Marc Spears decides to twist the knife a bit farther

[mavs777]

CP3/Dirk/Dwight would have been unstoppable.

LOS ANGELES – Chris Paul didn't want to go to Orlando. Dwight Howard didn't want to go to New Orleans. But Paul and Howard knew this much: A little more than a year ago, they wanted to play together. Never, however, could they agree on a plan that would unite the NBA's best point guard with its best center.

Paul and Howard now find themselves in the same city, albeit playing for rival franchises. Howard came to the Lakers this past summer while Paul is beginning his second season with the Clippers. Both are set to become free agents at the end of this season, raising the question of whether they might make one more effort to team up.

The answer from both All-Stars: Don't count on it.

"We were trying to play together, but it didn't work out," Howard told Yahoo! Sports.

Paul and Howard were teammates on Team USA's 2008 Olympic team. They grew close during that time, and so did their families. While watching LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh form a super team in Miami, Paul and Howard have been talking about joining forces for years.

[Also: Sixers playing patient with Andrew Bynum]

Starting in 2009, Howard and Paul began chatting regularly, trying to figure out a way to play together. Howard tried to convince Paul to join him with the Orlando Magic. Paul responded, one source said, with a question: "What will you be giving up?" While Orlando was relatively close to Paul's hometown of Winston Salem, N.C., and had advanced to the 2009 NBA Finals, Paul preferred Howard join him on the New Orleans Hornets' roster. When neither Howard nor Paul seemed interested in playing for the other's team, they considered looking for a common destination.

"I tried to get him to come to New Orleans," Paul told Yahoo! Sports. "It was back and forth, here and there."

Sources close to both players said Howard and Paul settled on the Dallas Mavericks as an ideal destination, knowing owner Mark Cuban had the means to clear salary-cap space for them. The Mavericks explored trades for both players, but didn't have attractive enough assets to make a deal. And while Howard and Paul could have become unrestricted free agents in the summer of 2012 by opting out of their contracts, neither exhibited the patience to make such a plan feasible.


Paul was all in for joining the Mavericks as a free agent in 2012, but he wanted a commitment Howard also had interest, sources said. Howard, however, remained indecisive about his future in Orlando and wasn't ready to commit to Paul.
Frustrated, Paul eventually grew tired of waiting on Howard, gave up on the Dallas plan and asked the Hornets for a trade. After the Clippers acquired Paul prior to the start of last season, Paul opted into the final year of his contract for the 2012-13 season, postponing his free agency by a year. Howard then surprised everyone in March when he agreed to sign a waiver for the Magic, opting into his contract for the 2012-13 season and also delaying his free agency.

"We always wanted to play together," Howard said of Paul. "It didn't happen that way."

Howard eventually grew dissatisfied enough with the Magic to again push for a trade, but joining Paul with the Clippers was never a priority for him. Howard didn't think he and Clippers forward Blake Griffin would play well together, sources said, and he was far more interested in joining Deron Williams for the Nets' move to Brooklyn
Williams, much like Paul, grew tired of a trade for Howard to materialize, and so the Nets instead acquired Joe Johnson to successfully convince Williams to stay. The Magic did have trade conversations with the Clippers about Howard this offseason, but the Lakers became his preferred destination after Brooklyn was no longer an option.

Paul's and Howard's families remain close; the players' parents even went to lunch together this week in Los Angeles. But Paul said he hasn't talked to Howard since Howard was dealt to the Lakers. One source said Paul is still frustrated by Howard's indecision in their efforts to become teammates.

"I'm pretty sure he's busy with family and all that stuff," Howard said. "I've been busy. We'll have time. We'll be here for the long haul."

Said Paul: "I know that they got stuff going on and we got stuff going on."

Howard loves living in Los Angeles and has enjoyed his brief time with the Lakers, despite their early struggles. Barring a change of heart, he's expected to re-sign with the Lakers after the season. Paul also has enjoyed living in Los Angeles and likes how the Clippers have remade their roster, so, he, too, is strongly leaning toward re-signing.

That doesn't mean the Mavericks and Howard's hometown Atlanta Hawks won't make a run at both players this coming summer. Both the Mavs and Hawks will have significant salary-cap space to make the All-Star pairing finally happen.

And yet after years of trying to play together, both Howard and Paul no longer envision such a scenario happening.

"He's on the other side," Paul said. "I don't worry about that."

[rabbitproof]

AUGH.

Technically we could still get them both next year...

[mavs777]

Both are leaning towards resigning and reading between the lines that is obvious as well, recently CP3 came out with a show with a clippers type outline on side of it.

[Rick41]

I'm shocked CP3 was ready to join the Mavs.

