This afternoon at the first day the Alario Center opened for player workouts, Chris Paul stood in front of a group of 20- some odd members of the media and took some time to answer questions. As everyone gathered around Paul, the guy on the front of half the NBA sections on the planet, it got real. The season was back on, and in front of us stood one of the greatest basketball players of our generation. So began the most ridiculous few minutes of my short sports writing career.
Everything went down the crapper right away. A number of professional reporters (obviously not all of them) contributed to ask a series of questions which made me wonder if they had heard of Twitter or even the internet in general. Or if they even were aware that Chris Paul’s contract likely ends after this year.
Paul predictably said the same old tired lines he’s used before, but for the first time we (Hornets writers) should have known without doubt that he was talking nonsense. He’s not the happiest guy in the world or he wouldn’t be demanding a trade. He CAN control the “rumors” that persist about him, and he’s very well aware of why they continue to come up– his agent. Yet nobody called him on any of it. Not only that, but many just bought his nonsense hook, line, and sinker, and moved on from the first 30 seconds of the interview as if him being a Hornet was set in stone.
Insanity. Surely at least one job of a sports reporter is to uncover the truth.
Seriously, what world are we living in where two professional reporters ask Chris Paul if he’s going to recruit players for the Hornets this year? In what world does a reporter ask Chris Paul, the guy on the front page of NYC newspapers in a Knicks uniform, the following question–
“You’ve got Memphis up first in the preseason, how does that match up sit with you?”
They should have been laughed out of the media circle.
This will be the last time I stand in the back and let the tough questions go unasked while other reporters question Paul about his favorite place to eat pie in Narnia. I’m sure I’ll step on someones since apparently some players aren’t used to actually being forced to deal with the reality of their lives, but at least I’ll be getting something other than quotes about how D-West is CP3’s “brother”.
24 responses to “Chris Paul and Some of the New Orleans Hornets Media”
timkawakami Tim Kawakami
by HowardBeckNYT
Multiple NBA sources: If the Hornets consider trading Chris Paul, one player they really like is Stephen Curry & have told GSWs that.
22 minutes ago
Sure most of those reporters know about twitter. They have twitter accounts. How funny would it have been if no reporters would’ve showed up at all? LMAO.
Did you ask him anything?
We need a Richard Angelico type reporter that’s going to put the mic in his face that not only asks the right questions but tell him ‘don’t bullsh*t us Chris’ while following him to the lockerroom. LOL.
nothin. As I said, it’s the last time I’ll be quiet.
Yeah ya right Joe! You get ’em!
I love it. Please ask them those difficult questions. I don’t really resent Paul for wanting to leave, but don’t feed people BS.
i wonder if he added some moves ot his arsenal… You know, a pullup three in transition a-la-stockton, some floaters in the paint like Barea’s or make his jumpshot from the dribble faster
Who?
THANK YOU. Saw that interview and wanted to head down there myself to get some real anwers. what is that one lady doing there? She can’t be a basketball reporter.
John deshazier should know better then ta ask such dumb Q’s. Been there 20 years.
I’ll never forget Deshazier’s article about how the Hornets would never leave Charlotte for New Orleans a week before the Hornets move to NOLA was announced. Speaks to the quality of his journalism.
LOL!
Joe, you’ll love a couple things I say in the podcast tomorrow. It was recorded before this interview…
Look at the female reporter in that picture.
Caption. “I’m just here. I don’t really know what the **** is going onâ€. LOL!
yet she tries to ask 4 questions and just had to be in the first row of reporters. Funny thing is, I talked to her. Nice lady. Just doesn’t seem to follow the Hornets other than on the surface based on her questions.
You know, imo, none of the sports media here seem to ‘follow’ the Hornets. Not any of the ones that are on tv that is. It pisses me off too. Other than Fletcher with his bull crap trade ideas, the sports media here don’t seem to pay much attention to the Hornets.
I can just see…
Chris trying to go to his Afterschool Zone thing on Friday and some little boy hemming him up “WHAT YOU MEAN YOU WANNA BE TRADED TO NY FOO??!!†LOL!
GerrityJoe Joe Gerrity
@
@patrickclay10 Yeah, but Broussard’s sources in lebron’s camp are damn good. same camp @cp3 is in. Think about everything. #goner
25 minutes ago
Is this the same Lebron camp that said Lebron was going to the Bulls? Or did he have a different camp then?
Did anyone get any quotes from Quincy or Trevor today?
Who are they?
they werent/didn’t make themselves available.
I don’t know who to believe anymore.But do anyone think if CP3 wants to be traded is this the end of the franchise within 3 years because new ownership is important for us to get a franchise player in return in a trade because we deserve better than this.
Well written, Joe. Go apesh@t on them next time.
Am I the only one who saw the entire lockout reporting as biased?
Didn’t it seem very obvious that the reporters were afraid to ask demanding questions of the big time players? Didn’t it seem as if nobody cared to explain owner position, only player positions…and ONLY big time player positions?
I did…and it made me scream.
It is just like reporters in Washington, DC.
They are all very aware of who gets invited to what parties and who doesn’t after nasty, tough questioning takes place.
So blow off the hard stuff…feed the spin and stay invited.
Here we have NBA reporting cream puffed just so the reporters stay on the side of the party, pretty boy players.
and I think it a might/tich of a stretch to call Paul one of the greatest basketball players of our generation….well, your generation.