FanHouse previews all 30 NBA teams in advance of the 2009-10 season.Time at the peak isn't supposed to be this short.
The Hornets jolted the West in 2008, nearly taking the first seed in the conference one season after missing the postseason entirely. After waxing Dallas in what would become Avery Johnson's final playoff series there, the Hornets went all the way to Game 7 against the defending champion Spurs. The Hornets lost, and didn't get close in 2008-09.
You can believe one of three things. The Hornets' short triumph could be over, more flash in the sky than formation of a new star. The Hornets could have experienced just a brief setback, a defeat at the hands of a bad match-up and an injury-riddled season. Or, the Hornets could have just ran into some structural problems in need of fixing, which they possibly have this summer.
I suppose there's one more plausible answer: there are structural problems which will keep the Hornets from the top tier, but there's still enough here to create a perennial second-level contender. And by "still enough" I mean "Chris Paul."
Paul is an unbelievable player, one of the most gifted talents in the league and one who happens to play to his strengths nearly all the time. That's rare, because there are plenty of good players who can't keep it together. Paul can, and does. And he's the reason the Hornets have ever been to the playoffs, let alone in the conversation about contenders.
But the core around him is dying. Peja Stojakovic and Morris Peterson are zombies. David West remains productive, but he has topped out -- New Orleans can't legitimately expect more from him. Tyson Chandler was so bad last year, so off his game the Hornets had to boot him for the expensive Emeka Okafor, a defensive specialist with a limited (more than Chandler, but still limited) post presence. To support Okafor's salary and draft pick Marcus Thornton (who most thought the Hornets would trade to save cash), New Orleans had to exile its best three-point shooter, Rasual Butler, with nothing in return.
Thornton is the real hope to fix big problems in Paul's backcourt. Thornton, a Baton Rouge native who played at LSU, might be able to fill the gap -- he's a dynamite scorer and a tough-nosed beast. The problem is that he's only a couple inches taller than six-foot Paul, meaning opposing backcourts will have an opportunity to run roughshod over the Hornets when Paul and Thornton play together.
In the forwards, N.O. needs to hope West can hang on to his peak a few more years while praying Julian Wright (written up by Matt Moore below) can get there in a hurry. It may be months before we know how Okafor will do in this offense, and how well he can replicate Chandler's gifted pick and roll defense. The fate of the Hornets depends on all of these things, and to me that's leaving too much to chance. But as a devout Paul believer, I'd love to be proven wrong.
Last Season By the Numbers
Record: 49-33 under Byron Scott. Finished 4th in the Southwest Division, 7th in the Western Conference. Eliminated by Nuggets (4-1) in first round.
Offense: 108.7 points per 100 possessions, 12th in the NBA. 15th in shooting, 9th in turnover rate, 24th in offensive rebounding, 18th in free throw rate.
Defense: 107 points per 100 possessions, 9th in the NBA. 12th in shooting defense, 13th in opponent turnover rate, 7th in defensive rebounding, 16th in opponent free throw rate.
Top Performers: Chris Paul led the team in scoring (22.8 points), assists (11) and steals (2.8) per game, and finished third in rebounding (5.5). Tyson Chandler was the top rebounder at 8.8 per game; David West finished second in scoring (21) and rebounding (8.5). Rasual Butler was the team's top three-point shooter (39 percent).
All statistics via Basketball-Reference.com.
Player to WatchFanHouse's Matt Moore and Tom Ziller preview one player to watch from each team. Here's a snippet of Moore's post on Hornets forward Julian Wright.
Julian Wright can jump very high.
When I say that, I don't mean that he jumps really high for normal people. I'm talking, he jumps high for NBA guys. For grasshoppers in relative height. When I caught him in front of his old college crowd in Kansas City last Thursday, I could almost hear the sound of a 747 going by. If Billy Bob Thornton and John Cusack had been around, they would have been parked in the photography section waiting to get blown backwards to St. Louis. The dude jumps like Skywalker in Empire, only he doesn't have to get his legs under him at all. Not kidding, HSA is giving thought to labeling him as a "flight risk." Wakka wakka wakka.
See Moore's full post on Wright.
Offseason Tracker
IN: Darren Collison (draft), Marcus Thornton (draft), Emeka Okafor (trade), Bobby Brown (trade), Darius Songaila (trade), Ike Diogu (free agency).
OUT: Tyson Chandler (trade), Antonio Daniels (trade), Rasual Butler (trade).
