Scott Fired: Hornets in turmoil, Chris Paul is the target!

[Esohny]

If Kahn is sick of the losses maybe he will jump on this. A 3 man frontcourt of Al/Love/Okafor would make the team much better. I guess it all depends on what their plan is with Pek.

Would we really want to hurt our future to sign another undersized center? Okafor would help our defense, but he's only like 6'10 and that moves love to the bench. Then we have less capspace, to sign a Rudy Gay.

Not that I think we necessarily should do this trade, but wouldn't having a PF/C talented enough to push Love to the bench be ideal? If he's the first big off the bench, he would still get 30-35 minutes, but he'd be going against other teams bench players more often and be that much more effective.

[B Calrissian]

^ That is my thinking as well.

As far as Gay goes, chucker wings are easier to come by than starting quality centers, undersized or otherwise.

[Wolves2011]

Hear Chris Paul out from 3 -4 weeks. This will not a happy team with a terrible record and dumping salary.

The guy we should go after is Chris Paul.

Are there any other top 5 players we have any realist shot at getting?

[Biff Cooper]

My guess is Kahn isn't interested in ruining his 2010 salary situation by taking Okafur for expirings.

Possibly something like Paul, Okafur, Posey for something like Jefferson, Flynn, Blount, Wilkins, Char 1st, Utah 1st may make sense.

[Wolves2011]

My guess is Kahn isn't interested in ruining his 2010 salary situation by taking Okafur for expirings.

Possibly something like Paul, Okafur, Posey for something like Jefferson, Flynn, Blount, Wilkins, Char 1st, Utah 1st may make sense.

That could work. But didn't someone say, the Hornets were trading Okafor for an expiring?

If I was New Orleans, I'd prefer the Wolves first round pick over Jefferson. It keeps the payroll lower. If they are playing poorly and attendance drops off, they are going to want to cut payroll to the bone.

Flynn and our 1st round pick (should be top 5) should be the centerpiece.

[Esohny]

Hear Chris Paul out from 3 -4 weeks. This will not a happy team with a terrible record and dumping salary.

The guy we should go after is Chris Paul.

Are there any other top 5 players we have any realist shot at getting?

There aren't ANY top 5 players we have a realistic shot at getting, Paul included.

[Wolves2011]

Hear Chris Paul out from 3 -4 weeks. This will not a happy team with a terrible record and dumping salary.

The guy we should go after is Chris Paul.

Are there any other top 5 players we have any realist shot at getting?

There aren't ANY top 5 players we have a realistic shot at getting, Paul included.

New Orleans is going to dump payroll and trade Paul. With their financial situation, they will want young inexpensive players and draft picks.

[See the Oakafor for expiring contract from Sacramento.]

We are one of the better options for that type of trade. If things develop as I expect and hope, we have a 30% chance to get Chris Paul. Even if its less than 50%, its worth exploring.

[Esohny]

So there's a high probability that Chris Paul will not only try to force a trade, but will accept being traded to the Wolves?

[Wolves2011]

So there's a high probability that Chris Paul will not only try to force a trade, but will accept being traded to the Wolves?

I didn't say high, I said 30%. That assumes a number of things.

1) Hornets ownership really wants to cut costs... so our young, good inexpensive players and draft picks are valuable and good trade pieces.

2) Paul believes, Jefferson (when healthy), Love (when playing), and another top player we get for Rubio, and another top player we get in free agency next summer, is a better supporting cast than the Hornets.

The hornets won't give Chris Paul away. He will be traded somewhere that has good young players and draft picks.

Maybe Chris Paul prefers Oklahoma City or possibly Golden State or Memphis but those are the likely places to give the Hornets the trade "assets" that they want, if they are dumping payroll. [Oklahoma City is playing well, not sure they want to dismantle their current team to get Paul.]

The Wolves have more "hidden" assets than any of these teams, with the potential to make their team better

1) three first round draft picks
2) rights to Rubio
3) rights to pekovic
4) enough cap space to bring in a top free agent

and a some cornerstone players in Jefferson, Love, Flynn & Sessions.

