Chris Paul reportedly would not sign an extension with the Boston Celtics if he were traded to the team. (ESPN)

All of the chatter about Boston’s interest in Chris Paul is a moot point because the All-Star point guard will not sign a long-term contract extension with the Celtics, according to a person close to the situation.

Paul, who will become a free agent after the coming season, essentially has veto power over any trade because no team will give up valuable assets for him without assurance that it can sign him for the next several years.

Of course he wouldn’t. There’s a simple formula for signing extensions:

Boston’s uncertain future + Boston’s weather + Boston’s racial history + it’s not New York + the possibility of playing with Jeff Green for years to come = refusing to sign an extension

Paul has spent enough time playing with the Willie Greens, Marco Belinellis and Marcus Bankses of the NBA world. He wants a contender, so it would take something drastic for him to sign an extension in Boston. It would take Danny Ainge selling him on a vision. It would take proving the Celtics can be title contenders every season. It would take a serious campaign, perhaps luring Dwight Howard, and definitely assuring Paul that he could still Skype with Melo.

It’s a long shot, but hey: it’s happened before.

The Boston Celtics are trying (rather aggressively, if you believe the rumors) to acquire Chris Paul. But I believe there must be something bigger at play, something bigger even than Chris Paul, even if that “something bigger” seems far-fetched and improbable and very much Dwight Howard.

On the surface, trading Rajon Rondo for Chris Paul does not make sense. I certainly believe the Celtics would make the deal — making a trade to upgrade a position normally makes a whole lot of sense, especially when the upgrade doubles as the world’s best point guard — but it’s impossible to ignore the element of selling Paul on Boston, since he would need to sign an extension with the C’s to make any deal feasible. That means Danny Ainge would need to sell Paul on Boston’s murky future, a future that (right now, at least) involves rebuilding with a relatively bare cupboard, or a cupboard that might include Glen Davis and/or Jeff Green as cornerstones. Ainge might as well try selling hair gel to Ray Allen.

Yet there are so many rumors there has to be some truth. Sam Amick says Ainge is “highly motivated” to obtain Paul. Adrian Wojnarowski reports the Celtics are looking for a third team (possibly the Indiana Pacers) to make the trade more doable. John Hollinger listed Boston as one of Paul’s most likely destinations. Where there is smoke, there is normally fire, and in this case, it seems the flames are growing large enough to engulf an entire city. It’s safe to assume that Ainge is desperately (or at least quite actively) pursuing Chris Paul. Which again begs the question: How will Ainge convince Paul to sign an extension with Boston?

He won’t convince Paul by hyping the weather, unless Paul enjoys winter mittens and snow storms. He won’t convince Paul by waxing poetically about Boston’s future prospects, unless Paul enjoys the stench of uncertainty. He might try convincing Paul by selling Doc Rivers’ new five-year contract, but even Doc’s sterling reputation as a players’ coach probably isn’t enough to overturn the pulls currently working against Boston, pulls that have always precluded Boston from signing superstar free agents in the past. No, if Ainge sells Chris Paul on Boston, he is selling him on a complete vision for the future, one that would need to include Doc Rivers, All-Star teammates and, most importantly, the ability to compete for championships every season.

Ainge must be trying to acquire Paul, then turn around and swipe Dwight Howard from Orlando. There’s no other explanation I can think of that could lead to Paul landing in Boston, or at least no explanation that makes sense. The possibility of teaming with Howard is the only sweetener that would make Boston appetizing enough for Paul to consider overlooking his reported love affair with Carmelo Anthony and New York City. I understand fully I probably sound like an irrational, overly optimistic fan boy right now — “AHHHH!!! CHRIS PAUL AND DWIGHT HOWARD!!!!!!” But is there anything else that could make Paul consider committing to Boston long-term?

There are ways teaming them both together is possible. If the Celtics trade Rondo for Paul, they will still have assets (namely: two 2012 draft picks, sign-and-trade rights to Glen Davis and Jeff Green, and a slew of expiring contracts) to throw at Orlando. That doesn’t mean any of these acquisitions are probable: more likely, Ainge swings and misses on Paul, Howard goes to the Lakers and Ainge goes back to wishing he never traded for Jeff Green. But turning a pu-pu platter into Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett (and ultimately a 17th banner) didn’t seem probable either. Anything is possible.

Trading for Chris Paul alone just doesn’t make sense. Ainge is planning a coup to extend Boston’s window of opportunity indefinitely. Let’s just hope it works out like 2007.

There are more than a million reasons for the NBA lockout to end, not least of which is the following question: do you really want the NBA D-League to be the most competitive basketball in America?

But the 1,287,493rd reason to end the lockout came yesterday within a Chris Sheridan column.

