NBA Offseason: The New Orleans Hornets Offseason Makeover

The New Orleans Hornets will have tons of cap space this offseason to keep Eric Gordon and bring in talent to surround the young guard as they could have 42 million dollars in cap space if they amnesty Rashard Lewis. If the Hornets make the right moves, they will be able to make the playoffs next season and possibly contend for a title. This may seem crazy but it will take only a few simple steps to build this team into a contender after amnestying Rashard Lewis.



Gordon can be a star in the Big Easy

1. Resign Eric Gordon
Eric Gordon has become one of the best shooting guards in the NBA as he is an elite scorer who can give them 20 plus points a game. Eric Gordon is an elite guard that can definitely make some appearances in the NBA All-Star game in the near future. The Pacers will look to rival the Hornets in trying to get the former Hoosier star as Gordon will probably get a five-year deal in the 70 million dollar range. Eric Gordon will take up about 12 million dollars of their cap space for next season as it will definitely be worth it to bring him in.
Cap Space Remaining: $30 million

Anthony Davis is ready to be a star in New Orleans

2. Draft Anthony Davis First Overall, Draft Kendall Marshall Tenth Overall.
Everybody knows that the Hornets will take Anthony Davis number one overall in the draft as he will be anh immediate starter and a great defensive player. Davis can be a star in New Orleans as he can definitely defend the best NBA big men. The Hornets will have to see who is on the board at the tenth pick as I think Damian Lillard will be off the board but I think that Andre Drummond and Kendall Marshall will both still be on the board. The Hornets will probably be too intrigued by the upside of Andre Drummond that they will take him but I think they should take Marshall. Kendall Marshall has the skill set to be the next Rajon Rondo as he can replace Jarrett Jack after he becomes a free agent next year. Marshall knows how to make the right play whether it is setting up a teammate or getting it to the basket and making an easy layup. Davis and Marshall can be key pieces of a winning New Orleans Hornets team. The Hornets also have a couple of second rounders that they can deal for a future, late first roun pick as they only need to pick up a couple of players.
Cap Space Remaining: $24 million

Gerald Wallace will test the free agent market

3. Sign SF Gerald Wallace
Gerald Wallace has been a solid starting NBA small forward as he is a very good scorer and he can be a good member of a contending team. Wallace can immediately be the starting small forward for this team as he is a quality player that wants to win. Wallace will have a decision to make as he could stay in Brooklyn and play for the Nets if they keep Deron Williams. However, the Nets could use him in a trade for Dwight Howard if he stays and that will probably not interest him. Wallace will be able to start in New Orleans and be an effective scorer as he will probably need a three-year deal of around $24 million to sign him. He will cost $8 million a year but it will be worth it.
Cap Space Remaining: $16 million

Howard or Bynum could end up in New Orleans

4. Sign veterans Marcus Camby and Antawn Jamison. Resign Marco Belinelli.
The Hornets will need a center and if they sign Jamison and Camby, they will have some versatility in their lineup. Davis can play center and if the Hornets want a speedier, smaller lineup, they can start Jamison and Davis with Camby and Gustavo Ayon coming off the bench. When the Hornets play teams that play large in the post, they can put Marcus Camby at center and Davis at power forward with Antawn Jamison coming off the bench. Marco Belinelli was a productive player for the Hornets this year as he is a good scorer that can make an impact as a rotational player on a contender. All three players will sign one-year deals that are worth a combined $16 million (Jamison $6 million, Camby $5 million, Belinelli $4 million). These move give them $20 million dollars for next offseason that they can spend on an elite big man to put with Anthony Davis like a Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap, Serge Ibaka, Josh Smith or even a big name like Dwight Howard or Andrew Bynum. The Hornets are prepared to win now as Tom Benson is getting a franchise that can be great.

NBA Playoff Preview

Be Ready for a Durant-LeBron showdown in the Finals

The NBA playoffs are under and already we have a big storyline with the Bulls losing Derrick Rose in game one against the 76ers. These playoffs should be exciting so what will happen.

Round One Predictions

Iguodala is ready to knock out the top seeded Bulls

Eastern Conference
8 Philadelphia 76ers over 1 Chicago Bulls in 6
2 Miami Heat over 7 New York Knicks in 5
3 Indiana Pacers over 6 Orlando Magic in 6
4 Boston Celtics over 5 Atlanta Hawks in 6
The Bulls are taking on a deep 76er team that will be difficult now that the Bulls are without star point guard Derrick Rose. Andre Iguodala will help get the 76ers to the next round while the Heat should be able to walk by the Knicks. The Magic are a ressilliant bunch but the Pacers are built to get past the first round of the playoffs and with a healthy center in Roy Hibbert and abunch a good, young players; stamina will allow the Pacers to move on. The Celtics and Hawks have had some great playoff series and there is no reason to expect less but the Celtics are playing well and a Al Horford-less Hawks just are not good enough to get by Boston.

