New Orleans Hornets 2010 Preview & Predictions

New Orleans Hornets 2010 Season Preview, Predictions Picks & Odds

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New Orleans Hornets 2009-2010 NBA Record: 37-45, 5th in Southwest Division

New Orleans Hornets Betting Trends & Betting Angles:
• 2-17 SU past 19 visits to Dallas
• Past 6 visits from Rockets played UNDER total
• 2-8 SU, 3-7 ATS past 10 games vs Spurs
• 0-8 SU, 1-7 ATS past 8 games at SA
• 1-8 SU past 9 Nov road games
• UNDER is 11-1 past 12 Dec home games
• UNDER is 9-3 past 12 Dec road games

New Orleans Hornets 2010 Preview & Prediction

Following a tumultuous season of change, injury and disappointment, the New Orleans Hornets might have been looking ahead to a few months of rest, recovery and a return to normalcy. Not so fast. Days before the regular season ended, word surfaced that founding owner George Shinn was ready to sell his majority interest in the team to minority partner Gary Chouest, a billionaire Louisiana native who owns a worldwide offshore service company. A week after the season ended, the BP Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, stalling the ownership transfer because Chouest’s primary company was consumed with oil cleanup. About the same time, interim coach Jeff Bower returned solely to his role as general manager and began, with Chouest and team president Hugh Weber, a search for a new head coach. After hiring Portland assistant Monty Williams for that job, rumors were rampant that the Hornets would deal All-Star point guard Chris Paul. Bower did nothing to quell the speculation, which apparently caused a rift with management. The Hornets and Bower then parted ways one week into the league’s free agency signing period. Just before Bower split, he had extended an offer to free agent guard Luther Head. The day after Bower’s dismissal, the Hornets rescinded the offer, saying there were issues with Head’s physical. At July’s end, the Hornets hired longtime San Antonio assistant general manager Dell Demps to take over as GM and head of basketball operations. Paul evidently gave his seal of approval. But he also reportedly was unhappy with the team’s immediate chances of winning and requested atrade. The Hornets got a taste of life without Paul last season, when he was sidelined for 37 games with ankle, knee and finger injuries and the franchise missed the postseason. On the bright side, there is the presence of a new coach in Williams, an exuberant rising star who likes to get on the practice floor and mix it up with his players. There also are two first-round draft picks and the potential for ownership stability that could provide more resources. But heading into the season, the Hornets are saddled with more questions than answers.

New Orleans Hornets Coach: Monty Williams (1st season)

New Orleans Hornets Projected Starters: PG Name, SG Name, SF Name, PF Name, C Name.

New Orleans Hornets Key Additions: G Trevor Ariza, F Ike Diogu.

New Orleans Hornets Key Losses: G Darren Collison.

2010 New Orleans Hornets Point Guards:

If Paul gets injured, the Hornets are in trouble at point guard because they traded Darren Collison to get forward Trevor Ariza. Of course, with Paul – happy and healthy – they’re a playoff team and a championship contender with the right pieces around him. Knee surgery and ankle and hand injuries kept Paul out of 37 games last year. Even with missing so much time, Paul averaged 18.7 and 10.7 last season.

2010 New Orleans Hornets Off Guards:

A real find with the No. 43 pick last year, Marcus Thornton set numerous team rookie records and overall marks. Now he’s expected to be New Orleans’ starting shooting guard. Thornton has terrific range on his shot, a quick first step and showed he can score on anyone, literally. He poured in at least 30 points three times – against the Bobcats, Cavaliers and Spurs. All three ranked in the top eight in team defense, with the Bobcats first overall. Thornton’s 37-point outburst against Cleveland included a franchise-record 23 points in the second period. Thornton came off the bench that game, establishing a team record for points in a game by a sub. He averaged 14.5 points – fourth best among rookies last year – and 19.8 points in 17 starts. Teams will be prepared for Thornton this season so he’ll have to counter that to have big Year 2. The Hornets need to find depth at this position overall, though. Williams said the team was looking for shooters. The Hornets traded Julian Wright, an extremely talented swingman who has been a major disappointment, for Marco Belinelli. Wright was expected to have an increased role last season yet his minutes, scoring, rebounding and assists averages dipped from his second season. Belinelli might fit in.

2010 New Orleans Hornets Small Forwards:

The Hornets always were waiting for Julian Wright to develop and Stojakovic to get healthy. Now in Trevor Ariza they have an athletic, productive and defensive-minded swingman, who has championship experience and only missed 10 games the past two seasons. Ariza, 25, averaged a career-best 14.9 points for the Rockets last season, one year after helping the Lakers win the NBA championship. His shot selection could have been better last season but overall has shown marked improvement the past few years. Ariza addresses a need because of how brittle Stojakovic has been. An abdominal injury and personal reasons kept Stojakovic out of 20 games last season. The Hornets were 5-15. Stojakovic is a big factor in New Orleans’ success because he’s still one of the league’s better shooters. Teams have to guard him and it opens up driving lanes for Paul. But Stojakovic, who is on an expiring contract and likely playing his final season with New Orleans, has missed 115 of a possible 328 games the past four seasons. The Hornets needed to find insurance here. They acquired the draft rights to athletic first-round picks Brackens and Pondexter. They hope this pair of rookies can have similar impacts as last year’s dynamic two first year players.

2010 New Orleans Hornets Power Forwards:

David West was the healthiest Hornet last season, missing just one game due to a sprained ankle. He had another solid season as he led the team in scoring, averaging 19.0 points and was second to Okafor in rebounds with 7.5 rebounds per game. Both were down from the past two seasons, and it was the first time in three years, West averaged under 20 points. He may have missed Paul in that regard as West took two shots per game fewer than each of the prior two seasons. Still, his scoring average ranked sixth among power forwards, and he was as efficient as ever. West hit 50.4 percent of his shots, his second highest shooting performance of his career. Also he faced more double-teams and averaged a career-best three assists. Like last season, the Hornets will use Darius Songaila to spell West. The veteran Songaila was a steady contributor off the bench last year.

2010 New Orleans Hornets Centers:

Okafor struggled to have the kind of impact the Hornets were hoping when they acquired him for Tyson Chandler last year. Not playing with Paul probably played a role as did a foot injury that limited Okafor the final couple of months of the season. He still played in every game, extending his streak to 257 straight. But Okafor had his worst season of his six-year career, finishing with averages of 10.4 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.55 blocks in 28.9 minutes per game. Three years earlier with Charlotte, Okafor produced 14.4 points, 11.3 rebounds and 2.56 blocks. He also had 12 fewer double-doubles (27) last season than the year before. For the Hornets to consider trading Paul, they want teams to take Okafor, too. But the same reason the Hornets would deal Okafor – decreased production and bad contract (four years remaining for $42.55 million) are why teams have been hesitant. Aaron Gray, who has career averages of 3.1 points and 3.3 rebounds, is New Orleans’ backup big man.

New Orleans Hornets 2010 Season Predictions

We predict that the New Orleans Hornets will finish 4th in the NBA Southwest Division .

New Orleans Hornets Betting

New Orleans Hornets NBA Championship Odds: +7500
New Orleans Hornets Eastern Conference Odds: +3000

New Orleans Hornets 2009-2010 Betting Stats

New Orleans Hornets Straight Up: 37-45
New Orleans Hornets ATS: 37-44-1
New Orleans Hornets Home ATS: 18-23
New Orleans Hornets Away ATS: 19-21-1
New Orleans Hornets Record As Favorite: 20-11
New Orleans Hornets Record As Dog: 17-34
New Orleans Hornets Over/Under: 42-40

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