UPDATED 8:11AM EST (Sorry guys found more links)
Well a couple of active days from the Hornets as they look to fill out the training camp roster. So folks let’s Swarm the Links…
- Matthew Wilder over at Bleacher Report think the Cavaliers should go after Paul. After Lebron left them I think they may have become a bit disillusioned. I mean I’m not saying Paul won’t leave, in fact he very well might in a couple of years. It’s just he won’t leave New Orleans to go to a team with less talent that his, he will leave because he wants a superpower team in a big city market. In fact I don’t even know when people were talking about Paul going to Cleveland, last time I checked it was going to be to a team like Orlando, New Jersey or New York, not Cleveland. Sure Byron Scott, Paul’s mentor, is there but is there any talent outside of Anderson Varejao or J.J. Hickson?
- The Hornets have signed Joe Alexander to an un-guaranteed contract. Joe is a former top 10 pick of the Milwaukee Bucks. He averaged 4.7 points per game as a rookie before being traded to the Bulls the following season. Initial reaction says, “I like this” and because he’s very athletically gifted I think he has a lot of promise in him. With Monty Williams notorious for developing Small-Forwards this could be a potential bench gold-mine. Out of all the partial signings I like this the best. Dime Magazine has a piece of the revitalization of Joe’s career right when he was sent to the D-League:
"Perhaps his basketball career hasn’t gone as expected, but don’t give up on Joe Alexander just yet. Sure his contract option for next season was declined back in November – making him the highest-drafted rookie to ever have his rookie option declined – but Joe Alexander is back on the right track. Having injured his right hamstring back in October, he’s yet to play an NBA game this year. But starting today, the second-year forward will be playing for a new team: the Fort Wayne Mad Ants."
Joe’s time in the D-League was short (6 games) and he averaged a basic 10 points/4.7 REB/1.8 AST and shot 40 percent from the field and 3 point range. Hopefully in training camp he can show his hustle, defensive athleticism and ability to run the floor.
- Apparently Ariza is infectious? Oh no wait, his hunger for winning is infectious…Either way it’s good to hear that Paul and Trevor have not only met face-to-face but trained together. It’s been known that Paul’s been in favour of the Ariza trade for a while, however it’s good to hear why he is in favour of it.
"“I am excited about the season this year,” acknowledged Paul in an interview with The Score on Satellite Radio. “We’ve got Trevor Ariza. I actually had an opportunity to work out with Trevor last week in New Orleans, great guy but somebody that is really hungry. So I am excited to play alongside Trevor because there are some guys that win championships that feel complacent a lot of times. In talking to Trev, he is hungry and I can’t wait to get started.”"
- Kurt Helin at ProBasketballTalk discuss Chris Paul and his poker face. Helin writes, “Ever since Chris Paul sat down with the management from the Hornets, he’s done nothing but say the right things.” Yeah, okay so let me get this right, what exactly is this “right thing” to say? Sure he could’ve pulled a Baron Davis on everyone, but doing that would be utterly stupid. It still seems to me that most media writers have this sense Paul still wants out, whether or not they have hard, factual evidence to support their view. Many have fallen silently in-love with the South Beach Super Team and are yerning for another. With Paul and Anthiny in the back-end of their contracts people are yerning real hard to see these guys leave the franchises that drafted them.
- Over at Opposing Views, Hoops addict has the first of many “Preseason Previews” for the New Orleans Hornets. To be honest it seems that many, for the most part, are changing their tune about the Hornets. Quietly people are liking our starting lineup, but loathing our depth, which is understandable. It’s nice to finally see that people are coming to their senses…here’s an excerpt:
"The Hornets did not make it to the playoffs last season; so obviously, one of their main goals will be to make it back to the postseason. But I think with the moves this team made over the offseason and a few potential moves they can make before the trade deadline, the Hornets have the potential to be a top-four team in the Western Conference.But this team’s ability to jump from being one of the top-eight teams in the West to being one of the top-four teams is dependent on one move that will most likely be made before the trading deadline."
- A pre-season primer for the New Orleans Hornets over at CBSSports. These guys are a little more critical of the team, but it’s no surprise, as these were the guys that started the dreadful Chris Paul rumors.