New Orleans Hornets Tickets

New Orleans Hornets 2010-11 Season Preview After the New Orleans Hornets failed to make the playoffs last year, offseason talk was dominated by trade rumors surrounding star point guard Chris Paul.

Paul eventually came out and demanded a trade, saying he was frustrated with the lack of a plan for the future of the franchise. The Hornets are strapped for cash, and they have gone out of their way to try and operate with the smallest budget possible.

It's no wonder Paul was frustrated by the lack of free agent signings, but the new head coach and upper management sat down with him and evidently cleared things up. Well, maybe they didn't, but at least Paul hasn't publicly stated a desire to be traded in several months.

One of the biggest keys for the Hornets to get back to the playoffs is keeping Paul healthy. He missed a significant amount of games due to injury last year, and that basically submarined any postseason chances.

The other problem this year is that the team no longer has Darren Collison to come in and give Paul a rest or take over should he miss time with an injury. Collison is no longer with the club, leaving Mustafa Shakur to be Paul's backup.

Between Paul and David West, the Hornets have enough talent to get into the playoffs even in the ultra-competitive Western Conference. That said, they aren't going to be a title contender, and that's likely to cause more frustration on the part of their star player.