Does Chris Paul no longer trust his teammates?
Chris Paul (photo. Chad Griffith)
Of all the droopy-faced answers Chris Paul and Byron Scott gave trying to explain how the Hornets got devoured by 58 points last night, one in particular stood out to me. Asked how N.O. would possibly bounce back in an elimination Game 5 on the road, Paul said:
“I’m very interested to see how we’ll react.”
Maybe I was reading between the lines too much, but I caught all kinds of attitude from CP there. Like he was really saying, “I know I’M going to leave it all out there, but I don’t know if these other guys will.”
Not that anyone would blame CP for losing trust in his teammates after Monday’s public humiliation. Everybody on the roster (I’m not leaving Paul out) simply gave up at one point or another, and even when the Hornets were still kinda-sorta still in it, Paul (4 pts, 6 asts, 6 turnovers) was one of the only ones trying to make things happen. Playing on a sore knee, he was often attacking the Denver defense by himself while his teammates stood and watched.
On top of the general lack of effort, there was also a lack of basketball IQ. And as anyone who’s ever played pickup ball on a bad team knows, that’s not going to inspire trust from even the most generous and supportive point guard.
How do you think the Hornets will “react” in Game Five?
April 28th, 2009 at 10:06 am
bone0315 says:
Chris Paul = most overrated player in the NBA
April 28th, 2009 at 10:19 am
Jay Jay says:
It’s amazing how one bad series can undo all the hard work Chris Paul has done in the past couple of years.
This guy was in the same category has Kobe, Lebron, Wade etc …now people thinks he’s overrated.
I don’t blame him for being pissed at his teammates, Damn they were just fk’in awful the other night!
April 28th, 2009 at 10:22 am
that's whats up says:
see post 1
April 28th, 2009 at 10:22 am
springz says:
What a boneheaded response, thanks.
I don’t blame Paul for losing trust in his teammates but things can change quickly in the nba so you never know, his confidence in his teammates could easily be restored just like that.
I’m hoping anyway…
April 28th, 2009 at 10:26 am
foolio_iglesias says:
Depends if they all rock Converse Aero Jams with that react juice-ha ha!
April 28th, 2009 at 10:27 am
E$ says:
And Lil’ wayne goes crazy for beating the KINGS at the buzzer….I guess he knew he wouldn’t get that kind of joy again
April 28th, 2009 at 10:27 am
bone0315 says:
What has Paul done to put himself in the same category as Kobe, Lebron, and Wade? Can someone please answer me that?
April 28th, 2009 at 10:35 am
Gerard says:
Chris Paul has a terrible attitude, plays dirty, has his bitch demeanor rubbing off all over the Hornets, and is in general a punk.
However, he is not overrated. He is an amazing basketball player. I have a strong dislike for dude, but I cannot deny his talent.
That being said, the Hornets were bad this year. It doesn’t matter how they show up for the next game, nobody can take them seriously after a 58 point beatdown. Get off the court.
April 28th, 2009 at 10:46 am
rangerjohn says:
hmmm maybe his team mates dont trust him? what has he done for them lately you know. thats how the world is, “what have you done for me lately”
April 28th, 2009 at 10:52 am
E$ says:
Hornet fans comments:
NO PASSION
NO PURPOSE
NO PRIDE
Well, i really an’t say much about the lost, because I didn’t see it and now I am glad i didn’t watch. The hornets have mad several Mistake personel wise and i agree with some of you wehn you say Scott is not a coach for young talent because we have seen time and time again him run talented player away I think JUe JUe is gone after this season adn watch how much better he will become. This all just sickens me really we have the peices just coach really aint a coach.
hire Avery Johnson
Peja stinks…2 for 11 last night and 1 for 9 Sat gets you 14 million a year???
