The Times-Picayune spoke with a source close to Chris Paul about why the superstar point guard is disgruntled.
“No one from our camp has said that Chris demanded a trade,’’ a Paul confidante said Thursday. ”But they (Hornets) have not put themselves in position to win this season. We have the same team as last year, basically. The only thing that matters to Chris is winning.’’
The source close to Paul said as a result of the Hornets’ dormancy in the offseason, there are no remaining viable free agents who can help the team win this season. The source said Paul was promised by the Hornets’ brass at the end of last season that the team would be active in free agency, but now Paul feels misled and is stunned the team didn’t even pursue second-tier free agents.
The source close to Paul said he is befuddled by the team’s lack of interest in free agents Matt Barnes, who is leaning toward signing with the Los Angeles Lakers; Mike Miller, who signed with the Heat, and Shaquille O’Neal, who remains unsigned.
“Are they even calling guys and trying to get them to play?’’ the source said. ”We would have loved to hear that Mike had narrowed his choices down to the Hornets and Heat. But we’re never in the running for players.“
How did the Hornets go from up-and-coming contender to a non-playoff team in two years? Let’s take a look at GM Jeff Bower’s major moves since the summer of 2006:
Draft 2006: Selected forwards Hilton Armstrong (12th overall pick), Cedric Simmons (15th overall pick) and Marcus Vinicius (43rd overall pick).
None of these players panned out. For Armstrong, the Hornets passed on defensive specialist Thabo Sefolosha, rotation swingman Ronnie Brewer. Rajon Rondo went #21 and Kyle Lowry went #24. They also missed on Paul Millsap (#47) in the second round. Passing on Rondo and Lowry were somewhat understandable since the Hornets were drafting for need.
July 12 2006: Traded the draft rights to center Andrew Betts and cash to the Indiana Pacers for forward Predrag Stojakovic
This is the move that put the Hornets into financial trouble. Peja averaged 20-6 and shot 40% from 3PT for the Pacers that season, but he started having trouble with his knees and back which hurt his already suspect mobility. Stojakovic played pretty well through the 2007-08 season (when the Hornets made their run to the West Semis), but since then his production and shooting has fallen off a cliff. What’s worse is that he’s grossly overpaid — he’s set to make $14.3 million this season, the last year of his contract — so the Hornets have not had any financial flexibility.
