What New Orleans Hornets Can Learn from NBA's Top Teams

The New Orleans Hornets endured one of the toughest seasons in franchise history this season and have a lot to improve on in the future. 

In fairness, this young team did have the deck stacked against them from day one of the season and dealt with countless injuries that set them back further. 

Regardless of the adversity and difficulties they had, things are looking bright for the Hornets. 

Getting out from under the thumb of the league and having new ownership is exciting, and Eric Gordon has had an impressive return from injury to show glimpses of the type of player he can be.

Despite the good things that are happening in New Orleans, the team still has a lot to learn from the top teams in the league. 

The following slides will outline a few of the things they must take into consideration moving forward. 

Patience

One of the most important things that the New Orleans Hornets must learn and use is patience. 

It is not common that teams in the NBA completely turn things around in a short time, and the Hornets must resist making moves that have short-term value. 

The new ownership group must be careful to realize that have to build this team piece by piece and that is going to take time. 

Instead of going out and overspending, the team needs to exercise a long-term plan for success. 

After the injury-filled season that the Hornets had this season, they will show improvement next year and would be best served to slowly build success. 

The Hornets must be patient and build this team back into a playoff contender slowly and wisely.

Build Through the Draft

There is not a single player on the New Orleans Hornets roster that was originally drafted by the team.

The Hornets have had some good draft picks in that time but those players have been traded away. 

With the record that the team will end with this season, and in what looks to be a strong draft class, they are in good shape to draft at least one good player that will be able to contribute to the team success quickly. 

The Hornets are already a young team, so adding players through the draft and taking time to develop them into stars will not have much of a negative impact. 

If the Hornets can follow the lead of other NBA teams who have done well in the draft, it will decrease their rebuilding time and get them back on track even sooner. 

Establish Individual Roles

The New Orleans Hornets are a team without a true superstar. 

Eric Gordon is the closest to a star in this league but he carries with him some uncertainty following his nearly season-long injury problems. 

Regardless of which players are on the team, each one needs to figure out their individual role and stick with it. 

It is the responsibility of the coaching staff to help each of these young players find out how they fit into the Hornets' system and then play each game within that role. 

Things could take longer to turn around and develop if one or more of these players tries to do too much or play outside of their own abilities. 

If the Hornets can all get on the court at the same time and figure out how to play together, it will go a long way towards improving on this season's record. 

Keep a Long-Term Vision

With new owners and a new start on the horizon for the New Orleans Hornets, it would be easy to think of short-term success and getting on the fast track to victories at all costs.

One of the most important balances for this team to find is a mix of winning in the near future as well as building a successful franchise that can compete for years to come. 

The Hornets must evaluate their decisions carefully with a long-term focus in mind and must be careful not to fall into the trap of signing big-name players who are at the end of their careers, or who will only be of value for a few seasons. 

The Hornets will have some valuable assets in the near future, and team management must be careful not to use those assets foolishly. 

The top priority for the Hornets this offseason is to re-sign Eric Gordon to a competitive but manageable contract. 

Again however, the team must be cautious with his injury history so he does not become a victim of the amnesty clause in a couple of years. 

How to Win

The most important thing that the New Orleans Hornets need to learn from veteran teams in the NBA is how to win. 

It will make a difference when the team can actually play the desired starting lineup at least a few times in a season.

As the Hornets take the floor next year and figure out how to play together, they must also take notice of the better teams in the league and learn how to execute the little things that will help them win. 

This one may take some time as the team and its players gain experience and mature, but it is very important for the long-term success of the franchise. 

If the Hornets can learn and be mindful of these few areas, they will not have a long rebuilding process and will get back to the NBA playoffs sooner than many people think.