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With Chris Paul now officially a member of the Los Angeles Clippers the Hornets can move onto a new era. Their ownership and management situation is a mess, but the roster is actually in fairly good shape – especially for the future. Shooting guard Eric Gordon provides them with a go-to player offensively and center Chris Kaman is one of the league’s best inside the paint when healthy. They’ll be rooting against the Timberwolves heavily as they possess their unprotected first round pick. The Timberwolves’ struggles are almost just as important as their success. As far as their success goes, this team has had very little time to work together and will undoubtedly take a big step back this year. Down the line, though, they could rebound nicely considering they lost an All-NBA player in Paul.

5th Place, Southwest Division

- Yannis Koutroupis

If you ever have to trade a superstar, take a look at what the Denver Nuggets and New Orleans Hornets have done as a model for how to proceed. Denver landed a ton of talent and made the playoffs without Carmelo Anthony, and the Hornets look really good heading into their first season without Chris Paul. Jarrett Jack is a very capable starter, Eric Gordon is an All-Star talent, Carl Landry is back, Trevor Ariza has a title to his credit and they have two starting centers in Emeka Okafor and Chris Kaman. Monty Williams has plenty to work with in preparing for the 2011-12 NBA season.

4th Place – Southwest Division

- Bill Ingram

Losing Chris Paul stings, but there is some hope for this franchise moving forward, and that’s way more important than whatever finish the team may end up with this season. For the record, that finish isn’t going to be good, but there are some promising players on this roster, starting with Eric Gordon, who could be among the top two or three shooting guards in the league in a few years. Re-signing Carl Landry was fortuitous because it means the Hornets still can put together a respectable NBA starting lineup. Outside of that respectable NBA starting lineup, however, things get pretty ugly. It’s not going to be a memorable year for the Hornets, at least not in a good way, but hopefully a couple of strong picks in a great draft can help turn things around for them in 2012-2013.

5th Place, Southwest Division

- Joel Brigham

The Chris Paul era is over in New Orleans. Instead of taking the risk of losing the All-Star guard in free agency next summer, the Hornets dealt him to the Los Angeles Clippers for a collection of young talent, size and draft help. But surprisingly lost in the commotion of the Paul saga was the defection of two-time All-Star forward David West to the Indiana Pacers in free agency. So instead of entering the 2012 season looking to add the final pieces to a solid duo of Paul and West, the Hornets have been thrust into rebuild mode – while still looking to find an investor to purchase the franchise. Let’s be clear, the Hornets aren’t devoid of talent by any stretch. Eric Gordon, Carl Landry, Emeka Okafor and Chris Kaman are all solid professionals who produce consistently. But without Paul and West in the lineup you can’t help but feel the Hornets’ momentum has been somewhat deflated.

4th Place, Southwest Division

- Lang Greene

After trading away Chris Paul, the New Orleans Hornets enter this season with low expectations. With that said, this is a talented team who may surprise some people. Nobody expected the Denver Nuggets to compete after trading away Carmelo Anthony last year, but they emerged as one of the best teams in the second half of the season. The Hornets will hope for similar results after dealing Paul and they may have the pieces to pull it off. A starting lineup of Jarrett Jack, Eric Gordon, Trevor Ariza, Carl Landry and Chris Kaman isn’t bad, especially when you consider that they’ll have a loaded bench that features Emeka Okafor, Willie Green, Marco Belinelli, Al-Farouq Aminu, Terrico White, DaJuan Summers and Quincy Pondexter. The Hornets are in a stacked division, but they’ll be more competitive than people expect – this year and down the road.

4th Place, Southwest Division

- Alex Kennedy

Top Offensive Player: Eric Gordon. Last year, Gordon had a breakout season and emerged as one of the best shooting guards in the league. He averaged 22.3 points last year despite being the Clippers’ second option behind Blake Griffin. In New Orleans, he’ll be the focal point of the offense and will likely have a career year. Gordon can score from anywhere on the court and as he enters his prime, he has the potential to become one of the league’s best scorers.

Top Defensive Player: Trevor Ariza. He showed that he’s still one of the better perimeter defenders in the league last season, when he led all forwards with 1.6 steals per game. Emeka Okafor also deserves some credit. He’s the best interior defender in New Orleans, averaging 1.76 blocks last season. Monty Williams is a defensive-minded coach and the Hornets held teams to the fifth-lowest points per game last season.

Top Playmaker: Jarrett Jack. New Orleans is lucky they acquired Jack last November in a five-player deal with the Toronto Raptors. Now, they have an experienced floor general to take over for Chris Paul rather than relying on a young point guard. Jack has started 210 games during his career and will be the team’s top playmaker. Filling Paul’s shoes won’t be easy, but the 28-year-old has experienced success as a starter before and will also provide leadership. Jack looked great during the Hornets’ first preseason game as he finished with 24 points, 6 assists, 6 rebounds and 3 steals.

Top Clutch Player: Eric Gordon. Last season, Gordon was one of the top clutch scorers in the league. He averaged 38.4 points per 48 minutes of clutch time for the Clippers and that number will likely increase this season since he’ll be the Hornets’ top option on offense. He was the thirteenth-best clutch scorer in the league in games with less than five minutes left in the fourth quarter or overtime with neither team was ahead by more than five points. Gordon has proven that he can hit big shots and take his game to the next level when his team needs him most.