Peja and MoPete have to go…dead weight. Byron Scott’s inability to develop younger talent has really caught up to him and I predict that it will cost him his job once again…
April 28th, 2009 at 10:53 am
Ron says:
The team is constructed wrong and he doesn’t have the physical attributes of Kobe, Wade etc to carry the team over double and triple teams. Tough series. I don’t blame him for questioning them. They’ve sucked for the better part of the year. When everyone went down this year he was probably the main reason they kept a decent record. Just take this loss and retool that abismal roster of old slow players they got.
bone, you’re smoking. The man can flat out play. He has no help.
April 28th, 2009 at 10:59 am
jay says:
i did not see the game?? i saw hightlights..cp is legit but he aint in kobe,wade or brons league yet. as long as he does not turn into zeke i am cool with it. i will give you zeke is one of the great small guards of all time but he is a scumbag and derserves everything that has happened to him and i do not mean just with the bricks! there is a reason why he was never on dream team I..when you freeze mj out of an all star game you deserve to be outed!
April 28th, 2009 at 11:06 am
bone0315 says:
I am not saying he cannot play. I am saying to put him in the same class as guys like Duncan, Lebron, Kobe, and Wade is a joke.
Last time I checked, he was playing with another “all-star” in David West. That is more than Dwayne Wade can say. It took two injuries for the Cavs to have a second all-star. Tyson Chandler was a member of Team USA two summers ago. Do not give me that he has no help.
And I do not want to hear the Hornets have no depth. The Chicago Bulls are playing seven players this series with Boston and are 2-2, could be up 3-1, not losing by 58 points at home.
April 28th, 2009 at 11:15 am
Ron says:
You naming Tyson tells me you have no idea what you’re talking about. Tyson Chandler is a liability, especially now that he has a bad ankle. But that guy in 6 years never developed offense. His only offense is from CP! His rebounding and blocked shots are the only things he’s good for and he did nothing this year. If you followed the Hornets you’d know that. But you don’t so you name him being on the USA team as an example of help? Gimma a break.
David west for all his all-star tags is an unathletic jumpshooting big who can’t rebound or block a shot. At least Cavs had Drew Gooden, Carlos Boozer, and Joe Smith at one point and now has Varajae, Big Z plust Big Z. Who does CP have? Hilton? Ely? Bowen? Marks? Again gimme a break.
And those Bull players are young, athletic and can create their own shot without Rose. Who on this team can do that?
You can dismiss the lack of talent on this team all you want but people who have watched them all season, not just the biggest blowout of the nba history, would know.
April 28th, 2009 at 11:20 am
Ron says:
*I mean plus Joe Smith
And another issue with this team is their coaching. Byron has watched JR Smith, Brandon Bass thrive away from his system. He has Julian Wright, Hilton in his doghouse. He is the progression killer. Does not like to develop young players. That needs to change.
April 28th, 2009 at 11:23 am
karizmatic says:
They’ll fold.
April 28th, 2009 at 11:23 am
BERN BROGDEN says:
NO been losing all year at home.
NO’s squad has been sub par all year.
NO’s working with an Allstar and an Allstar borned Allstar. (West gets over 50% of his production through CP)
I’m still a fan of Chris Paul.
And oh yeah, I think he stopped trusting his teammates a long time ago but that PG in him throws all that mistrust to the window sometimes.
April 28th, 2009 at 11:28 am
the_don_mega says:
@Ron: nice arguement, but not valid… you still said CP3 has no help… that’s just plain wrong… cat got more help than d-will… you said that the team is not suited to cp3’s skill-set… that’s a whole piece of crap… they have all the guys to compliment cp3… when the hornets were steam rollin with W’s nobody said he has a poor supporting cast… cp3 is heck of a player, but please dont’t say that he got no help… just admit they bumped into the wrong team… (think daals vs golden state from a few years ago)
April 28th, 2009 at 11:29 am
Ron says:
You’re right Bern because he stays passing them the ball when I wish he would just go Kobe and take all the shots.
