November 17
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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The long-anticipated medicalon the condition of Chris Paul's sprained left ankle was neither expansive nor encouraging Monday. The Hornets' All-Star point guard will be out indefinitely , but the team provided no information on the severity of the injury. Ankle sprains are assessed by grades. A Grade I is the least severe, and a Grade III is the most severe, involving the tearing of ligaments within the ankle that require a lengthy rehabilitation period. Hornets Coach Jeff Bower said Monday the team would not place a number grade on Paul's injury. Paul shed no additional light on what was revealed by an MRI exam Saturday. "They don't know when I'll be able to play yet," Paul said ..."
November 16
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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Hornets General Manager/Coach Jeff Bower is expected to provide details today on how long Chris Paul could be sidelined and discuss the MRI test that was performed Saturday on Paul's severely sprained left ankle. Paul, who had to be helped off the floor after suffering the injury in Friday's loss to the visiting Portland Trail Blazers, did not travel with the team to Atlanta for Saturday night's game and underwent medical tests and evaluations in New Orleans. "You are obviously concerned when any of your players get hurt," Bower said. "Chris' absence changes things quite a bit as far the contributions of everyone on the floor. But we got to look to make up the difference in a number of ..."
November 15
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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On several possessions Saturday night against the Atlanta Hawks, Hornets starting shooting guard Devin Brown noticed a big difference in the way New Orleans got into its offensive sets from previous games this season. The Hornets did not have a facilitator who instinctively knew when to run the call given from the bench, deviate from the offense or draw the attention of the defense to create shots for teammates. Without Chris Paul, who missed his first game after his left ankle was severely sprained Friday night against Portland, the Hornets weren't in sync, falling to the surging Hawks 121-98 before a crowd of 18,572 at Philips Arena. Rookie Darren Collison made his first start, filling ..."
November 15
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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On several possessions Saturday night against the Atlanta Hawks, New Orleans Hornets starting shooting guard Devin Brown noticed a big difference in the way New Orleans got into its offensive sets from previous games this season. The Hornets did not have a facilitator who instinctively knew when to run the call given from the bench, deviate from the offense or draw the attention of the defense to create shots for teammates. Without Chris Paul, who missed his first game after his left ankle was severely sprained Friday night against Portland, the Hornets weren't in sync, falling to the surging Hawks 121-98 before a crowd of 18,572 at Philips Arena. Rookie Darren Collison made his first ..."
November 14
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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In his debut game, Hornets Coach Jeff Bower looked concerned after marching on the floor to see his franchise player, Chris Paul, sprawled and writhing in pain from a severely sprained left ankle. With 40.3 seconds remaining in the third quarter, Paul stepped on the back of Portland's center Joel Pryzbilla's foot after soaring to make a pass to Hilton Armstrong in the lane. As Paul landed awkwardly, his left ankle turned and he landed hard on the floor, grimacing in pain as he tossed his mouthpiece and grabbed his ankle. With Paul having to be carried off the court by teammates Sean Marks and Darius Songaila and not returning, New Orleans lost to Portland 86-78 Friday night in front of ..."
November 13
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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As Hornets players gathered at the Alario Center on Thursday morning, team president Hugh Weber met with captains Chris Paul and David West to inform them that Coach Byron Scott was fired and his replacement would be General Manager Jeff Bower. Paul wasn't happy with the decision, and he wasn't pleased with being caught off guard by the announcement. He said New Orleans should have sought his and West's input before the decision was finalized. "I felt like maybe somebody would have at least consulted with me and asked how I felt before it happened," Paul said by telephone Thursday night. "It's not to get my approval, but we feel we should know about the decision before it takes place." ..."
November 13
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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As Hornets players gathered at the Alario Center on Thursday morning, team president Hugh Weber met with captains Chris Paul and David West to inform them that Coach Byron Scott was fired and his replacement would be General Manager Jeff Bower. Paul wasn't happy with the decision, and he wasn't pleased with being caught off guard by the announcement. He said New Orleans should have sought his and West's input before the decision was finalized. "I felt like maybe somebody would have at least consulted with me and asked how I felt before it happened," Paul said by telephone Thursday night. "It's not to get my approval, but we feel we should know about the decision before it takes place." ..."
