I just wanted to make this clear. Paul has a lot of leverage in where he wants to play. NO keeping an unhappy Paul on their roster is NOT going to happen, he will be traded. It would be a lose-lose situation for both parties if it doesn't happen. Why? Because an unhappy Paul will not play at his best, and its a huge distraction after having now come out and saying he wants a trade. Lets say Houston offers a good deal for Paul which NO likes... Paul can just tell Houston that he's not going to resign with us, and that takes the deal completely off the table. No team in this league will take a 2 year rental on an unhappy Paul who doesn't want to play for you. NO ONE. Which is why Paul can pick and choose where he wants to go.
So you think Paul would be unhappy for two years, not play up to his potential (during his prime) and risk becoming a free agent with a reputation of not giving 100% the prior two years?
Hey Chris, The stupidest thing you can do is veto a team. I did it twice and now I can't find work. Sure, I got a nice bloated contract, and sure, I played with some great players, but if you get labelled as a "troublemaker" no team will sign you. If you factor in how injury prone you are, that slims your options down. I'm just looking out for you bro. Steve Francis In all seriousness, Paul does not want a vet min contract in 2 years, he wants the big bucks. Paul might have a preference, but to be honest if he dogs it with whatever team he has for the last two years of his contract it won't bode well for him. Paul will play big and ultimately play for a team that wants him. If Paul was traded here, the only reason he would not resign with Houston is if we didn't win it all, and to be fair, if Yao and Paul are healthy there is no reason the Rockets couldn't win a championship.
He doesn't have a say in where he goes and if he plays like **** how would that make him look as an elite player?
There is truth to that but it's also true that Paul may decide he wants to come to Houston. If that happens somehow, we may suddenly be in a great situation to land him.
You're misunderstanding the difference between deliberately not playing 100% and playing your best. If you're unhappy with your situation, you're not going to play your best.
And if you think he's going to team like Memphis, then you're an idiot. You haven't given one logical reason that refutes any of my points.
Didn't say that. NO doesn't have to move a muscle. Just like the Lakers did with Kobe in 2007. Paul runs NOTHING, he doesn't have a no-trade clause. If it's time to play, then he'll play. Or not get paid. PERIOD.
unless he doesn't care about his reputation, he will fulfill his comtract. otherwise, other teams will think about him before signing him. hornets can do what knicks did to marbery. as a player, you don't want to burn the bridge btw you and teams.
I have to join the consensus in saying that the OP is completely wrong. If he threatens to not re-sign with us if we trade for him, I think our success (which is what he wants, right?) in the intervening years will convince him otherwise. And, if we can't be successful with Yao and Paul and all the supporting cast we've got, then I'm not sure we'd want him 3 seasons from now anyway. 2-year rental with an opportunity to convince him to re-up sounds just fine to me. And, I'm sure there are other teams with similar situations that would do the same calculus. And, I do think leaving him stuck in New Orleans is still an option if they think they can put together a real team soon. If they don't think they can contend before Paul becomes a free agent (which is probably the case), they should probably deal him now. But, in the unlikely event that they could, I'd roll the dice on his free agency.
Exactly. New York has no trade assets New Orleans could/would want. Orlando would have to give up some pretty key pieces to get Paul, and trade bait like Reddick couldn't go because he just signed a new contract. New Orleans looks bad in this situation as well, it looks like they are admitting defeat. Unless New Orleans get a deal worth it, they could essentially do what we did with Tmac and sit and wait for something good to roll around. A trade to Houston also makes New Orleans look dumb because the general rule of thumb is that you don't trade within your conference let alone your division a player like Paul. I think if Paul does get dealt, it will be a Rondo/Paul swap with fillers and picks. Boston looks better with a big "four" to combat the super idiots and the Super Lakers. All in all, Houston is a long shot, but to say just because Paul doesn't want to come here is the reason he doesn't get dealt here is asinine. Paul will not come here because New Orleans doesn't want him here.
I think our chances of getting in his list of teams increase by the deadline, if Yao stays healthy and we're a winning team. Until then, why would he choose one non playoff team for another?
Stephen Jackson wanted to go to Cleveland or any team in Texas. Look how much control he had over where he went.
Kobe was unhappy and wanted out of LA. Lakers kept him unhappily on the team and eventually pulled a Gasol trade. nothing's certain.
No star player would intentionally be a cancer for TWO YEARS in order to force a trade. One year, maybe. TWO YEARS? unless the name is Marbury.
