28-year old seven foot center Earl Barron will be in training camp with the New Orleans Hornets trying to win a spot on the roster. He played played in the NBA in 2007-08 with the Miami Heat. Barron has played in 82 games (15 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 13.9 minutes, 4.9 points, 3.0 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game. He should have a good chance of making the Hornets’ roster.

UPDATE: Earl Barron has been released by the Hornets.

24-year old Chris Paul in the best point guard in the NBA right now, period! Paul has played in 78 games for the Hornets this season and he has averaged 38.5 minutes, 22.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 11.0 assists and 2.8 steals per game. Paul does everything well as he runs the Hornets on offense and he’s a outstanding defensive player also. He gets his share of points but he makes every player on offense better with his passing which is outstanding. Look for him to get a lot of MVP votes this season which means the Hornets will be a pretty darn good team again this year. 22-year old Darren Collison was the 21st pick in the first round for the Hornets out of UCLA. Collison could be Paul’s backup this season or it could be Bobby Brown who came over in a trade with the T-Wolves. Brown played in 68 games with the Kings and T-Wolves last season as a rookie and he averaged 13.7 minutes, 5.3 points, 0.8 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. It doesn’t really matter who backs up Paul this season as that player will only get about 10 minutes a night.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE POINT GUARDS IN 2009-2010: A+

The Hornets have traded 34-year old point guard Antonio Daniels and a 2nd round pick in the 2012 NBA Draft for 31-year old power forward Darius Songaila and 24-year old SG/PG Bobby Brown. Daniels played in 61 games (4 starts) for the Hornets last season and he averaged 12.0 minutes, 3.8 points, 0.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. Bobby Brown will take over as Chris Paul’s caddy but he’ll likely get more P.T. at shooting guard. Brown played in 68 games (2 starts) for the Kings and T-Wolves last season and he averaged 13.7 minutes, 5.3 points, 0.8 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game as a rookie. Darius Songaila is a pure effort player always willing to do what it takes to win a game. He played in 77 games (29 starts) for the Wizards last season and he averaged 19.8 minutes, 7.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. He has now played in 410 games (78 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 18.9 minutes, 7.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. I like this trade for the Hornets as Daniels is clearly on the downside of his NBA career.

I was already to give the Hornets a glowing review here until they traded Rasual Butler to the Clippers for a 2nd round pick. That’s not to say that the Hornets have not brought in more talent than they have lost. After all, they did steal Emeka Okafor from the Bobcats for underachiever Tyson Chandler. Okafor should give the Hornets even more firepower on offense. Ike Diogu was brought in as a free agent and he should contribute off the bench this season for the Hornets. Rookies Darren Collison and Marcus Thornton should both help out the backcourt off the bench this season. SG Devin Brown and F/C Sean Marks have both re-signed with the Hornets and should have bench roles.

OFF-SEASON GRADE FOR THE FRONT OFFICE SO FAR: B