Ric Bucher of ESPN.com (Insider) writes that the Portland Trail Blazers could be a good fit for New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul if and when he becomes a free agent... -------------------- If Paul has a list of preferred destinations, he hasn't let it be known, so let's assume the field is wide open. Let's also assume he wants to go to a bigger market and play with another superstar, which seems to be the blueprint du jour. I see the Knicks as the most ideal fit with either Amare or Carmelo. (Put down the pipe, Knicks' fans, if you're thinking you can have all three.) His toughness and ability to penetrate and kick would work well with the skill set of either current Knick star and, unlike Dwight, he has the necessary nastiness to keep Melo focused. The MSG crowd also enjoys a show and Paul is certainly an entertainer. I'd worry a bit about marrying two stars -- Amare and CP3 -- who already have knee issues at such a relatively young age and are average defenders, at best. But I'd love to see Deron as a Net and CP3 as a Knick battle for point-guard supremacy in Gotham. Now, if market size weren't a factor, the Trail Blazers would be an ideal fit for Paul, assuming the Brandon Roy issue can be resolved. Roy and Paul would have a hard time coexisting, but I can't think of a big man who would benefit more from playing with Paul than LaMarcus Aldridge, and Portland has the necessary compensatory size at the other perimeter positions. -------------------- ed: bumped to front page