Chris Paul showed up on the first day of informal player workouts at the New Orleans Hornets’ workout facility and began dutifully putting in work with his teammates. While spending the past few days with good friends LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Carmelo Anthony after their charity tour was rendered moot post-lockout – speculation has been growing at a fever pace that CP3 wants out and would like to join Melo in New York.
On Thursday, Paul did little to actually deny any of the rumors but did say the prerequisite phrases just about any player might say if such rumor was actually true.
”I don’t think about it, to tell you the truth,” Paul said of the trade rumors. ”I’m just ready to get out here and compete and hoop. This is what I do. I love it. I have a very tight circle and they know this whole lockout thing’s been driving me nuts, so I’m just happy to get out on the court and compete. This is the way that I express myself, by playing basketball, so I can’t wait to get out there.”
Paul described various and mushrooming reports about where he might be traded as, ”Just rumors.” ”You can’t control it. It’s always going to happen. It’s part of the game,” Paul said. ”I’m just happy to be back with my team.”
Maybe it really is just a rumor. Of course, there was a time when it was “just a rumor” that Carmelo wanted to leave the Nuggets to play in New York.
Regardless, it’s one thing that Chris Paul wants to play at Madison Square Garden, and his agent would love to accommodate it, but the reality is that it’s quite the pipe dream considering what the Hornets would acquire from the Knicks in exchange for one of the best point guards in the world.
Unless Hornets GM Dell Demps is really stoked to nab Renaldo Balkman and a 35-year old Chauncey Billups playing in the final year of his contract that pays him more than $14 million, it’s hard to imagine it could happen without involving Amare’ Stoudemire and his contract. Of course, the Hornets could march on like they did last year when rumors cropped up early in the season that CP3 wanted out. And do they try to appease him by re-signing David West?
”That’s like a brother to me,” Paul said. ”I’ve never played a season without him.”
While that may not exactly qualify as an ultimatum, Paul leaves the team’s success in the future of his hand, with his agent reportedly informing the Hornets that his client is not signing an extension. New rules in the proposed CBA and the Hornets ownership status further complicate the situation.
One more week to go until training camp starts and players can officially be on the move. And these rumors have only just begun…
