New Orleans Hornets Tickets

After a surprising and outstanding 2007-2008 season, everyone was ready for the New Orleans Hornets to take it to the next level this year.

However, the Hornets have been unable to do so and have actually slipped back quite a bit lately as star point guard Chris Paul has missed time with an injury. New Orleans has fallen all the way into fourth place in the division.

Paul is obviously the heat and soul of this team and the offenses revolves around him. Any games that he misses will have a major impact on the team's performance, much the way the Cleveland Cavaliers would play without LeBron James.

After such a strong showing last year, the Hornets wanted to be active on the free agent market. They went out and signed sixth man James Posey to a contract, hoping he could improve the bench and push them to the next level.

While Paul is certainly the star of the team, David West continues to be the Unsung Hero. West is averaging 19.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game but still somehow manages to fly under the radar.

Rasual Butler has been the biggest surprise so far this year, averaging nearly double digits in points per game. He has taken over some of the minutes played by Mike James, who was traded to the Washington Wizards for Antonio Daniels.

Daniels gives the Hornets a quality backup point guard, someone who can give Paul a breather once in awhile and keep him fresh. He was the starting point guard for the Wizards until the trade.

Center Tyson Chandler, who really improved last year and was a rebounding machine, has seen a dip in his numbers this season. It also hasn't helped that he missed 18 games with an injury.

Chandler is a favorite of Paul's, as the point guard loves to penetrate to the basket and then dish if off to the center for a dunk as he draws a double-team.

The Hornets are certainly still a title contender, but they need a healthy Chris Paul to shoulder the load. It would also help if they could get someone else to step up their point production to take some of the pressure off of the point guard.