Blogger Knows Best: Inside the New Orleans Hornets
Team Name: New Orleans Hornets
Blog Name: Hornets247.com
Blogger Name: Niall Doherty
1. Based on preseason expectations, how would you grade this season? Please list your
team's top three accomplishments.
Chris Paul
I'd grade it a C+. I expected the Hornets to make the leap into the elite this season, and that hasn't happened. We're still staring up at the likes of the Lakers, and I don't foresee New Orleans surviving past the second round of the playoffs. BUT, given the injury woes of this ball club, the fact that they're still at the top of the division is pretty impressive. Mark that as their top accomplishment. Next would be how attendance has improved significantly on last season's fairytale campaign, even with all the adversity and dashed expectations. Lastly, I'd have to say Chris Paul's level of play has been phenomenal this season. Somehow he's even better than when he was voted runner-up for MVP a year ago, yet he's getting very little mention for the award this season. Damn shame. His numbers are better, and he's led the Hornets to almost as many wins despite less help (due to the injuries). Oh, and let me sneak in a fourth noteworthy accomplishment here: Rasual Butler's resurgence. A forgotten man relegated to the end of the bench last season, he's currently playing the best basketball of his life.
David West and Chris Paul are poised to rise to the occasion in the playoffs.
2. How would you assess the competency of the team's current GM and scouting staff?
It seemed like GM Jeff Bower could do no wrong until the botched Tyson Chandler trade. Fans lost a lot of faith in him over that. The long and expensive deals for Stojakovic and Posey are also starting to sour now, with Peja often injured and Posey often sucking. The Hornets need to shed serious salary this summer to avoid the luxury tax, so that will be Bower's time to sink or swim. I still believe he's one of the best in the business, doing more with less, and he'll find the best possible solution to the mess. As for the scouting staff, there isn't much of one, so it’s no wonder we rarely find an unknown free agent gem or a sticky second rounder.
3. Which young players (if any) can step to the forefront in the future?
Hilton Armstrong and Julian Wright. They both have their ups and downs, not much consistency, but the flashes are promising. Hilton has the physical tools and he's light years ahead of Tyson Chandler offensively (bar catching lobs from Chris Paul), just needs to cut down on the fouls and turnovers. JuJu has started a bunch of games recently in the absence of Stojakovic, and he's performed surprisingly well. I'd started to lose faith in him, but it seems all he really needed was some time with the starters and some patience from Byron Scott. He's a freak athletically and has good defensive instincts. If he can hit the J regularly and think as fast as he moves, he can really help this team.
4. Time to play fantasy GM: what move that was made the past few years would you undo and what move would you currently make for the team to assess immediate or long term needs?
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I'm tempted to say the Posey signing (four years, $25 million last summer), but I'll reserve judgment until after the playoffs. That's where he's supposed to earn his money. It's easy now to hate the Peja signing (he's making about $14.5m per year, deal expires in 2011), but he's lethal when healthy and really affects opposing defenses. Still, if another team wanted to take his contract off our hands, Bower would be the happiest man alive. Getting off the Peja hook means he wouldn't have to shop Tyson Chandler again in the offseason. As for addressing immediate or long term needs, I keep my fingers crossed that the Paul-West-Chandler core can remain intact and we can get better depth at the 1 and 4 spots. I also wish for a coaching upgrade before bed each night, but that's a whole other story.
5. Best case scenario: where would you realistically like to see your team at this time next year?
The same core, with everyone healthy and gelled. Maybe a deeper bench via the draft or free agency, but that might be asking for too much. I believe this team could have sniffed 60 wins quite easily this season if not for the bad breaks. Maybe next year.
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