Making a move now would be a bad choice. It likely means overpaying for a player who likely won’t do much for your team. Look what happened with Channing Frye, Amir Johnson, Steve Blake, and Hakim Warrick. All of those guys are making millions more than their production would suggest. Mike Miller is going to be the next guy to get overpaid wherever he goes. The right time for the Hornets to strike is in the second wave of free agency. That way, second and third tier players will start to fill in where they will get the best opportunity, not necessarily the most money. This time also gives a nice window for trades since big time signers have made their choice and teams now know what they need. Keep names like Travis Outlaw and Ronnie Brewer in your mind, and don’t be shocked if Julian Wright is sitting on someone else’s bench come next season.

By sitting on our eggs right now, we can not only better assess our young talent in summer league, but also assess talent across the middle tiers of free agency and other teams. While I wouldn’t get my hopes up about a blockbuster trade or signing, there is still potential that one could happen. Bower is getting a lot of flak from casual, undereducated fans and followers because of his lack of pursuing big name free agents, but he shouldn’t. The team doesn’t need another superstar. It has two All-Stars (neither of which will be traded), two budding guards, and a couple of nice rookies coming in. What is needed are players that fit the system and address needs as compared to overpaying for a one dimensional guy. This aspect takes a ton of evaluation by a coaching staff and by a management staff, so don’t expect anything right off the bat.

While many of us are ready to call this offseason a bust and failure already, I say that you are wrong. Bower and Weber have stated that they will move in free agency, and they will improve the team. But, they are going to be smart and not overpay because they have learned from obvious past mistakes. We all called for Chandler to hit the road last year around this time, and the front office made it happen even though it hasn’t necessarily produced the results we’ve hoped for. The only thing I can say is to be cautiously optimistic at the very least. One thing is certain though, we will have a different looking team next year.