New Orleans Hornets: Getting To the Next Level

In my previous article, I documented the Hornets' weaknesses. The Bees lack a consistent outside shooting game and a strength on the inside. What can they do in the near term to transform from pretenders to contenders? Who will be available on the free agent market?

While I am not sure that Byron Scott would be able to swallow the pill,  Brandon Bass, the former LSU and Hornets forward, will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season.

Bass spent most of his time with the Hornets in Coach Scott's doghouse. Bass was indeed immature, having left LSU as a young sophomore, and believed that he was an all-round player.

For the Mavs however, Bass has developed into a solid off the bench frontcourt player.  Although 6'8" and 240 pounds, Bass is a little undersized. He is developing into an opportunistic scorer, steady defender, and solid rebounder. 

Bass is averaging nearly 20 minutes per game for the Mavs, 8.6 points, 49 percent from the the field, and a solid 87 percent from the free throw line. The most active Hornets bench players average minutes in the mid-teens.

The addition of Bass would allow Hornets starters to get some quality minutes of rest.  With a little more maturity and the development of a mid-range jumper, Bass could eventually work his way into the starting lineup.

With respect to finding a shooter, there is not a lot of talent in that area in the free agent market that is going to be affordable for the Hornets. I suggest looking at the European league. One example of a Euro League player whose contract is running out is Thomas Kelati.

Kelati, a former standout for the Washington State Cougars in the NCAA, was huge for PGE Turow Zgorcelec last year, as he led the Polish club to the ULEB-Cup quarterfinals.  He excels as a one-on-one defender and as a deadly shooter.

With a current contract is reported 310.000€ (less than $400,000) salary, Kelati is mostly utilized by Aito Reneses coming around screens and get open for the catch and shoot, and is currently leading Unicaja with 13.4 points per game in the Euroleague. He likes to shoot from beyond the arc, with 54 of his 78 shots being 3-pointers.

Kelati is not limited to shooting open threes however, as he can make tough shots off the dribble as well as difficult, contested shots in movement in set play.

The addition of Bass and Kelati would not make the Hornets a lock for the NBA finals, but would greatly improve their ability to make a deep playoff run.