You can bet your ass they certainly hope so.

New Orleans Hornets president Hugh Weber both told CBSSports.com that they plan to sit down face-to-face with Chris Paul to sell him on the team’s new direction for the coming 2010 NBA basketball season. Paul can’t go public with his trade request — if he did, he’d be subject to a fine under NBA rules — but those with knowledge of his plans believe his desire to pair up with another superstar (or two) has gained too much momentum to stop.

In late June, Chris Paul, 25, spent several days in Akron, Ohio, with James, who was busy orchestrating his own exit strategy from Cleveland. The two friends and superstars picked each other’s brains, with each persuading the other to make significant changes in their branding strategies.

For Paul, it was a big step to persuade James to join the social networking phenomenon that is Twitter. For James’ part, he finally persuaded Paul to join his Cleveland-based marketing company, LRMR.

Paul’s decision to sign with LRMR, headed by James’ close friend and advisor, Maverick Carter, was only the first step in his exit plan from the New Orleans Hornets. Paul officially severed his representation agreement with Octagon earlier this month and will soon officially join the influential stable of clients represented by Creative Artists Agency.

With a stranglehold on the top free-agent talent…

Joe Johnson put Atlanta back on the map. Let’s just get that out of the way.

The 2009-10 Atlanta Hawks won 53 games. That was the third-best regular season record in the Eastern Conference and Atlanta’s best finish since the 1993-94 campaign. All-Star Joe Johnson (21.3 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 4.9 APG, 1.1 SPG) was a big reason for the Hawks’ success.

Unfortunately, Joe Johnson was noncommittal about his future in Atlanta when he emerged from an embarrassing four-game series sweep Monday against Orlando. But amid his struggles during the series, Johnson said he would take a look at all of his options this summer, not only did Johnson say he wouldn’t mind shifting to a secondary role on a team with an established superstar, he also would change positions.

”That’s a great situation — you have to look at it,” Johnson said while discussing his options. ”I’m not saying I’ll go play with him or him. But being a free agent, you pay attention to everybody’s salary cap, what everybody can do.”

There is league-wide speculation that Johnson’s free agency value might have dipped because of his sub-par play against the Magic. Johnson, regarded as one of the league’s better shooters and versatile playmakers, shot just 29.8 percent overall and averaged 12.8 points.

Johnson also drew criticism during the most lopsided four-game sweep in NBA history for comments about the lack of fan support at games. He was booed as he was taken out in the final minutes off the series-ending loss.

”We’ve made nice jumps,” Johnson said. ”I just think a few more pieces need to be added to be an elite team, a championship team. We definitely need help.”

The uncertainty in Atlanta extends beyond Johnson to…

Add one more marquee name to the most anticipated free-agent class in NBA history.

All-Star forward Paul Pierce has notified the Boston Celtics that he will opt out of the final year of his contract, which will make Pierce an unrestricted free agent for the first time. Pierce’s agent has confirmed Pierce will exercise his early termination option in his contract, leaving over $21 million on the table next season while in pursuit of a long-term contract.

Paul Pierce joins Ray Allen as an unrestricted free agent and will attract his fair share of suitors. The most likely scenario results in Pierce returning to Boston, but either way, this decision will have ramifications for the Boston Celtics and the league.

Even if Pierce signs a max contract, the most he can earn in 2010-11 is $20.8 million — but he’s obviously willing to take a pay cut for one season in exchange for long-term security. And by signing this year, Pierce avoids the uncertainty surrounding the next collective bargaining agreement, which is still being negotiated and will take effect next summer. The new CBA will likely include a reduced salary cap, with a slight chance of a hard cap. By opting out, Pierce enables himself to take advantage of the higher salary structure.

Even as Pierce’s athleticism begins to wane with age, he’s still a top-notch player for a Finals-contending team. That, combined with the sheer number of teams with available cap space, will result in Pierce getting offers. The Celtics’ plan consistently has been to retain Pierce and Allen in order to make one more run with this core. But try to conceptualize a Celtics team with Pierce and Allen playing elsewhere. It’s a possibility, no matter how remote.

