The 2008-2009 season ended on a bittersweet note for all fans of the New Orleans Hornets. A promising 2007-2008 campaign left fans with high hopes for the Hornets of 2008-2009, who easily bowed out in the first round of the NBA playoffs. Players in New Orleans seemingly gave up on their coach, and morale was at a low point as the season ended.
Perhaps it began when the Hornets traded Tyson Chandler to the Oklahoma City Thunder, only to learn soon after that this trade attempt would fail due to a failed physical. The trade made sense for New Orleans, since the loss in talent was offset with the fact that New Orleans would save financially by avoiding the luxury tax. Failure of the trade led to complications in both the financial and the team morale department.
While a few minor trades have been made, no moves have been made that blatantly improve the quality of the Hornets' roster. They were wise to lose Peja Stojakovic, a player whose style never seemed to fit in with the New Orleans game, not to mention a long string of injuries that left him benched for significant portions of a few seasons. Management has also informed the team that nearly every player is subject to a possible trade, save for Chris Paul and maybe David West.
Now it's the off-season, the draft has come and gone and the Hornets have yet to make an off-season move. In fact, they are the only playoff team in the "Wild West" who have not made a move yet.
So the team has come to terms with the fact that they will, most likely, have to pay the luxury tax, but the Hornets have not done anything to make the team better. As time goes on one will wonder if the Hornets team that made the impressive run in 2008 was a one time occurrence, because as things remain unchanged it seems that things will continue to spiral down for the Hornets.
Any fan of the Hornets must hope to see some kind of move made before the start of the season. Inaction is bound to lead to disappointment.
About the Author:
Zack Slattery is an amateur NBA journalist with a love for the New Orleans Hornets. He's a regular commentator at both the NBA basketball forum and the New Orleans Hornets forum at RootZoo Sports.
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