He hates the Mavs.

[sefant77]

Honestly with 2011 i dont care.

I hate Paul because he is a bitch...wouldnt want Inzaghi or Ibra on my soccer team either. Couldnt really enjoy a game with him or becoming a fan of him

[mavs777]

The only player I wouldn't be willing to root for if he was on the Mavs is Matt Barnes and anyone that has killed someone/commited rape or anything like that.

[markus1234]

Could not care less about Paul and Dwight. The whole super team philosophy is boring as hell. I want to see top 10 plyers competing against each other and making their team mates better. Super teams are OK during the all star break...

[LonghornDub]

Hey, maybe they'll both decide that LA sucks and come to Dallas next summer.

Cause that always happens.

[nowhereman]

Wow.

[Ninkobei]

Don't need either of them. It'll be a rough couple of years when Dirk retires but the payoff will be much greater than just signing some superstar.

[Dtownsfinest]

I've always been of the belief that stars simply don't want to play for the Mavs but if this is true then this does change my perception of this franchise in regards to being a destination for free agents.

[SMC0007]

Originally Posted by sefant77

Honestly with 2011 i dont care.

I hate Paul because he is a bitch...wouldnt want Inzaghi or Ibra on my soccer team either. Couldnt really enjoy a game with him or becoming a fan of him

Hey, watch your mouth about the best striker in the game.

[mavs777]

Originally Posted by Ninkobei

Don't need either of them. It'll be a rough couple of years when Dirk retires but the payoff will be much greater than just signing some superstar.

CP3/Dwight is the start of a title contender, that is 2 top 5 players. It isn't a team stuck in mediocrity. Being mediocre would have been a jet/chandler core without dirk. When Dirk does retire the Mavs we will most likely be terrible, and while this will be better for long term future than mediocrity you would much rather have a title contender at the time. Maybe LMA can save us, who knows.

[jamaljasonandjimmy]

rick carlisle is 1 of the top five coaches in the league. probably 2nd under popovich. thats better than any player you can get. its about coaching plain and simple. a coach can get in a players head and make them great. rick carlisle could make a basketball player out of some of your couch potato asses !

[mavs777]

Originally Posted by jamaljasonandjimmy

rick carlisle is 1 of the top five coaches in the league. probably 2nd under popovich. thats better than any player you can get. its about coaching plain and simple. a coach can get in a players head and make them great. rick carlisle could make a basketball player out of some of your couch potato asses !

If that is the case why didn't the Spurs beat OKC in the WCF this past year? Lebron is 20 times more valuable to a team than any coach can be.

[jamaljasonandjimmy]

Originally Posted by mavs777

If that is the case why didn't the Spurs beat OKC in the WCF this past year? Lebron is 20 times more valuable to a team than any coach can be.

why this? why that? yeah right lebron sucks. i wasnt talking about a series last year. what about last night spurs okc? argue...mad....angry face.....

[mavs777]

Originally Posted by jamaljasonandjimmy

why this? why that? yeah right lebron sucks. i wasnt talking about a series last year. what about last night spurs okc? argue...mad....angry face.....

Put together a coherent thought. Any 1 single regular season game can go either way.

[jamaljasonandjimmy]

Originally Posted by mavs777

If that is the case why didn't the Spurs beat OKC in the WCF this past year? Lebron is 20 times more valuable to a team than any coach can be.

why couldnt lebron win a championship in cleveland?

[jamaljasonandjimmy]

Originally Posted by mavs777

Put together a coherent thought. Any 1 single regular season game can go either way.

your mad about a post. nobody cares about my opinion and nobody cares about yours. they only care about theirs and you prove that everyday of your shitty life.

[jamaljasonandjimmy]

some of you "fans" (i use that loosely) make this a horrible forum.

[The Ghost of Championship]

Originally Posted by jamaljasonandjimmy

why this? why that? yeah right lebron sucks. i wasnt talking about a series last year. what about last night spurs okc? argue...mad....angry face.....

Originally Posted by jamaljasonandjimmy

why couldnt lebron win a championship in cleveland?

Originally Posted by jamaljasonandjimmy

your mad about a post. nobody cares about my opinion and nobody cares about yours. they only care about theirs and you prove that everyday of your shitty life.

Originally Posted by jamaljasonandjimmy

some of you "fans" (i use that loosely) make this a horrible forum.

Wow you are volatile. Why don't you stop stalking posters and re-evaluate what you contribute to this forum.

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by The Ghost of Championship

Wow you are volatile. Why don't you stop stalking posters and re-evaluate what you contribute to this forum.

Pot, meet kettle...