Hey AK-47, see, it's things like this that led me to believe that they were happy to have been able to get Paul. I wonder if they thought he would be #3 and Deron would be #4. So of course with their #4 pick they'd have selected Deron....
Scott loves to tell the story about draft night in 2005, when the Jazz chose third and the Hornets chose fourth. Scott believed that Paul -- "C.P." as he calls him, or "C.P.3." as metropolitan Oklahoma City calls him -- was destined for success. But did Utah?
When NBA commissioner David Stern announced Utah's pick -- Illinois point guard Deron Williams -- Scott admitted, "There was almost shock in the room." Scott believed greatness had slipped to fourth.
I think the link you posted was the first that I had read where they said they would have gone for Deron. Anyway, I watched Dallas and Utah last night. Deron struggled a little. Paul struggled too on Friday night. Deron has been picking his game up a lot since getting into the starting lineup. I think he's grasped onto Sloan's system.
http://www.nola.com/hornets/t-p/inde...0258260880.xml
“We were thrilled to have the opportunity to draft Chris, who I thought was the best player in the draft at any position,” said General Manager Allan Bristow. “This is a huge step towards getting this franchise moving in the right direction and a great day for the future of the Hornets. With Chris and J.R. Smith, we now feel that we have one of the most dynamic and explosive young backcourts in the NBA.”
http://www.nba.com/hornets/news/draf...ase050629.html