NBA Rumors: Chris Paul Trade Request Will Devastate Hornets

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New Orleans Hornets star Chris Paul has informed the team through his agent that he would like to be traded to the New York Knicks, according to Yahoo Sports, in a move that will devastate an already struggling franchise.

This is a move that shows that the players still have the power in the NBA. The Knicks do not have many attractive trade pieces to offer the Hornets after they acquired Carmelo Anthony from the Denver Nuggets near the trade deadline last year.

However, what are the Hornets going to do, let Paul walk because the Knicks can't give them a good enough return for their superstar point guard?

No, they have to trade him, and this is what many fans hate about the NBA. Players still get to dictate where they want to go and handcuff their teams into making it happen.

Since it is likely that Hornets power forward David West, their second best player to Paul, will not sign an extension with the team in free agency, the team will need a big man and a quality point guard from the Knicks.

Well, the Knicks aren't going to send them Amare Stoudemire in a deal for Chris Paul, and they'd be foolish to include Jared Jeffries because he is an underrated big man.

If they did include Jeffries in a deal for Paul, New York's depth in the frontcourt would take a huge hit. So who else can the Knicks offer the Hornets in terms of big men?

Hey, there's Ronny Turiaf.

Turiaf is not a good player and is undersized for a center. He's also not going to give you much scoring, and he won't intimidate opponents with any kind of shot blocking ability.

Other notable forwards the Knicks can offer are Renaldo Balkman, Shawne Williams, Derrick Brown and Shelden Williams.

Those are some average players, and to be honest, a few of them I wouldn't even call average.

The Knicks also aren't likely to part ways with Landry Fields, a young player who will either start this season or provide crucial scoring off the bench.

There is no one that the Knicks can give the Hornets to make them a better team for the future. Absolutely no one.

Chauncey Billups could go to New Orleans but he is a veteran player that won't want to play on a bad rebuilding team. The Knicks are better off with Billups over Paul because Chauncey gives the team championship experience that no one on their roster can provide.

I know Anthony and Stoudemire have made the conference finals. Big deal; that means very little.

What the Hornets need to do is simple: Find a team that is willing to part with better talent than the Knicks (which won't be hard) that only would acquire Paul as a rental.

If Paul really wants to sign an extension with just the Knicks, then New Orleans should find a contending team who will want Paul for a playoff run and is willing to give up a young player to do so.

New Orleans should not be bullied by Paul's trade request; they have to do what is best for their team and not their superstar point guard.

Without getting a good return for Paul, the team could struggle even more financially than they are now. The NBA owns the team, and losing Paul and getting little in return would not make the club an attractive team for possible buyers.