Trade for Chris Paul.

[Danimals]

I do not want to contend for the playoffs. I want to contend for championships. I believe it takes hall of fame players to win championships. I am not convinced we have any hall of fame caliber players. I believe we have the right assets, and we should make a move for Chris Paul.


Worst case scenario looks something like:

Chris Paul, Morris Peterson, and Peja Stojakovic
for
Ricky Rubio, Kevin Love, Nikola Pekovic, Ryan Gomes, Brian Cardinal, Etan Thomas, Quentin RIchardson, and 2 first round picks


Best case scenario is more like:

Chris Paul, Tyson Chandler, and James Posey
for
Ricky Rubio, Kevin Love, Nikola Pekovic, Darius Songalia, Brian Cardinal, Etan Thomas, Quentin RIchardson, and 1 first round pick

[The J Rocka]

i'm all for it

[Mcfale313]

3 for 7?
we have no players left man..........

if follows ur first scenario, our lineup will be like

Jefferson
Songaila/Pecherov
Stojakovic/Brewer
Ellington/Peterson
Paul/Flynn


we suddenly went from forward heavy to guard heavy and no front court player....don tell me u plan to sign Siler and Kurz.....

[jade_hippo]

Siler is going to camp with the Hawks if i'm not mistaken

[shrink]

I still maintain that if Chris Paul is traded, the deal won't contain as much great young talent as it does cap relief. Our expirings, and ability to take on longer commitments, make us a better match than most teams. Rubio, Love, Pek, and 2 1st rounders is way too much when a team would be adding $60 mil too.

[PeeDee]

The gutted Wolves team after the trade would be worse than the Hornets are now. Say no to the land of mediocrity. No cap space, limited assets...

Are we so eager to get back to the hamstrung KG days of mediocre teams and nothing to show for it?

I love Chris Paul, but if he can't will his current team to victory, what will he do with the Wolves in that state?

[Worm Guts]

The gutted Wolves team after the trade would be worse than the Hornets are now. Say no to the land of mediocrity. No cap space, limited assets...

Are we so eager to get back to the hamstrung KG days of mediocre teams and nothing to show for it?

I love Chris Paul, but if he can't will his current team to victory, what will he do with the Wolves in that state?

The team would still have Al Jefferson and Johnny Flynn. Al Jefferson would be a better sidekick than anyone KG ever had.

[PeeDee]

Agreed but Jefferson, Paul, Peja and Flynn aren't necessarily playoff bound either.

[invno1]

If the Timberwolves are willing to be patent for a few years, they might have one of the best PG's to play the game. Why throw everything out the window for CP?

[Carpe Diem]

If we are bidding against ourselves, then Shrink is correct. But there are other teams out there that can also make a deal for CP3, and at that point Rubio/Love/Char #1/Utah #1 along with the salary dump of Richardson/Thomas/Cardinal would be necessary.

As far as the 3 for 7 thing goes, my response is "so-what." A team with Chris Paul on it has instant credibility, and a team with AL and CP3 is a playoff team that could go far.

I agree with the OP. If the move is there, you make it and don't think twice.

[Worm Guts]

Agreed but Jefferson, Paul, Peja and Flynn aren't necessarily playoff bound either.

I think any team with a healthy Jefferson and Paul makes the playoffs, and probably wins in the first round.

[Esohny]

Just to play devil's advocate:
Depending on the picks added(like we gave them the Bobcats pick and a future 1st), if we did this at the trade deadline, we'd likely still have a top 10 pick, so we would be able to add an Evan Turner, Aminu, or Xavier Henry.

We'd also still have Ellington, Gomes, and Songaila on the bench as well as Flynn.

We could pull a Flynn for Rudy deal if we wanted as well.

I would say that is a better team than NOH has been putting out there, even when healthy. Especially if we got Chandler(hopefully with functional feet) instead of Peja.

Just saying, that's a strong team, and the core would all be under 27. Peja would expire in a couple seasons or Chandler could be resigned at market rate after 2010, and our finances would look ok long term. Shrug...this is probably academic anyway.

[PeeDee]

Is Jefferson better than West and Chandler combined? Coming off an injury? Paul has those guys on his team and the team isn't that good. I don't think Jefferson + Paul can get it done by themselves. And with a deal like that, you can't really add more significant parts later.

[Worm Guts]

Is Jefferson better than West and Chandler combined? Coming off an injury? Paul has those guys on his team and the team isn't that good. I don't think Jefferson + Paul can get it done by themselves. And with a deal like that, you can't really add more significant parts later.

Two years ago they won 56 games and made to the 2nd round of the playoffs. The Hornets are pretty good. Having a top 5 player is a big key to winning championships, and it's the hardest thing to find. If you get a shot at one, especially a young one, you take it.

[El_Lobo_3]

Yeah I wouldnt want to do this if we had to gut our team but if it were for the sake of cap relief for the hornets and we could do this with keeping more of our core in tact, then sign me the hell up!! haha.

[PeeDee]

If Paul had continued success with his teams I'd be more willing to gut the team for him, but one year doesn't convince me. The Hornets were mediocre last year. The OPs trade is giving up too much right now.

Like I said, I love Paul. It would be awesome to have him on this team. But giving up ALL of our assets for one guy AND taking on ridiculous contracts makes me want to puke.

[shrink]

Regardless of dreams of the team we would have, it doesn't make sense to pay far above market.

I really do not think that a Chris Paul deal is going to bring back tons of talent .. it will bring back tons of financial relief. Let me put it this way:

The best players in the NBA will make under $20 mil.

Chris Paul + Peja
2009-10 $27.0 mil
2010-11 $29.5 mil

I'd give Paul $20, but would you pay Peja $7 this year, and $9.5 the next? Doubtful.

Adding these financial dead weights, which would be the reason NOH would do the deal, robs Paul of a TON of trade value in getting back talent.

[Worm Guts]

If Paul had continued success with his teams I'd be more willing to gut the team for him, but one year doesn't convince me. The Hornets were mediocre last year. The OPs trade is giving up too much right now.

Like I said, I love Paul. It would be awesome to have him on this team. But giving up ALL of our assets for one guy AND taking on ridiculous contracts makes me want to puke.

The Hornets won 49 games last year, that's still pretty good. And it's not all our assets, it leaves Jefferson and Flynn. Maybe you have to flip Flynn for someone else, but there's potential there for a great top 3. You can find role players, it's tough to find top guys.
Look at KG's WCF team, it had rotation guys like Hoiberg, Madsen, Hassell and Ervin Johnson. Even at this steep price, it's a no brainer.

[Worm Guts]

Regardless of dreams of the team we would have, it doesn't make sense to pay far above market.

.

I'm not sure what you're saying here. I'd like to get Paul for as little talent as possible, I'd agree with that, but if you're saying fans should care about potential financial ramifications of acquiring Paul, then I disagree. If you're interested in winning, then it makes sense to acquire Paul regardless of whether your paying above market.

[PeeDee]

Yeah, the Wolves went years and years posting pretty good w-l records and then getting bounced in the first round. I was there for all of them, it was awesome.