Hornets coach Monty Williams says Chris Paul plays through pain on a nightly basis.

"He hates me talking about it, but he plays through pain," Williams said. "I look at him like I do Tim [Duncan]. Those guys play through pain that most guys would sit out with."

Paul is averaging a career-low 35.1 minutes per game this season, but highs in three-point percentage (.462) and free-throw percentage (.893) and leads the league in steals per game (2.6).

"I'm just fortunate to be able to play every night," Paul said.

The NBA announced the Western and Eastern Conference starters for the 2011 All-Star Game on Thursday, which will take place in Los Angeles on February 20th.

Western Conference
• Chris Paul, Hornets
• Kobe Bryant, Lakers
• Kevin Durant, Thunder
• Carmelo Anthony, Nuggets
• Yao Ming, Rockets

Eastern Conference
• Derrick Rose, Bulls
• Dwyane Wade, Heat
• LeBron James, Heat
• Amar'e Stoudemire, Knicks
• Dwight Howard, Magic

• Click here to view RealGM's All-Star page.

The Knicks have surpassed the Lakers as the NBA's most valuable franchise, according to findings from Forbes.

New York is valued at $655 million, while the Lakers are close behind at $643 million.

The Bulls, Celtics and Rockets comprise the remainder of the top-five.

In the wake of LeBron James leaving in free agency, the Cavaliers had a single-year decrease of 26%.

Full Rankings
1. Knicks
2. Lakers
3. Bulls
4. Celtics
5. Rockets
6. Mavericks
7. Heat
8. Suns
9. Spurs
10. Raptors
11. Magic
12. Warriors
13. Pistons
14. Blazers
15. Cavaliers
16. Jazz
17. 76ers
18. Thunder
19. Wizards
20. Nuggets
21. Nets
22. Clippers
23. Hawks
24. Kings
25. Bobcats
26. Hornets
27. Pacers
28. Grizzlies
29. Timberwolves
30. Bucks

The Hornets are discussing a contract extension with David West, but the two sides don't appear close on an agreement.

New Orleans hopes to get West signed before the Feb. 24 trade deadline, but that's "not likely at all," a source told Yahoo! Sports.

West plans to opt out of the $7.5 million owed to him in the final season of his five-year, $45 million contract. He expects to command $10 million annually on the open market, according to a source.

"It's hard to see an extension happening here," one source said.

Hornets general manager Dell Demps said he and West have an agreement that they won't speak publicly about any discussions.

The Hornets won't be leaving New Orleans after this season as the team was able to meet attendance benchmarks that voided an escape clause in their lease of New Orleans Arena.

"Today's a great step forward but we're not done yet," Gov. Bobby Jindal said in a news conference at the New Orleans Arena on Monday.

"We cannot become complacent. ... We've got to continue to be vigilant in supporting the Hornets and keeping them here."

The team's lease runs through 2014, but if attendance falls below an average of 14,735 for a two-season period, the Hornets may opt out.

The period for calculating the two-season average closes at the end of each January.

A surge in attendance has coincided with the Saints being eliminated from the NFL playoffs, a recent winning streak and the urging of political leaders.

The Hornets defeated the Hawks 100-59 on Friday night, holding Atlanta to their lowest point total since the franchise moved to the city.

"You can't explain it," Josh Smith said. "You have games like this sometimes."

The Hawks are the fifth team to score fewer than 60 points and shoot under 30 percent from the field at home in the last 25 seasons.

The franchise moved from St. Louis to Atlanta in 1968. They had a 55-point game back in 1955.

"That was about as bad as we've played this year, from start to finish," coach Larry Drew said. "Nobody wants to lose -- especially that way, especially at home. It's very embarrassing."

The Toronto Raptors bought out the remainder of Peja Stojakovic’s contract on Thursday.

“We were clear from the beginning that our trade with New Orleans was made with the future in mind, so a buyout or trade of Peja’s contract was a likely option,” Raptors president and general manager Bryan Colangelo said in a statement. “Although he did not fit into our plan of developing our young core talent, I’m sure that Peja will add significantly to any veteran team that signs him.”

The Mavericks, Hornets and Lakers are all expected to be interested in Stojakovic.

The Hornets defeated Orlando by a final of 92-89 in overtime on Wednesday to end their nine-game winning streak.

“I think it does mean more, based on the reputation of that team,” Coach Monty Williams said. “That’s an elite basketball team. We hadn’t fared well at home against that kind of team.”

Larry Ellison has confirmed that he made an unsuccessful bid to purchase the New Orleans Hornets recently.

The bid came less than six months after his surprising loss in a bidding war for the Golden State Warriors.

"I did offer $350 million" for the Hornets, Ellison told reporters, adding that he was "slightly outbid" by the NBA when the league bought the bankrupt team last month.