Chris Paul "happy" with New Orleans Hornets
Hornets star Chris Paul, who was reportedly unhappy with his team during the off-season, has changed his tone after New Orleans' league-leading 11-1 start.
Paul, a three-time All-Star, told ESPN last June that he was "open to being traded" if New Orleans was not committed to winning. At Carmelo Anthony's wedding ceremony
last July, the former Wake Forest standout reportedly gave a toast vowing that he would one day be teammates with the New York Knicks' Amar'e Stoudemire and the Denver Nuggets' Carmelo Anthony.
"We talked about it (during that time)," Hornets forward David West told NBA Fanhouse. "So I knew what his perspective was, just in terms of wanting to win. He
wants an opportunity to win. That's it."
Winning ways
Seemingly on cue, the Hornets have obliged. The team, which has raced to a franchise-best start, is currently tied for the league's best record with the San Antonio
Spurs. The Hornets' blistering start has caused Paul to rethink his desire to relocate.
"Yeah, I'm happy," Paul told NBA Fanhouse after his team's 75-71 win against the Sacramento Kings. "I'm happy. We're good to go."
"I'm definitely enjoying myself," said Paul. "Both of those guys (general manager Dell Demps and head coach Monty Williams) have come in and really made this like a family. And with everything
that's going on, they're involved. Dell's not a GM that just shows up at the games. We see him at the practices, we see him on the road, and he's very engaging."
"The coaching side (with Williams) is unbelievable. Coach knows that I'm a basketball junkie. Nobody watches more basketball than me, you know what I mean? So when other teams run plays,
I already know the names of them, so me and coach have a really good dialogue of what's going on here and there."
Paul, who missed 37 games last year after undergoing knee surgery, is averaging 16.8 points, 10.5 assists and five rebounds.
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