For some reason, I was in a particularly bad mood last Friday night.

I was tired. I was cranky. I was like Justin Bieber when his mom tells him it’s time for a haircut. Every little thing was pissing me off. And it only got worse when a few buddies called from San Diego, where they just so happened to be vacationing…without me. After a few minutes of small talk, I rushed them off the phone, claiming I was headed out myself. The truth was, I wasn’t doing anything except watching the Royals-Yankees game, and thinking things to myself like “Is this really my life?” and “Is it just me, or does Joba Chamberlain’s face get fatter every time I see him?”

It wasn’t until an hour or so later though, that I got my surliest. That’s when I was browsing ESPN.com, and saw a report that not only had New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul demanded a trade (that was old news), but that he had revised the list of teams that he’d consider being traded to. Wait, what?

Here was my bitter response via Twitter: “On a different note, who cares what Chris Paul’s preferred (trade) destination is? Here’s a novel idea, shut up and play out your contract.”

Now that a few days have passed, I’m happy to report that I’m not nearly as grumpy as I was on Friday night. The sun is shining. The birds are chirping. And thankfully my friends are done with their vacation.

Even after those 72 hours though, my opinion on one thing hasn’t changed: Chris Paul needs to just shut up and play basketball.

(This is just PART of Aaron's article on Chris Paul and the New Orleans Hornets. To read the remainder, visit www.aarontorres-sports.com)

This morning, Monday morning, is the day that Paul is supposed to meet with the Hornets front office and coaching staff. In that meeting, it’s expected that Paul will re-assert his previous demand, that he wants a trade. Whether it’s to Orlando, Portland, New York, or Mozambique, we still don’t know where Paul would ideally like to end up. All we do know is that he wants out of New Orleans.

It is also expected that in the meeting, New Orleans will say no to his trade demand, and lay out their plan for the team going forward, a plan in which Paul is prominently involved. Reports surfacing early Monday said that the Hornets spent the entire weekend telling other teams that Paul was not available. Good for them. After all, Paul is a franchise point guard, the team’s only meal ticket, and, when healthy, one of the 10 best players in the league by any tangible measurement. I wouldn’t trade him either.

Looking at this big picture though, Paul’s trade request is about more than just he or the Hornets. It’s a statement of where the NBA is, and where it’s going.

No longer do guys get drafted to a team, take the good with the bad and the highs with the lows, just like all of us do in our jobs. Nope, for today’s NBA players, when the going gets tough, the tough get going…out of town. LeBron James started this trend a few weeks back, and Paul is simply following his lead.

At the same time, let’s not mistake what’s happening. What Paul is trying to do to New Orleans is even worse than the crap that LeBron pulled a few weeks ago. Way worse...

(This is just PART of Aaron's article on why Chris Paul needs to shut up and stay in New Orleans. To read the remainder, click here, or visit him at www.aarontorres-sports.com.

Also, for his takes on all things sports, be sure to add him on Twitter @Aaron_Torres, Facebook.com/AaronTorresSports and download his APP for your iPhone or Android)