CP3 On His Way Out of New Orleans?

Phil Fortuna and Charlie Klein

In the tenth game of this season Chris Paul, of the New Orleans Hornets, went down with a left ankle sprain. The injury forced Paul to miss the team’s next eight games but somehow they managed to have a 4-4 record; contrary to what the pundits were expecting the Hornets to perform without their Mr. Everything. 

So who filled in for CP3 during that 8 game stretch?  None other than Darren Collison. The 21st overall selection from the 2009 draft has left many in New Orleans asking their fellow fans, who dat? Who dat little point guard that play like Chris Paul? 

After Collison’s sophomore year at UCLA he was a dead cert to be selected in the first round. But instead of opting for the bright lights and big money of the NBA, Collison decided to return to Pauley Pavilion for another year. 

This turned out to be a bad decision for Collison as his third year in the college game dimmed the hype that surrounded him following his sophomore season. During his senior year his play dropped and was assumed to have little to no chance at being a first rounder. 

The Hornets sent a shock wave through the league by selecting Collison in the first round, especially considering they already had the association's best point guard. I’m guessing nobody is criticizing the Hornets now.

Darren Collison’s Stats

This includes the game where Paul got hurt.

9 games without Paul: 15.2 ppg, 5.8 apg, 2.8 rpg, 1.2 spg, 2.6 tpg and 30.4 mpg

5 games with Paul: 4.2 ppg, 1.4 apg, 1.1 rpg, .4 spg, .6 tpg and 8.8 mpg

Amazing what a difference an extra 22 minutes a game can make not just for a player, but also for the team. When Paul returned from injury, Collison returned to the bench where he put up expected rookie stats in limited action.

Late January Jesus Christ himself came down and granted upon Collison another chance to showcase his ability to run the team. Chris Paul again went down with an injury but, unlike his previous injury, it was a serious one for CP3. That month Paul tweaked his knee in consecutive games, resulting in an MRI scan, resulting in a torn meniscus. Paul then had to undergo surgery, which typically requires 4-6 weeks of rest.

So is the rookie performing well again without CP3? Let’s take a look and find out.

                Darren Collison’s stats (After CP3’s second injury)

                18 games: 20.7 ppg, 9.8 apg, 3.6 rpg, 1.8 spg, 4.5 tpg and 42.8 mpg

                February (13 games): 21.6 ppg, 8.3 apg, 3.9 rpg, 1.8 spg, 4.8 tpg and 41.8 mpg

                March (4 games) 18.8 ppg, 12.8 apg, 2.3 rpg, 2.5 spg, 4.3 tpg and 45.5 mpg

                Season: 11 ppg, 5 apg, 2.3 rpg, 1.03 spg, 2.4 tpg and 24.8 mpg

Statistically, the Hornets aren’t missing Chris Paul as much as everybody thought at the point guard position. Most likely the Hornets won’t be making the postseason due to the absence of Paul and his leadership. Collison puts up numbers similar to Paul; however he does need to work on his ball control. He’s averaging nearly five turnovers per game in the last 18 contests and that’s not just going to cut it at this level.

A big question for this rookie is can he lead? During his first 3 seasons at UCLA he led the Bruins to three straight final fours. Collison just needs more experience in the league to develop into the floor marshal he was for the Bruins.

Chris Paul’s torn meniscus will have severe long term affects that could possibly derail his potential hall of fame career. Once it’s repaired and Paul is back on the court the injury will still bother him. In a sport that requires a lot of running and jumping the bones will be grinding against one another. 

This could result in frequent future injuries. The Hornets have to decide who their future point guard will be Chris Paul or Darren Collison? Next season can you honestly see Collison quietly taking a back seat to CP3?

If the Hornets have an ounce of intelligence, they will seek to trade Paul for some first round picks and a few players. He will be a hot commodity for whatever teams miss out on the plum free agents of this offseason. They already have a great young core with Collison and Thornton, and a good center in Okafor. C

urrently the their star playmaker is displeased by the fact that after a 3-6 start the organization fired head coach Byron Scott without consulting Paul to see how he felt about it. 

If Paul is put on the block, expect there to be a laundry list of teams interested in acquiring him. If the Lakers wanted, they could include center Andrew Bynum and his 13 million into a deal to get Paul. Imagine CP3 in a lineup with Kobe, Artest, Odom, and Gasol? That'd be lights out.