2011-2012 New Orleans Hornets: 3 Bold Predictions
For about two weeks, the New Orleans Hornets were the focus of the basketball world.
Unfortunately, it was for the furor whipped up by the many attempts to trade Chris Paul.
Now Paul is gone, the drama tour is in Los Angeles doing a gig with the Lakers, and fans have shifted their focus to their respective teams.
The Hornets have a bevy of new players, not much time to gel, and a playoff appearance last season to build upon.
Things are looking very uncertain for this team. The talent is there and the coaching is more than capable, but can group members who are largely unfamiliar with each other make some noise this year?
It is not beyond the realm of possibility to think that this current team is any less capable than last year’s team, so here are three predictions for the New Orleans Hornets season.
1) Eric Gordon Will Lead the League in Scoring
1 of 4Eric Gordon only played in 56 games last season, but he managed to put in 22 points per game during that run.
With the absence of Paul to chip in and score whenever needed, Gordon becomes New Orleans’ most reliable offensive option.
They have bigs in Kaman and Okafor, who can get you at least 10 points and four or five offensive rebounds a night.
Trevor Ariza is a slasher who can keep wing defenders honest.
The players on the floor will be more than enough to keep opponents occupied, leaving Gordon free to do what he does best.
Let’s not forget that Gordon is a restricted free agent next summer, so he is definitely going to want to prove his value.
Look for Eric Gordon to fill it up in New Orleans to the tune of about 28 points per game.
He’s going to be fun to watch.
2) Monty Williams Will Win Coach of the Year
2 of 4Last year, Monty Williams had the one-two punch of Chris Paul and David West, then West went down in March with a torn ACL.
I’m no mathematician but losing one half of your one-two punch really limits its effectiveness.
Reserve forward Carl Landry stepped in and Williams was able to get 12 points per game out of him.
Monty Williams has a great basketball mind and can really maximize the potential of his talent (Marco Belinelli?).
Over the course of the season, I believe the Hornets will perform beyond everyone’s expectations (which seem to be pretty low at the moment) and net Williams a Coach of the Year award.
Sure, you can expect teams like Chicago, Miami and OKC to all but tear through their schedule, but New Orleans will win more than anyone expects them to.
This will be done without a franchise player and with a slew of new players, and it will be well-deserved.
3) the Hornets Make the Playoffs
3 of 4The Western Conference is extremely competitive when it comes to playoff positioning.
Teams that are a No. 8 seed in the West usually have records that would garner a No. 6 seed at least in the East.
New Orleans is in a tough division where Dallas will probably win again and Memphis won’t be too far behind.
However, things aren’t as certain this year in the Western Conference.
The usual Top Four of Dallas, Los Angeles (Lakers), San Antonio, and OKC are no more.
With calamity ruling Tinsel Town and San Antonio showing all of their age last season, some playoff spots have become more open than usual.
The New Orleans Hornets will capitalize on this shaken-up conference and land themselves right back into the postseason.
They will finish third in their division and have a win-loss record good enough for a No. 6 seed again.
All in All...
4 of 4While others are quick to write off the New Orleans Hornets because of the loss of their once marquee player, I am banking on success from a team that resides in city that thrives off of making it against all odds.
They have depth in the front court, which is needed to survive in the very big Western Conference.
They have a soon-to-be new face in Eric Gordon.
They have a more than capable coach in Monty Williams.
The familiar face of the franchise may be gone, but there are pieces in place to keep the party going.
And when it comes to partying, New Orleans definitely knows what to do.
