ESPN’s poll of its expert marches onward, weighing in on many things, and today it got to where Chris Paul will be in two years. I participated in the panel, but I’m generally in the minority for all things Hornets. This is one of those things:
Only 12.9 percent of our voters think Paul will stay in New Orleans, despite the fact that after his meeting with Hornets management, he said in a statement: “I have been a Hornet my entire career and I hope to represent the city of New Orleans and state of Louisiana for many years to come.”
But as currently constructed, the Hornets’ roster will have a tough time getting out of the West — in fact, the Hornets probably are going to have a tough time getting out of the lottery. And with the rest of his Olympic buddies all seemingly on title contenders, Paul is running out of patience.
Still, it’s too early to tell what will happen. The Hornets have a new coach (Monty Williams) and a new general manager (Dell Demps) who come from winning organizations — the Blazers and Spurs, respectively. They just made a deal for Trevor Ariza, who will be Paul’s most athletic sidekick ever in New Orleans. And they have some flexibility with David West set to become a free agent next summer.
So things could change quickly in New Orleans. Plus, it will be hard for him to leave a community he loves and a city in which he saved basketball, right?
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