Jefferson will win this matchup against Duncan

Western Conference
8 Utah Jazz over 1 San Antonio Spurs in 6
2 Oklahoma City Thunder over 7 Dallas Mavericks in 5
3 Los Angeles Lakers over 6 Denver Nuggets in 7
5 Los Angeles Clippers over 4 Memphis Grizzlies in 6
How about both number one seeds going in the first round. Some would say that the Spurs won't make another early exit but the Jazz have the one thing that allowed Memphis to pull the upset last year, size and tons of it. The Jazz have tons of dominate big man with Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap, Derrick Favors, and Enes Kanter. The Jazz will dominate the boards and whenever you do that, you will win games and win the series. The Mavs just are not as good as last year and the Thunder will be able to cruise to the next round. The Nuggets will be a real challenge for the Lakers due to Denver's depth and Ty Lawson but the Lakers are too experienced to not get by the first round. The Clippers are a perfect matchup for Memphis and Chris Paul will help lead the Clippers to the Western Conference semis.

Conference Semifinals

KG will help eliminate Philly

Eastern Conference
4 Boston Celtics over 8 Philadelphia 76ers in 6
2 Miami Heat over 3 Indiana Pacers in 5
The Celtics are a good team and a legitimate contender but they will be challenged by the youth and depth of the 76ers. Veterans like Paul Pierce and Ray Allen know how to make big shots and in this northeast showdown, that will be the difference as the Celtics will be headed for the Eastern Conference Final. The Pacers are a good team but the Heat are a truely elite team with of course the big three but also they have a better gropu of players surrounding James,Wade, and Bosh than last year. The Heat have the ability to get that NBA Championship and they will take another step to get closer to the NBA Finals.

Durant will get past Kobe in the semis.

Western Conference
5 Los Angeles Clippers over 8 Utah Jazz in 5
2 Oklahoma City Thunder over 3 Los Angeles Lakers in 5
The Clippers-Jazz series should be great as both these teams have tons of talent but the one difference is at point guard with the Clips having Chris Paul and the Jazz having Devin Harris. Paul is a way better player than Harris and that will make this series not as close as it seems as Chris Paul will take one LA team to the Western Conference finals. The other LA team, the Lakers, will be headed for the exit doors when they play the Thunder as Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant will be a ble to dominate while Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins will be good enough to slow down Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum as OKC will head for the Western Conference final.

LeBron and Miami will defeat Pierce and Boston

Conference Finals
2 Miami Heat over 4 Boston Celtics in 6
2 Oklahoma City Thunder over 5 Los Angeles Clippers in 6
The Heat and the Celtics will provide a great matchup in the Eastern Conference finals as it will be the original big three against the South Beach big three. The Celtics have the advantage at the point but the Heat have the better players at every other position as the Heat know they are so close to the Finals. This will be the Heat's year to win the Eastern Conference and return to the NBA Finals with the goal of winning a championship. Thunder vs Clippers will be a great showdown as these two are becoming two of the Western Conference powerhouses. Both teams are loaded with stars like Durant, Russell Westbrook, CP3, and Blake Griffin. The Thunder have a great scorer off the bench in sixth man of the year award favorite James Harden. Harden will be huge in this series and help send the Thunder to a final against Miami.

NBA Finals
2 Miami Heat over 2 Oklahoma City Thunder in 7
This has been my pick for the NBA season all year and I'm not going to change it now as these two teams are definitely the best in the NBA this year. The big matchup in this year's finals will be between the two big stars, LeBron James and Kevin Durant. Durant and LeBron are the two best players in basketball and this will be the ultimate matchup on the biggest stage before they pair up in London for the Olympics. Dwayne Wade will be matchuped on Russell Westbrook as the Heat ahave the one lineup that lines up well with OKC. Bosh will be able to have more success down low than anyone else as Ibaka and Perkins will be worn down froma tough playoffs. The Heat have some playmakers off the bench that can make an impact as Udonis Haslem will provide some offensive rebounds while Joel Anthony will play strong defense. James Harden will makes some shots but at the end of the day, LeBron will outplay Durant and bring a NBA Championship to Miami.

LeBron will defeat Durant and win the title for the Heat.