We've come full circle – the rumor mill is now churning out thinly sourced stories saying that Chris Paul will not demand a trade and is committed to the Hornets' vision. Pretty much everybody has written this, but we'll link John Reid from the Times-Pic to keep things local:

After hearing Demps' plan for retooling the roster, Paul, a three-time All-Star, is on board with the team's direction and will not seek to force a trade, according to sources close to him.

Although Paul has refrained from offering details about Monday's meeting with Demps, Coach Monty Williams and team president Hugh Weber, sources said it was similar to a family sitting around a table and talking.

So now Chris is really pleased with the team's direction. Sure. Why can't journalists report what is obviously true? Chris wants to win, and if the Hornets don't put together a solid supporting cast, he'll leave when his contract is up.

I particularly like that these sources are really bad with analogies. They compare people sitting around a table and talking with.... other people sitting around a table and talking. Fascinating.

It's kind of shooting fish in a barrel, but this article from HoopsWorld is rather silly:

New Orleans has not only failed to do enough, they have actually regressed since the end of the season. In an effort to avoid the luxury tax the Hornets literally gave away highly touted lottery draft pick Cole Aldrich and veteran wing player Morris Peterson.

1) The Hornets "literally gave away" Cole Aldrich? Apparently the author is not familiar with the concept of a trade.

2) Cole Aldrich was "highly touted?" A big massive white guy that everybody said had no upside? That seems like a stretch.

3) I was unaware that "veteran" was a synonym for "bad."

In non-snarky news, the Wages of Wins Journal has a fascinating analysis on the value of D-League players versus late first round draft picks. The conclusion: 

[I]f the production of the D-Leaguers remained stable with an increase in minutes, it appears that an NBA organization may be wiser to trade away draft picks in the latter first round and search the D-League for players to fill out their roster. In this case, the team would be able to follow a player's development without being forced into a three-year contract. In addition to potentially seeing more on-court production, an average salary earned by a D-Leaguer is under $0.5 million, while a player drafted from picks 15-30 earned an average of just under $1.5 million.

In sum - and this surprising result bears repeating - avoiding drafting a player outside of the lottery in the first round could potentially save an organization about one million dollars for each employee. And again, this savings may come with an even higher level of on-court production.

I highly recommend reading the entire piece; it's fascinating. Hopefully getting a GM with such deep roots in the D-League will help the Hornets take advantage of the opportunities it presents.

Finally, we at AtH are thoroughly committed to supplying you all the latest in fossil fuel news. The drilling moratorium in the Gulf is still in place, although a series of 8 local forums will be held to help determine whether the ban should be continued or not. The Christian Science Monitor has a handy FAQ on the moratorium that is recommended reading for all those looking to know more about the future of hydrocarbon exploration in the Gulf of Mexico.