October 12, 2009 Expectations were enormous for the 2008-2009 Hornets. On the heels of a franchise record 56-win season the Bees were seen not only as favorites to repeat as Southwest Division champs, but also as legitimate NBA title contenders. And although they won all seven preseason games and their first three regular season games…there were already early warning signs of trouble even while the Bees were beating Golden State, Phoenix, and Cleveland to lead the mighty Southwest Division just one week into the 2008-2009 season.
Yes, it was a great start IN THE STANDINGS for the Hornets (3-0), but just one week into the promising campaign Byron Scott’s crew was in trouble. Looking back at the three early season warning signs it’s obvious the Hornets had fewer consistent weapons to draw from than during their record-setting 56-win 2007-2008 season. #1: Coach Scott wanted to limit the minutes for his All-Stars in preparation for a long post season run; unfortunately, the bench didn’t provide the help needed to keep Paul and West under 40 minutes per game most of the season. Both players were on the court for more minutes than in any previous season. This taxed both Paul and West to the point that they were unable to maintain their regular season averages in the First Round Playoff series:
#2: Tyson Chandler was coming off of his best NBA season, averaging a double double, setting a club record for rebounds, finishing second in the league in rebounds and first in offensive rebounds. To challenge those marks he had to stay healthy, which he was unable to do at any time (beginning with the season opener). His longest stretch of consecutive games played was 12 and he appeared in just 45 total games all season. As a result the Hornets had a revolving door of no fewer than four different big men taking a turn at center. The Hornets went 30-15 (.667) when Chandler played and 19-18 (.513) when he didn’t. #3: Peja Stojakovic was coming off of his best season as a Hornet and a healthy campaign that saw him play 77 games – second most of any season in his career. But, after turning his ankle against Phoenix in the game two he never quite measured up from beyond the arc as he had in 2007-2008 (when he set a franchise record with 231 made threes). He appeared in 16 fewer games and made 86 fewer treys. James Posey hurt his knee in the same game, but played injured nearly the entire season. His declining numbers indicated something wasn’t right with their key offseason acquisition. After scoring in double figures in his first five consecutive games (shooting .541/.538 3pt) with the Bees he managed to do so just 20 more times in his final 70 games (finishing .412/.369). Considering how many minutes he was playing due to an underperforming bench (28.5 mpg) the falloff was stark, but understandable. Rasual Butler did fill in nicely (first for Stojakovic and ultimately long term for Morris Peterson), averaging a career high 11.2 ppg and 3.3 rpg. So, although the Hornets suffered a painful postseason finish it was actually somewhat foretold quite early in the season due in large part to injuries. WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Where are the five players the Hornets either traded or did not re-sign as free agents following last season?
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