The first Hornet season preview (I've seen) is out, and it's predictably hilarious.
From... Opposing Views:
12. Hornets: The Hornets thrive on Chris Paul, plain and simple. When he was out last season, Darren Collison filled in admirably, but it wasn’t good enough. He averaged 22 and 8 in February, but the Hornets still were only 5-8 during that time. They were even worse in March and April, when he still was putting up impressive numbers. Marcus Thornton was also a pleasant surprise last season, providing a much needed scoring presence from the wings. However, all that being said, this team still has some serious holes. West is what he is, a solid scorer with a great mid-range game for a big guy who doesn’t really scare anybody in the post, while Okafor is solid defensively but fairly useless on offense. This team needs to find a big man who can score inside, and neither one of those two is it. New Orleans also desperately lacks a legit wing scorer. An undersized Thornton is nice, but the rest of their wings are a mess. Peja + Posey = meh, at this point in their careers and no one is drooling over Julian Wright. As crazy as it sounds, New Orleans should move Paul…(awaits gasps and scoffs)… They have a solid point guard for the future already set in Collison, and they have so many other holes on this team. Moving him and Okafor’s gross contract could net them a serious wing scorer or a big who can actually be dangerous in the paint. As it is, they’ll still win games with Paul, but this is no better than a .500 team, and I’d be shocked if they made the playoffs.
Let's get this straight. So, "Darren Collison filled in admirably, but it wasn’t good enough," but at the same time, the Hornets "have a solid point guard for the future already set in Collison" and "should move Paul"? This juxtaposition is hilarious, too: "Marcus Thornton was also a pleasant surprise last season, providing a much needed scoring presence from the wings," followed soon by "New Orleans also desperately lacks a legit wing scorer."
Then there's the usual, ignorant claim that David West doesn't play in the paint. There's also the... not so usual, but equally funny claim that "[Emeka] Okafor is solid defensively but fairly useless on offense." Probably my favorite part, though, is the initial acknowledgement that the team isn't very good without Paul, then the immediate slamming of the team's play without Paul.
Hopefully this whetted your appetite a little bit for the many more that are sure to follow.