November 11
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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Even though he was the last one on the floor for Wednesday morning's shootaround at US Airways Center, New Orleans Hornets guard Chris Paul said his slightly sprained left ankle responded to treatment and he'll play tonight against the Phoenix Suns. Paul tweaked the ankle near the end of the first half in Monday night's blowout win over the Los Angeles Clippers when he inadvertantly stepped on the foot of former Hornets guard Rasual Butler after making a short jumpshot just outside the lane. He played the entire third quarter, but was limping noticably at the beginning of the period, before the ankle loosened up. He and the rest of the New Orleans starters sat out the entire fourth period. ..."
November 8
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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The on-court demeanor hasn't changed, Hornets guard Chris Paul wants people to know. Paul's in-game countenance, a perpetual scowl, isn't anything new. It isn't a reflection of any dissatisfaction he might feel as New Orleans has broken from the starting gate with a 2-4 record as it struggles to formulate the kind of seamless chemistry that comes naturally to teams that have played together longer than two weeks. "There's no frustration. I'm fine," Paul, a two-time All-Star and one-time league MVP runner-up, said before the Hornets departed for a three-game West Coast road trip that begins tonight in Staples Center against the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers. "The only thing is I ..."
November 7
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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With early signs of momentum carrying over from Wednesday night's overtime victory against Dallas, Hornets point guard Chris Paul appeared pleased as he headed to the locker room with his team holding a two-point halftime lead against the Toronto Raptors. However, four minutes into the third quarter, Paul had the same frustrating glare as he did during Monday night's loss to the New York Knicks when the Hornets were thoroughly dominated in the fourth quarter, surrendering 40 points at Madison Square Garden. On Friday night, not even the home-court advantage could save the Hornets as they were undone by the Raptors' franchise-record eight 3-pointers in the third quarter that led to a ..."
November 6
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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The NBA will not take disciplinary action against New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul or Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo for their verbal confrontation after Sunday's game at the TD Garden, league spokesman Tim Frank confirmed Thursday. After the game, Paul sought out Celtics forward Paul Pierce to shake his hand and offer congratulations for his performance. However, before Paul could finish, Rondo came up and bumped him, and that led to the two exchanging words. They had to be separated, and as Rondo was ushered from the court area by a team official, Celtics assistant Tom Thibodeau and Paul got into a shouting match in front of the Celtics' bench. Since Monday, the ..."
November 3
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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After the Hornets lost a tough road game to the Boston Celtics on Sunday night, Chris Paul sought out Paul Pierce, who scored a game-high 27 points, to shake his hand and offer congratulations. However, before Paul could finish his conversation, Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo confronted him, and an angry exchange ensued between the two young point guards. They had to be separated, and as Rondo was ushered from the court by a team official, Celtics assistant Tom Thibodeau and Paul got into a shouting match in front of the Celtics' bench. An NBA spokesman says the league is reviewing the postgame incident which took place during in Boston involving New Orleans guard Chris Paul and the ..."
September 29
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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We start at the beginning because that's as good a place as any to originate, because the Hornets' fortunes start with Chris Paul and trickle down, because the league's best point guard and the face of the franchise will dictate what the Hornets do and don't accomplish as significantly as will any NBA player for his team. We start with Paul because regarding him, one thing has to stop: Hornets Coach Byron Scott has to figure out a way to cut Paul's minutes. That's a familiar song, and the Hornets have done a familiar dance to the tune. Every year at media day since Paul completed his rookie season we've heard some variation of it, heard that New Orleans cannot afford to run Paul into the ..."
September 16
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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Hornets All-Star guard Chris Paul appeared a tad nervous Tuesday morning at TPC Louisiana, standing on the first tee box, an oversized metal driver in his hand, as he was about to fire the first shot in his inaugural CP3 Celebrity Golf Classic. "No pressure, right?" Paul said through a weak grin, as his three playing partners waited to see just what their cordial host had in his bag. "I'd rather be in front of 25,000 fans shooting a basketball than doing this." Nonetheless, despite the good-natured ribbing Paul had been receiving from his friend, and on this day fellow golfing celebrity Dwyane Wade ("I don't expect him to be good at all," Wade said), Paul's opening drive was acceptable ..."