Pierce just played a pivotal role in helping Boston to…

If you want to bet on the NBA, you’re down to two choices: the Boston Celtics or the Los Angeles Lakers. You can’t ask for two better choices.

We know both teams are capable of winning the championship. The Boston Celtics beat the Los Angeles Lakers in 2008, and then the Lakers beat the Orlando Magic in 2009 – the same Magic team (more or less) that Boston took out in this year’s Eastern Conference Finals.

Convincing arguments are being made for both the Lakers and Celtics in the 2010 NBA Finals; however, it’s Los Angeles getting the nod as a –180 favorite to win the title.

The Boston Celtics have a lot to offer at NBA odds of +160. They were pretty quiet during the regular season, coasting through at 50-32 (33-47-2 ATS) to win an incredibly weak Atlantic Division. Injuries and old age appeared to have taken their toll. But the C’s were at full strength by the time the playoffs started, and they found that championship gear again, tearing through the first three rounds at 12-5 ATS.

Boston Celtics fans can thank Rajon Rondo for making all this possible. He’s no longer the fourth wheel next to the Big Three of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen; instead, the Big Three are now complementary players taking their cues from one of the best point guards in the league.

Even the mainstream sports media recognizes this as a fact. Rondo has scored 16.7 points per game in these playoffs with 10.0 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 2.1 steals, and he’s done it against the very best the Eastern Conference has to offer.

As for the Big Three, it’s not as if they’ve stayed at…

Here we go again.

Yep, in case you haven’t heard, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics will be playing once again for all the marbles as the 2010 NBA Finals will feature a rematch of 2008’s classic Lakers – Celtics series that saw Boston capture its 17^th championship by beating Los Angeles in six games.

This time though, it’ll be a little different as the Los Angeles Lakers will come in as the defending NBA champions after winning the championship last year by beating the Orlando Magic, the same team the Boston Celtics sent home in six games to return to the NBA Finals this year.

Can the Los Angeles Lakers beat their storied rivals this time around to win the Larry O’Brien trophy? They should. Because unlike two years ago, the Lakers now have the frontcourt to go toe to toe with Boston’s Kevin Garnett and Kendrick Perkins and since the Celtics are starting to feel their age a little bit, there’s no reason why Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum can’t take advantage of Boston’s somewhat aging fort.

Of course, the Lakers still remember how they lost the championship to the Celtics two years ago. Boston put on quite a show in the clincher in Game 6 when they handed the Lakers a humiliating 131-92 loss, the biggest margin of victory in a Finals clincher, EVER. Not that it was a blowout already. THAT game was a close one until subs James Posey and Eddie House blew it open with three-point bombs from…

To tell you quite frankly, there are a number of reasons.

For those of you who don’t know, LeBron James WILL be a free agent once we have a champion crowned in the 2010 NBA Finals. Yep, the self proclaimed king of Akron, Ohio will be testing the free agency market and we expect a lot of teams in the NBA to express their interest.

Of course, the Cleveland Cavaliers would love to still have LeBron James in uniform come October. But the fact of the matter is, James staying in Cleveland is becoming less and less likely.

How come? Well, for starters, the city of Cleveland may not be as appealing to a LeBron James anymore especially when you have cities like New York and Los Angeles willing to pay LeBron top dollar to don their uniforms and play for them instead. (In case you were wondering, yes, the Clippers just joined in on the race to get LBJ.)

Another reason could be James not believing anymore that he can win a title in Cleveland. I mean, we have seen numerous names the Cavaliers got to compliment James but still no hardware to show for. This year, Cleveland surrounded ‘Bron with Antawn Jamison and Shaquille O’Neal and the farthest they got was…

Sorry, I couldn’t resist playing with some diehard Cavs fan’s emotions.

And in case you didn’t get that, NO, he ain’t with the Knicks. Well, not yet anyway. But since he got yet another early vacation after the Celtics eliminated his Cavs from the 2010 NBA playoffs, you can’t help but wonder where will LeBron end up this summer when he becomes a free agent.

Yep, the interesting 2010 summer of LeBron James has officially begun and with the way the Cleveland Cavaliers lost their final three games with LeBron this year, it’s really looking like the king of Akron, Ohio is leaning towards moving on.

