You don't have to be a fan of Chris Paul to know that he is one of the best point guards of his generation. He has all the tools needed to become one, and he uses it every time he's on the floor — leadership, ball-handling, high basketball IQ, and natural ability to facilitate.

Paul himself, however, wants to point out one unflattering trait — one that you might need or automatically have if you are truly obsessed with winning: being crazy. Tim McMahon of ESPN quoted the Houston Rockets superstar as saying the following:

“I was probably bats— crazy when I was in New Orleans, I know I was. I remember [former New Orleans Hornets assistant coach] Darrell Walker had a talk with me after one of the games. I look at some of the clips from then, and I was just crazy.”

Looking at how things were during his years in New Orleans — and considering that he's already a super intense competitor by nature — it's easy to see why Paul's craziness turned up a notch while with the team. He was the Hornets' best player as a rookie, and thus, had to mature quicker than most young stars — which he was able to do.

Here's two of Paul's teammates in New Orleans talking about the point guard's intensity:

Tyson Chandler:

“If it's in you like that, you can't hold it back.

“He was getting on guys who weren't making winning plays and not giving winning effort. How can you not respect that? And if you can't respect it, I don't want you on my team anyway.”

Trevor Ariza, who's also his current teammate in Houston:

“I would describe him as a pit bull who is locked on and the jaw will not unlock,”

It's not just former Hornets who know about Paul's such traits, though.

Jamal Crawford, teammate with the L.A. Clippers:

“The thing I had to learn about him is that he's very in-your-face, but it's only for the betterment of the team. It's not to embarrass you.”

P.J. Tucker, who's a lifelong friend, can trace it back to their childhood days.

“He used to get in the game and was so little, just this fiery little guy that didn't back down, always getting into scuffles and fights with people,”

“He's been the exact same person since I met him when we were kids.”

It's safe to say that that quality will follow him regardless of the team he's on. Now with the Rockets, he seems to be sharing the crazy competitiveness well. He has helped developed the group's run-and-gun style (now second in points and offensive rating), while also improving them defensively.