Hornets’ future shows new owner but no Chris Paul

    I look into my NBA crystal ball and see good and bad for the New Orleans Hornets.
    First, there will be a team called the New Orleans Hornets. Before and during the NBA lockout, there was plenty of speculation about contracting the league and eliminating the Hornets’ franchise. That speculation was baseless.
    Once the new labor deal is in place, expect a new ownership group and a new lease with the state of Louisiana to be announced.
    The timing for the new lease was simply this: There was no way Gov. Jindal was going to give the Hornets a new deal before he was re-elected. There is now no potential political fallout for Jindal with a more lucrative deal for the Hornets.
    New ownership also will have lower player costs, thanks to the new collective bargaining agreement.
    But, that same agreement will not substantially aid small-market franchises. For months, we heard how a new deal would include a much more punitive luxury tax and a chance for small-market clubs to retain their stars.
    Neither really happened.
    The big spenders in the NBA will continue to spend in a robust manner.
    The NBA had a chance to restructure and truly commit to a system that helps the small-market clubs, and it deliberately shot an air ball.
    That is why when free agency begins, Hornets forward David West, who opted out his contract, will officially bolt.
    And, before the trade deadline, the Hornets will have no choice but to trade All-Star guard Chris Paul.
    For more than a year, the Hornets have done all that Paul wanted. They traded young guards Darren Collison and Marcus Thornton for veteran forwards Trevor Ariza and Carl Landry.
    Hornets general manager Dell Demps and head coach Monty Williams wanted to show Paul that they were doing everything they could to win now.
    But, Paul still likely will wind up with the Knicks. And, the NBA hype machine – ESPN, TNT and ABC – will show the great Knicks on TV at every opportunity.
    Every Christmas we will be have a matchup of the New York’s big three (Paul, Stoudemire and Anthony) against either the Heat’s big three (LeBron, D-Wade and Bosh) or those world-famous Los Angeles Lakers.
    In the meantime, let’s hope a deal for Paul somehow brings Oklahoma City guard Russell Westbrook to New Orleans. Westbrook averaged 21.9 points and 8.2 assists last season.     
    If it doesn’t, the Hornets will be in full-blown rebuilding mode. Two summers ago, then general manager Jeff Bower entertained the idea of trading Chris Paul. And, he was fired because he had the audacity to consider such a move.
    A deal for Paul will happen soon, and I will have to hear from various local media outlets (incessantly) about how two great basketball men, Demps and Williams, got the “best deal possible.”
    In the meantime Collison will play well for Indiana and Marcus Thornton will score in bunches for someone else.
    So, is it great that NBA basketball is back? Sure. Is it great that the Hornets will have new ownership and likely a long-term lease? Sure.
    But, after that, my suggestion is that you dramatically lower your expectations.
    Ed Daniels is sports director of ABC26 WGNO. He can be reached at [email protected].