It’s no longer a matter of if Chris Paul will leave the New Orleans Hornets. The only mystery left is where NO will trade the point guard that’s made it clear he wants out of The Big Easy. The New York Knicks were reportedly atop of Chris Paul’s wish list, a move that he and Amar’e Stoudemire recently discussed, but the latest report has the Orlando Magic as as Paul’s top choice.

From ESPN:

While the Knicks are still high on Paul’s list, he believes the Magic, with All-Star center Dwight Howard, would be a better fit. Paul also realizes Orlando has much more to offer New Orleans in a trade and therefore believes it is a more realistic destination than New York, according to the sources.

Take a look at the Just bet review before deciding on where to play this season.

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports says Chris Paul’s trade demand/wish list is a bad sign of LeBron James and his crew rubbing off on the point guard. I don’t see it that way. The Hornets have gone backwards since their 2008 Western Conference Semifinal loss to the San Antonio Spurs. CP3 is watching his team get worse as Kobe wins rings and his boys move to better situations. The Hornets aren’t winning a championship anytime soon due to financial problems and the super-teams. Their best option is to move Paul now for a good package of players that also provide salary relief.

Team USA basketball got off to a good start in their quest for gold with a 101-70 whooping of host country China. LeBron James tore up the first half while Dwyane Wade was the team’s leading scorer with 19 points. Team USA struggled shooting the ball early but got it going in the second half to cruise to victory.

Yao Ming sprained his ankle in the game but he did return to the game. Before he got hurt he welcomed Kobe Bryant to China:

Team USA, China, basketball, video, youtube

Team USA defeated Russia 89-68 in their fourth of five Olympic tuneup games. The Russians slowed the game down and, held Team USA to their lowest point total and 29 points below their 118 point average. The bigger story after the game was Jason Kidd not playing in the second half by coach’s decision. I thought J-Kidd was being given a rest, but there are rumblings that say Jason Kidd is the odd man out in the three point guard rotation.

Team USA, basketball, video, youtube

Team USA basketball began their quest for the gold with a 120-65 blowout of Canada in an exhibition game in Las Vegas. Dwyane Wade looks to be recovered from his injuries, and Carmelo Anthony continues to play well under international rules, but there’s not a lot to be learned from this game. Canada sucks. Chris Sheridan of ESPN broke down Team USA’s defensive performance, and early on it looks like giving up uncontested shots and lack of size are the team’s weaknesses. Team USA will play Russia and Lithuania next week which will give us a better read on the squad.

Team USA, Canada, video, youtube

Now that one game has been played in each series of the NBA playoffs it’s time for people to overreact to the outcomes. We’re constantly reminded that 79% of game one winners go on to win the series, and if that number holds true six of the eight match-ups have already been decided. That’s bad news for me. Three of the teams (Phoenix, Dallas, Detroit) I picked to advance to the next round lost their first game.

I’m not worried about two of the teams.. Sometimes things happen. The third team has me in a one game panic. Here are a few things I noticed after two days of action:

1. Phoenix is OK: Shaquille O’Neal and Amare Stoudemire played a combined 76 out of a possible 116 minutes. Yes Phoenix had control of the game and let it slip away, but if Shaq-n-Stat stay on the court and out of foul trouble, San Antonio won’t be able to handle the Suns.

2. Detroit forgot to flip the switch: The Detroit Pistons will still win their series but they’re proving why they won’t go to the NBA Finals. I won’t even start on Sheed’s antics with the game in the balance. A team with true championship aspirations doesn’t assume victories. Since winning the championship in 2004 the Pistons have walked around like they’re the 90s Bulls. This loss probably woke them up, but if Detroit thinks getting to the Eastern Conference finals is gonna be easy from here on in, they’re dreaming.

3. The Boston Celtics are The Great Debaters:

I wonder what topics are up for debate on the Celtics bench during a playoff game. Health care? Immigration? ‘Yes or No?’ with the Boston Celtic cheerleaders? Garnett says everything isn’t “peaches and cream” in Boston.. He obviously doesn’t keep up with the New York Knicks situation.

Speaking of the Celtics. The fellas over at Kicks On Fire are giving away a pair of Reebok Pump D-Time Dee Browns.

This is Dee Brown’s signature shoe, given to him after he pumped up his Reebok Omni Lite in the 1991 NBA slam dunk contest. Kicks On Fire gives away a pair of shoes a week, this giveaway ends Thursday, and it’s always free to enter.

4. Dwight Howard might really be Superman: Dwight Howard dominated both ends of the floor by dunking and blocking shots. 25 points, 22 rebounds, and 5 blocks barely explains how Howard controlled the game. The win was Orlando’s first playoff victory since 2003. It looks like this is the year the curse of Shaq is broken. No organization that has gotten rid of Shaquille O’Neal has won a playoff series since he left… And now it will happen twice in the same season.

5. The Denver Nuggets are who Denny Green thought they were: The Nuggets shot more free throws(37 to 32), out rebounded the Lakers by two, saw Kobe Bryant only play 37 minutes, and still managed to get blown out. Los Angeles doesn’t need free throws or rebounds if they’re laying the ball up every time down court.

6. The Wizards and Cavs don’t need to talk anymore: We get it. The Wizards and Cavaliers don’t like each other. The beef between LeBron James, Gilbert Arenas, and DeShawn Stevenson has gone too far if Soulja Boy is being mentioned during an NBA telecast. Soulja Boy will be dropping his Pro-Wizards/Anti-LeBron rap in 3.. 2.. 1..

7. There’s always next year for Houston: The Rockets trailed after every quarter against the Jazz and never played like the team that won 22 games in a row. I know Houston likes to shoot the three but if the refs are sending you to the free throw line 29 times it seems like some of those 16 missed three point attempts could’ve been drives in the paint. I don’t wanna be one of those guys that flip flops after every game so I’ll say it now. This series is over.. Even if Houston wins game two.

8. Maybe Chris Paul is the MVP after all: Psych.. Kobe’s the MVP but Chris Paul is a close second. The playoffs have nothing to do with MVP balloting but CP3′s first game in the playoffs showed why people think he’s the best young PG in the game. Paul had 35 points, 10 assist, three boards, four steals, and only one turnover. All on Jason Kidd’s watch. I picked the Mavs to win this series so they better figure out a way to corral Chris Paul if I’m gonna be right.

Tags: NBA Playoffs, video, youtube, basketball