Mavs Donuts: Are Hornets Garage-Selling Paul Or Okafor? And Might The Mavs Be Buyers?

   If the Hornets are holding a garage sale – on Emeka Okafor or even Chris Paul! – can the Mavs get it on?

   Or are the Hornets even holding a garage sale?

   Let’s go item-by-item with some known facts, some educated guesses and some logical conclusions … and let’s nosh on all of it in the form of Tuesday Morning Mavs Donuts:

    DONUT 2: A PERFECT STORM Here’s what we think we know: The Hornets potentially represent a perfect storm in terms of at least assuming that salary-dump trades are being or will be discussed. There is the track record of them doing so, there is NO’s small-market status, there is owner George Shinn’s negative rep as an opportunist, there is the on-court crumbling of the team that just a year-and-a-half ago proclaimed itself another “next big thing,’’ there is the purposeful disassembly of that group with the trade of Tyson Chandler and the recent firing of recent Coach of the Year Byron Scott.

   That doesn’t just apply to Okafor. At some point, it applies to almost anybody in a Hornets uniform.

  Therefore …

 DONUT 3: THOSE FOLKS YELLING ‘LIES!’ ARE LYING Blanket denials of the possibility of more trades sound ridiculous.

   DONUT 4: OUR ‘TRIAL BALLOON’ THEORY The Hornets/Kenny Thomas story didn’t come from nowhere. It is at least a trial balloon, and its existence means the Hornets have probably at least considered (at even the most innocuous level) trying to move Okafor in exchange for non-talent.

   However, there is a problem. What’s in it for the Kings?

    Not enough.

   Sacramento's purported interest is suspicious because of two facts: a) they already have a pair of young big men they're developing, and b) they're not doing well financially. To us, this swap makes no sense from their end.

   DONUT 5: THE TRIAL BALLOON HAS A LEAK So our read on this story leaking is this: The Hornets mentioned it, at least in passing, to the Kings. The Kings let it leak to the Sacramento paper. At which point the Hornets ran to the New Orleans paper to scream their denial.

   DONUT 6: OK, WHAT ABOUT DALLAS? With those observations on the table, we start as always with the desire for Dallas – if it even has some interest in Okafor – to drive a hard bargain. It's senseless to offer up core talent inasmuch as actual talent is not expected in the present rumored asking price.   

   DONUT 7: WHAT WOULD IT TAKE FOR THE MAVS TO GET OKAFOR? Right now the only way the Mavs could cobble together enough salary to do a trade match (it takes almost $8.8 mil or more) would be to include a player out of what this franchise considers to be core talent (like Josh Howard, Jason Terry or J.J. Barea). 
   Right now, that's not happening for a player who's being offered as a giveaway. Therefore, for right now, we are all-but convinced Dallas is not a potential bidder. 

    But what if the price escalates? Do you give up value-for-value for Okafor? Does he make the Mavs better than Josh Howard makes the Mavs? 

  DONUT 8: IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH OKAFOR? In addition we remind that at the start of August, New Orleans was eagerly taking Okafor and his added salary in exchange for Chandler. Now, a couple of weeks into having him on the floor, they are saying they want a mulligan on that trade?

   Why?

    If we’re a team thinking of being a buyer, that makes us doubly cautious knowing he comes with a five-year, $64-million contract left to pay.

   DONUT 9: WOULD OKAFOR FIT IN DALLAS? We know NBA insider-types who really think Okafor would be a great double-double addition in Dallas. We know others who think Okafor's contract is way too much to be saddled with when you consider his limitations: They argue he’s too small to be a bona fide defensive center and that his limited offensive game would make him nothing more than a role player at the 4.

    We say there is a place for his talent … but at what price?

    DONUT 10: WHY OKAFOR ISN’T COMING TO THE MAVS ANYTIME SOON By rule, after Dec. 15, players like Drew Gooden, James Singleton, Quinton Ross, and Tim Thomas can theoretically be added to the trade mix. (That’s the date when new acquisitions are fair game.) Until then, Okafor isn't an option.

   That fact makes some of the internet speculation regarding an imminent Dallas-New Orleans trade look foolish.

    Now, after Dec. 15, the Mavs will not only have the extra trade pieces, but also a better feel for who the NBA's sellers are and what other options might be worth exploring besides Okafor.

  DONUT 11: SPEAKING OF OTHER OPTIONS … While Okafor is enticing at the right price, over the next month we’re still inclined to keep an eye on some of the other usual suspecs. Will LAC keep both Chris Kaman and Marcus Camby? Will Washington stick with Mike Miller, Caron Butler and any number of other wings)? Will Utah and Philly and others continue and at some point hold a tax-avoiding or payroll-reducing garage sale themselves?

   DONUT 12:  NOW, ABOUT DALLAS’ CENTERS: Let’s don’t lose sight of this: For all the excitement of “new pieces,’’ how much better/more productive are any of these people than the incumbents?

   The starting combo of Erick Dampier and Drew Gooden is so far giving the Mavs 9.7 points, 10.6 rebounds and 1.9 blocks from whichever guy starts.

   Is Erick Drewpier, rampaging through his (their) contract year(s), a viable two-headed beast?

    By the way: Okafor is a surprisingly young 27. Guess how old Drew Gooden is?

   A surprisingly young 28.

     DONUT 13: MORE GARAGE-SALE ITEMS … CHRIS PAUL?! Now, the longer we go, the more we know. How bad will it get in New Orleans? The Hornets are Shinn’s family business; he doesn’t have oil wells or car dealerships to finance his team, therefore his team’s gotta make money. We are pretty certain they’d be willing to move overpaid role players like Peja and James Posey. Okafor’s name isn’t made up by the media. As far as being competitive and luring audience, considering deals for All-Star power forward David West would be the penultimate disaster in New Orleans.

   But the ultimate disaster? That would be the consideration of a move of All-World point guard Chris Paul. That would be such a resounding give-up that folks out west might want to start buying season tickets for the Las Vegas Hornets.

    CP3 is the only possible reason most people in New Orleans would even bother paying attention to an otherwise bad team. Of course, the idea is worth “drooling’’ over … and we use that word for a reason:

    A (non-NBA-covering?) columnist from The Orange County Register wrote a notes package that connected Paul and the Mavs in trade gossip. 

    “(Paul will) have no control over where he goes — Dallas reportedly is already drooling over the possibility …’’ writes the columnist.

    That is sexy … but rather irresponsible. Every team will drool over Chris Paul if he’s ever up for sale. The Mavs have examined ideas here (taking on bad contracts with Erick Dampier's contract as the lure). But who hasn't? All of the NBA is aware that CP3's deal in New Orleans is up in 2012 and that if the direction of that program continues to point south, he won't stay. But at this early stage – with New Orleans taking pains to deny even stories about the availability of Emeka Okafor -- the Hornets’ garage door isn’t even open. Yet.