Chris Paul, Dime #43

While Team USA went for the gold at the Beijing Olympics, we dug into the Dime archives for a closer look at the players who helped make it happen. For the duration of the Games, we re-ran some of our best Dime Magazine feature stories on DimeMag.com.

Today we’re rolling out some brand-new content: excerpts from Dime #43, our Olympic Issue, which is on sale now in stores and on newsstands nationwide.

Reprinted from Dime #43, August 2008

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Chris Paul’s ’07-08 season was transcendent. While LeBron’s year drove statisticians wild with Oscar Robertson-type numbers — 30, 8 and 7 — and Kobe unified Hollywood, if just for a minute, CP3 was America’s choice for MVP.

From his first 20-assist game of the season in the Staples Center on Nov. 6, to his unequivocal whooping of Jason Kidd in the playoffs in April, CP was a staple of morning-after homeroom conversations and watercooler talk. That viral support for Paul blossomed as he redefined the realm of possibilities, climbing from an omission on the ‘07 All-Star roster in his sophomore season to being Team USA’s secret weapon.

“To be honest, he could be the best at controlling the tempo of the game,” says Knicks head coach and current Team USA assistant Mike D’Antoni. “He never gets tired, and he is very strong. He might be coming off of the best season ever.”

Remember that D’Antoni, during his stint with the Suns, witnessed every single game in both of Steve Nash’s MVP seasons, yet doesn’t so much as blink before anointing Chris Paul as having had the “best” season ever for a point guard.

Paul’s numbers support D’Antoni: at 21.6 points and 11.6 assists, CP3 became the eighth player in NBA history to average 20/10 in a season. The other seven? Big O, Zeke, Tiny, Magic, KJ, Michael Adams and Timmy Hardaway.

This summer, Chris finds himself in an unfamiliar place, as a backup. Despite having some international success of his own — a World Championship-record 44 assists during the ’06 tournament in Japan — his resume is a very distant second to J-Kidd’s 44-0 record in Olympic play.

But Paul couldn’t care less that he’s coming into the Beijing Games on the bench. With all international eyes intently focused on containing America’s most visible stars (Kobe, ‘Melo, and LeBron), CP can sneak under the radar. The ball fakes and no-look ‘oops that propelled the Hornets into first place for a minute last year will strike international zones where it hurts most — straight down the middle. It sounds like an encore — do you want more?

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photo. Chad Griffith

Dime: You’ve had so much personal success in the last three years — Rookie of the Year, ESPY Awards, near MVPs — and you’ve been in the driver’s seat for all that. Does it feel different on Team USA?
Chris Paul: I feel like everyone on this team is in the same situation. You know, we do a lot more for our normal NBA teams than we do for this team, but that’s what should make this team so great. It opens up a whole world of opportunities. Like today in practice, I didn’t have to bring the ball up the court every time. I think that’s gonna give our game an opportunity to grow even more. I think that’s gonna give us new looks.

Dime: Mike D’Antoni said that he’s never seen anyone dictate the tempo of a game better than you. Is that something you were born with? How can you explain how you’re able to do that?
CP: It’s just from playing the game so much, man. Just playing so much. And that’s my thing when it comes to basketball. I’m not necessarily the best shooter, or the best athlete, or the fastest, or anything like that. But I do feel like I know the game, and I know the situations. As long as I know that, I feel like I should pretty much try to dictate the tempo, knowing when to push it, knowing when to slow it down.

Dime: Your ’07-08 season transcended hoop. It connected with people on a level beyond that of a normal professional athlete. How did it feel while it was going on?
CP: Man, it was exciting! I wish it would’ve never ended. It wasn’t just a big season for me, you know it was a big season for the team, for the city of New Orleans, our organization. And the reason our team did so great was ’cause we played together. Everything we did, it wasn’t about one person. It was about playing together and winning.

Dime: Did it feel like you were in a nine-month zone?
CP: I was just preparing for the season, and understanding that I wouldn’t settle for less than the playoffs. And, you know as soon as we get back from Beijing, we gotta go back into that mode again. It starts when you enjoy playing with the guys you’re playing with.

Dime: Some people are crediting your season as the reason that the Bulls drafted Derrick Rose over Michael Beasley, preferring a point guard as the foundation of their team.
CP: You know, myself along with Baron Davis, Tony Parker, Steve Nash, Deron Williams, we’re the guys opening that. You just look at the teams going pretty far in the playoffs, and they’ve got great point guard play. If that opens the door for a point guard to be a number one pick now, that’s great. We’re changing the game a little bit.

**To read the rest of this article, pick up Dime #43 on sale in stores and on newsstands nationwide.**

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