2011-2012 New Orleans Hornets: Without a Marquee Name, Team Can Start Anew

Most sport teams are synonymous with the names of their marquee players. Some teams are completely defined by the names of their marquee players.

Such are the New Orleans Hornets.

Mention the Hornets as a franchise and many people recall the team that used to play in Charlotte.

They’ll remember Larry Johnson, Muggsy Bogues, Alonzo Mourning, the teal jerseys and the mascot who landed somersault dunks off of trampolines.

In passing, those same people will eventually recall that the Hornets moved from Charlotte to New Orleans.

Now, change the reference point a bit and mention Chris Paul.

People recall one of the purest point guards in the league who plays (well, played) for the New Orleans Hornets.

They’ll remember the tough playoff series against the Lakers last season. They’ll recall the circus that was the Chris Paul trade fiasco.

Now Chris is in LA with the Clippers and the Hornets are left without a face.

They are a mere afterthought to basketball fans except those who reside in Louisiana. Even more, they probably rank a distant third on the state’s favorite sports teams list behind the Saints and the SEC football champion LSU Tigers (assuming that a bunch of Tulane alum weren’t polled).

This is the perfect opportunity for the franchise to establish its own identity.

The Hornets received a good mixture of veteran and young talent via the Clippers trade, most notably the acquisition of Eric Gordon, and their collective salaries are better for the team over the next few seasons.

Monty Williams is a very intelligent coach who will maximize his talent the same way he did last season when key player David West was out with a knee injury.

Williams also has the opportunity to better establish his brand of basketball which can in turn become Hornets basketball.

If he can do this with some success, New Orleans can become an attractive destination for future free agents.

Without Paul’s face overshadowing the team, the Hornets players can really endear themselves to the city of New Orleans if they can keep winning.

The city of New Orleans will be supporting a team and not a player who happens to play for their team.

The continuing winning can and will attract more support from local and regional businesses. The team can really root themselves as a part of the city’s lifeblood.

After community ties have been edified, the New Orleans Hornets will be a franchise that shows real viability, just what the league wants since they need to find new owners.

If this organization can take full advantage of the opportunities that lay ahead, they can land the owners they need while showing that New Orleans is more than just Saints Country.