September 11
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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With a roster that includes rookie guards Darren Collison and Marcus Thornton, Hornets point guard Chris Paul already is embracing his role as a mentor. In his four seasons, Paul always had a more experienced point guard playing behind him. But earlier this week, the Hornets traded 12-year veteran Antonio Daniels to the Minnesota Timberwolves, making Paul the most experienced point guard on the roster. "Actually it's a funny feeling, and all summer I've been thinking and talking about it," Paul said. "It's crazy that I'm going into my fifth year and actually have a young group of guys to play that position with me." Paul, 24, resumed workouts in New Orleans this week and has taken the ..."
August 26
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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When it comes to confidence in his ability, Hornets guard Chris Paul has no doubts. In his basketball ability, that is. His shoe-making expertise, that's another story. During Paul's trip to China earlier this month, in which he held clinics, dedicated a basketball court, introduced a new Nike shoe and was idolized by thousands, Paul visited the factory where his CP3 basketball shoes are fabricated, lending a hand at one point in the construction of a pair. "They let me help put the bottom sole on a pair of my shoes," Paul said this week, laughing. "I told them, 'Make sure those aren't a pair that I wear.' I don't trust myself with that." Paul's offseason excursion to the Far East was ..."
May 10
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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In two of the previous three years, Chris Paul didn't have a respite after the grind of an 82-game regular season, plus two playoff series last season, before participating in tough international competition. Despite the extended work, Paul helped the United States Olympic team win a gold medal in Beijing last August, then returned to New Orleans a month later for the start of the Hornets' training camp. This summer, Paul can finally enjoy an offseason of rest. After the Hornets were eliminated by the Denver Nuggets in the first round last month, it appeared as if he could use it. During the series, Paul required treatment for a sore right knee and elbow and played a team-high 40.2 ..."
April 24
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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Throughout the regular season, Chris Paul easily maneuvered around defenders to score, and when his teammates were unable to provide a lift, he still managed to carry them. The hope now is for Paul to provide the same execution during Saturday's crucial Game 3 against the Denver Nuggets. The series shifts to the New Orleans Arena after the Hornets lost the first two games of the best-of-seven series in Denver. Paul has been productive but not dominant. He has averaged 17.5 points -- 5.3 points below his career-high 22.8 average during the regular season. He has committed a team-high nine turnovers, including five in Wednesday's 108-93 loss at the Pepsi Center. Although Paul was a serious ..."
April 13
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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If the player wasn't Chris Paul, and the opponent wasn't the Dallas Mavericks, and the game wasn't nationally televised, then we'd have praise to lavish and superlatives to unfurl. But clearly, there are assumptions we can make under those circumstances, even if those assumptions fall along the lines of 31 points, 17 assists, nine rebounds, two steals and just one turnover in 45 minutes of the Hornets' 102-92 victory on Easter Sunday. "Well, we tried everything," Dallas Coach Rick Carlisle said. "We were trapping him in the fourth quarter, pretty much the whole quarter. He just found ways either to draw fouls or get the ball to other people. That's what great players do. He was great ..."
March 22
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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After playing 41 minutes Friday night against Memphis, Chris Paul and David West barely touched a basketball during Saturday's practice. They sat on opposite ends of the bench while their teammates took shots, made free throws and worked on improving the defense in preparation for today's game at the New Orleans Arena against the Golden State Warriors, the league's highest scoring team, averaging 108.8 points. With 14 games remaining in the regular season and the Hornets desperately in a fight for playoff positioning, Coach Byron Scott said there is little chance Paul's and West's minutes per game will decrease to fewer than 40. To keep them from wearing down and in an effort to avoid ..."
