By Guy Lake, TalentedMrRoto.com
October 9, 2006 - 10:47 a.m.

2005-06 OVERVIEW

You know Chris Paul, but do you know David West? (Layne Murdoch/NBAE/Getty Images)

With newfound star Chris Paul at the point, the Hornets took a big step toward respectability last season. Though there were distractions and disruptions along the way—the suspension of Chris "Birdman" Andersen, the strife between coach Byron Scott and J.R. Smith, and Hurricane Katrina displacing the team from its home city—the Hornets stayed focused and competed for a playoff berth in the highly competitive Western Conference for much of the season. Though they faded toward the end and concluded the season with a 38-44 record, the team doubled its wins from the previous year. Despite the improvement, the team had issues. It lacked a consistent outside threat and struggled in the halfcourt. The Hornets averaged just 3.7 made threes per game, third worst in the NBA. Another problem was depth. Aside from Chris Paul, the Hornets only had one consistent threat: David West. In him, the team discovered they had another rising star. West, who went undrafted in fantasy leagues across the land at the start of the season, proved to be one of the best free agent acquisitions with his scoring and excellent percentages. Around these two players, the Hornets would seek to rebuild their franchise.

Rebuild they did this off-season, jettisoning a number of players who weren't fitting in and adding some big names. In the first big acquisition of the free agent period—even though technically it was a sign and trade—the Hornets brought in Peja Stojakovic to give them some desperately needed outside shooting. The talented but frustrated J.R. Smith was traded along with P.J. Brown to the Chicago Bulls for Tyson Chandler. Smith was later traded by the Bulls to Denver. To back up the mercurial Paul at the point, the Hornets added Bobby Jackson and Jannero Pargo. In the draft, the Hornets went big, adding collegiate centers Hilton Armstrong and Cedric Simmons. Of the two, only Armstrong will play center in the NBA. They also selected Brazilian Marcus Vinicius in the second round, a smooth-shooting forward who might crack the rotation. It will be the trade acquisitions and the free agents who get the most time on the Hornets this year.

ADDITIONS:
Peja Stojakovic, SF
Tyson Chandler, C
Bobby Jackson, PG
Jannero Pargo, PG
Hilton Armstrong, C
Cedric Simmons, PF/C
Marcus Vinicius, SF

LOSSES:
Speedy Claxton, PG
P.J. Brown, PF/C
J.R. Smith, SG
Kirk Snyder, SG
Moochie Norris, PG
Arvydas Macijauskas, SG
Marcus Fizer, PF
Aaron Williams, PF/C

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP:
C – Tyson Chandler
PF – David West
SF – Peja Stojakovic
SG – Desmond Mason
PG – Chris Paul

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN 2006

This team is one of a handful of teams trying to make the jump to the playoffs in the Western Conference this season. If the Hornets do, it will be with an improved offense. The transition offense will continue to be excellent. Chris Paul is as good as any guard in the NBA at leading a fast break. He has better players around him for transition offense as well. David West is back, and he scores a lot of his points in transition. Tyson Chandler will be an excellent finisher on the break, and Desmond Mason's reputation around the league as a ferocious dunker is well-established. Peja is also quicker on foot on the break than he is given credit for and, of course, will drain many a three in transition. At every position, the Hornets have mobility. With a proven shotblocker like Chandler and a pickpocket in Chris Paul, the defense should provide a lot of fast break opportunities.

To take it to the next level, however, they will need to develop a halfcourt offense - a serious weakness for the team last year. Look for Chris Paul and Tyson Chandler to work backdoor screens for alley-oop dunks a la Jason Kidd and Kenyon Martin under Byron Scott. Chandler finishes so high above the rim, this combination could be even harder to defend than that dynamic duo. The key to the halfcourt, however, is in David West. Most of his scoring last year came either in transition or from his mid-range jumper. If he can improve his back to the basket game, it will help the Hornets tremendously. Shooters like Peja, Bobby Jackson, and Rasual Butler benefit when defenses are forced to double-down on effective post scorers.

