New Orleans Hornets: Bouncing Back from a Two-Year Decline

How exactly did a 56-win Hornets team from 2008 turn into a lowly 37-win team in just two seasons?

There is no one definitive reason, but rather a variety of them. Bad moves off the court, as well as key injuries and inconsistent play, yielded a quick decline for a team which was once considered to be a rising force in the NBA.

There are two ways you can explain in short how the last two disappointing seasons in New Orleans have played out.

The first being that the talent around star point guard Chris Paul diminished as the team was exposed as a one-hit wonder, or secondly, that the Hornets have simply had to deal with a perfect storm of problems, but still have the potential to make it back to the top of the Western Conference standings.

Let's examine the latter. 

In order to do so, let's take a look at the main problems that have attributed to the team's decline, and how the team has either already answered or will need to answer them this season.

Lack Of Youth Development

Following the 2007-2008 season, the Hornets were in much need of young talent on the roster. But rather than address certain key positions, the Hornets traded their '08 first round pick to Portland for cash. The team signed veteran James Posey, believing he was the last piece of the puzzle to push the team over the top.

The roster was later decimated with injuries and fatigue during the '08-09 season, and the Hornets were devoid of fresh legs. From a management standpoint, neglecting a need for youth was a mistake that season.

It was only until the 2009 Draft would the Hornets fix this problem as they brought in two solid players who went on to have very successful rookie campaigns. 

The Answer

Both Collison and Thornton head into their second seasons as two very promising young players. Collison was superb while substituting for Chris Paul last year, averaging 18.8 points and 9.1 assists per game in 37 starts.

Thornton was the surprise of the season off the bench, and scored a whopping 18 or more points in 19 of his final 26 games. The two will provide a tremendous spark of energy and should be much more experienced after a full season of development.

The Hornets also added swingman Quincy Pondexter out of Washington and forward Craig Brackins out of Iowa State in the 2010 Draft. Pondexter had a strong Summer League and looks to compete for minutes at small forward this season. Brackins has potential to be a deep shooting big-man threat and does have defensive capabilities.

These four should provide plenty of young talent and competition on the court this season for New Orleans.

League-High Payroll

Ever since the emergence of Chris Paul during his rookie season, Hornets management has tried to compliment him, alongside David West, with talent. In 2006, the team traded for center Tyson Chandler and brought in veteran Peja Stojakovic. The following year, they signed Morris Peterson to provide scoring in the backcourt. In 2008, James Posey was added to be the experienced sixth man.

These moves eventually resulted in a league-high payroll by the end of the '09 season, and the team has been cash-strapped ever since. Chandler and Peterson have since been traded, while Stojakovic and Posey both have had a significant decline in production.

The Answer

Former general manager Jeff Bower spent the '09 offseason shedding enough salary to climb out of the luxury tax zone, while still being able to bring in new talent. Before being fired earlier this month, Bower got rid of the $5.8 million salary Peterson was due this season by trading him to Oklahoma City last month.

New GM Dell Demps will have an estimated $21 million in salary come off the books at the end of this season, with Stojakovic and Posey becoming free agents. Demps will be able to use that money to bring in a max-salary player to join Paul. This will all not guarantee success on the court, but it will give the team much-needed cap space to add talent in 2011.

Souring Relationship

Former GM Jeff Bower was well-supported by Hornets fans throughout his first few seasons. But questionable moves in the front office led to a strained relationship between Bower and Paul.

Bower infamously traded Tyson Chandler to Oklahoma City in February of '09, only to have the offer rescinded by the Thunder due to Chandler's turf toe. Paul questioned whether or not Bower had the best intentions for the immediate future of the team.

After eventually trading Chandler last summer, Bower ultimately fired head coach Byron Scott nine games into last season after a 3-6 start. Paul felt betrayed and Bower's moves played a role in his frustration with the team.

The Answer

The Hornets parted ways with Bower earlier this month, bringing in Dell Demps, who has been highly regarded by respected organizations. With a new regime in place, the team will have an easier time convincing Paul to stay in New Orleans, after his growing frustration with Bower, along with his desire to play with a winning organization led to his requesting of a trade.

Bitten By The Injury Bug

Injuries have plagued the Hornets over the past two seasons. In '08-09, starters Tyson Chandler and Peja Stojakovic missed a combined 58 games in different stretches, as the team struggled to stay consistently healthy.

Ultimately, Chris Paul and David West finished that season ranked fourth and eighth in the NBA in minutes per game, due to extended action on the floor to keep the team alive in the playoff race.

The Hornets were as many as 20 games over .500 by the start of April, but ended up losing six of their last eight contests to drop dramatically off in the playoff standings to the seventh seed. Denver would later have an easy time taking care of the thin Hornets team in five games during the first round.

In '09-10, New Orleans got off to a sluggish 3-7 start before Paul went down with an ankle injury. Paul later returned in early December and helped guide the team to a 25-20 record by late January, and as high as sixth in the Western standings, before a torn meniscus sidelined him for six weeks. The Hornets couldn't sustain momentum without it's leader and fell out of the postseason race by late March.

The Answer

The obvious answer is to stay healthy. The Hornets were 21-16 last season in games Paul played before his knee injury and went 13-24 in the 37 games he missed. It's obvious that as long as Paul is fully healthy, he gives the the team a chance to win ball games.

Stojakovic has missed a total of 41 games in the last two seasons combined, including the final 18 of last season, which significantly hurt the team's playoff push down the stretch. He'll need to find a way to stay durable all season long as the team's main deep-shooting threat.

Despite recent trade rumors, the Hornets do not intend to trade Paul this season. And as long as the three-time All-Star is at the helm, New Orleans will try and build a contender around him.

The Hornets still have many question marks heading into the season and there are still plenty of moves that could be made between now and late October. The team still lacks proven depth in the front court and will also look to add another guard to the backcourt.

Emeka Okafor is coming off a less-than-stellar season and will need to improve at the center position.

New head coach Monty Williams will also have a major position battle at the small forward position with Peja Stojakovic, James Posey, Julian Wright, and Quincy Pondexter all fighting for minutes.

But as of now, with a new young head coach and general manager eager to win, a good core of young emerging players, a handful of playoff-experienced veterans, and the league's best point guard, the Hornets feel that they are ready for a bounce-back season in 2010-2011 and anticipate even more success beyond.