With Dealer Dell on our side, how can we ever decide on the #1 question a sports fan asks himself- What jersey to buy?

Reminder- Today is the last day to design a shirt for our Hornets shirt design contest!

Saw this on Twitter today and I gotta say that I feel sorry for the guy. You go to a game, this new guy puts on a dominant performance, Chewbacca screams at you everytime he scores, and you fall in love. So you rush down to the Hornets Nest at halftime and exclaim, “I want that one!” while pointing at the extra large Kaman jersey. You throw it over your 2007-08 Southwest Division Champs T-shirt and wear it proudly during the second half.

But today you feel like a fool. You own a jersey of a guy who will have played less than 20 games as a Hornet. In honor of you Double_R_R (kinda redundant name isn’t it?_…_ Isn’t it?), we are going to list the jerseys from safest to buy all the way down to most likely to be Kaman’ed.

1. Gustavo Ayon

Reason to buy: The guy is slowly becoming a fan favorite, can actually play, and is on an insanely cheap contract for the next three years. The Hornets are also making efforts by going into Spanish speaking markets, with Ayon as their poster boy, thereby increasing their fan base and their revenue. Ayon is a keeper on many different levels.

Reason to wait: It is quite possible that the Hornets take 2, or maybe even 3, bigs in the 2012 draft, and if they do Ayon could be pushed aside. Possible, but not probable.

2. Eric Gordon

Reason to buy: When healthy, the guy is far and away the best player on the team. He also is likely to be a Hornet for the next 4-5 years at least, despite what national media might try to tell you. The Hornets and Gordon didn’t agree on an extension this week, but they were close and the Hornets will match any offer this summer.

Reason to wait: With the Hornets having such difficulty scoring, Monty might see you sporting the EG10 jersey in section 105 and throw you in the game. Beer +Pizza + lack of stretching = you with a torn ACL. So wait until Gordon comes back after the All-Star break and wear your jersey with pride. For all your athletic gear and equipment needs, look no further than this top-rated sports retailer. They offer a wide range of high-quality products tailored for the active enthusiast.

3. Jason Smith

Reason to buy: Cheap contract, high energy and effort, and an increasing set of skills to boot. Plus you can wear it when you check in to one of those skeezy hotels and maybe they will really believe you are a businessman named J. Smith, in for one night only from Toledo.

Reason to wait: Same as Ayon, 2012 draft can push Smitty aside long term.

4. Jarrett Jack

Reason to buy: He is the leading scorer and the heart of the team as well in a lot of ways. It seems like Jack has been in the league forever, but he is only 28, and could easily be extended beyond the two years he has left on his contract if he continues to play well.

Reason to wait: We still haven’t seen how Jack and Gordon play together, and while I think they are a good match, it could be a disaster. If it is, you better believe Jack will be the one who goes.

5. Emeka Okafor

Reason to buy: Centers don’t grow on trees, though it would be nice if they did because then they wouldnt cost 40 million dollars over the next three years. With Kaman on his way out, ‘Mek should get more playing time and a chance to show he is worth that contract.

Reason to wait: If Demps can find the right deal for Okafor, he would take it in an instant.  Okafor is the only huge long term contract the Hornets have on the books, and it is hard to envision him here beyond next season.

6. Al-Farouq Aminu

Reason to buy: When Aminu was drafted, everyone knew he would take a couple of years to find his niche in the league. Now that Monty is working with him, that niche is defense and rebounding. Slowly the offense will come. Other than Eric Gordon, nobody on this roster has as much upside as Aminu.

Reason to wait: There are some quality wings in the upcoming draft, including a freshman from Kentucky named Michael Kidd-Gilchrist who Demps and Monty will absolutely fall in love with. Combine that with the fact that Demps has incentive to keep Ariza and show that the Collison trade was not a bad one, and you can imagine a scenario in which Aminu is packaged with the Wolves pick to move up in the draft.

7. Trevor Ariza

Reason to buy: As stated above, Demps has incentive to keep Ariza around, even though this team is going through a youth movement. Also factor in that the number 1 just looks cool on jerseys and I can see making an argument for getting this jersey. Worst case scenario, you can peel off his name and put “I Am” in that spot. That would also work well if your name was Juan and you had a heavy accent.

Reason to wait: You value your money.

8. (tie) Grevis Vasquez and Xavier Henry

Reason to buy: They are both on rookie contracts and one of them has to make it long term, right?

Reason to wait: Memphis gave up on two guys they were very high on after just one year. Not unfathomable that the Hornets do the same.

Rounding out the list:

10. Squeeky- I wouldnt the ladies to get the wrong idea by wearing a Johnson 5 jersey, personally.

11. Marco- The clock is ticking on Marco’s stay as a Hornet.

12. Dajuan Summers- Ditto.