29-year old center Emeka Okafor is a darn solid NBA center.  He played in 72 games (all starts) for the Hornets last year and he averaged 31.8 minutes, 10.3 points, 9.5 rebounds, 0.6 assists and 1.8 blocked shots per game.  Okafor has now played in 484 games (480 starts) in his career so far in the NBA and he is averaging 32.8 minutes, 12.9 points, 10.2 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 1.8 blocked shots per game.  He is a pure power player as most of his offense revolves around putbacks and dunks.  Okafor also is a good rebounder and defensive player.

As of right now, 31-year old David Andersen would be the starting power forward for the Hornets if the season started today.  Andersen played in 40 games (0 starts) for the Raptors & Hornets last year and he averaged 9.3 minutes, 3.4 points, 2.1 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game.  He has now played in 103 games (0 starts) in his first two years in the NBA and he is averaging 12.3 minutes, 4.9 points, 2.8 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game.  27-year old Patrick Ewing Jr. would be Andersen’s backup.  He played in 7 games (0 starts) as a rookie last year for the Hornets and he averaged 2.7 minutes, 0.4 points, 0.3 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game.

26-year old small forward Trevor Ariza plays hard on both ends of the basketball court, but, he needs to start taking better shots.  Ariza only hit 39.8% from the floor last year and that needs to improve.  Ariza played in 75 games (all starts) for the Hornets last year and he averaged 34.7 minutes, 11.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.6 steals per game.  He has now played in 458 games (198 starts) so far in his NBA career and he is averaging 25.0 minutes, 8.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.3 steals per game.  23-year old Quincy Pondexter will backup Ariza in 2011-12.  Pondexter played in 66 games (6 starts) for the Hornets last year as a rookie and he averaged 11.1 minutes, 2.8 points, 1.3 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game.

26-year old point guard Chris Paul remains one of the best at his position in the NBA.  Paul played in 80 games (all starts) for the Hornets last year and he averaged 36.0 minutes, 15.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, 9.8 assists and 2.4 steals per game.  He has now played in 425 games (all starts) in his first six years in the NBA and he is averaging 37.1 minutes, 18.7 points, 4.6 rebounds, 9.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game.  28-year old Jarrett Jack will be Paul’s backup once again in 2011-12.  He played in 83 games (15 starts) for the Hornets & Raptors last year and he averaged 20.7 minutes, 8.9 points, 2.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game.  Jack has now played in 487 games (210 starts) in his first six years in the NBA and he has averaged 27.0 minutes, 10.3 points, 2.6 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game.  The Hornets are in great shape at point guard for the 2011-12 season.

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 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

It appears as if the Hornets are likely to start 24-year old Marco Belinelli at shooting guard this year. He played in 66 games (1 start) for the Raptors last season and he averaged 17.0 minutes, 7.1 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. Belinelli has now played in 141 games (24 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 15.9 minutes, 6.6 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. Although Belinelli will be starting the game he won’t likely get much more than 20 points a night because of Marcus Thornton.

23-year old Marcus Thornton was a breakout player for the Hornets last season and he will likely be in the running for the Sixth Man of the Year Award in 2010-11. Thornton played in 73 games (17 starts) for the Hornets as a rookie last season and he averaged 25.6 minutes, 14.5 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. He is a flat out outstanding offensive basketball player.

29-year old Willie Green will likely back up at both guard slots for the Hornets. Green played in 73 games (18 starts) for the Sixers last season and he averaged 21.3 minutes, 8.7 points, 1.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. He has now played in 422 games (211 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 21.8 minutes, 9.4 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE HORNETS SHOOTING GUARDS IN 2010-11: B

25-year old point guard Chris Paul really needs to steer clear of taking advice from LeBron James and his cohorts. They told Paul to demand a trade and bad mouth his organization which was a very stupid thing of him to do. Now Paul will have to be on his best behavior both on and off the court in 2010-11 for the Hornets. Paul played in 45 games (all starts) for the Hornets last season and he averaged 38.0 minutes, 18.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, 10.7 assists and 2.1 steals per game. He has now played in 345 games (all starts) in his five years with the Hornets and he has averaged 37.3 minutes, 19.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 10.0 assists and 2.4 steals per game. If Paul can stay healthy in 2010-11 I see him maybe having the best year of his career.

Mustafa Shakur will be the likely back-up at the point for the Hornets in 2010-11. He played in 47 games (all starts) for Tulsa of the D-League last season and he averaged 37.9 minutes, 19.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 6.9 assists and 2.3 steals per game. I don’t think he’ll be as good as Darren Collison would have been but I think he will do a decent job of giving Paul a rest once in a while.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE HORNETS POINT GUARDS IN 2010-11: A+