Chris Paul as Drew Brees: Will New Orleans Save Hornets Star, Too?
The Saints marched into Miami and pantsed the Indianapolis Colts 31-17 Sunday night.
As Drew Brees hoisted the Super Bowl's MVP trophy and New Orleans celebrated its first-ever pro sports championship, my thoughts turned to the city's other sports hero: Chris Paul.
Instead of talking to Katie Couric, he'll be recovering from knee surgery while his team tries to stay afloat in a tough playoff race.
Brees threw two touchdown passes and tied the all-time record for pass completions in pro football's title game. His story mirrored the perseverance and resurrection of a city ravaged by Hurricane Katrina.
He once worried, after a shoulder injury, that he might never play in the NFL again. The San Diego Chargers, his first employer, traded for another quarterback in August 2004.
Only after Phillip Rivers held out for most of camp because of a contract dispute did Brees get the chance to keep his starting gig.
Provided he stays healthy enough, Paul will never have to worry about living paycheck to paycheck again—or playing behind Doug Flutie.
Still, it's fair to wonder: Will Paul ever experience that fairy-tale ending, or will declining revenues across the NBA and a thin roster snuff Tinkerbell before she can sprinkle more of that magical dust?
Two years ago, the New Orleans Hornets were the NBA's feel-good story. They helped revive the Big Easy along with the Saints' return and trip to the NFC championship game. They won the Southwest Division and pushed the defending-champion San Antonio Spurs to seven games.
New Orleans is a football town, and that makes the Hornets' survival there less certain. Saints ownership, however, appeared serious about relocating the team. Then, NFL Commissioner Paul Taglibue stopped Owner Tom Benson dead in his tracks.
Hornets Owner George Shinn had other options after Katrina, and Oklahoma City seemed like a capital choice. The OKC fans fervently supported their temporary pro team, even though they knew David Stern and Shinn would not keep it there long term.
His motivations for the return to Louisiana have been questioned, but he moved back nonetheless—and, for one season, provided a broken city with a helluva team.
Paul was the centerpiece—a diminutive but demonstrative guard who made every basketball court his playground. He threw lobs to Tyson Chandler for breathtaking alley-oops and passes to Peja Stojakovic for fast-break triples.
With a Game Seven defeat fresh on the players' minds and the acquisition of veteran swing-man James Posey, it seemed the Hornets were ready for title contention.
I thought they had the stuff to reach the NBA Finals. Many did.
Instead, Posey was never able to live up to his mammoth deal. Stojakovic further established himself as a choke artist. David West lost some of the fire that made him one of the league's toughest covers and defenders, and the thin reserve brigade disappeared altogether.
A season in which the Hornets seemed destined for greatness ended with an embarrassing 58-point loss at home to the Denver Nuggets in a five-game, first-round series.
The tumult has continued this season. Shinn canned Paul's coach Byron Scott and traded his best friend, Chandler, for Emeka Okafor.
A comparison of Paul and Brees is not fluid. Paul has been groomed as a star since the Hornets picked him third overall in the 2005 draft. Brees struggled in his early years with the Chargers to hold down the starting spot.
Still, both were questioned for the same reason. Could a 6'0" quarterback and 6'0" point guard succeed in the NFL and NBA, respectively?
Scouts told Brees and Paul they were not tall enough to produce on the big stage.
Although both players have become popular figures in their sports, Brees' stardom ascended to new heights after his team grabbed the ultimate prize.
Brees will also benefit from the nature of his opponent. The Saints bested Peyton Manning's Colts. Many writers were ready to coronate Manning as the greatest quarterback of all time.
The Hornets are one of 11 teams competing for eight playoff spots in the Western Conference. Since a championship in the no-parity NBA requires season-long excellence, Paul won't be playing in late June.
If Darren Collison cannot continue his tremendous play of late, Paul might represent the team in the draft lottery.
In front of the largest TV audience in history, Brees rallied his squad and carried a city on his back in the process.
New Orleans won't throw a parade after a loss. Instead, Mardi Gras will start earlier than usual and "Who Dat?" will fill the crowded French Quarter.
Few will remember that Paul tried to do the same a few seasons ago. If this season goes kaput, Paul will cross his fingers in front of a much smaller audience on ESPN in hopes that Lady Luck sends the Hornets a difference-maker in the 2010 NBA Draft.
Hundreds of thousands hopped on the Saints' bandwagon because they wanted to connect with a distressed population. It was swell to see New Orleans in party mode again.
Couric asked Brees in a pre-recorded interview if he had saved New Orleans or if New Orleans had saved him.
"Probably both," he said.
Paul, a still-young All-Star and gold medalist on a sinking team, cannot say the same.
For him, the dream of career liberation remains unfulfilled.