April 28th, 2009 at 11:30 am
ticktock6 says:
He’s in the category of LeBron/Kobe/Wade, short answer, because he led the league in assists and steals 2 years running and has the highest PER of any point guard ever, breaking the record set by… himself. He’s strung together two historic point guard seasons.
Don’t blame him for the lack of depth the team has around him and the utter lack of coaching provided by Scott. Don’t blame him because his coach would always, if given the choice, pick a 32 yr old journeyman over a 21 yr old athletic phenom. Chris Paul didn’t put them in this mess.
April 28th, 2009 at 11:37 am
Ron says:
Hell no he does not have more help thand Deron. Deron has guys like Brewer, Milsap, AK who move and pass well, can shoot and defend better than anyone on the Hornets. And the matchups of UT and NO shows that glaringly.
The help CP has is not affective and I’m sticking to that. When Butler and Peja can’t hit their outside shot and can’t dribble to create their own, and can’t defend the other teams guards how are they any help? I already said they got a tough series. But these guys have played this way all damn year. It’s coming to a head now.
April 28th, 2009 at 11:37 am
bone0315 says:
But what has he done in the playoffs? Has his team been to the conference finals like Deron Williams? Been to the finals like Lebron? Won a title like Wade? No, no, and no.
So you can sit there and spout off all the regular season stats you want, but where are the results?
April 28th, 2009 at 11:38 am
Janelle says:
I’ll admit CP3 played like a complete scrub last night. However, since the beginning of the season he has had to carry his whole team. No one on the team but CP3 knows how to make a play or have any basketball IQ. Yesterday his knee was sore, he didn’t make any plays and his team was lost without him. I think it’s ridiculous that the Hornets put all of their eggs in one basket. If he becomes hurt or ejected and he can’t play, they run around like chickens with their heads cut off. It’s really sad because the city of New Orleans and it’s people have had such a rough time in the past few years. It would be nice if they could have something to root for.
April 28th, 2009 at 11:42 am
Taylor says:
I agree that Chris Paul needs to step his game up but I’ve been watching the Hornets all season. I’ve seen them get they’re asses handed to them and the only one who ususlly shows up and puts in any kind of heart is CP3.His team never tries to help him out. The boy is 6′0 and has to carry the whole teams dead weight on his shoulders. But being in the playoffs he should be able to get them motivated. They got humiliated last night.
April 28th, 2009 at 11:44 am
the_don_mega says:
@Ron… like i said bruh… this just proves that Nuggets were a bad match-up for them… if they faced the Spurs instead, i think the results would’ve been much different and you would’t be complainin’ like this… just my 2 cents…
April 28th, 2009 at 11:46 am
Ron says:
They would not have beat the Spurs either. A spurs series maybe would not be this lopsided, but in the end they still have too many issues to get out of the first round.
April 28th, 2009 at 11:53 am
ticktock6 says:
I bet they would have beaten the Spurs, actually. But in a way, this will hopefully convince them to put more pieces around Chris Paul quicker.
I was against both the trading of the draft pick and the Posey signing (Ironic, since Pose is one of my favorite guys on the roster. But those two contradictory facts will just have to exist at once.) You could see the writing on the wall last year. Getting older was not the way to go. Imagine if CP had 25-26 year old guys running with him.
April 28th, 2009 at 11:54 am
doc says:
Some of yall dickheads would rather get a respnse than make a real basketball statement.CP overratted?Why because he losing in the first round to a better team right now?Like your favorite player never got that done to him.CP24 his team got exposed this year as some non talented frauds and he needs help.David West is a all star because of CP3 not in spite of him.That was for u dickheads saying he got a all star and to whatever one of u dudes said they got better talent than utah is crazy.
April 28th, 2009 at 11:56 am
doc says:
And ranger u need to worry about your PG because they getting they ass whipped by the team CP mopped the floor with last year.
