This Is Not What Chris Paul Had in Mind for Hornets

Filed under: Hornets, Magic, NBA Rumors, NBA Preseason

ORLANDO -- This was not exactly what New Orleans general manager Dell Demps and coach Monty Williams -- the new regime -- had in mind when they sat down this summer with wavering superstar Chris Paul and promised him a brighter future.



Exhibition or not, losing by 50 is never a good sign.



"It was all bad,'' Paul said Sunday night after his Hornets were thrashed like an overmatched high school team, 135-81, by the Orlando Magic. "It's definitely a concern, a concern on how we react.''



Paul, widely regarded as the best point guard in the NBA, set off a major alarm this summer when said he would be receptive to leaving New Orleans if the Hornets could not build a contender around him, leading to preliminary trade talks with several teams and a change in leadership of the Hornets.



Paul later calmed the furor by saying all the right things after his meeting with Demps and Williams, and he repeatedly has voiced his belief that the Hornets are headed in the right direction. And he has shown it throughout preseason by his tireless work ethic.



But after being obliterated Sunday -- Paul still was in the game late in the third quarter when his team trailed by 42 points -- he might be having second thoughts about the future of the Hornets.



They play Wednesday against the Heat and the Three Kings of Miami, sure to have him thinking again about what it would be like to play with a better supporting cast.



"There have been a lot of good things taking place off the court (in New Orleans). It's a different culture. We're building an identity,'' he said. "If it translates onto the court, it should be a good season. It's up to the players now.''

 

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Full story at http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/10/11/this-is-not-what-chris-paul-had-in-mind-for-hornets/