Chris Paul officially demands a trade

[AHF]

I think an Atlanta offer of Smith or Horford (not both), Marvin, Teague and 2 #1s would be competitive with about anything out there. If anyone wants to trump that, then let them.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

I gotta agree with NBA superstar. That's way too much to trade for Paul. You don't trade both Smith and Horford if you don't have to. Just trade one + Jeff Teague

A simple package of Paul for Josh Smith + Teague will do. Paul for Horford + Teague works too. ( EDIT: Horford is considered to be in his BYC right now, so that wouldn't work ).

If you have to throw in ONE #1 pick, then so be it. Of course, all this is contingent upon Paul being signed and delivered to us at the time we make this trade. We don't need any Danny Manning repeats.

PG - Paul

G - Johnson

F - Marvin ( unbelievable how he survives )

PF - Smith or Horford

C - Zaza

You make that move, and you'd think the Hawks would improve by leaps and bounds ( as long as Paul stays healthy ). It will take the ball out of JJ's hands and may make him an even more deadly scorer, now that he doesn't have to worry about setting up everybody for points, as well as score the basketball.

With Horford's inability to effectively create his own shot, a high assist PG like Paul would definitely help his game as well.

No sense in taking all of those mediocre players from the Hornets to add here. Just trade for what we need and be done with it.

Edited December 2, 2011 by northcyde

[IheartVolt]

Well looks like Crawford might be heading to Indiana...

http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/216950/Crawford_Pacers_Have_Mutual_Interest

Edited December 2, 2011 by savwboy

[Joker]

Get off your high horse man......CP would unbelievably elevate this team and city......say what you want it's your opinion. But, other people watch basketball as well. CP and JJ would be a terrific duo. We can find someone to do the things Smoove, Horf, and Marvin do. We've been searching for years for a guy like Paul. C and PG. If you can get superstar at either position you've won half the battle.

I want to first say my bad for taking a shot at your loyalty. That's not my place for that. Either way, this is pointless. CP3 will only come here if what he likes is here. I was just going at fake people who claim Atlanta who really hate the team like Hollinger. Sorry but the guy said Mutombo was a superstar. He was more of a joke than anything to causal fans. I remember if someone said you played like Mutombo it was a sign of disrespect. I like Mutombo but he just wasn't elite. Elite defensive player and a very good player who was a center.

CP3 isn't Derrick Rose. Him and Joe would not be that great of a duo without having a #1 option in place. CP3 biggest strengths are his half court offensive dominance of controlling the floor like a 10 time chess champion and his elite PnR skills. No one in NBA history is as good at Paul at those specific traits. No one. He's not a #1 option scorer like Derrick Rose who can score 50 PPG any given night if hot. That isn't CP3 game. He's not even as fast as he was in 2008-09 nor does he attack the basket like that anymore either. It wouldn't be an great duo. Joe would still get double teamed too. It's not like Atlanta would have much.

I can't see that team doing anything different than this one. Both are severely flawed. You can drink the Kool-Aid, but I don't see that team being any different. Both aren't making it out the 2nd round ever.

Edited December 2, 2011 by nbasuperstar40

[AHF]

Paul for Horford + Teague works too. ( EDIT: Horford is considered to be in his BYC right now, so that wouldn't work ).

Horford is tradeable under the new BYC rules so that wouldn't be an obstacle.

[Joker]

I gotta agree with NBA superstar. That's way too much to trade for Paul. You don't trade both Smith and Horford if you don't have to. Just trade one + Jeff Teague

A simple package of Paul for Josh Smith + Teague will do. Paul for Horford + Teague works too. ( EDIT: Horford is considered to be in his BYC right now, so that wouldn't work ).

If you have to throw in ONE #1 pick, then so be it. Of course, all this is contingent upon Paul being signed and delivered to us at the time we make this trade. We don't need any Danny Manning repeats.

