After a great 2007-2008 season and a very impressive playoff run, the 2008-2009 Hornets looked nothing like the team from the season before as they rolled over in the first round of the playoffs. Fans in New Orleans were disappointed with the result, as the season before paved the way for hope that the Hornets team was on the rise. Clashes between players and coach Byron Scott, among other things, killed the momentum for the New Orleans Hornets last season.

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.

During the off-season, we’ve seen the Lakers make major moves (i.e. Ron Artest), the Mavericks improve their team (i.e. Shawn Marion, Drew Gooden), and the Spurs (i.e. Richard Jefferson) and others have followed suit. Nothing of the sort has taken place in New Orleans, and improvement is a must in such a competitive conference.

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.

It’s up to the front office to seize the day and put this team back on track.

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Zack Slattery is an amateur basketball reporter with a passion for the New Orleans Hornets. He’s a regular commentator at both the NBA basketball forum and the New Orleans Hornets forum at RootZoo, an interactive community of sports fans.

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