March 12
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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WASHINGTON -- It took Hornets guard Chris Paul about a quarter and a half to get into his offensive rhythm Wednesday night against the Wizards. But when he did, nothing Washington could do was about to slow him down. Paul had his NBA-leading sixth triple-double of the season -- and his second this season against the Wizards -- as he scored 10 points in a 3 1/2-minute span of the second quarter in helping lead New Orleans to a 109-98 victory at the Verizon Center. Paul had 30 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds to lead the Hornets, who also got 21 points from Rasual Butler (6-of-13 on 3-point attempts), 15 points from James Posey and a double-double from center Tyson Chandler (11 points, ..."
February 16
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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Playing in his first All-Star Game as a starter, Chris Paul desired to make the same impact as he does for the Hornets. In the league's top midseason event, where celebrities such as former heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali, director Spike Lee and singer/actress Beyonce filled the courtside seats Sunday night at the US Airways Center for the 58th annual All-Star Game, Paul wanted to be on the winning side. With a Western Conference team loaded with perimeter shooters and inside and mid-range scorers, such as Hornets forward David West, it was not difficult for Paul to make an impact as the Western Conference cruised to a 146-119 victory. The Lakers' Kobe Bryant, who scored a game-high ..."
February 15
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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After arriving Thursday in the Valley of the Sun for All-Star Weekend, Chris Paul barely had to time to unpack. First, Paul teamed with Michael Jordan to talk to cancer-stricken children and gave them tickets to a host of All-Star events. Then, Paul was whisked away to tape a segment for CNN that included Magic Johnson, Bill Russell, Steve Nash and former Hornets guard Steve Smith to discuss sports, the recession and last November's presidential race. From playing on the United States Olympic team last summer to his selection by the fans as a first-time starter in the All-Star Game, Paul clearly is one of the NBA's most popular players. Despite being tugged in a several directions, ..."
February 11
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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There's a very strong likelihood of a definite possibility of a maybe that All-Star guard Chris Paul could return tonight when the Hornets get their only opportunity to play the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics at the New Orleans Arena. Yet whether the Celtics get to face the Hornets with Paul running the show for the first time since he strained his right groin Feb. 2 against the Portland Trail Blazers likely will be a game-time decision. And it's one that Hornets Coach Byron Scott is not going to take lightly. Scott said he would like nothing better than to have his team close to full strength tonight. But more likely than not, center Tyson Chandler, who has missed the past 11 ..."
February 6
New Orleans Times-Picayune
columnist John DeShazier
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Let's just say that so far, life without Chris Paul stinks. And speaking of the Hornets, their 107-93 loss to Chicago on Wednesday night at the New Orleans Arena was their fourth in a row, their first minus Paul (if you don't want to count Monday night's fourth-quarter collapse against Portland, when he strained his right groin) and the one most reminiscent of the Dan Dickau, Maciej Lampe, George Lynch days. And there was nothing remotely memorable about the 2004-05 season, when the Hornets lost a franchise-record 64 games. "Guys have got to want to be on the floor, have got to want to make something happen when they're out there," David West said after putting up 24 points and a ..."
February 4
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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The Hornets could be without All-Star point guard Chris Paul the rest of this week, but a magnetic resonance imaging test of Paul's injured right groin indicated only a mild strain, a far less severe injury than it appeared when he went down in Monday night's 97-89 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers at the New Orleans Arena. Paul walked into the Hornets' practice Tuesday at the Alario Center shortly after 11 a.m., barely limping and eager to get back on the court as soon as possible, hinting he could play tonight against the Chicago Bulls. He's officially listed as day-to-day, but Coach Byron Scott said it could be into next week before Paul plays again. "Maybe I can play (tonight), ..."
February 3
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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Based on MRI exam performed Monday morning, New Orleans Hornets guard Chris Paul has a mild groin strain and is listed as day to day, spokesman Dennis Rogers said. Paul is not expected to miss the Feb. 15 All-Star Game in Phoenix, team officials said. He sat out Monday's practice and may not play Wednesday against the Chicago Bulls. "It's not as bad as it could be,'' Hornets Coach Byron Scott said. "Obviously, we're very excited that it's day to day. We're going to wait and hope he is a fast healer. I don't think it's anyway possible for him to play tomorrow. If he plays tomorrow, it does more damage than anything. It's day to day until that thing clears up.'' Paul suffered the injury late ..."