PG - Paul

G - Johnson

F - Marvin ( unbelievable how he survives )

PF - Smith or Horford

C - Zaza

You make that move, and you'd think the Hawks would improve by leaps and bounds ( as long as Paul stays healthy ). It will take the ball out of JJ's hands and may make him an even more deadly scorer, now that he doesn't have to worry about setting up everybody for points, as well as score the basketball.

With Horford's inability to effectively create his own shot, a high assist PG like Paul would definitely help his game as well.

No sense in taking all of those mediocre players from the Hornets to add here. Just trade for what we need and be done with it.

It's one thing that Horford can't create his own shot but the fact that he's elite in movement and the PnR... Then he could play with CP3 without Josh taking shots and setting up picks for Jamal or Joe for them to only shoot or watching our backcourt dominate the offense to go to having a PG who can see the whole floor, react 3 passes quicker than the defense can react and can run a great PnR. Not just two to three times a game like Bibby or rarely ever like Teague and Hinrich but a great PnR all game long. If Horford was an All Pro NFL WR who was main skill was the deep threat, he just went from Colt McCoy being his QB to Aaron Rodgers. An epic difference.

Horford is tradeable under the new BYC rules so that wouldn't be an obstacle.

Yep, he is.

Edited December 2, 2011 by nbasuperstar40

[Wurider05]

So basically we become that Atlanta Hornets? LOL

[lethalweapon3]

Question... In Atlanta's pro sports history, are there sportsmen who played somewhere else before coming here, then, upon arrival in Atlanta, either became superstars or enhanced their star-worthy notoriety to the effect that attendance increased and remained high for years? (**)

I ask this because I'm admittedly a bit of a skeptic about the whole "CP3 will electrify the city!" mantra.

Drafted players (Vick, Dale) and other rookies who started here (Nique) pumped some life into stale franchises, and I don't doubt that if we hadn't screwed up the draft, either CP3 or D-Will would be as synonymous with ATL sports as a red #7 football jersey. But now that Paul has earned his national notoriety as part of "somebody else's franchise," I don't foresee a net effect of local excitement translating into packed arenas... at least, not until AFTER he shows he can carry a team to a conference trophy or something.

A few more basketball-purist afficionados would get to Philips more often, sure. And jersey sales couldn't help but go up (Hawks jerseys have their own aisle in the discount corner of Ross Stores these days). But if after adding him (and subtracting other talent to get him) this franchise doesn't get any further in the playoffs, that "new car smell" would wear very fast, no matter what a swell guy he would be locally. "Another second round exit? Heck, we did all this with (Smoove/Horf/Joe) here!", "Deron would've been better anyway!", and all the woe-is-us local media and fan blather would ensue.

It's certainly unfair to see him as a failure as a draw in New Orleans, what with the recovery and all. The Hornets did rise to 8th overall in % attendance the season after they won their division and got to the semifinals (2009), and they were dead-last pre-Katrina (and pre-Paul). But early last season, they were just several thousand unsold tickets away from being able to pack up and relocate to KC, despite Paul being there for 40 games. He's certainly the key reason the franchise was salvaged in the Big Easy. But his presence amid even a couple decent seasons were not "electric" enough to either keep the undersized New Orleans Arena full or keep the Hornets as a sustainable, profitable venture for its ownership or any prospective buyers.

I just don't see the "Fish That Saved Pittsburgh"(***) vibe happening here, not with him alone, anyway.

(**) I gotta rule out Mutombo since they remained near last in the league in attendance despite 56 wins and a DPOY award, although they got some of the bump they needed (up to 13th) the next season, after they drew MJ's Bulls in the second round. As a Yankee-turned-Brave, Deion was kind of a baseball star, but primarily due to the two-sport thing he had going on for a minute. Maddux surely went from All-Star to HOF legend upon arrival from the Cubs. But the Braves had already been through the worst-to-first story and two World Series before he got here, and was already at the top of the NL in attendance by then.

(***) not the best analogy, I know since it was on like 20 times on NBATV this fall... "Moses Guthrie" was already on the team before the "Pisces" renaissance occurred. But I'm thinking of an effect where the team goes from "laughingstock, ennui, and irrelevance" to "mania, packed houses, and triumph."

~lw3