Finally … the Hornets have come back to New Orleans. After two seasons spent in exile from the city, the New Orleans – not Oklahoma City – Hornets will play a full slate of games in the Crescent City for the first time since the 2004-2005 season.
Since then the team has significantly changed, retaining only one player from the former roster: forward David West.
Gone are the faces from that dreaded 18-64 season two years ago. Instead of journeyman Dan Dickau at guard, we have future All-Star and “NBA 2K8” cover boy Chris Paul.
Instead of Lee Nailon, now playing ball overseas, the Hornets will trot out Morris Peterson, West and the $65 million man himself, Peja Stojakovic, to play forward.
At center, Tyson Chandler last year came up just short of leading the National Basketball Association in field goal percentage – he didn’t have the required attempts to qualify.
After completely alienating the New Orleans fans while playing the majority of their games in Oklahoma City the past two seasons, the Hornets are making an effort to reattach themselves to their fan base.
Instead of “Hornets” on their home jerseys, the team will return to the “New Orleans” stitching it had pre-Katrina. Also, the team has introduced a new “Fleur-de-Bee” patch they will wear throughout the season.
However, can the city of New Orleans support the team? Sure, the Saints sold out their season tickets, but how are sales for the Hornets coming along?
Well, let’s just say it could be better. Also, the Northshore will not be able to watch the games at home because Cox Sports Television and Charter Comunications couldn’t work out a deal – a huge blow to the fan base.
The Hornets know that the market in New Orleans isn’t ripe and are reaching out to outlying areas such as St. Tammany and St. Charles parishes as well as the Gulf Coast to get their season ticket packages sold.
But what will bring back the fans more than anything will be a stronger team on the court. The last time the team was in town for more than a six-game stint, they sucked. When you start a lineup that consists of Dickau, rookie J.R. Smith, Nailon, Jackson Vroman and P.J. Brown, you don’t really have much of a future.
When one of your best players was at his high school prom five months earlier (Smith) and another is a 35-year-old post player who’s lost a step (Brown), you may not win a lot of games. And the Hornets didn’t.
Now your best player is a 22-year-old point guard with two seasons of experience under his belt and a power forward who can average 18 points and eight rebounds a game.
And that’s not even mentioning Chandler’s averaging 14 rebounds and two blocks a game, or even Stojakovic’s average of 20 or more points per game a few seasons ago.
That said, the Hornets still probably have a rough road to the playoffs. But it sure will be nice to watch them do it in our city instead of someone else’s, won’t it?