Sheridan discussed who might play for the United States during the 2012 London Olympics. After reading the first ten players who Sheridan considers mortal locks to make the roster, I suddenly realized, “Holy box of crackerjacks. Sheridan hasn’t included Derrick Rose, the defending NBA MVP.” Then I looked at the ten locks (Dwight Howard, Kevin Durant, Chris Bosh, Blake Griffin, Lebron James, Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul, Deron Williams and Carmelo Anthony), thought about the situation rationally, realized that Bosh and Griffin were around for size, and thought, “Jumping bag of Kit-Kats, maybe Rose doesn’t deserve to be a mortal lock.”

In the remainder of the column Sheridan advised that after his ten mortal locks, the USA should select at least one center to keep pace with Spain, which added Serge Ibaka to an already potent frontcourt. That would leave Rose to compete for the 12th roster spot, about which Sheridan writes, “If you want a third point guard, 2010 Team USA members Russell Westbrook and Derrick Rose are your guys (in fact, it’ll be interesting to see whether either of them can beat out Paul and/or Williams at training camp next summer in Las Vegas).”

I’m not here to call Sheridan correct in his belief that Rose should be firmly on the roster bubble, nor to confirm his suspicion that Rose is a candidate for third point guard. I’m not here to call Sheridan wrong, either. All I’m saying is that if you can have a legitimate conversation about the United States Olympic roster and advocate leaving the defending NBA MVP off the roster entirely, NBA talent is off the charts.

End the lockout. Sooner rather than later.

Please.

Number three in Dwyer's ratings, number one in this girl's heart.

Ball Don’t Lie’s great Kelly Dwyer rated the top ten point guards in the NBA today. Rajon Rondo was rated third, behind only Deron Williams and Chris Paul.

3. Rajon Rondo(notes), Boston Celtics(last year: 8th)

A big jump for Rajon, who could be incredibly overrated, or playing the role of the point guard at a level that my tiny brain just can’t understand. I’ll split the difference, and hand him the top five spot. Some Celtics fans were a little upset at the way Rondo let a good group of point men fly past him this season, but that’s the way the position works in this era, with no hand checking to help stop these flyweights. Rondo is just 24, he nearly cracked double-figure assists last season, and he led the league in steals as well.

“Who could be incredibly overrated”?? Please. People continue failing to quantify Rondo’s greatness because they’ve never seen a point guard like him. He’s got mitts the size of canoe paddles, arms like a small forward, the quickness of a track star and the jumper of a blind four year old. But with all his oddities, Rondo controls both ends of the game, night in and night out. I’m glad Dwyer gave Rondo his due at the third spot, but to say he might be overrated is a mistake. Rondo was the best player on the Eastern Conference champions. Overrated my ass.

Anyway, third sounds about right. You could probably make the argument that he deserves higher (he’s won a title, made First Team All-Defense, and led his team to the Finals again last season), but that argument would probably be wrong. Deron Williams and Chris Paul are both very, very good at basketball.

Because it’s the offseason, and news is slow, Dime Magazine came out with the  NBA’s 5 best Pentrating Point Guards list. Naturally, Boston Celtics stud point guard Rajon Rondo made the list. In no particular order, the list also includes Tyreke Evans, Chris Paul, Derrick Rose, and Deron Williams.  Here’s what Sean Sweeney had to say about Rondo: (Dimemag.com) Read more »

Good to see Lebron's still humble.

Rajon Rondo and Glen Davis were seen partying with Lebron James and Dwyane Wade in Las Vegas on Friday. Maybe that would explain Rondo’s performance in Saturday’s scrimmage. (The Examiner via Ball Don’t Lie)

King James arrived to cheers at Tao Beach and was joined in the grand cabana by a group of friends including new Miami Heat teammate Dwayne Wade and Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets. At one point the fans in the pool chanted his name and James pulled out his camera to capture the moment. Nearby, former NBA player Alan Henderson and Glen Davis from the Boston Celtics also took in the sun and the scene. [...]

Basketball’s most wanted man, LeBron James, spent the night at Lavo inside The Palazzo celebrating his recent contract signing with the Miami Heat. James was joined by Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets, San Diego Charger Shaun Phillips, Atlanta Hawk Josh Smith, Rudy Gay of the Memphis Grizzlies, Boston Celtic Rajon Rondo and Larry Hughes of the Charlotte Bobcats. Fans of all ages waited outside the celebrity dining hotspot for the arrival of King James, who enjoyed dinner at the Italian eatery after walking the red carpet.

After dinner, James and his friends took over some VIP tables on the dance floor in Lavo’s nightclub where they danced and partied the night away, fueled by Perrier Jouët Rose Champagne, Patron Tequila and vodka.

Get mad at this if you want but, really, it doesn’t matter one bit. I have a lot of friends I used to play basketball against. And you know what? Every time I played against them I wanted to tear their hearts out and watch them bleed.