The Hornets rookies never stepped up this season despite the Hornets being decimated by injuries.  C/F Hilton Armstrong played in 56 games and he averaged 11.4 minutes, 3.1 points, 2.7 rebounds and 0.2 assists per game.  Armstrong did shoot 54.4% from the floor so that was a positive, but he should have took charge when David West was injured but he didn’t.  F/C Cedric Simmons played in 43 games and he averaged 12.4 minutes, 2.9 points, 2.5 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game.  He also failed to play important minutes for the Hornets this season.  Forward Marcus Vinicius played in 13 games before missing the remainder of the season due to injury.  He averaged 8.0 minutes, 1.7 points, 0.8 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game this season.

The Hornets finished in 4th place in the Southwest Division with a 39-43 record, 28 games behind the Dallas Mavericks.  The Hornets were solid in their two homes going 24-17 there, but they were only 15-26 on the road.  The Hornets were 23-29 in the Western Conference and they were only 6-10 against Division foes.  They averaged 95.5 points per game and allowed 97.1 per game.  They did end the season on a good note, winning 7 of their last 10 games.

The Hornets need Marc Jackson to step his game up even a little more than he already has done in April.  He’s played in 4 games this month and he’s averaged 32.5 minutes, 11.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.  The Hornets also need him to bring up his defensive game a tad with Tyson Chandler out because he’s the only really tall player the Hornets are giving big minutes to.  The Hornets are only 1 game out of the playoffs right now and the play of Jackson could determine whether they make the playoffs or watch them on TV.

Starting center Tyson Chandler is out indefinately with a serious toe injury.  It hurts him to even walk.  He could return if the Hornets make the playoffs, but they’ll have to do that without him.  He played in 73 games this season and he averaged 9.5 points, 12.4 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 1.8 blocks per game.  He also shot an amazing 62.4% from the floor, but most of his shots were put-backs and dunks.  He will be hard to replace especially on the defensive end of the basketball court.

With Desmond Mason out for the season the Hornets needed someone to step up, and Butler is doing exactly that again.  In his last 7 games, Butler is averaging 11.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, 0.6 assists and 1.6 blocks per game.  He also has hit 18 of 39 (46.2%) of his three-point shots in those 7 games.  Butler is a very valuable player for the Hornets as he stepped up his game earlier in the season when the Hornets really needed him to and he’s doing it again.

The Hornets didn’t really need something like this to happen as they are battling tooth and nail for the final spot in the Western Conference Playoffs.  Desmond Mason will miss the remainder of the regular season after having surgery to repair a broken nose.  He could return at some point if the Hornets make the playoffs.  He played in 75 games this season and he averaged 34.3 minutes, 13.7 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game.

The Hornets are 36-41 and sit in the #10 spot in the Western Conference Standings.  They are 1 game behind the Golden State Warriors and only two games behind the #8 seed Los Angeles Clippers.  The Hornets have really been amazing this season when you consider the fact that Chris Paul, Peja Stojakovic, David West and Bobby Jackson have all missed large portions of the season.