I know.

That's a familiar song, and the Hornets have done a familiar dance to the tune.

Every year at media day since Paul completed his rookie season we've heard some variation of it, heard that New Orleans cannot afford to run Paul into the ground or allow Paul to do it to himself.

Because a little less of Paul could mean a lot more for the Hornets .

And every year Scott and New Orleans have failed to find adequate relief; even when Jannero Pargo and Speedy Claxton were around, they shared as much backcourt time with Paul as they were given to rest him.

Each year, Paul's minutes have risen, from 36, to 36.8, to 37.6, to 38.5.

True, his play and statistics similarly have ascended, to the point he'll be a legitimate MVP candidate for the next eight years (it says here he should've won it two seasons ago, when the Los Angles Lakers' Kobe Bryant did). But you can have too much of a good thing.

Finally, maybe, the Hornets will be able to use less.

"I think so," Scott said Monday at the New Orleans Arena hours before the team trekked to Lafayette to hold the first week of training camp, beginning today. "I'm really comfortable and more confident this year that I'll be able to do it with Bobby (Brown) and Darren (Collison). They're going to be fighting it out for the backup role.

"Both of those guys have had their moments in the scrimmages the last couple of weeks. So I feel really good that I'm going to be able to cut (Paul's) minutes down to what I think he should be playing, which is about 34 to 35 minutes, not 39 minutes."

Not that Paul willingly wants to cough up minutes. He'll play himself into dust if allowed.

"Coach knows I want to play 48 minutes every night," he said.

But he's cerebral, too. He's a student of the game, a fan of its history that's enrolled in honors classes when it comes to the league's present. Which means he knows what can happen if a player -- even a superstar -- plays a little too much, and what potentially can happen for his team if he plays a little bit less.

"As you see, a lot of these teams that have made these runs deep into the playoffs, when you get in the playoffs and you're a lot fresher, that's when you can play those 40 and 44 minutes," Paul said.

Said Scott: "I think if I can keep his minutes at that 34-, 33-minute mark, I think he'll be a more effective Basketball player, because he'll be fresher. I think there were a lot of times last year where he was just playing on fumes and sheer determination. Hopefully, we don't have to have that situation this year.

"He understands that he can't play that many minutes and be as effective as he can be, or that we want him to be."

Which is where Brown and Collison come in.

The problem is, the Hornets don't exactly know what either will offer under duress. Brown has 68 NBA games to his credit. Collison, the Hornets' first-round pick, has none. Each previously has starred in summer league -- Brown in 2008 and Collison in 2009 -- but summer league isn't the regular season.

But Scott seems convinced he can get from them the 14 to 15 minutes per game he'll need to rest Paul during the regular season. And the 24-year-old Paul is relishing the opportunity to be a mentor.

"Love it," he said. "This will be the first since I've been in the NBA where I've actually been the elder statesman when it comes to the (point) guards.

"A lot of times I've been playing with guys that are proven and veterans -- they don't have to prove nothin' to me in practice and stuff like that. Now, I'm with some young guys who really need to prove themselves, and I think that will make me a better player in practice.

"I'd much rather (have) guys coming to get your position because that shows we're going to have some warriors, and that they want to fight. I've started for the past four years, but I would love for somebody to come in and try to take my position because at the end of the day, that's just going to make us better."

The guess here -- and it's just a guess -- is that they can try, but they're probably not going to take his position.

But even Paul won't mind if they take a few of his minutes.

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John DeShazier can be reached at jdeshazier@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3410.