Driving in new lane

• By LES EAST
• Special to The Advocate
• Published: Jul 31, 2008 - Page: 1C - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.
• Editor’s note: fourth in a series of stories on Olympians with Louisiana ties.

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NEW ORLEANS — Hornets owner George Shinn recently recounted a story of sitting with former LSU star and Basketball Hall of Famer Bob Pettitt during a New Orleans playoff game.

They were watching Hornets point guard Chris Paul display the skills that vaulted him to All-Star status in just his third year in the NBA and helped lead New Orleans to its first division championship and within one victory of the Western Conference finals.

Pettitt noted how Paul made his teammates — particularly center Tyson Chandler, a frequent beneficiary of lob passes from Paul for easy dunks — better, something point guards are supposed to do.

“He kind of nudged my knee,” Shinn said of Pettitt, “and said, ‘George, you know, Tyson Chandler should rent a limousine and have Chris Paul brought to every game played here in the Arena.’ It’s true, and I thought other players should chip in too.”

Perhaps Olympic teammates such as Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Dwyane Wade should consider doing the same in Beijing because Paul plans to do for Team USA what he has been doing for his Hornets teammates.

Paul, who was a member of Team USA two years ago for the World Championships, is a backup to Jason Kidd, whom most observers feel was passed by Paul last season as the league’s top point guard. Deron Williams, who entered the NBA one draft selection ahead of Paul and is nipping at his heels as the new king of the point guards, is also on the team.

“I think my role on this team is the same thing, be aggressive in everything I do,” Paul said. “At the same time, I think everyone’s minutes are different and here I’m coming off the bench. It’s something that you have to get used to pretty quick. The biggest thing is to just come off the bench with the same energy.”

USA Basketball General Manager Jerry Colangelo said Paul, coming off a Rookie of the Year season but just 21 years old, was a bit “in awe” of his more established teammates in 2006 at the World Championships. Paul averaged seven points and five assists, but much has changed since then.

“He’ll know how to handle it better,” Hornets coach Byron Scott said. “As smart as Chris is in understanding his body and knowing what he wants to do, I think he’ll be much better equipped to handle it this time around than he was last time.”

Paul, who said he was glued to the television watching all the Olympic events when he was growing up, said he’s “a totally different person, a totally different player” than he was two years ago as he prepares to make his Olympic debut.

Last season, Paul entered the playoffs for the first time having put together a Most Valuable Player-caliber regular season. (He eventually finished second to Bryant.)

He made his playoff debut one for the record books, finishing with 35 points and 10 assists in a victory against Dallas, becoming the first player in NBA history to amass those totals in their first playoff game.

The depth of talent on Team USA will probably prevent anyone from matching those numbers, but Paul has an opportunity to establish himself as one of the top players in the world, just a few months after emerging as one of the elite players in the NBA.