New Orleans Hornets 2009-2010 Preview

By General
for NBA-Basketball.org

Published: October 22, 2009

Background of 2009-2010 New Orleans Hornets

It’s hard to imagine what the New Orleans players must be feeling ahead of the 2009-2010 season. They certainly haven’t forgotten of the fact that they suffered THE biggest lopsided loss in NBA playoffs history and got absolutely annihiliated by the Denver Nuggets. You can bet for sure that Chris Paul will never forget about it, but how about the rest of his team? It seems the Hornets management weren’t too concerned as they shipped out key contributors Rasual Butler, Tyson Chandler, and Ryan Bowen and in exchange only really have Emeka Okafor to show for it. This will be a season where we find out the true value of Chris Paul. If he can manage to make this team compete against the Western Conference elite, then not giving him that all-elusive MVP award will be a crime against basketball.

Hornets additions in 2010

Emeka Okafor Ike Diogu Darius Songaila

Hornets departures in 2010

Tyson Chandler

Rasual Butler

Ryan Bowen

Probably Starting Lineup for the 2009 2010 New Orleans Hornets

PG – Chris Paul

SG – Morris Peterson

SF – Peja Stojakovic

PF – David West

C – Emeka Okafor

New Orleans Hornets Guards

Chris Paul has been something of a stats monster in his first years in the NBA, but if you thought you’d seen all that he can do, then you’ll be in for a surpise this year. Chris Paul is a machine that needs no system, no coach, no real stars, and no motivation – he will perform miracles without those ‘details’. I’m pretty sure you can put Chris Paul in a team full of mindless drones and zombies and ran by a mentally challenged person and he still would be able to squeeze 20 wins out of them. This year his backups consist of an inexperienced duo of Bobby Brown and Darren Collison. The good news is that only around 8 minutes should be left for these two youngsters to share. With the departure of Rasual Butler, Morris Peterson will be relied on to lead the shooting guard position. At 32 years of age, Peterson isn’t exactly getting any better but he has the shooting ability, the bball IQ, and the experience of knowing how best to feed off of Paul’s skillset – which should allow him to do an ok job at the position. Devin Brown is the other reserve, and can manage to play the combo guard position giving some flexibiilty to coach Byron Scott.But as you can see, overall the backcourt of the New Orleans Hornets rests squarely on the shoulders of the 6′0 Chris Paul.

New Orleans Hornets Forwards

It wasn’t too long ago that Peja Stojakovic was considered one of the best small forwards in the league. Ok scratch that, it has been really ages since we’ve seen Peja light it up like we know he can. Injuries has played a key role in limiting his production, but at 32 years of age, akin to Peterson, he will need to find a way to not only stay healthy but be able to contribute to this team that has a very limited offensive arsenal. James Posey is the other 32 year old player on this team just past his prime. The Hornets picked him up from the then defending champion Boston Celtics for a hefty amount, and while he has contributed, it hasn’t been to the degree they have expected simply because Posey is not a star player on a average team. Posey is an excellent complimentary player on a championship level team. Julian Wright is a young promising player with a bright future, and the Hornets will hope that he can bring some agility and athleticsm to the otherwise very bland and slow wing players on this team. David West should just be entering his prime and will be expected to carry the main scoring load on this team. He might need to be even more aggresive than before and try to put somewhere around 25 points per game for this team to be competitive. Darius Songalia and Ike Diogu are able bodies that can provide brief relief to West, but won’t be game changers to say the least.

New Orleans Hornets Centers

Tyson Chandler’s career was saved by the arrival of Chris Paul, and Byron Scott will hope the same happens for once highly regarded prospect Emeka Okafor. To be honest, Emeka Okafor has a greater upside than Chandler did, but the screen and roll that Paul and Chandler had was a thing of beauty. Emeka Okafor’s contributions to the Hornets will come on the defensive end and he should be one of the top 3 centers in the conference. Hilton Armstrong is a great player to come off the bench, he’s always active and manages to make the most out of minutes handed to him. If he has improved over the off season, he should get some minutes both at the 4 and 5 positions.

Best Case Scenario for the New Orleans Hornets

When evaluating the New Orleans Hornets, we musn’t forget how they became a team to be feared just 2 seasons ago. It was really out of nowhere, and people doubted them through the very end. So I personally will not count this team out as long as Chris Paul is playing the way he is. They should make the playoffs without too many problems, and given that they are healthy and in form when the postseason arrives, they have as much shot advancing as the team with the home court advantage.

Worst Case Scenario for the New Orleans Hornets

Chris Paul’s quote during the offseason that even he could get traded did not bode well for the city of New Orleans. He certainly won’t be playing anywhere less than 100%, but the mentality of this team must somewhat be affected with the way this team has tried to shed salary cap space and practically give away some of the core players. New Orleans has got some old players who will need to find that second life in their career for New Orleans to avoid the kind of emberassment they suffered last year.

Hornets 2010 Outlook

The Hornets will finish 7th out West with another near MVP year from CP3. While not being completely swept away, they will be defeated by a much more ready 2nd seed team that’s got players thinking championships instead of whether they will get traded or not.

New Orleans Hornets 2010 Predictions

Record: 43-39

Surprise Player: Emeka Okafor will see a rise in his play play with floor leader Chris Paul and should get All-Star considerations

Key Player: Peja Stojakovic needs to be that long range bomber assasin again and take the load off of everyone on the offensive end.

That wraps up the New Orleans Hornets 2009-2010 season preview and our detailed look at the Hornets in the 2010 NBA season.

Author:General

General has written 32 articles for us.

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