Chris Paul On The Move?

Chris Paul was involved in trade rumors about two weeks ago with the Cleveland Cavaliers being a possible destination. Paul and LeBron James are good friends, and many teams believe that if they land Paul, James will be soon to follow. Apparently, this was a pretty good idea because now five other teams have been in the hunt for Paul. But does Paul want to leave? Sources close to the Hornets point guard have stated that he would like to remain in New Orleans if at all possible. Paul is excited for the new management that is to take over the Hornets organization, and he is hopeful that they will spend money in order to compete in a highly competitive Western Conference. Although it is unlikely that Paul will be moved before the Draft, there are several cases that the quality of the trade offers could be enough to make New Orleans pull the trigger and accept a trade offer.

The Memphis Grizzlies have reportedly offered shooting guard O.J. Mayo as part of a package deal in order to land Paul and bring him in to command the Grizzlies offense. Mike Conley would also probably be involved in this deal because the Grizzlies would no longer have a need for him at the point guard position. However, New Orleans has declined this offer, and Memphis is unlikely to make a counter offer with better players. If Memphis really wants to land Paul, their best option would be a sign and trade with Rudy Gay, Mayo, and Conley involved.

The Portland Trailblazers have also been interested in Paul for a number of years now. Although no offer has officially been made for the all star point guard, expect an offer to surface by Wednesday night if the Blazers are seriously considering Paul as an option for next year.

The Orlando Magic, much like the Trailblazers, have expressed interest in Paul but do not have a deal in place quite yet. After an embarrassing loss in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Magic are looking to upgrade their roster at almost every position. Jameer Nelson is not untouchable, and the Magic front office believe that in order to be successful, Orlando needs a point guard who can effectively distribute the ball as well as score. Nelson is more of a scorer, and he only averaged 5.6 assists last season. Paul is known as an assist man, and he would be an excellent running mate to Dwight Howard. Howard would flourish in an offense with a point guard like Paul because more often than not, the Magic do not look down low to the post as an offensive option. Howard is the best post player in the league, and he needs to be fed the pull at a constant pace. If Orlando were to land Paul, Nelson and either Rashard Lewis or Vince Carter would likely be involved.

The New York Knicks are also attempting to take Paul from the Hornets in order to land LeBron James. Although no offer is on the table yet, if the Knicks land Paul, LeBron and another top free agent would probably be soon to follow.

The last team expressing interest in Paul (so far) is the New Jersey Nets. They have made the best offer so far, too. The Nets have reportedly been willing to part with any player on their roster except for Brook Lopez. The offer included Devin Harris, another player to be named, and the third pick in this Thursday's draft. New Orleans declined the offer initially, but the Nets will likely make a counter offer in an attempt to bring in a free agent to run with Paul and Lopez this next season.

The Courtside Report Homepage

Email me at ch24bu@gmail.com to request a free subscription to The Courtside Report. As soon as a story is posted, it will be emailed to you.

Paul Pierce is Talking....Again

"Bring Out the Brooms!"

We all remember this statement made on Pierce's twitter page by a supposed "hacker" after Boston went up 3-0 against the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals. I'm fine with confidence. In fact, when I play basketball, I'm a huge trash talker. After Pierce declared the sweep, Orlando won two straight. He awoke a sleeping giant in Dwight Howard who exploded and had ridiculous performances in the next two games. Fast forward to this morning.

"We aint coming back to LA!"

Hmmm. Paul Pierce. When you were younger did you ever touch the stove while it was on? Because my guess is that you touched it again when it was on a week later just to see if anything changed. You're not a quick learner. I mean come on this just happened. You thought Dwight Howard was dangerous? Try Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and Lamar Odom. Notice who's at the front of the list. Kobe Bryant...heard of him? You just walked past the stove and went to swim in the furnace didn't you? Little hot in there? Yeah I thought so.

At least you've had a big impact on the Finals so far! Oh wait. Ron Artest has shut you down. You've been quieter than the city of Cleveland when Jordan sunk the shot over Ehlo. I would remain just that...quiet. You see, you're little Jack climbing the beanstalk to get to the championship trophy at the top. Only problem is you were running your mouth on the way up. Whoops. Guess you better climb quickly to escape the LA giant that is now racing after you. Bad news for the Celtics...Rondo's the only one quick enough to out run him. I'm calling a doctor now so that there will be a wheelchair on hand just in case you need it.

The Courtside Report Homepage

Email me at ch24bu@gmail.com to request a free subscription to The Courtside Report. As soon as a story is posted, it will be emailed to you.