The wolves can trade some assets and still have enough to get MUCH better.

And before you bring up this years record --

1) jefferson - only maybe 60% - recovering
2) no Love
3) new offense - extremely complicated
4) new coaches
5) new roster

Kahn is a good salesman. He can sell our potential to Paul.

[Esohny]

Well, 30% is higher than the actual probability of about 0.2% so I'm still going with "high."

[Narf]

Well, 30% is higher than the actual probability of about 0.2% so I'm still going with "high."

What? In what world? New Orleans is not looking to improve the team, they are looking to cut salary. They don't want to win, they want to save cash. CP3 is in a very bad position there. If he wants ANY chance to win in the next 3 years he'll have to do so on another team.

It's slightly higher than 0.2% that he asks for a trade, especially when they trade a good player of an expiring contract. My estimation would be about 15%, as a random number pulled out of my arse.

[Biff Cooper]

My guess is Kahn isn't interested in ruining his 2010 salary situation by taking Okafur for expirings.

Possibly something like Paul, Okafur, Posey for something like Jefferson, Flynn, Blount, Wilkins, Char 1st, Utah 1st may make sense.

That could work. But didn't someone say, the Hornets were trading Okafor for an expiring?

If I was New Orleans, I'd prefer the Wolves first round pick over Jefferson. It keeps the payroll lower. If they are playing poorly and attendance drops off, they are going to want to cut payroll to the bone.

Flynn and our 1st round pick (should be top 5) should be the centerpiece.

They'd probably prefer Love + Expirings to Jefferson too. I think Love, Flynn, Blount, Cardinal, and Gomes + Utah 1st for Paul, Okafur, Posey would work (even if Paul is BYC).

If they prefer our 1st, we could probably put some weird contingencies on it to allow it to be traded even though it may technically be owed to the Clippers (we have 3 conditional first rounders this year and 1 conditional first rounder in 2011, and the Hornets have both 2010 and 2011 picks, something should be able to be worked out to cover all scenerios and still comply with the Stepien Rule - or we could make an additional minor trade with Utah to get them to take the conditions off their pick). Then we could trade Paul, Okafur, Posey for Flynn, Our #1 pick, Char #1 pick, Gomes, Blount, Cardinal, & Wilkins.

[panth181]

We are one of the better options for that type of trade. If things develop as I expect and hope, we have a 30% chance to get Chris Paul. Even if its less than 50%, its worth exploring.

Wait a minute...



Are you sure it isn't 30.2%, instead of just 30%?



What I meant say is, I'll give 1:3 odds on as much money as you've got that Chris Paul never plays a minute for this franchise, at least not under the scenario that you think has a 30 freaking percent chance of happening!!!

[Wolves2011]

We are one of the better options for that type of trade. If things develop as I expect and hope, we have a 30% chance to get Chris Paul. Even if its less than 50%, its worth exploring.

Wait a minute...



Are you sure it isn't 30.2%, instead of just 30%?



What I meant say is, I'll give 1:3 odds on as much money as you've got that Chris Paul never plays a minute for this franchise, at least not under the scenario that you think has a 30 freaking percent chance of happening!!!

I don't bet.

To quote myself "we are one of the better options for this type of trade". So there are preceding conditions - probabilities that must be met before we get to the 30%.

So what are the odds that the Hornets decide to trade Chris Paul and what are the odds that they decide to "go young", trying to get good, young inexpensive players and draft picks. Once all of those probabilities are sorted out then there is a 30% chance that we get him in my opinion.

So I don't bet, but if I did the bet would commence AFTER the Hornets had decided to trade Paul and AFTER they had also decided they want to rebuild, so they would be looking good, young inexpensive players and draft picks.

At that point its a 30% chance we get him [competing against others with similar assets, like the thunder, grizzlies etc.]

Get it?

[panth181]

Top 5 players of all time at their position don't get salary dumped.

Paul is so good that the Wolves could trade their next 5 first round picks for him, and it would very likely still end up being lopsided in favor of the Wolves.

End of story.