This is an excerpt from Bill Simmons recent espn.com column:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/071121&sportCat=nba
Sad but true!
6. NEW ORLEANS HORNETS
Preseason prediction: 43 wins (sixth)
Revised prediction: 48 wins
Here’s how good Chris Paul is: He’s so ridiculously good the Hornets would be a dark-horse title contender if they had their Oklahoma City home crowds (sold out and crazed) and not their New Orleans home crowds (alarmingly bad, as detailed in this Times-Picayune piece). It’s admirable that the NBA stuck with New Orleans, and it was unquestionably the right thing to do … but still, you have to feel for the Hornets’ players and coaches here. You can’t compete for a title without a home-court advantage.
Back to Paul: Dating back 30 years, the only point guards who were beating guys off the dribble this easily and this destructively were Kevin Johnson (early ’90s), Tim Hardaway (early ’90s) and Isiah Thomas (early/mid-’80s). That’s the list. Before he sprained his ankle last weekend, Paul was going wherever he wanted to go; the defenses were like props to him. It was incredible to watch. He had the position completely mastered from a physical standpoint. That’s why, through three weeks, the three most important NBA stories were the rebirth of the Celtics and the dual emergences of Paul and Dwight Howard as “Franchise Players Who Are Good Enough To Compete for a Title Right Now.” The more good teams, the merrier.
