New Orleans Hornets
2008-09 Hornets Season Preview
By Fletcher MackelI vividly remember May 24, 2005. Then Hornets general manager Alan Bristow sat anxiously in his seat in New York City at the annual NBA draft lottery, waiting to find out where the Hornets would be selecting. In the summer of 2005, the Hornets were coming off their worst season in franchise history. The team stumbled to an embarrassing 18-64 overall record which was tied for worst in the NBA that year. Coach Byron Scott cleaned house during the regular season, parting ways with malcontent players like Baron Davis.
The Hornets were hoping to land the #1 overall selection and use that choice to draft 7-foot Australian Andrew Bogut. Bogut was a high profile player management knew they could market as a marquee name to energize fans. On the court, Bristow envisioned Bogut as the perfect athletic big man coach Byron Scott longed for. Then a crazy thing happened. The Hornets got screwed by the flawed NBA lottery system. Despite having the most lottery balls in the hopper, the team landed only the 4th overall choice in the 2005 draft. On national TV, Bristow was caught lowering his head in defeat.
With the 4th selection in the draft, the Hornets had no choice but to select undersized, underappreciated point guard Chris Paul from Wake Forest University. Naysayers believed the 20-year-old Paul was a product of an up-tempo Wake Forest system and his game would not translate well to the NBA. I remember meeting Paul at a news conference the day after he was chosen by the Hornets and thinking, “Damn, he’s small!”
But that small kid with the big smile and even bigger heart is the reason why we have professional basketball in New Orleans today. Crazy how things work out. Make no mistake, the Hornets may have wanted a higher pick and a different player in 2005, but team owner George Shinn goes to bed each night nowadays praying to a higher power that Chris Paul landed in his lap. Last year Paul made himself a household name and he made the Hornets respectable again by leading the club to a franchise best: 56 wins and the team’s first division title. Paul played in his first NBA All-Star game and finished runner-up to Kobe Bryant for the league MVP award. For an encore, Paul helped Team USA earn a gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics.
Because of Paul’s work on the court, NBA basketball is secure in New Orleans, our city has a superstar to brag about, and the Hornets are predicted by many to win the NBA Championship this season. And that is the focus of this article. Can Paul and his Hornets bring New Orleans its first major professional championship?
Paul will re-team with fellow NBA All-Star David West, Tyson Chandler, Peja Stojakovic, and Morris Peterson to form one of the top starting line-ups in the Western Conference. Most of the scoring last season came from Paul, West, and Stojakovic. Defensively, the team was led by Tyson Chandler, who grabbed nearly 12 rebounds per game. But this year, Chandler says he expects to have a breakout season offensively. If Chandler can average a double-double and Morris Peterson can shoot the ball more consistently, the Hornets, in essence, have no weaknesses in their starting line-up.
As for the Hornets bench, the team lost Jannero Pargo to a team in Europe. This is just my opinion, but I always believed Pargo was inconsistent and overrated and don’t think his loss is very significant. The Hornets addressed the loss of Pargo by signing star free agent swingman James Posey. Posey has won two NBA Championships over the last three seasons. Did the Hornets overpay for Posey by giving him a guaranteed four-year 24 million dollar deal? Most certainly! But the Hornets want to win now and I admire them for going ‘all in,’ so to say.
Posey does two things well. He plays defense and he shoots 3-pointers. The Hornets offense obligates them to have good 3-point shooters. Last year the Hornets finished 3rd in 3-point shooting with a 39% average. Posey could elevate the team into one of the top two spots if he plays like he’s expected too.
Also coming off the bench to play crucial minutes will be Hilton Armstrong, Mike James, and second year pro Julian Wright, a player I expect big things from. Add in the fact that Byron Scott is the reigning NBA coach of the year and the Hornets main concern isn’t wondering who’s going to fill which roles...the main concern for the Hornets is health. Last year, the team did not have to deal with any significant injuries. Two years ago, however, was different. Paul, West, and Stojakovic missed a combined 117 games due to injury and the Hornets missed the playoffs. Unlike the Lakers, Spurs, Jazz, and even the Rockets, teams with great depth, the Hornets are not capable of absorbing a long term injury to one of their stars.
It’s also worth mentioning that the Hornets are not superstitious. After the most successful season in franchise history, most clubs would try to keep everything the same fearing that any little tweak could ruin a good thing. Not the Hornets. Last summer, the team unveiled new uniforms, new logos, and new colors. The team’s primary color is no longer teal...it’s Creole blue...and pinstripes have been added to both the home and road uniforms.
Now all of that said, let me take a crack at answering the question I asked earlier—can Chris Paul and his Hornets bring New Orleans its first major professional championship? Yes! Without question.
If the Hornets stay healthy, they’ll compete all season long with the Los Angeles Lakers and the Houston Rockets for the #1 seed in the Western Conference. And because I’m so opinionated, I’m going to look into my crystal ball and predict that the Hornets do finish first in the west, advance to the playoffs and beat Portland, San Antonio, and the Lakers on the way to the NBA finals. I truly believe Chris Paul will win the league MVP award and the Hornets will face the Chicago Bulls in the NBA finals!
Am I crazy? Time will tell. Let’s talk again in June.