It's finally time for us all to shut up. No more speculation, no more guessing. The Hornets start playing for real this evening. The NBA season is here.

You might expect me to do some kind of big crazy-long season preview thingy today, but that's not going to happen. I'm almost burnt out with previews this year, having being asked to give my view on the Hornets for Dime magazine, SLAMonline.com, ESPN.com and, perhaps best of all, the NBA Blog Previews.

So, if you want to know what I'm expecting of the Hornets this season, follow those links. You could even make a game of it and count how many times I contradict myself from one preview to the next!

For now, how about we look at what other people are saying about the Hornets instead? In my experience, other people are much smarter than me anyways, so this should work out well. Here's a selection of opinions…

• Marc Stein of ESPN.com seems to be in the Hornets corner, placing them ninth in his latest power rankings:
  
  I'm telling you right now. Even with Amare and Dajuan Wagner in play, Peja would be the league's Comeback Player of the Year if the award existed. You'll see.

• Liz Robbins of the New York Times sits on the fence:

  The second-year point guard Chris Paul is the reason this team should break through and reach the playoffs. Flanked by the sharpshooter Peja Stojakovic, along with center Tyson Chandler and power forward David West, the Hornets have formidable talent — on paper. But last season, Coach Byron Scott ran his team ragged in March and must adapt his coaching to play an up-tempo pace past April.
  
  

• SLAM's Lang Whitaker sees the Hornets finishing third in the division and making some noise:

  I think the Hornets may have had the best offseason in the NBA. Peja Stojakovic wasn’t much in Indy, but he’s going to get wide-open looks for N’awlins, with Chris Paul setting him up over and over. I’ve always thought Tyson Chandler was underrated, and drafting Ced Simmons and Hilton Armstrong gives them unprecedented interior depth. I also really like David West. An official Wild Card Squad this season.

• Warren Blatt of AP fame sees the Hornets in the Playoffs:

  The Hornets had an excellent offseason and the front office has put together a deep and talented roster. Paul and Stojakovic will lead the Hornets back to the postseason. They are not a championship contender, but definitely have a serious chance to surprise in the West.

• Chris McCosky of The Detroit News thinks the Hornets will finish last in the division:

  So many changes, but not enough time for it all to click. Peja Stojakovic , Tyson Chandler and Bobby JacksonChris Paul and Desmond Mason, making the Hornets much better on paper. The early returns, however, were disappointing. It could be Stojakovic has nothing left and Chandler never had anything to start with.

• Borat says…

  Hilton Armstrong have neck like giraffe. Chris Paul have legs of grasshopper.

Hmm, I could have sworn there were more negative ones out there. I must have deleted those. Hey, is "sworn" even a word?

* Yeah, the season started yesterday, but that was for other teams. And other teams only matter when they play the Hornets.