Chris Paul: Hornets "definitely serious about winning"

Very encouraging article. Gets me excited about the off-season.



New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul walked away from the podium after playing his final game of the season Thursday night, disappointed but convinced about the team’s future.

Whether Paul remains with the franchise after next season, when he can opt out of his contract and pursue free agency, is not certain.

However, the Hornets did not hurt their chances of keeping him around long-term after extending the two-time defending Los Angeles Lakers to six games in the opening Western Conference playoff series before losing 98-80 at the New Orleans Arena.

After the game, Paul said he saw a positive sign, teammates showing disappointment instead of satisfaction for extending the series when most predicted a Lakers sweep.

“They are most definitely serious about winning,’’ Paul said. “Guys were devastated, and that’s one thing you always look for.’’

Whether the Paul-to-the-Knicks rumors resurface again this summer remains to be seen.

But Paul said first-year coach Monty Williams was exceptional with preparation. Paul also commended the numerous personnel moves by General Manager Dell Demps that improved the roster and helped the Hornets earned the first playoff berth since 2009. He particularly lauded the addition of Carl Landry, who was obtained before the February trade deadline from the Sacramento Kings in exchange for fan favorite Marcus Thornton.

“Those moves helped big-time. We had a starter (Carl Landry) come off the bench when David West was healthy,’’ Paul said. “Those guys (Demps and Williams) worked together and talked on a regular basis. In the past, we had GMs and coaches that didn’t communicate. So not only do they communicate, the know basketball.’’

Last summer Paul said he would be open to a trade if the franchise wasn’t committed to winning. He jumped on board after meeting with Williams and Demps, who assured him they wanted to win as badly as he did.

Despite scoring just 10 points in Game 6, Paul flirted with another triple-double (he had 11 assists and eight rebounds) and was sensational in the series. Paul achieved his second career playoff triple-double in Game 4 at the Arena when he had 25 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds.

In the series, Paul averaged a team-high 22 points and 11.5 assists. He remains the only player in NBA history to average at least 20 points and 10 assists per game in the playoffs.

Despite Paul’s efforts, it was obvious in the series the Hornets will need to improve the talent around him, especially their bench and front court, to compete in the Western Conference.

The Hornets could not contend with the Lakers’ size advantage, with 7-footers Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol. Behind their post players, the Lakers outrebounded the Hornets 43-30 in Game 6.

After outscoring the Hornets 22-2 on second-chance points in Tuesday’s Game 5 victory, the Lakers won that battle 21-4 Thursday night.

“We tried to do the things that are going to invite guys to want to be here,’’ Williams said. “If you have Chris, that’s a building to get the block. Our goal is to put pieces around him so he can be better.’’

Williams said he didn’t think Paul was as good as he could be this season, because their personnel needs to be upgraded.

“Our personnel has to go up,’’ Williams said. “If it does, he’s going to be entering his prime. We haven’t seen the best of him, so I’m excited about that.’’

Paul said he doesn’t believe in moral victories and won’t dwell on his brilliant performances that included his 33-point effort in the Hornets’ stunning Game 1 victory at the Staples Center.

“We’ve definitely got to get better,’’ Paul said. “It’s not about extending them to six games or pushing them. We played to win. We weren’t just trying to say that we gave the Lakers a hard time. We’re trying to win. We’re disappointed and we’ve just got to get better.’’



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