible reasons for it, which you apparently didn't read.

Having seen several of their games I believe that they rely on him too much on offense, as i said in the earlier thread. Right now he is shooting 36.7% for the month and they have lost 8 straight.

Since they rely on him so much on offense do you think that, JUST MAYBE, his slump is at least part of the reason they are losing?

I have no strong feeling about Paul one way or the other. Before the draft I would have been ok with it if they drafted him, but I was also ok with it that they didn't.

However since we get bombarded with Paul propaganda when he is playing well it is only fair that it should be pointed out when he isn't playing well. What I posted would only be offensive to a Paul jockrider.

[exodus]

Quote:

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ugh. why do so many threads turn into perjury hearings.

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If someone is going to accuse me of something that is totally bogus, and then can't handle it when they are proven wrong, that isn't my problem.

[tmac13]

Okay Diesel, whatever you say..Keep playing boths sides..I just remembered you were one of the few posters that tried to downplay Pauls impact on New Orleans improvement..I just thought it was funny that when New Orleans plays poorly you whip out a post about Pauls shooting percentage..

Did I want us to draft Paul, hell yes..Anyone that is an ACC basketball fan and watched both Paul and Marvin play would have a hard time telling you they thought Marvin was better than Paul..Paul was a proven player with potential to get better, Marvin was a blank page with potential written on it..Thats not to even mention the fact we still badly need a point guard..

[tmac13]

Wow, totally denying a direct quote from your post that shows you downplayed Pauls influence on the NO record..You really are in rarified territory..The master has taught you well dieselhopper.

[exodus]

Quote:

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you didn't want to give him the credit when they were play well

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Go back and look at the threads you quoted. The majority of my comments about Paul were positive. So basically you proved yourself wrong in your own post. Even Diesel has more sense than that most of the time.

First you say I didn't give him credit, now you say I am playing both sides of the fence. i thought Diesel was the only one who argues with himself.

[tmac13]

OK, my last post on this thread cause you(like your master) will never admit being wrong..Here are the facts Dieselhopper..When New Orleans was winning, you said it was because of their improved defense and their defense was better WITHOUT Paul..When New Orleans is losing, it because teams have figured out how to play Paul and he is shooting a poor percentage..

My point was Dieselhopper, that is you don't give Paul any credit for the winning, he really doesn't deserve the blame for the losing..

I agree, you have posted good things about Paul, then you turned right around and said he wasn't the reason for NO improvement..Now he is the reason for their losing streak..You are just all over the place..Are you sure your not a politician?

[TheDude]

wonder why you never see any Mork and Mindy or Alf reruns? maybe some bias towards aliens? alas, we shall never know....

carry on.

[exodus]

Quote:

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Wow, totally denying a direct quote from your post that shows you downplayed Pauls influence on the NO record..You really are in rarified territory..The master has taught you well dieselhopper.

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Where did I deny the quote?

I absolutely did downplay his influence on their record. As I said before I thought he was being overrated.

He is carrying them offensvely, or at least he has most of the season. But he isn't the reason they are giving up 8.19 ppg less than the Hawks.

I have given him plenty of credit, including in the threads you posted. And I started a thread saying he owned NY when he was lighting them up. If that doesn't qualify as giving him credit in your mind then you are a serious jockrider.

Ill say it again. When did I deny the quote?

[chillzatl]

how is it now the chris paul magic? Prior to this, you've been pretty consistant on saying that their success had more to do with the players around him. Now that they're slumping it's becuase teams are figuring him out?

Apart from his fg%, his stats haven't changed much. Teams are playing them tighter and I'm sure the oft rumored "rookie wall" is having an effect. Lets don't forget that even with Chris paul, they simply aren't a playoff caliber team. It can't be a surprise that they've faded.

[exodus]

The Hornets won 3 straight games when Paul was out. Does he get credit for those too?

The game he came back from injury he scored 1 point in limited minutes and they won in a blowout. I suppose he gets credit for that too.