It just might be time for the Hornets to trade Chris Paul

Please let what I am about to tell you marinate inside of your head for a while before you judge me.

But I think it’s time the Hornets look into trading Chris Paul.

Yes, I said it. I think the Hornets should trade away their franchise player and start from scratch.

So for those of you who have not immediately labeled me as crazy and have not already thrown down your newspapers in disgust, let me tell you why.

The reality of the situation is that teams dependent on their point guard the way the Hornets are dependent on Paul just don’t win NBA championships. It just doesn’t work. Since 1980, only three teams have won it all in the NBA with a point guard as the team’s best player – the late 1980s Detroit Pistons and the 2004 Pistons led by Chauncey Billups.

That’s three out of 29 or 10 percent.

So in this particular case, I think it’s a no-brainer because the Hornets have too many holes to fill in other places.

Chris Paul is legitimately the best point guard in the league and is one of the Top 10, if not Top 5 players in the entire NBA.

But he is the only big fish on a roster full of minnows right now, and it’s time the team uses that to its advantage.

Paul is a free agent in a few years and if the team keeps losing, he will leave for greener pastures.

Guess what the team would get for Paul if and when he does that? Nothing.

How many teams want a 25-year-old point guard who averages 20 points and 11 assists per game? The answer? Every, single one.

With that said, if the team puts him on the market, the bidding war would be unreal and the team would probably be able to get two, three or maybe even four solid players and countless draft picks in exchange for Paul.

What would you rather? The roster as-is with Paul or taking Paul away and possibly adding a new starting shooting guard, a new starting small forward and a few young players that could contribute to the future of their team.

I don’t know about you, but a four for the price of one deal sounds pretty sweet to me.

The Memphis Grizzlies also thought it was in 2008 when they traded their franchise player Pau Gasol to the Lakers.

Much like the Paul trade would receive, Gasol’s trade got a hugely negative reaction with some critics even saying the franchise didn’t want to win.

But just two years later, how soon people have forgotten, because the Grizzlies have used all of the pieces the Lakers gave them and are a much better, more rounded team because of it. They are competing for a playoff spot in the NBA’s Western Conference – something no one thought would be possible in the days following the trade.

A similar trade would net the Hornets help on the floor and in the bank, where the team is strapped for cash and has no money to improve.

Another reason I am so comfortable with the potential move is Paul’s replacement – rookie Darren Collison.

Paul has been on the shelf for most of the season, and the team has definitely taken a hit without him. But it certainly hasn’t been Collison’s fault. The UCLA rookie has averaged 18 points per game and nine assists per game in games he has started this season.

That’s just two points and two assists per game less than Paul. And the kid is a rookie. So in theory, he might actually blossom and be a better statistical player than Paul when he becomes more experienced.

It’s all hypothetical, because no one knows the direction the Hornets will take. But I do know that if you make an A+ and four F’s in school, your grade will be an F. So it’s time the Hornets trade their A+ for a bunch of B+’s so they can get where they need to be.