Oh and in case you missed LeBron’s final three games with the Cleveland Cavaliers this year, it wasn’t pretty. Up 2-1 in their series with the Boston Celtics, the Cavaliers lost three straight, including that humiliating 32-point loss to the Celtics in Game 5 to set up what turned out to be their final game in this year’s postseason wars.

The Boston Celtics made sure that Game 6 would be LeBron’s final game with the Cavaliers this year alright. Led by Kevin Garnett who got 22 points and 12 rebounds and Rajon Rondo who had 21 points and 12 assists, the Celtics came up with a 16-4 run in the second half to put the Cavs away.

Now, everybody from Cleveland will begin scanning…

Can you blame them? After a couple of seasons watching Greg Oden screw himself over, it’s about time those guys have a reliable center for a change.

As of this writing, the Portland Trail Blazers are still primed for a significant run in the 2010 NBA playoffs despite playing through with every injury imaginable this year. And since injuries have, for the second straight season, defined what kind of campaign the Blazers would be able to run this season, it looks like they are finally putting the pieces together that just might alleviate the problem next season.

And in case you didn’t get that, the Portland Trail Blazers are trying to sign Marcus Camby for a two-year extension, a move that the Blazers are probably hoping can finally give them that solid and reliable presence at the center position for a change.

Reports claim that the Blazers and Marcus Camby have been negotiating toward a new deal that would be able to keep Camby from becoming a free agent this summer. According to the reports, the rumored deal is believed to be worth in excess of $20 million.

The Blazers originally got Camby from the Los Angeles Clippers before this season’s trading deadline. The Blazers were desperate for a solution after losing centers Joel Przybilla and Greg Oden (surprise surprise…) to season ending knee injuries and Camby was, without a shadow of a doubt, became more than a suitable replacement.

Sure, the Blazers are still rooting for Greg Oden to finally get his shit together and have a healthy and productive year for a change. You see, after the Blazers got this guy as their overall no.1 draft pick three years ago, Oden spent most of his time in Portland sitting on the Blazers bench with an injured knee.

Having Camby on board for two more years will hopefully…

Well, at least Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo says keeping Bosh is a priority.

That’s despite the fact that there are rumors claiming that the Toronto Raptors are planning to deal Chris Bosh to the New York Knicks for David Lee in a sign and trade deal once the 2010 NBA playoffs are over.

For now, Colangelo claims he plans to do everything in his power to keep Chris Bosh in Toronto and convince the five-time NBA All-Star to play with the Raptors for at least a few more years.

With perhaps the biggest free agency period ever to hit the league for quite some time coming, the Toronto Raptors could be on the verge of losing their prized forward. With the big guns of the NBA testing free agency all at the same time, with the likes of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade also free agents at the end of the playoffs, Bosh is likely to move on in search of greener pastures.

Of course, Colangelo claims the grass isn’t always greener elsewhere.

”It comes down, really, to what he’s looking to achieve out of free agency,” Toronto Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo said in a wide-ranging, hour-long state of the union address.

”There’s the thought and speculation that he wants to be a No.1 guy; we have that. If he’s content being a No.2 guy then there are other options for him.”

”This city is a place that has grown fond of him and I think…”

Ah, the Western Conference. Some people still say this is where it’s at.

And with good reason too because in the West, it doesn’t matter what seed you are because any one of these Western Conference teams can go on and win the NBA championship. In the 2010 NBA playoffs, it’s more or less the same story.

Heck, Kevin Durant, the youngest player ever to win the scoring title this season, will be playing from the no.8 seed with the rest of the Oklahoma City Thunder. You see, these guys could go on and advance to, probably the second round of the playoffs. The problem is, they will be on a head-on collision with the no.1 seed Los Angeles Lakers.

That’s right, it’s the defending champions for the Oklahoma City Thunder. That’s probably why NOBODY expects them to get past the Lakers in the first round other than them Thunder players and their mommas.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy for Kevin Durant and the season he had but when you pit him against Kobe Bryant? They don’t call him the Black Mamba for nothing.

The no.2 seed Dallas Mavericks take on the no.7 seed San Antonio Spurs…