NBA Trade Rumors: Chris Paul and the New York Knicks Are a Perfect Match
The New York Knicks might have missed out on their first chance to make an unbelievable free-agency coup when they couldn't secure LeBron James or Dwyane Wade in 2010, but they are soon going to receive their second chance when they make an attempt to sign current New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul once he becomes a free agent in 2012.
Paul joins Dwight Howard, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett and a number of other huge names that will become free agents next offseason and is easily one of the most coveted as the entire Hornets franchise is basically depending on him. However, with the ownership in ruins and the organization still not going after pieces that will help put CP3 and Hornets over the top, the chances of Paul leaving are becoming more and more likely by the day.
With developing teams in the L.A. Clippers and Golden State Warriors on the rise, the Hornets may be left in the dust come playoff time and that should warrant Paul taking serious consideration when deciding if he should depart the team that drafted him third in 2005. He has changed the entire outlook of the Hornets franchise by leading them to the postseason in three of the past four years, their first-ever division title and a franchise-record 56 wins.
After a disappointing 46-36 campaign that was capped off by yet another first-round exit, Paul departing is soon to become a serious issue for the Hornets and a number of teams will be looking to cash in with the New York Knicks being the main focus.
According to reports, Paul's ultimate desire when it comes to his upcoming free agency is to sign with the Knicks and form another Big Three in the Eastern Conference that features himself, Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire. The Knicks don't have the money to sign Paul to a maximum deal, but they could pull out a scenario much like the Heat did by having him sign a little below that threshold and instead signing for a few million less.
Arriving through free agency may be the only way that Paul finds himself in a Knicks uniform since the the team is out of trade bait after giving up the majority of their role players to acquire Anthony. At the moment, the Knicks are stuck between a rock and a hard place as they have no capable or reliable players outside of Anthony and Stoudemire which will only raise more concern when the team attempts to build around their possible Big Three.
With Landry Fields and Toney Douglas possibly being the two best role players on the team, it could deter Paul from joining the Knicks and instead join a more complete team. There's also the high probability that the Hornets actually trade CP3 during this upcoming season as a means to bring in players rather than risking the chance of allowing Paul to weigh his options during free agency and possibly coming away with nothing.
However, if Paul does actually end up joining Stoudemire and Anthony in New York, we might witness one of the greatest offenses to ever be assembled. All three players are unbelievable offensive threats with Stoudemire and Anthony being two of the best scorers in the NBA. With Paul at the helm and dictating the flow of the offense, "Stat" and 'Melo will find themselves getting set up for easy scores thanks in part to Paul's court vision and awareness, as well as his ability to draw double-teams.
At the moment, the Knicks are having a little trouble when it comes to integrating Stoudemire and Anthony as teammates. Both players have always been first scoring options and are at their best when the ball is in their hands much like the situation in Miami with Dwyane Wade and LeBron James.
The difference is that the Knicks are in a worse situation because Anthony and Stoudemire aren't distributors in any way and it showed last season when the two weren't having as much team success as originally expected. They're pure scorers who work better when the ball is in their hands and they aren't too keen on the idea of sharing, which means possible trouble brewing on these two coexisting.
With Paul on the team, however, the Knicks are given one of the league's greatest distributors that has the point guard skill set to find ways for Stoudemire and Anthony to coexist without the two butting heads when it comes to scoring. With Paul dictating the flow of the offense, it gets Stoudemire in the comfort zone he had playing with Steve Nash as well as keeping Anthony on the move and always looking to score.
On a team where only three players can consistently score, finding ways to get each player open will be a test. However, with Paul on the team, the Knicks can have the defense's attention focused on every piece of the court from the paint to the perimeter, which is going to cause a lot of confusion and wires to be crossed when attempting to guard these three.
With Anthony and Paul consistently hitting from the perimeter and on their drives and Stoudemire hitting the mid-range and dominating in the paint, defenses are going to have a difficult time adjusting to stopping the Knicks offense when considering the myriad of ways that the team can score from near the basket to upwards of five feet from beyond the three-point line.
Most importantly, the team gets an unbelievable step up in the defensive department. Anthony and Stoudemire have never proven to be solid defenders, but Paul has and his quick hands and solid man defense have earned him recognition from the All-Defensive teams and Defensive Player of the Year nominations.
With Paul defending the opposing point guard, it gives the Knicks a number of chances to score on fast breaks caused by turnovers and helps out the overall outlook of the defense due to the fact that not every guard will be entering the paint at any given time. Coupled with Landry Fields in the backcourt, the two could form one of the NBA's top defensive guard duos and help eliminate the threat of shots from the perimeter as well as keeping players away from the basket.
Even with all the talk and rumors, this is still a far-fetched idea. The Knicks don't have pieces to make a trade and they certainly don't have the money to sign role players even if they do obtain Paul in the offseason. However, it is still a legitimate possibility and having Paul on their side will make the Knicks championship contenders because of the better flow and rhythm to the offense and the large improvement on defense.
Paul led a Hornets team whose best players were David West and Peja Stojakovic to a 56-win season. You can only imagine the possibilities of what the league's top point guard could possibly do with two of the league's most gifted offensive threats.
