Jake's NBA 2008-2009 Preview: New Orleans Hornets

Can They Shock the League Once Again?

The Preview

Last season, nobody expected the New Orleans Hornets to go 56-26 in the regular season clinching the #2 spot in the Western Conference. Nobody expected them to be in the playoffs either. But with the emergence of Chris Paul into superstar status and the rest of the players playing most of the season healthy, they almost made it in the Western Conference Finals.

This season, many people expects them to go deeper into the playoffs and even possibly win the championship. Although they did lose their sixth man in Jannero Pargo, who signed a team overseas, they signed Devin Brown and James Posey to help boost their roster. Devin Brown will be tasked to backup Chris Paul while James Posey will bring his experience and defense he accumulated when he won championships in Miami (2006) and Boston (2008).

The predicted starting lineup will be composed of:
C - Tyson Chandler
PF - David West
SF - Peja Stojakovic
SG - Mo Peterson
PG - Chris Paul

The bench rotation will be composed of: James Posey, Bonzi Wells, Julian Wright, Hilton Armstrong, and Devin Brown. The players that will be competing for playing time and roster spots will be: Mike James, Melvin Ely, Sean Marks, Ryan Bowen, and Rasual Butler.

Key Losses: Jannero Pargo
Key Acquisitions: James Posey, Devin Brown

With Chris Paul playing this well already at the age of 23, the New Orleans Hornets can just become better as a team. They have a shot at winning the title this year but I doubt it will happen with their current roster because they are overloaded at the wing. They need to get a quality center and a power forward that can back up Chandler and West when they need to rest. Also, this team is known to be injury-prone through the years but they did manage to stay healthy last season. If they can continue to remain healthy with Chis Paul getting better at the same time, then there's a possibilty that the New Orleans Hornets can shock the league again just like last season.