April 28th, 2009 at 11:57 am
bone0315 says:
Imagine if any superstar had a 25-26 year old running with him? Great players typically thrive with other great players. What separates the great players from very good players is the ability to raise the game of non-superstars and carry a team. Trade Chris Paul for Dwyane Wade right now. My guess is the Hornets would be at 55+ wins and the Heat would be below .500
April 28th, 2009 at 12:00 pm
doc says:
2bone-yeah because he got so many wins with the Heat in the east.We know thats your favorite player dog but he wasnt shit last night either if u missed it.
April 28th, 2009 at 12:05 pm
flavur says:
There was a play where cp3 got into the lane and had to change his shot to a pass and it got slightly deflected but everyone on the hornets team that was on the floor stood there and chris paul was the only one diving or at least making an effort to get that ball. That play to me proved that they are gonna lose in Denver and that David west is not really an all star chris Paul made him an allstar this team is done.
April 28th, 2009 at 12:07 pm
Celticsdada says:
Rondo >>>>> Chris Paul 10000%
in the playoff and the future
April 28th, 2009 at 12:10 pm
bone0315 says:
Actually Wade is not even close to being my favorite player, but I respect waht he does with shit talent more than what Paul hasn’t done with more talent…everyone is misreading what I am saying. I am not saying Paul isn’t any good, or that he should be in the D-League. My whole point was it is a joke to put him on the same plane as guys like Lebron, Wade, Kobe, and Duncan.
April 28th, 2009 at 12:11 pm
Ron says:
flavur there were many plays like that. Another was when he was double teamed and no one comes to the ball because they don’t want to move from the spot they are supposed to be in so he tries to jump over two defenders to pass and turns it over. Why not just come to the ball? They just stand around and watch him. The bball IQ falls way off after CP. I’m not saying he’s the greatest in the world or even trying to compare him to other players like bone is. I’m just saying these guys are not what’s going to get him what he and the team wants.
April 28th, 2009 at 12:13 pm
ticktock6 says:
@ bone: Utterly false. They would be worse, because Wade wouldn’t bother to create for them like CP does. No one on the Hornets has offensive moves of their own except David West. Period. And if he’s off, look what happens.
Or, what, you’re telling me Wade’s gonna score 50 per game and suddenly the rest of the Hornets are going to magically learn to create their own shots and slash to the basket? I laugh.
April 28th, 2009 at 12:13 pm
bone0315 says:
Put it his way, who would you rather have run with you: Chandler or Jermaine O’Neal? David West or Haslem? Peja or James Jones? I personally wouldn’t take any of the three Miami guys (yes I would take Mario Chalmers over Rasul Butler as the fourth starter). Who would you rather have as a sixth man, Posey or Daequan Cook? This notion that New Orleans has nothing around Paul when compared to SIMILAR teams is a joke.
April 28th, 2009 at 12:20 pm
hucklebuck says:
agree with comment #1.
I’ve been saying this all along. He’s good, but he has this Napoleon complex about him. He cannot seem to find a way to get round tough defense or guard Chauncey.
and he is definitely not the best point guard in the NBA like many reporters write. His stats are good, but there are others I would choose before him:
Rondo
Billips
Deron
Rose
He needs a midrange game and better on ball defense.
April 28th, 2009 at 12:21 pm
Ron says:
David and Haslem are a wash. Peja has a chronic injury that can flare up at any time and has lost his touch. Jermaine has an offensive game that Chandler does not. Posey I like. You overestimate Hornets players because of your belief in Wade not those players. Wade would not change their deficiencies.
April 28th, 2009 at 12:23 pm
ticktock6 says:
I’d certainly rather have Jermaine O’Neal right now. At least he can jump the littlest bit. And you forget all the guys you mentioned, except Butler, missed significant time this year. So really, what you need to be asking is, “What could Wade have done with Sean Marks, Devin Brown, and Hilton Armstrong that CP couldn’t?”
Yeah.
April 28th, 2009 at 1:15 pm
hucklebuck says:
Wade has the experience Paul does not. Wade has an NBA trophy and Finals MVP, he knows what it takes.
