New Orleans Hornets By Rob Peterson, NBA.com HEAD COACH Paul Silas, (Fifth year) 2001-02 RESULTS 44-38 (Fourth in East) SEASON OUTLOOK: Welcome back, New Orleans. It's been too long. New Orleans has been without an NBA team since the Jazz (the basketball franchise, not the great American sound to which the city gave birth), left town in 1979 and took Pete Maravich with them (Heresy!). Now, the league has returned, not with an expansion team mind you, but with a playoff-ready squad that is considered by some to be the deepest and most talented in the Eastern Conference. Hop on the bandwagon now, Crescent City citizens, the Hornets should be swingin'. "We added some new things in our defensive strategy to take advantage of having [Jamal] Mashburn healthy and Courtney Alexander on our team," Silas told The Times-Picyune. "The good thing is that we've had a system in place for the last four years, and we basically have the same team." While being surrounded by familiar faces is a good thing, the best thing is having a healthy Mashburn. The 6-foot-8 swingman can score, but last season was limited to 40 games. The Hornets still won 44 games and made the playoffs because they have a hive full of talent. Mashburn returned late in the season, but exited from the playoffs after one game because of vertigo, leaving the Hornets dizzy. While the Hornets were able to pound out a first-round win against the Magic, they fell to the Eastern Conference champion Nets in five games. Baron Davis is one of the top three point guards in the East. David Wesley is a solid, if small, two guard and their front court is the deepest in the conference with P.J. Brown, Elden Campbell and the rapidly developing Jamaal Magloire. With a healthy Mashburn, the Hornets should be better equipped to handle both the regular season and the playoffs. Add the 6-foot-6 Alexander to the mix, and the Hornets could put the biggest team in the East on the floor. That length should give many of the Eastern teams of lesser stature plenty of fits and new Hornets fans something to look forward, and up, to this season. VIDEO FLASHBACK: GREAT CALL OF 2001-02 Baron Davis dunk over Jermaine O'Neal: "Look at Davis go in and DUNK on O'Neal! What a play by Baron Davis!" 722k avi | QuickTime WHO'S IN: The city of New Orleans is back in the NBA. The Hornets inked guard Alexander to a free-agent contract. WHO'S OUT: The Hornets out of Charlotte. BENCH: It will be deep as the Hornets re-signed small forward Lee Nailon, who averaged 10.8 points per game last season. That average, however, was boosted when he had 15.0 points per game in 41 starts for the injured Mashburn. With Magliore, George Lynch and Alexander coming off the bench, the Hornets can clamp down on defense with their second team. They need to find someone who can spell Davis. THE HORNETS MAKE THE PLAYOFFS IF ... : This is the team many are claiming to be the most serious threat to the Nets in the East. Every day could be Mardi Gras for New Orleans Hornets fans. THE HORNETS MISS THE PLAYOFFS IF ... : The league forces them back to Charlotte in the middle of the season.		With a contract extension, Baron Davis will be in Crescent City beads for a long time. A.J. Sisco/NBAE/Getty Images P R O J E C T E D   S T A R T E R S POS PLAYER SCHOOL YRS PG Baron Davis UCLA 3 SG Courtney Alexander Fresno State 2 SF Jamal Mashburn Kentucky 9 PF P.J. Brown La. Tech 9 C Elden Campbell Clemson 12 S C O U T ' S   T A K E “Can Baron Davis step up and lead the franchise? He's been granted the big contract - the franchise told him you're the guy and we're going to get on your back and ride you. … Paul Silas, he loves his big men, loves giving them touches in the post. … One of the guys I'm impressed with is Jamaal Magloire, the guy has a big body and big time skills. Late last year, he got more confident. … P.J. Brown plays the game the right way, and he brings many intangibles and he's consistent. … Another question is how healthy is Jamal Mashburn? Davis has been playing 40-42 minutes per game, he could use a very good backup. … They're moving into a new environment, the newness of the city. They've been a playoff contender before and the excitement could help them. The Hornets want to make a point, and for any team, it will be a big time game on the schedule.” -- Eastern Conference assistant coach 2 0 0 1 - 0 2   L E A D E R S PPG Jamal Mashburn 21.5 RPG P.J. Brown 9.8 APG Baron Davis 8.5 SPG Baron Davis 2.10 BPG Elden Campbell 1.78 G A M E S   T O   W A T C H 12/12 at Utah 10 ET, TNT 12/13 at L.A. Lakers 10:30 ET, ESPN 12/26 Dallas 7:30 ET, TNT 1/8 Boston 9 ET, ESPN 3/26 Orlando 9 ET, ESPN F A N T A S Y   S L E E P E R Jamaal Magloire - Forward Magloire, who is entering his third season in the league, turned up his game in the playoffs last season when he averaged 12.3 points in eight games. As our scout said, the Hornets like to get the ball to their big guys and Magliore could benefit, especially if he gets more playing time. He already has learned how to get to the free throw line. Last year, he was eighth in the league in free throw attempts per 48 minutes, ahead of guys like Nowitzki, McGrady and Abdur-Rahim. T H E   S T A T 23 Years since the NBA last had a team in New Orleans.
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