KEY BENCH POSITIONS / POSITION BATTLES

Bobby Jackson will see a lot of minutes for the Hornets. He is the only proven scorer on an otherwise anemic second unit and will often find himself sharing the backcourt with starting point guard Chris Paul. Jackson replaced Speedy Claxton (now with the Hawks), who certainly earned enough minutes last year to be fantasy worthy. The big difference between the two smallish point guards is Jackson's ability to hit the three-pointer (129 threes last year to Claxton's 17). When games are close at the end, expect to see Jackson on the court.

PLAYERS WE LOVE

The reigning Rookie of the Year, Chris Paul, will be an end of the first round/early second round pick in most leagues. He has launched himself into the upper echelon of fantasy point guards. His assists (7.8), steals (2.2), rebounding (5.1), and modest turnovers (2.3) are legit. Considering his age (21), there is no reason Paul won't improve on these numbers. Expect assists to climb in particular and his scoring will jump a point or two from his 16.1 average of a year ago. He is worthy of his early selection.

Peja Stojakovic will have a very nice year with the Hornets. The team caught some heat for signing the 29-year-old Peja to a five-year, $64 million dollar deal. While toward the end of that big contract, it is likely that Peja will have broken down, they shouldn't have any issues this season. Peja will be the number one option on offense and will be the only legitimate threat from long range in the starting lineup. Expect him to take and make a lot of them. Peja will have one of the best passing point guards in the league setting him up. Once Paul finds his comfort zone with Peja, this duo will be deadly.

Tyson Chandler is a trendy sleeper choice this year. This talented big man has put up inconsistent numbers throughout his three-year career. Especially troubling are his numbers on the offensive end. His career scoring average is a mere 7.1 per game. His rebounding and shot-blocking have always been solid, but Chandler never fully realized his potential. Last year, we saw how playing with Chris Paul boosted David West's numbers. Granted, West has a far better shot than Chandler, but he does not have the above the rim game Chandler boasts. I like Chandler to break into double-digit scoring for the first time in his career. I am concerned that the buzz around him has already gotten too loud. In early drafts this season, I have seen Chandler going as early as the sixth round. Chandler is a great sleeper, but he isn't someone to reach for. In larger leagues, think about grabbing Chandler around the seventh or eighth rounds.

PLAYERS TO AVOID

Desmond Mason is a talented player who can electrify an arena with his finishes on the fast break. Nonetheless, even in his best season (2004-05), he had limited fantasy value. Yes, he scored 17.2 points per game but offered little help in other categories. This has been true throughout his career. This year should be an improvement on last season, when his jump shot looked truly broken and he was asked to go to his weak post-up game, all leading to career lows in his percentages and scoring. Mason has worked on removing the awful hitch he had in his jumper last year and playing shooting guard he will not be asked to post-up as much as last year. While he will be an improved player in the actual game, he will remain a marginal talent in the fantasy game because of his inability to contribute beyond scoring.

BOTTOM LINE

This is a thin squad fantasy-wise. The Hornets have four players in their starting lineup worth drafting: Chris Paul, David West, Peja Stojakovic, and Tyson Chandler. Their sixth man, Bobby Jackson, could be a decent value toward the end of drafts for his scoring, threes, and steals. Otherwise, look elsewhere for your teams.

We are confident that the Hornets will continue to run an effective fast break. However, the team will need to develop a post game to take it to the next level. Outside of Bobby Jackson, their bench does not inspire much confidence or fear. This will put pressure on their starters to generate a lot of offense. I expect them to meet the challenge, but it remains to be seen if they have enough firepower to break into the playoffs in the always competitive Western Conference.

The views expressed by TalentedMrRoto.com represent only the views of the writers; they do not represent the views of the NBA or any NBA team.

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