Chris Paul (Not a game recap)

Paul/Blake/Bayless
Rudy
Webster/Batum (when healthy)
Aldridge/Outlaw
Oden/Przy

That would be a dangerous lineup for Paul to lead. Tons of shooters and big men to throw lobs to.

I don’t know that New Orleans would be saving money in that exchange, which would be their primary motivation for any CP3 deal. But it would be interesting to envision a Paul-Rudy backcourt as opposed to a Roy-RPG (random point guard) backcourt.

—Dave

As already mentioned, its hard to see whats in it for the hornets. Roy is on the edge of a top 10 player, imho, but chris paul is a top 3 or 4 guy. I used to think that you could plug just about anyone with Chris Paul and make it work (especially after Tyson Chandler resurrected his career), but the lack of chemistry this year may bring that into question. As much as I love Roy, the Blazers would have a more enjoyable brand of basketball with that trade, and could contend.

Also I would consider the trade CP3 has alot of fire has shoots to spread big men to lob and help do the dirty work.

I wouldn’t deal Roy for him. It seems a tad far-fetched to think that deal would suddenly turn the PTB into championship contenders. Roy is an amazing player in his own right, and really been the key ingredient in Portland’s success. What does it say about the franchise if it’s willing to make such a deal? I think it suggests loyalty means nothing, winning is everything and thanks but no thanks. That’s not what Portland Trail Blazer basketball is about or ever has been (minus that regrettable little pre-Roy era.) The trail is being blazed just fine the way it is.

Roy not only fits the culture, to a large degree he is the culture. Chris Paul is a better player than Roy, IMO, but I still wouldn’t trade them straight up because Roy means more than skill on the court for the Blazers. He’s a leader, straight up, and the person who bridges the gap between the players and Nate. He’s also a great guy, and just committed to Portland for the long haul. We really would be sending a message by trading Roy – our players are simply chess pieces, not real human beings.

We could run Rudy as a starter

I mean, Paul, Rudy, Batum, LMA, Oden… that would be balanced and wicked.

But like so many have said, we wouldn’t be us. The culture and heart of this team would be lost. Plus, do we want someone so injury prone like Paul?

however im not sold on having a superstar point guard that has the ball in his hands so much, im kinda liking this blazers motion offense with lots of crisp passing and roy picking his spots to score

Thanks for posting. I’ve honestly never considered the Roy for Paul trade angle. As much as I truly love having Brandon Roy on my favorite team, Chris Paul is a significantly better player. In many ways, they are different (position, size, scoring methods, defense, etc.), but they are also the same in more ways than some people would think. Both operate best with the ball in their hands (which means they wouldn’t co-exist as well as one might think), and excel in the clutch. They are also both gifted leaders.

I agree with the comment above that Roy is a Top 10 player while Paul is a Top 3 or 4. The chasm of value, even between players in that top 10 is much larger than one might think, so I just don’t see NO doing it unless they were convinced Paul was on his way out, which is probably a year from being a real motivator. By then, the Blazers will be firmly in their championship window, and it’d be shocking if they were willing to take a risk in doing a “heart of team” transplant at that point.

I think it would be reasons like that keeping the Blazers from doing this trade more than “running teams don’t win.” Chris Paul on a good team can win, and win big. He’s not a system PG. He can run or pick you apart in the half court.

Thanks for getting me thinking!

Salary cap guru Larry Coon explains:

If a team trades an extended rookie between the date his extension is signed and the date it takes effect, his “trade value” for the receiving team is the average of the salaries in the last year of the scale contract and each year of the extension. This is called the poison pill provision. The sending team uses the player’s actual salary when calculating their outgoing salary. They use the current-year maximum salary in place of the (unknown) maximum salary for a future season, if necessary.

It is designed to make trading a player who just got extended very hard to not screw around with players coming off their rookie contracts and signing their next deal, so it fulfills its purpose and the name is fitting. Other teams would definitely have to be involved to give everyone a deal that makes sense. Try it out with the ESPN or RealGM trade machines.

I am on record stating that (the owner’s family of) New Orleans will rather sell the team or move it to a city where it can be more profitable (it was profitable last season) before trading Chris Paul. I stand to that. To give people a perspective: The fans of about every team lust after Chris Paul. Even teams that have great young point guards. Bulls fans discussed giving up Derrick Rose in a deal in the last days. Brandon Roy would undoubtedly be an interesting competitive offer, but it still would be unlikely to happen. Paul is more well-known for national/international marketing purposes, arguably the best point guard currently in the game, and at least on Roy’s level of importance for his team. We had our chance to draft him (or Deron Williams), and traded down largely because people in the organization thought Sebastian Telfair was the golden ticket at point guard. D’oh! That was it. That chance won’t come back until much much later in Paul’s career. If ever.

I’ve never seen a game where he didn’t leave the court hobbled

But I’m not convinced he’s a better fit for the Blazers than Brandon Roy. With Roy, the total package—including his still-developing game, leadership, temperment, and NW roots (you don’t worry about him being lured to LA or NY someday) make him the cornerstone of this franchise.

Having said all that, ONE impediment to such a deal might now be removed: Paul’s loyalty to the Hornets and the city of New Orleans. At least at this moment in time, I’d guess Paul would welcome a trade practically anywhere. That’s one very disgruntled ball player.

I think it’s disrespectful to even think of trading Brandon Roy.

However, neither team would even so much as consider trading its star.