After repeated attempts to ship him out of town, the New Orleans Hornets finally succeeded in dealing disgruntled point guard Chris Paul to the Los Angeles Clippers. The move promises to have a profound effect on the NBA's balance of power, especially among the teams involved.
The acquisition of Paul skyrockets the Clippers in the pecking order as I have them ranked as the fifth-best team to begin the season. The combination of Paul, who averaged 16 points and 10 assists per game last season, and power forward Blake Griffin gives the Clippers the best inside-out tandem in the league.
Add to that free-agent signings like Caron Butler and Chauncey Billups, and the Clippers have all the tools to succeed and to go a long way in the postseason. Conversely, however, this deal makes the Hornets go from playoff contenders to a pedestrian ranking of No. 21.
The Hornets did a really nice job getting what they could for Paul and may have done even better than the previously proposed three-way deal involving the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets. Not only did the Hornets get a legitimate sharpshooter in Eric Gordon, but they also picked up center Chris Kaman, young forward Al-Farouq Aminu and the Minnesota Timberwolves' unprotected first-round pick.
While those particular pieces won't allow New Orleans to continue contending in the present, it gives the team a very bright future. With that said, one team whose future is in doubt at the moment is the Lakers. The Lakers laid all their cards out on the table in an effort to get Paul, but the deal was ultimately nixed by commissioner David Stern and the league office.
This leaves the Lakers in a very precarious position as they were essentially forced to trade forward Lamar Odom to the Dallas Mavericks after hurting his feelings by involving him in the Paul negotiations. Los Angeles also still has center/forward Pau Gasol on the roster, who is another player who was supposed to leave town.
On top of that, the Lakers still don't have a truly capable point guard and center Andrew Bynum can be a major X-factor when he is healthy and on his game, but those times seem to be few and far between. With not even the aging Kobe Bryant being a sure thing at this point, I firmly believe the Clippers have surpassed the Lakers in terms of roster quality and depth.
Other than that, Paul's move to the Clippers simply gives the Western Conference yet another upper-echelon team. The defending NBA Champion Dallas Mavericks are still the team to beat out west, but the Clippers, Lakers, Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs could all stake claim to the conference's top spot.
Say what you will, but I believe Paul ending up with the Clippers rather than the Lakers will be good for the league. The Lakers have been great for long enough and it is time that they receive a challenge from their Staples Center roommates. It looks as if they're going to get that challenge and a whole lot more.
| Mike Chiari's Preseason NBA Power Rankings | |
|---|---|
| 1. Miami Heat | |
| 2. Dallas Mavericks | |
| 3. Chicago Bulls | |
| 4. Oklahoma City Thunder | |
| 5. Los Angeles Clippers | |
| 6. Los Angeles Lakers | |
| 7. Boston Celtics | |
| 8. San Antonio Spurs | |
| 9. New York Knicks | |
| 10. Indiana Pacers | |
| 11. Memphis Grizzlies | |
| 12. Portland Trail Blazers | |
| 13. Orlando Magic | |
| 14. Atlanta Hawks | |
| 15. Denver Nuggets | |
| 16. Houston Rockets | |
| 17. Philadelphia 76ers | |
| 18. Golden State Warriors | |
| 19. Milwaukee Bucks | |
| 20. Phoenix Suns | |
| 21. New Orleans Hornets | |
| 22. New Jersey Nets | |
| 23. Washington Wizards | |
| 24. Sacramento Kings | |
| 25. Minnesota Timberwolves | |
| 26. Utah Jazz | |
| 27. Detroit Pistons | |
| 28. Toronto Raptors | |
| 29. Charlotte Bobcats | |
| 30. Cleveland Cavaliers |
Pittsburgh Pirates San Diego Padres San Francisco Giants St. Louis Cardinals Washington Nationals San Antonio Spurs
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