Posted: Thursday, December 01, 2011, 11:06 PM

T-P beat writer John Reid discusses Chris Paul’s uncertain future with Hornets.

New Orleans Hornets guard Chris Paul and forwards Trevor Ariza and Quincy Pondexter went through a voluntary workout at the team’s Alario Center practice facility on Thursday morning under the direction of Paul’s personal trainer.

By Thursday, the ranks are expected to swell to four with the arrival of guard Jarrett Jack, another of the five players under contract. Center Emeka Okafor is out of the country as is guard Marco Bellinelli, to whom the Hornets tendered a qualifying offer prior to the 149-day NBA lockout.

Trainer Idan Ravin of Washington, D.C.’s Water Street Gym, has worked with Paul for the past several years as a personal trainer. He said Thursday the work he put Paul and his teammates through on Thursday – just more than an hour on the court, was merely an extension of the work he has done with Paul throughout the offseason.

“This is just continuing what we’ve already been doing for the last five months,” Ravin said. “I work with Chris so much, but this was getting the players more acclimated to his intensity to his speed and his mental appoach as well, to kind of ramp up their intensity a little bit before training camp starts.

“I’ve been with Chris for a while. He’s just continuing at the same pace. There’s a culture around Chris Paul that’s important, and everyone else has to become acclimated to it. That’s why I like bringing his teammates in because they understand that culture, that winning environment, that seriousness and intensity.”

Paul has routinely brought teammates into his workouts prior to the beginning of training camp, which ordinarily would have begun Oct. 1. This year, because of the labor dispute, training camp begins Dec. 9.

Ravin said his focus Thursday was on-court work.

“Just to improve their efficiency, their spacing, their speed and conditioning and skill work,” Ravin said. “Kind of more of a game-like environment confined to the parameters of a basketball court.”

Posted: Thursday, August 18, 2011, 9:14 PM

The basketball coach compares the intensity of Drew Brees to Chris Paul.

In response to Jimmy Smith’s report on New Orleans Hornets guard Chris Paul using Twitter to dispel misconceptions about his comments about his interest in playing for Michael Jordan, nola.com reader hornetsnite wrote:

“Ok people, let’s stop with the CP3 panic and bashing. People making comments here about Chris not committing to the team are just stirring speculation, it is not based in any fact. Do some simple research:

“(1) Neither Chris Paul or the Hornets can enter into any type of contract extension at this time based on NBA RULES! Chris cannot renegotiate or be offered a new contract until the 4th anniversary of his current contract (Summer 2012).

“(2) The current contract between the player and the NBA will expire before the expiration of Chris’ contract.

“(3) Without a new collective bargaining agreement which defines the rules by which each team can operate and each player can sign with a team, it would not make good business sense for a team or player to into a new contract that might have a negative impact on the team or player going forward.

“We already know that a cash strapped team does not make for a competitive one. We also know that a player unhappy with the contract he signed is a nightmare for the team and the community. So let’s focus on the playoffs and the future of the team in this city, not individual players.

“It is a real shame that the media prefers to sell their services rather than promoting the truth. A superstar controversy attracts viewers, the TRUTH does not.”