The Unheralded Player: Chris Kaman. After the Hornets and Clippers finalized their trade last week, Kaman was rarely mentioned as a significant piece for New Orleans. It wasn’t uncommon to see that the Hornets acquired “Kaman’s $12,200,000 expiring contract.” While Eric Gordon and Al-Farouq Aminu are younger and have more potential, the 29-year-old center will be a significant contributor for the Hornets this season. Last year, he averaged 12.4 points, 7 rebounds and 1.5 blocks while battling an ankle injury. When healthy, he’s a double-double threat and one of the better centers in the Western Conference.

Best New Addition: Eric Gordon. The Hornets insisted that Gordon be included in the Chris Paul trade because he has star potential. He’s already one of the best scorers in the league and he’s only 22 years old. He’s the best player in New Orleans and the team will build around him going forward. Gordon has missed 46 games over the last two seasons, but he’ll be the centerpiece of the Hornets if he remains healthy.

- Alex Kennedy

# 1 – Al-Farouq Aminu –Last year, Aminu was the eighth overall pick in the draft and contributed as a reserve for the Clippers. The 21-year-old has plenty of potential and will be part of New Orleans’ core going forward. The Hornets will build around Eric Gordon, but Aminu will also be a significant part of their future. He likely won’t start this season since the team has a number of veteran forwards, but he’ll see the floor and continue to develop.

# 2 – Carl Landry – The Hornets acquired Landry prior to last year’s trade deadline and the power signed a one-year, $8.5 million deal to remain with the team this season. He averaged 11.8 points and 4.1 rebounds last season despite playing a reserve role behind David West. Now, after West’s departure, Landry will likely move to the starting lineup and have a larger role with the Hornets. The 28-year-old will likely have a breakout season, especially since he’s in a contract year.

# 3 – Marco Belinelli – Last year, Belinelli averaged 10.5 points and started 69 games for the Hornets. After a productive season, New Orleans decided to re-sign Belinelli to a one-year, $3.4 million contract. He won’t start this year, but he’ll be a sharpshooter off of the bench and continue to develop his all-around game. This is just the second time in Belinelli’s career that he’s played for the same team in consecutive years so expect the 25-year-old to be comfortable and ready to contribute.

# 4 – Dell Demps – Demps finds himself in a difficult position as general manager of the league-owned Hornets. David Stern stepped in and diminished Demps’ role during the Chris Paul trade talks, and he’ll have to clear all signings and extensions with Stern until the Hornets find a buyer. With that said, Demps has garnered praise from rival executives for how he handled the situation and he has an excellent track record. Last year, he acquired Carl Landry and re-signed the power forward this summer. Last November, he was also able to trade for Jarrett Jack, who is now the team’s starting point guard. Demps has helped change the culture in New Orleans and will do his best to rebuild the team.

# 5 – Monty Williams – Last season, Williams won 46 games in his first year as a head coach and impressed all of the right people within the organization. His players loved him and management was confident that they hired the right person. After the trade, Williams will have some tough decisions to make and have the difficult job of distributing minutes, but he’ll make the most of New Orleans’ depth. He proved he was a competent coach last year and he’ll continue to get better now that he’s comfortable and has some experience under his belt.

- Alex Kennedy

The Hornets were one of the best defensive teams in the league last season. They held teams to 94 points per game, which was the fifth-best total in the NBA. New Orleans’ biggest strength this season will be their depth. They have several capable players at every position, similar to the Denver Nuggets after trading Carmelo Anthony last season. The Hornets enter this season with low expectations, but may be able to sneak up on some teams.

- Alex Kennedy

New Orleans struggled to score last season, averaging just 94.9 points per game. That was the fourth-lowest total in the league. With a condensed offseason and only two preseason games, the Hornets may struggle to get everyone on the same page. Last year, New Orleans was also one of the worst rebounding teams in the league, averaging the fifth-lowest rebounds per game (40.1).

- Alex Kennedy

We have had some changes guys. I’m not going to sugarcoat it and lie to you. I will always be straight with you. We are a rebuilding project this year. We have some decent pieces and could compete and win a few games: but Chris Paul is not coming back, and we are unlikely to contend for a playoff spot. However, that doesn’t mean we just fold it up and pack it in. Real professionals don’t do that. Real professionals come to work every day, work on their craft, and prove they should be part of this project moving forward. The reality is we have the assets to get good quickly, whether it be through the draft or through additional roster movement. And if you want to be on that train when it starts moving forward, you need to earn your keep from Day One. We want people who want to be here. Are you one of them?

- Anthony Macri

Where do the Hornets go from here?

After trading Chris Paul, New Orleans will either follow in the footsteps of the Cleveland Cavaliers or the Denver Nuggets. Will they struggle and finish with one of the worst records in the league or will they surprise people and experience success with their well-rounded roster? They have young pieces to build around, but whether or not they’ll be competitive this year remains to be seen.

- Alex Kennedy