PROTECT THE PAINT

Chris Paul returned to the lineup to help inspire the New Orleans Hornets to a victory over the Dallas Mavericks, 115-99. Paul’s return to the starting lineup relegated superb rookie Darren Collison back to the bench, where he still contributed 16 points and 8 assists in 34 minutes. Those number are expected to decline as Paul’s minutes increase.

The real question is: Should the Hornets risk playing Chris Paul at all this season? If so is it only to showcase he has recovered completely from his injury and that his trade value this summer has not diminished?

Could Paul save the Hornets by being traded?

With the Hornets all but completely eliminated from the playoffs what sense is there in risking any further injury or aggravation to your franchise player’s knee?

Is it because the level at which Darren Collison has performed as a starter during his rookie season might be the reason?

The Hornets benefit of playing Paul is that they can evaluate if he is capable of regaining his form after surgery and showcase this form to potential trade suitors. The only logical explanation is that they want to show league Paul has maximum trade value.

New Orleans can decide which of the following potential moves benefit them the most:

1. Trade Chris Paul to acquire any/all missing pieces of the puzzle and cap relief in the form of expiring contracts.
2. Trade Darren Collison and acquire a smaller piece of the puzzle.

Trading Paul might sound like the most ludicrous trade in the history of mankind, but for a team in serious financial strife ($15,630,994 over the cap, which really means $31,261,988), handing over the reigns to Darren Collison is a reasonable downgrade.

Plus, Chris Paul commands so much in return via trade that the Hornets could pillage a roster for the players to fill in every possible void, and bundle in Peja Stojakovic’s stupidly rich contract.

The only possible downside to playing Chris Paul now really is if he injures his knee again, lessening his value for the summer.

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