Paul only had one real good season last year for his first run in the playoffs.
What would Wade have done with Marks, Brown, Armstrong?-the SAME THING he has done with Haslem, O’Neal, Cook, Chalmers and Beasly.
April 28th, 2009 at 1:17 pm
ProphetGK says:
Whoa, ok first off CP3 is a great player; I admit he does tend to fold under pressure especially against other great pgs. But no matter how bad his team is, you cannot compare him to Wade. And now your asking what could Wade do with Cp3’s crew? Are you mad? Ask anyone else in the league, and they’ll tell you they rather have the Hornets team over the Heat anyday.
April 28th, 2009 at 1:21 pm
kevin k says:
Current
D-Will, Tp > CP3
2 years later
D-Will or Rose, Rondo, TP, maybe John Wall or Ricky Rubio> CP3
whoever said D-Will has better supporting cast than CP3 is out of his damn mind.
April 28th, 2009 at 1:33 pm
BERN BROGDEN says:
@BONE MARCH 15TH — “This notion that New Orleans has nothing around Paul when compared to SIMILAR teams is a joke.” Nahhhh buddy. I disagree.
It’s only a JOKE if you assume his supporting cast is 100% SOLID.
They’re BANGED UP and SHALLOW.
Injuries and Lack of Depth will turn that notion into a joke. A joke CP aint laughin’ at.
Whether they fell off, coughPEJAcough…
hurt, coughWESTcoughCHANDLERcoughEVERYBODYcough…
hurt emotionally by this cold blooded business coughCHANDLER-AGAINcough…
whether lack of depth…coughBUTLER-AT-THE-2-SAYS-IT-ALLcough…
WHATEVER it is - The notion that CP has a GOOD SUPPORTING CAST is a JOKE. I laugh.
@Hucklebuck - now, THAT’S the type of argument you’re SUPPOSED to debate about CP. You have very valid points. Not a bad list, either.
…..all that over-rated crap is the vomit of haters or tv-addicts.
April 28th, 2009 at 1:40 pm
hucklebuck says:
@ prophetGK
2 questions-
are you crazy? and
how can you not compare Wade and Paul?
if u take both players off each team I believe the Heat would have a better chance of winning. why would you want an older injury plagued team over a young and talented group with an upside? why!
April 28th, 2009 at 1:51 pm
ProphetGK says:
Ok um, Wade is way better than Paul is, and in my eyes the MVP. Paul is great, but he is not even the best pg in the league. You honestly believe that a healthy Heat team, would do better than a healthy Hornets team, a team that has at least one other all-star in David West? You’ve got another thing coming buddy…
April 28th, 2009 at 1:57 pm
Ron says:
Word right there Prophet, HEALTHY! This is the reason they sucked this year but people don’t want to hear there. They just want to overlook that and say so and so > CP because of how the team did this year. If you want real talk, this team will play anyone HEALTHY. but this year they are not.
April 28th, 2009 at 2:34 pm
dapro says:
The bigger question is does his teammates trust him?
It makes no sense for a team to bail out on thier superstar, I didn’t see the game but the score says it all
April 28th, 2009 at 3:05 pm
Promoman says:
You can’t use the good/generous point guard running a bad team argument here, all that is a cop-out to justify placing the blame other than where it belongs. The Hornets simply got raped and Chris can’t blame the team while being responsible for directing the offense in the first place. Hell, he led the game in turnovers last night (6). He’s good enough to take over games and he didn’t do it. He’s been getting outplayed by Chauncey and has been locked down by the Nuggets defense for the majority of the series. Chris is a dirty player to boot and he ran into a defense that’s hip to his shit. It’s an elite point guard, but he can be stopped.
April 28th, 2009 at 3:25 pm
Big Island says:
The more I see Paul play this year, the more I think he is overrated. It is partly due to his team being terrible, partly Denver actually playing decent defense, albeit helter skelter, and part is he just isn’t in that elite group. If you look at Deron WIlliams, even though they got trashed, you can tell it wasn’t because he wasn’t doing his job.
