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After missing the playoffs last season for just the first time in the last four seasons, a healthy Chris Paul and the New Orleans Hornets battled their way to a 46-36 record and the seventh seed in a brutal Western Conference this year. Even without leading scorer David West, the Hornets fought hard against the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round before falling in six games.

With an uncertain future in New Orleans and an unstable foundation with their franchise-player eligible for free agency in the summer of 2012, the Hornets have an array of issues that need to be addressed this offseason.

1. Lock Up CP3

While some say New Orleans should try to find a deal to ship away their oft-injured superstar in order to receive some sort of compensation should Paul bolt in the summer of 2012, I believe that would be a huge mistake. Paul is arguably the most talented point guard in basketball and his presence on the Hornets is the biggest reason this team has been competitive since he came into the league.

With his combination of shooting touch, quick burst to the rim, lockdown defensive ability (NBA All-Defensive Team selection three out of last four seasons) and passing efficiency (top-5 in the NBA in assists in each of the last five seasons); Paul isn’t just the straw that stirs the drink, he is the drink!

To get an accurate gauge of the impact Chris Paul has on the Hornets, all you have to do is take a look at the first round of the 2011 NBA Playoffs between New Orleans and the Los Angeles Lakers. Paul led the Hornets in virtually every category per game this postseason, including points (22.0), rebounds (6.7), assists (11.5) and steals (1.8).

Simply put, you’re not going to get fair market value for a guy that is your franchise.  That being said, New Orleans must find a way to build a better team around Paul that will keep him in a Hornets uniform for years to come.

Of course, before they can start this process, New Orleans must…

2. Resolve Ownership Instability

One of the biggest distractions for the Hornets this season was the uncertainty at the top of the organization. In early December, the Hornets became the first franchise in league history to be put under the control of the NBA. Former owner George Shinn sold his majority share to the NBA, and now it’s uncertain where (or if) the Hornets will be playing next season.

This must be settled by the start of next season, as waiting any longer will just create more turmoil surrounding the team and make it that much more difficult to keep Paul around past 2011-2012.

The new ownership and its commitment to spending the money to field a championship squad will be critical in terms of what direction this team is headed over the next few seasons. Whether it’s in New Orleans or not, the new owner of the team must be dedicated financially to surrounding Paul with talent or the Hornets will be forced to start the rebuilding process.

3.  Acquire Another Scoring Presence

New Orleans, ranked 27th out of 30 NBA teams in points per game (94.9) over the course of this season, needs to find someone who can consistently put the ball in the basket not named Paul or West.

West is a solid pick-and-pop guy and Paul is a quality all-around scorer, but the Hornets need another player that can get into the paint and score some easy buckets. New Orleans thought they were getting that type of contributor before the season after acquiring Trevor Ariza  from the Houston Rockets, but Ariza has drifted away from the slasher he was in L.A. to more of a jump shooter over the last two seasons.

At just 26 years old by the time next season starts Ariza still has plenty of room to grow, but there are a myriad of options on the free agent market if the Hornets decide to go in that direction.

At shooting guard, the Denver Nuggets’ Wilson Chandler and Aaron Afflalo will be available, although restricted, free agents. Both are young, capable scorers and would be a great fit in N.O. and it’s unknown if Denver will be able to match the contracts of two players at the same position on the open market.

When healthy, the Dallas Mavs’ forward Caron Butler is a quality scorer and defender, although it looks doubtful he’ll leave Dallas. Also, coming off of a devasting knee injury, it’s unknown just what Butler has left in the tank going into next season and beyond.

The Nuggets’ Nene could also decide to test the free agent market. If the Hornets wanted to inject more offense into the center position, that could be a direction they would go but the price might be too steep for New Orleans.

{AUTHOR_BOX}New Orleans was one of the most stout defensive teams in the NBA this season (fifth in the NBA in points allowed at 94), now it’s time to inject some life into the offensive end. Depending on the new CBA, this team will have about $8 million to play with (around $9 mill more if West and Aaron Gray opt out), so the Hornets will have the cash to throw at some of the second-tier free agents.

4. Find/Develop More Shooters

This is on line with the last step, but with a slight twist. The Hornets were in the middle of the pack this season in terms of three-point shooting percentage (36 percent) and in the bottom third of the league in terms of makes per contest (5.4).

Only one player on the Hornets’ roster this season shot over 39 percent from behind the arc and for this team to take the next step, they need to have multiple threats from long range. New Orleans thought they had that player in Peja Stojakovic, but he fell out of the rotation early in the season and was traded to the Toronto Raptors soon after.

Starting shooting guard Marco Belinelli has been solid (41.4 percent from three), but the Hornets need a few more sharpshooters in order to make things easier on the offensive end of the floor. With Paul getting into the lane at will from the point position, open looks would come easily for shooters spotting up beyond the arc.

One idea could be J.R. Smith (another Denver guy), who is a streaky shooter from deep but would provide a spark from either the starting lineup or as the team’s sixth man.

5. Decide What To Do With Frontcourt

West (Early Termination Option), Carl Landry (Unrestricted Free Agent) and Aaron Gray (Player Option) will all have the opportunity to test the free agent market this offseason, and New Orleans has some decisions to make in terms of who stays and who goes. These three players, along with starting center Emeka Okafor, represent the bulk of the Hornets’ frontcourt.

New Orleans will be put in the position of having to decide how much Landry is worth as a backup, and if Gray — who played so well before sustaining an injury against the Lakers — should be the center of the future. As a top-10 team in rebounding differential over the course of the 2010-2011 season, and with West as the team’s leading scorer, it appears the Hornets might be set in the post.

However, the benefit of having Landry as insurance paid dividends when West went down at the end of the season.  Combine that with the fact that West is coming off of injury and neither he at the age of 30 nor Okafor (28) are getting any younger, and this team has some tough decisions as to who will stay and who will start at the beginning of next season.

New Orleans’ main priority this offseason should be appeasing Paul but, unfortunately, there must be a new CBA agreed upon before any team will be allowed to do much of anything this summer.

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