Magical Playoff Run Comes to an End

The Orland Magic's improbable comeback from an 0-3 hole was cut short Friday night thanks to the Boston Celtics. This was a mistake filled game for the Magic which was reflected with the final score of 96-84. The injured Celtics took care of business on their home court, and they have advanced to the NBA Finals to represent the Eastern Conference. The Celtics remained in control for most of the game. Paul Pierce had a huge game for the Celtics with a stat line of 31 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 assists. Nate Robinson had a big game off the bench for the Celtics with 13 points.

The Boston Celtics, although playing with many team members injured, used the passion of their home crowd to their advantage. A big boost for Boston was that reserve forward Glen Davis was able to play despite suffering a concussion in Game Five. Boston is a team of veterans, and they know when to step their game up. Now, they will face either the Los Angeles Lakers or the Phoenix Suns starting June 1. However, the favorite to represent the Western Conference is the Lakers. This will come as a joy to Celtics fans who could be heard chanting "Beat LA!" in the closing minutes of the game.

The Courtside Report Homepage

Perkins Will Play in Game Six

Kendrick Perkins' second technical foul last night in Game Five against the Orlando Magic was rescinded today, and he will be allowed to play tomorrow night in a pivotal Game Six. The decision was announced today and was much anticipated to take place because of the circumstances. Perkins was whistled for a questionable foul call, and he responded by expressing his emotions while walking away from the referee. He did not appear to use any questionable language. This announcement by the NBA comes as a huge relief to the Boston Celtics due to the fact that reserve forward will probably be unavailable for tomorrow's game due to a concussion caused by an inadvertent elbow by Dwight Howard. With Perkins in the starting lineup tomorrow night, I expect the Celtics to win the decisive Game Six on their home court. The Celtics are a team of veterans and will close out the series because they understand the pressure. If they fail to do so, the Orlando Magic will definitely make history as the first team to come back from an 0-3 hole. It's now or never for Boston, and if they can't close out the series in front of their fans they certainly won't be able to in Orlando.

The Courtside Report Homepage

Magic Rout Injured Celtics

A decisive Game Five victory by the Orlando Magic is sending the series back to Boston. I believe I owe the Magic an apology so here it goes. I'm sorry to the Orlando Magic and the team's fans. I doubted your heart, tenacity, and will to win this series after falling behind 0-3 in such poor fashion. However, in the last two games, this team looks like a whole different ball club. Dwight Howard has re-established himself as a legitimate inside threat scoring 21 points, pulling down 10 rebounds, and rejecting 5 shots. Jameer Nelson also came up big leading the Magic with 24 points while managing to distribute 5 assists. The Orlando Magic also shot 13-25 from behind the arc and finally broke out of their series long shooting slump. Game Six will be played on Friday in Boston.

Although the Celtics will be playing in front of their home fans, they could possibly be playing without starting center Kendrick Perkins (possible suspension), reserve power forward Glen Davis (concussion), and reserve shooting guard Marquis Daniels (concussion). Although Daniels has fallen out of favor with Boston head coach Doc Rivers, Perkins and Davis leave two big holes to fill if they miss the next game. Perkins has done an excellent job defending Dwight Howard thus far in the series, and Davis normally helps him out down low. If both must sit out for Game Six, Rasheed Wallace, Kevin Garnett, and Shelden Williams will probably be summoned to shut down Superman. I'm not sure how effective they will be as Howard has a significant height advantage on all three players. The Magic have creeped one step closer to being the only team in NBA history to come back from a three game deficit and win a series. The pressure is at an all time high for Boston. Either protect your home court or return to Orlando for a potentially historical Game Seven.

The Courtside Report Homepage

No Brooms for Boston

The Orlando Magic have won Game Four of the Eastern Conference Finals in overtime 96-92. Jameer Nelson hit back to back three point jumpers in overtime which was a huge momentum swing for the Magic, and Dwight Howard had a superman-sized game with 32 points, 16 rebounds, and 4 blocks. Paul Pierce had 32 points and 11 rebounds for the Celtics, but his effort was not enough to close out Orlando in four games. The Magic won when they needed to and in Boston no less! Many people had questioned the Magic's desire, Howard's leadership, and the overall approach to this series after they fell behind 3-0 and opening the series with two losses on their home court. I will be the first to admit that I was one of these people. I still do not believe that Howard is a legitimate offensive threat night in and night out. He caters to what defenses want him to do. Howard has an excellent hook if he can go over his left shoulder, but Celtics center Kendrick Perkins has defended him extremely well and all but silenced Howard through three games. His Game Four performance was impressive, and I'm looking for Orlando to ride this momentum as they return home. I believe that the Celtics will eventually represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals, but look for the Magic to win Game Five at home. No NBA team has ever come back to win a series after starting down 3-0, but like Kevin Garnett once said, "Anything is possible!"

The Courtside Report Homepage