The Hornets shot 50% from the floor last night and they held the Spurs to 38.8% shooting from the floor which helps explain the outstanding road win last night. The Hornets outscored the Spurs 59-36 in the 2nd + 3rd quarters last night which really helped them. Chris Paul led the way for the Hornets last night with 25 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals. David West finished up with 18 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists in only 26 minutes on the floor. Marcus Thornton had by far his best night of the year for the Hornets with 17 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals in 30 minutes on the floor. Willie Green pitched in with 12 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal last night. The Hornets are now 3-0 on the year.

The Hornets played hard tonight and that was good enough to hold off the Nuggets. Chris Paul led the way for the Hornets tonight with 18 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists and 1 steal. David West also had a solid game for the Hornets tonight finishing with 17 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 2 blocked shots. Emeka Okafor was solid especially on D tonight as he finished with 13 points, 8 rebounds and 4 blocked shots. Trevor Ariza filled up the stat sheet for the Hornets tonight with 11 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals and 1 blocked shot. The Hornets are off to a 2-0 start this year.

The Hornets outlasted the pesky Bucks in New Orleans in the season opener last night. David West led the way for the Hornets last night with 22 points and 7 rebounds. Marco Belinelli made a nice debut for the Hornets as he finished with 18 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists. Chris Paul was outstanding last night in running the offense as he finished up with 17 points, 4 rebounds and 16 assists. The Hornets start off the new season on the right foot as they are now 1-0 on the year.

The Hornets were 37-45 last season and they have a rookie coach on board. That usually is a recipe for disaster but not here as Chris Paul is going to start the year healthy. The problem here is that every team in the Hornets’ division appears to be better than them. With that in mind I would make a bet on the under if forced to make one. The Hornets are also 90-1 and I don’t even think Chris Paul would bet on that.

39-year old head coach Monty Williams will be under a lot of pressure for a rookie coach. He was an assistant under Nate McMillan in Portland from 2005-2010. His first moves kind of get me a tad nervous about him as he has already decided to start Marco Belinelli at shooting guard over second year man Marcus Thornton who was outstanding as a rookie. The Hornets have improved the roster in an attempt to keep Chris Paul happy and get him to want to stay in New Orleans for the long haul. For that reason, Williams is going to be under pressure from Day #1 and it will be interesting to see how well he handles it.

The Hornets have acquired 22-year old point guard Jerryd Bayless from the Trailblazers for a conditional future first round pick. The draft pick is protected if it’s in the first 7 picks in 2011 or the first 8 picks in either 2012, 2013 or 2014. Bayless played in 74 games (11 starts) for the Blazers last season and he averaged 17.6 minutes, 8.5 points, 1.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. He has now played in 127 games (11 starts) in his first two years in the NBA and he has averaged 15.4 minutes, 6.8 points, 1.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. Bayless will be the #2 guy at point guard behind Chris Paul for the Hornets this year.

The Hornets tried to deal 28-year old center Emeka Okafor all summer long but couldn’t find any takers. I think they will be lucky for that as I think Okafor is a very underrated player. Okafor played in 82 games (all starts) for the Hornets last season and he averaged 28.9 minutes, 10.4 points, 9.0 rebounds, 0.7 assists and 1.5 blocked shots per game. He has now played in 412 games (408 starts) in his six years in the NBA and he has averaged 33.0 minutes, 13.3 points, 10.3 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 1.8 blocked shots per game. Okafor’s biggest weakness is his free throw shooting as he has only hit 59.1% of them in his career.

25-year old Aaron Gray will back up Okafor again this year. Gray played in 32 games (0 starts) for the Bulls & Hornets last season and he averaged 9.7 minutes, 3.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game. He has now played in 149 games (19 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 11.0 minutes, 3.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game. Gray will likely get a little more P.T. this season.

29-year old D.J. Mbenga will be the #3 center for the Hornets if he makes the team. Mbenga played in 49 games (2 starts) for the Lakers last season and he averaged 7.2 minutes, 2.1 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.2 assists per game. He has now played in 193 games (4 starts) in his career with the Hornets and he has averaged 6.4 minutes, 1.8 points, 1.4 rebounds and 0.2 assists per game.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE HORNETS CENTERS IN 2010-11: B

30-year old power forward David West gives the Hornets a good effort every night. He played in 81 games (all starts) for the Hornets last season and he averaged 36.4 minutes, 19.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. West has now played in 460 games (368 starts) in his 7 years with the Hornets and he has averaged 32.0 minutes, 16.0 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. West gives the Hornets a solid #2 guy behind Chris Paul every single night.

24-year old Jason Smith will likely be West’s backup this year. He played in 56 games (2 starts) for the Sixers last season and he averaged 11.8 minutes, 3.4 points, 2.4 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game. Smith has now played in 132 games (3 starts) so far in this NBA career and he has averaged 13.4 minutes, 4.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game. Smith will likely give the Hornets 10-15 solid minutes a night in 2010-11.

24-year old Joe Alexander will likely be #3 in line at PF. Alexander played in 8 games (0 starts) for the Bulls last season and he averaged 3.6 minutes, 0.5 points, 0.6 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game. He has now played in 67 games (0 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 11.1 minutes, 4.2 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game. If healthy, Alexander could give the Hornets some solid minutes in 2010-11.

27-year old Pops Mensah-Bonsu played in 20 games (0 starts) for the Raptors & Rockets last season in which he averaged 6.0 minutes, 2.0 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.2 assists per game. Mensah-Bonsu has now played in 54 games (0 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 8.8 minutes, 3.3 points, 3.1 rebounds and 0.2 assists per game. He will have a limited role on the Hornets if he makes the team.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE HORNETS POWER FORWARDS IN 2010-11: B+

25-year old small forward Trevor Ariza came over in the deal for Darren Collison and he will be the starter. Ariza played in 72 games (71 starts) for the Rockets last season and he averaged 36.5 minutes, 14.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.8 steals per game. Ariza has now played in 383 games (123 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 23.1 minutes, 8.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.3 steals per game. Ariza plays hard at both ends of the court and he will help out the Hornets’ D big time in 2010-11.

33-year old Peja Stojakovic will now be a back up for the Hornets. He played in 62 games (55 starts) for the Hornets last season and he averaged 31.4 minutes, 12.6 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. Stojakovic has now played in 771 games (652 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 34.2 minutes, 17.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.0 steal per game. He has shot 40% from three point range in his career and I think he will be solid off the bench adding instant offense.

22-year old rookie Quincy Pondexter will likely be brought along slowly this year. Pondexter played in 36 games for the Washington Huskies last season and he averaged 32.3 minutes, 19.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He has now played in 136 games in his four years in college and he averaged 27.3 minutes, 13.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE HORNETS SMALL FORWARDS IN 2010-11: B

The Hornets have acquired 23-year old point guard Curtis Jerrells from the Spurs for a future 2nd round pick. Jerrells played in 50 games (all starts) for the Austin Toros of the D-League last season in which he averaged 40.2 minutes, 20.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.9 steals per game. Jerrells will be the #3 point guard on the Hornets this year behind Chris Paul and Willie Green. The Hornets have released Mustafa Shakur to make room for Jerrells on the roster.

UPDATE: (10/26/2010) – The Hornets have released Curtis Jerrells.