New Orleans Hornets to give Chris Paul an extension: NBA Update
The New Orleans Hornets are all set to give Chris Paul an extension on his existing contract. The Hornets’ General Manager, Dell Demps, has clear intentions to keep their point-guard, Chris Paul, and plan to give him a fresh extension before July 9, 2011.
Demps is optimistic that the Hornets will restore Paul’s confidence and All-Star will be very comfortable to sign an extension contract before the beginning of next season. Demps also commented on Paul’s mind-set staying at New Orleans by saying, "He's made
some comments to us that he's happy and he likes the direction that we're going and we're happy with him and we want to just keep building and growing. When that time arises, we'll have those conversations; Chris has been engaged since Day 1. ... We have open
lines of communication and we believe it will stay like that as this thing continues.”
The Hornets have signed Monty Williams as their Head Coach some 11 months back and promoted Demps in top management as the General Manager. After these two new changes in their front office, Paul felt a lack of commitment in the Hornets’ management. They
are not much interested to win championships and giving more importance to strengthen their franchise’s structure.
Paul also wanted to be a part of that team whom he can play with and win championships. As a result he publically spoke out and said that he is very much interested to be traded as he observed the Hornets are not serious to do well for this year’s NBA title.
As soon, these words came out from Paul’s mouth, the Hornets’ coach, Williams, and newly appointed General Manager, Demps, received many offers from NBA’s different franchises to acquire Chris Paul.
Both, Williams and Demps played their roles very carefully and did not trade Paul to any of the NBA’s team. Instead they remained committed to Paul and planned a long term agreement with him.
Monty Williams, who is a big fan of Chris Paul, said, “Chris is the kind of guy you need to put athletes and shooters around him. It's easy to say you've got to get [a player at a certain spot], but in getting that, does it fit with what we do? ... There's
no need in having a guy who can flat out knock down shots but he couldn't guard a bike if he was riding it. The fit makes more sense to me.”
Chris Paul is no doubt a brilliant talent in the roster and performed very well in the 2010-11 regular season. Though they qualified into the play-offs’ quarter-finals as the number seven seed in the Western Conference, but could not do much in their first
round of play-offs against the Los Angeles Lakers. They lost the series 4-0 from the Lakers.
The Hornets’ Chris Paul averaged 22.0 points, 6.70 rebounds and 11.5 assists per game in six play-off matches, which he played against the Los Angeles Lakers.
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