April 28th, 2009 at 4:51 pm
Luigi says:
CP3….Just ran outta Gas… plain n simple
After playing in the olympics…n an 82gm season….plus the playoffs..HAS to take a toll on your body..you can tell he’s tired too.
April 28th, 2009 at 6:43 pm
bone0315 says:
Last time I checked, Kobe, Wade, Lebron, Carmelo, Jason Kidd, et all all played the Olympics and the full season and they haven’t run out of gas yet.
April 28th, 2009 at 8:11 pm
don says:
ok guys can we stop the madness…yes he had a terrible game and all the pgs you mentioned like rose, billups, rondo and parker are all doing good but dont compare them to paul he is in a diffrent call. i read a lot of comments and felt that half the ppl on here dont know a thing about basketball. CHRIS PAUL IS THE BEST PG IN THE NBA HANDS DOWN.check the stats Numbers dont lie. Since hes rookie year all he has been doing is putting upo great numbers. And for someone to even mention ricky rubio and john wall being better that paul is fucking bullshit when they havent even got sweat on their balls from an nba game yet. Some of you guys need to get off the computer and kill yourself cause your fucking crazy.
April 29th, 2009 at 2:54 am
Luigi says:
Yeahh… but they didnt have to carry their team the way CP3 has. Wade’s probally equalling CP3…but u can tell their both tired.. and the way CP3 plays the game.. uptempo…always running. it has to take a toll on himm
Kobe.LBJ.Melo.Kidd. have supporting casts….
Wade should be MVP for this soul reason….
but CP3’s playing style made him tired.
i mean he is the best PG…
April 29th, 2009 at 1:00 pm
hucklebuck says:
Its alright, ProphetGK, we can all dream sometimes.
There was a debate this year as to whether West should have even been an all-star. how does a team with not one, but two all-stars lose by 58 points at home?
Miami would have at least tried.
April 29th, 2009 at 1:25 pm
f19ure says:
Looking at some of the disparaging comments, it’s ridiculous to argue Chris Paul being overrated. Stats don’t always tell the truth, but in Chris Paul’s case, they do. I’ll admit other than an innate ability to swipe the rock, Chris Paul is far from a complete defender. A number of PGs measure better when matching up one-on-one… Chauncey Billups, Baron Davis (when he wants to defend), Derek Fisher, Andre Miller and Deron Williams. But, once again, Chris Paul almost negates this factor in his ability to force the opposition into turnovers with his quick hands.
When looking at the Hornets, he really doesn’t have anybody on that team that can create offense… Peja and Butler are spot-up jump shooters, heavily reliant on getting open looks created by their teammates. David West never developed a post-up a game. Hilton Armstrong and Julian Wright are raw talents that have yet to be developed. And I won’t even get into Chandler’s offensive deficiencies - which have yet to disappear after 8+ years in the league. So in all truth and honesty, the offense literally runs through Paul.
The man plays with D-League talent at best. Dudes will try to argue having an all-star in West. But, ask yourself this. When did David West start to develop an offensive game? The NBA season was ‘05, guess who came to New Orleans that year? Hmmm… Now who could it be? West basically lives off the pick-and-roll, you force the ball out of Paul’s hands, play good D on West and West’s numbers begin to dip considerably.
Now I’m not trying to defend Paul’s 58-point debacle, but a better rotation of players, an even better roster and better team management could have kept this monstrosity from occurring. Now Paul must do what all super-stars do. Adapt and adjust, in order to stay alive. It’s survival of the fittest and the Hornets are on the brink of elimination.
May 5th, 2009 at 12:12 pm
Dave says:
Chris Paul has taken his rightful place on the second tier of NBA pg’s, he could even be the leader of the second tier, but he is definitely deserving of the spot.