February 3
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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As he fell to the floor, Chris Paul writhed in pain only a few feet away from the Hornets' bench. New Orleans was in control of Portland, leading at one point in the third quarter by 20 points, but Coach Byron Scott looked concerned. In a season already marred by injuries, Paul was forced to leave Monday night's game with a strained right groin with 1:30 remaining in the third period, and he did not return. Without him dictating the tempo and setting up teammates for shots, the Hornets were unable to hold their lead and lost 97-89 to the Trail Blazers at the New Orleans Arena. Portland outscored the Hornets 42-17 after Paul left. It is the first time the Hornets (28-17) have lost three ..."
February 3
New Orleans Times-Picayune
columnist John DeShazier
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There is but one table-setter extraordinaire for the Hornets and, arguably, in the league. Just one Hornet capable of making every single player on the roster a little better than he actually might be. Only one Hornet who's a triple-double threat every game and capable of popping off a quadruple-double under the right circumstances. In short, Chris Paul is irreplaceable. And now, New Orleans has to try to find a way to replace him. For how long he must be replaced is anyone's guess. Paul is a competitor, and little short of a protruding bone is going to keep him sidelined for long. But when he limped off the court Monday night at the New Orleans Arena with 1:30 left in the third ..."
January 27
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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There was a great deal of concern -- justifiable, as it turned out -- about the way the Hornets matched up with the visiting Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night. The anxiety was so great that Byron Scott inserted seldom-used second-year player Julian Wright into the starting lineup for the first time this year. The idea was to use the Hornets' most athletically gifted player to try to guard Sixers front-line players Andre Iguodala and Thaddeus Young. In theory, it was a nice idea. But all the Hornets really needed was Peja Stojakovic to heat up from the outside. Stojakovic hit five consecutive 3-point shots to open the fourth quarter as the Hornets overcame the Sixers' short game to ..."
January 23
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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In a comeback that could rival his best on-court effort, Hornets guard Chris Paul overcame a more than 157,000-vote deficit in the last two weeks of balloting to capture one of the starting backcourt spots on the Western Conference All-Star team that the NBA announced Thursday night. Paul trailed Houston's Tracy McGrady by 157,063 votes in the last figures released Jan. 8, but garnered enough support to join Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant in the starting lineup for the Feb. 15 game in Phoenix. McGrady finished third in the voting, more than 456,000 votes behind Paul. "Thank you, New Orleans, I guess. Thank the world," Paul said Thursday. "It's an unbelievable feeling. Not too many ..."
January 20
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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On a Monday afternoon when Hornets point guard Chris Paul saw starting center Tyson Chandler carried off the court with an ankle injury and his understudy limp away with a sore knee, Paul knew when the game was on the line that he wanted the ball in his hands. Moments after Indiana Pacers forward Danny Granger, a New Orleans native, tied the score with a 3-point bucket with 2.5 seconds to go in regulation, Paul issued a demand to Coach Byron Scott. "Let me have the ball," Paul said during a timeout that preceded the frantic final ticks of the clock. He got the ball on an inbounds pass from James Posey, saw the lane was sealed off, then pulled up for a fade-away 28-foot 3-pointer that ..."
December 21
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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He didn't appear to be a jolly round man with rosy cheeks and a belly that shook like jelly, but the youthful guy in the white warmup suit worked the line of neighborhood church-group kids lined up outside the iron fence surrounding Clay Playground, bearing a gift of the season. In a sense, Hornets guard Chris Paul was doing his best St. Nicholas imitation Saturday morning as he cut the ribbon on a pair of newly painted basketball courts bearing his name and the green and gold colors of his high school, the West Forsyth (N.C.) Titans. "This is nice," said young Michael MacArthur, who lives just a block or so from the park on Chippewa and Soraparu. "I'll come down here to play." The ..."