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Written by Jude Young Friday, 03 July 2009 00:33
The bees were swarming in San Diego Thursday - literally. A swarm of them caused nearly an hour delay in the Houston-San Diego game at Petco Park.
In the NBA, the bees - er, Hornets - are not causing near the
commotion.
New Orleans was hoping to line up salary-cutting deals and quality free agent signings, in that order. But a lack of movement to dump salary and free salary
cap space has tied the
Hornets' hands.
As a result, Jeff Bower and the front office has targeted less than awe-inspiring free agents Maceo Baston, Mikki Moore, Jake Voshkul and former Hornet guard Jannero Pargo. The
first three listed are front-court players who can be had on-the-cheap to help fill the chasm in the paint for New Orleans.
Fans and observers alike have a reasonable wishlist of one from the free agent market. Former Hornet Brandon Bass would be a a useful signing for a New Orleans bench in dire need
of scoring from the front court. And the ex-LSU star would be a fan favorite to boot.
The market will likely offer Bass a chance to sign for the midlevel exception at best. But even that amount of money is too much to spend for the Hornets as things currently stand.
With over 77 million dollars in salaries currently commited for the 2009-10 season, New Orleans must cut salary before adding any talent of significance to upgrade their roster.
A rumored trade bringing 14 million dollars of cap relief via dumping center Tyson Chandler's salary off on the Phoenix Suns in a swap for the retiring Ben Wallace has not transpired.
Now Detroit is said to be considering a rool of the dice on Chandler. Pistons GM Joe Dumars gobbled up much of the teams cap space to add free agents Ben Gordon and Charlie
Villanueva, but the Lousiana native may be willing to bet on the recovery of one of the true defensive and rebounding forces in the league as he rebuilds his roster in Motown.
In a era where a significant majority of teams are looking to spend less than more, Hornets GM Jeff Bower is unlikely to convince anyone to take a chance on Chandler and his toe
and ankle injuries until the the big man can revert back to previous form on the court.
Thus, it is likely that New Orleans will have to wait to do any major wheeling-and-dealing until next February when the trade deadline rolls around.
The only possible big move for the Hornets to consider centers around Bass. If Byron Scott believes Bass is ready to take the next step in his career by being a starter, the team
may use forward David West as part of a trade to unload bad contracts and bring back decent talent in return.
Other than Chris Paul, the Hornets' other All-Star has the most trade value. Pairing any combination of the contracts of Peja Stojakovic, Antonio Daniels and Morris Peterson with the
6-year veteran could yield breathing room for a franchise more concerned at the moment with avoiding the luxury tax than building a championship contender.
The old adage says you have to give something to get something. The Hornets aren't blessed with too many 'somethings' these days.
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