With or Without Chris Paul, Life Goes on

          In years past, when rumors of Chris Paul trades swirled television and the web, I would fight it. Heated arguments arose between me and several friends about where, why, and for whom Chris Paul would be traded. As if I could somehow control what would happen with him, I would put down any thoughts of him being traded. And now, it appears he will be traded. But I have a different perspective now, due in large part to off-the-court happenings.

A few years ago, an enormous cloud of uncertainty hung over the Hornet’s franchise amid all the trade rumors. Now the Hornets seem to be strong enough to stand the storm.

• Front Office – Perhaps the most uncertain part about the franchise, aside from Chris Paul rumors, was the front office and coaching staff. “Dealer” Dell Demps is obviously willing to make moves if he thinks they improve the franchise. He knows the Hornets cannot continue to be conservative if they want to compete in the short term and long term. Even when Chris Paul is traded, I have faith that Dell will get the best deal possible. As for Monty Williams, he won 46 games his rookie campaign – a nine game increase from the previous season. He appears to have a lot of potential to be a great coach.
• Potential – Yes, the Hornet’s cornerstone may be leaving, but I believe Dell Demps will get back young players with lots of potential (Stephen Curry, Monta Ellis, Eric Gordon, and DeAndre Jordan have been a few names mentioned) and/or lots of draft picks. And while draft picks don’t solve the immediate problem, they could be a long term solution. The upcoming NBA draft should be one of the more talented, deeper drafts of recent memory.
• Tickets – The thing keeping the Hornets in New Orleans are a sign that the Hornet’s fan base is rising.  http://www.hornets247.com/blog/2011/12/07/hornets-will-surpass-10000-season-ticket-holders-tomorrow/ Joe’s post about 10,000 season tickets being sold is evidence.
• Sponsors – Joe is apparently a bearer of good news, as he also spread the news that sponsorships are picking up.http://www.hornets247.com/blog/2011/08/24/hornets-scoring-big-on-sponsorship-deals-despite-lockout/ As Joe states in his article: “Those major sponsorship gains are nothing at which to scoff, and the potential for another big one is certainly mouth watering. The best part is, they only tell less than half the story. It’s actually the smaller sponsors that appear to be making the biggest difference in driving the overall rise in sponsorship.” To me, the smaller businesses signify that the community is beginning to back to Hornets – which is a pivotal step to keeping them in town.

Have faith NOLA, and GET EXCITED!

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