30-year old power forward David West has opted out of the final year of his contract with the Hornets.  He has now become a free agent.  West played in 70 games (all starts) for the Hornets last year and he averaged 35.0 minutes, 18.9 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.0 steal per game.  West has now played in 530 games (438 starts) in his 8 years with the Hornets and he has averaged 32.4 minutes, 16.4 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game.  West is #3 in games played in Hornets’ history.  He is also #2 in rebounds (3,853), #10 in assists (1,042), #8 in steals (396), #3 in blocked shots (435) and #2 in points scored (8,690) in Hornets’ history.  This is going to be a big loss for the Hornets if West leaves.

The Hornets recently signed 26-year old power forward Patrick Ewing Jr.  Ewing has played in 3 games (0 starts) for the Hornets so far and he is averaging 1.7 scoreless minutes per game.  He has a pretty solid year in the NBDL which led to his getting signed.  Ewing played in 49 games (48 starts) for two teams in the NBDL this year and he averaged 35.3 minutes, 17.7 points, 9.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocked shot per game.  He will likely have a hard time getting off the bench for the Hornets the rest of the year.

The Hornets have signed 23-year old rookie point guard Jerel McNeal out of the D-League.  McNeal played in 40 games (all starts) for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers and he averaged 34.7 minutes, 19.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.4 steals per game.  McNeal might get some P.T. right away for the Hornets with Chris Paul down right now due to a concussion.

The New Orleans Hornets have acquired 27-year old forward Carl Landry from the Kings for 23-year old shooting guard Marcus Thornton and cash.  Landry played in 53 games (16 starts) for the Kings this season and he was averaging 26.5 minutes, 11.9 points, 4.8 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game.  He has now played in 244 games (45 starts) in his first five years in the NBA and he is averaging 24.8 minutes, 12.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game.  Landry has shot 54.2% from the floor in his NBA career.  The Hornets were looking to add scoring punch in the frontcout and that’s exactly what Landry brings to the table.

Marcus Thornton was stuck in Hornets’ head coach Monty Williams’ Dog House so it was just a matter of time before he was dealt.  Thornton played in 46 games (0 starts) for the Hornets this season and he averaged 16.2 minutes, 7.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game.  He played in 119 games (17 starts) in his two years with the Hornets and he averaged 22.0 minutes, 11.9 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.

I like this trade for the Hornets this season as Landry will help them out big time.  But down the road, the Hornets might regret this deal as Marcus Thornton has a huge upside.

The Hornets let 27-year old shooting guard Sasha Pavlovic’s 10-day contract run out without offering him another one.  He played in 4 games (1 start) for the Hornets this year and he averaged 12.5 minutes, 1.0 point, 1.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game.  Pavlovic didn’t shoot a lick for the Hornets as he was 2 of 11 (18.2%) from the floor and 0 for 5 from three point range.  When Trevor Ariza returned to action that pretty much doomed Pavlovic who wasn’t playing well for the Hornets.

The New Orleans Hornets have inked 27-year old small forward Sasha Pavlovic.  Pavlovic played in 10 games (6 starts) earlier this year for the Mavericks in which he averaged 16.3 minutes, 4.1 points, 1.2 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game.  Pavlovic has now played in 462 games (133 starts) in his NBA career and he is averaging 16.5 minutes, 5.5 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game.  Due to Trevor Ariza’s injury, the Hornets will likely rush Pavlovic into some serious P.T. right of the bat.

The New Orleans Hornets have waived 27-year old forward Pops Mensah Bonsu.  Bonsu played in 7 games (0 starts) for the Hornets this year and he averaged 5.0 minutes, 0.3 points, 1.6 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game.  The Hornets might have given Bonsu a break as he wasn’t going to have a role with them anyway.  Now he will have a chance to hook on with another team that might give him more P.T.

The Hornets have traded 22-year old point guard Jerryd Bayless and 33-year old small forward Peja Stojakovic to the Raptors for 27-year old SG/PG Jarrett Jack, 30-year old center David Andersen and 29-year old point guard Marcus Banks. Jack’s versatility will be welcome as he can handle both guard slots. Jack played in 13 games (all starts) for the Raptors this year and he averaged 26.7 minutes, 10.9 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.1 steals per game. He has now played in 417 games (208 starts) in his NBA career and he is averaging 28.3 minutes, 10.6 points, 2.7 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. David Andersen gives the Hornets another big body to help out inside. Andersen played in 11 games (0 starts) this season for the Raptors and he averaged 13.6 minutes, 5.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game. In his first two years in the NBA, Andersen has played in 74 games (0 starts) in which he has averaged 14.1 minutes, 5.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game. Marcus Banks gives the Hornets a #3 point guard. Banks played in 3 games (0 starts) for the Raptors this year and he has averaged 7.3 minutes, 2.0 points, 0.3 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game. He has now played in 348 games (37 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 16.0 minutes, 5.9 points, 1.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. Banks was likely just added to this deal to even out the money. Jerryd Bayless just wasn’t the type of point guard the Hornets needed behind Paul. He played in 11 games (0 starts) this year for the Hornets and he averaged 13.5 minutes, 5.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game. The Hornets have to be elated about finally being able to deal Peja Stojakovic. He played in 6 games (0 starts) for the Hornets this year and he averaged 14.8 minutes, 7.5 points, 1.0 rebound and 1.0 assist per game.

The Hornets have released forward Joe Alexander. Alexander just wasn’t good enough to make the 12-man roster so this release comes as little surprise. This is no loss for the Hornets as Alexander didn’t get into any games with them this year.

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.