Watching the Hornets take on the Mavericks in Dallas on Monday, I began to wonder if Chris Paul is buying into what the Hornets’ coaches are trying to do offensively. That is, get the ball moving more and cut down on the amount of dribbling. We saw moves in the right direction after Byron Scott was fired and Paul went down with an ankle injury, but since CP’s return, we’re seeing the offense regress somewhat. Check the video below for some examples from the Mavs game.

Let me clearly state that this isn’t an attack on Chris Paul. I’m not out to prove that the Hornets would be better off without him (obviously they wouldn’t be). My point is simply that Paul is being relied on too heavily offensively. Whether that’s his own fault or the fault of the coaches is up for debate. Most likely, adjustments need to be made on both sides. That is, Paul has to realize that him dominating the ball does not result in more wins, and the coaches have to do a better job communicating that to him.

UPDATE: As requested, here’s the video analysis I did last month, highlighting the Hornets’ improved ball movement while Paul was out injured…