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The news that Jeff Bower is done as the Hornets GM may just be exactly what somes fans have been hoping for, but that doesn't mean that his time in New Orleans was disastrous by any means. Many basketball minds feel that he's proven himself to be a capable GM.

More importantly though, he gave everything he had to the Hornets both as a GM and as a head coach, a position he was essentially thrust into after Byron Scott pulled up lame out of the starting gate in 2009. The results were solid, as he finished the season with a 37-44 record despite losing CP3 for 37 games.

For just one post let's ignore the bad stuff and focus on the positives. Seriously, this isn't a post to bash Bower. If you don't like him that's your right and I won't disagree with you, but do it elsewhere. The man deserves some credit and respect for the admirable job he did in the Hornets front office.

5. Drafting Darren Collison with the 21st pick in the 2009 NBA draft.

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After many years of enduring mediocrity from Chris Paul's back court mates, Hornets fans can finally breathe easy. With Marcus Thornton's huge performances, non-stop hustle, big plays, and constant scoring, it's apparent he's quickly become a quality starting shooting guard in the NBA. More importantly, he's become The Hornets starting shooting guard.

Thornton is obviously better than the guys he's essentially replaced, but just how much? Let's just say that even the die hard Hornets fans will be surprised at how mediocre the shooting guards have been for the past few years, even compared to a rookie like Buckets. It wasn't until I compiled these stats that it truly set in how poorly guys like Pargo and Brown actually played.

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Apologies to those of you who already know all about the extremely talented Marcus "Buckets" Thornton.

For the rest- It's odd that a second round pick having one of the best seasons in a stacked class is going relatively unnoticed. Even after his franchise record setting performance against the Cleveland Cavaliers, most fans still don't realize how special Thornton is.

How do I know this? Down here in the bayou, we are accustomed to being told what Hornets' players and management are thinking, especially by people who know very little about the players and the organization. It's really not that cool, considering the amount of time a few of us have to put into dispelling such myths, but on the bright side, it's an effective way of determining when a player has gone global. Hornets fans know that as soon as any player is recognized by outsiders to be a real talent, speculation will begin that they will be traded away.

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Last night, the Hornets selected UCLA point guard Darren Collison with the 21st pick in the draft, and later acquired LSU 2-guard Marcus Thornton (43rd pick) from the Heat in exchange for their 2010 and 2012 second round picks.

Both players will be introduced by the Hornets today at 3 p.m. Central. More info on that when we hear it. For now, let's see what folks are saying about the Hornets' moves on draft night...

NBA.com lists the Hornets among the losers on draft night:

Darren Collison may have been a reach at No. 22. And he's also a point guard. Finding a backup for Chris Paul, who plays a ton a minutes, doesn't seem to make much sense in the Big Easy. The Hornets need scorers, especially on the wing, to play with Paul.

Chad Ford's take at ESPN.com:

Collison is a bit of a surprise here. The Hornets had one tiny point guard in Chris Paul and now they have two. They had bigger needs than backup point guard, but I do believe he's going to be terrific in that role ... if Chris Paul ever leaves the floor, that is... Thornton played at LSU so he should feel right at home. He's a nice pick. He's a big-time scorer, but his lack of size and athleticism hurt his stock a bit. He has a chance to stick.

More from Ford, who gives a Hornets a B- grade for the draft:

A team with huge holes in the frontcourt addressed, instead, its backcourt.

I think Collison is rock solid and a terrific backup for Chris Paul. He's steady, he defends and he can really push the pace of the game. Thornton is a terrific scorer who slipped because of his lack of size and so-so athleticism.

I like the picks, with my only issue being that Hornets passed on a few big men who could have helped, like DeJuan Blair, B.J. Mullens and DaJuan Summers.

CBSSports.com on Collison:

Defensive stalwart ideal tag-team partner for Chris Paul ... Play versatile guard along Paul and Hornets fast break becomes blur.

SportingNews.com:

Collison is probably the fastest player in the draft, and he’s an excellent shooter, which is why he’ll be a perfect second-quarter point guard for the Hornets. He’s not terribly decisive in the halfcourt offense. He tends to over-dribble and is not a strong post passer. Those limitations may prevent him from ever becoming a significant regular. The Hornets might have made better use of Sam Young, but Collison is a solid pick.

At The Hive looks at some stats and finds that Collison may be better than most people think. An excerpt:

...let me address the "8th or 9th best point guard" deal. Collison was absolutely not the 8th or 9th best point guard in this draft. He was the 8th or 9th most hyped point guard in this draft. Huge, huge difference. For two straight years, he'd lost his buzz to more famous backcourt mates at UCLA- Russell Westbrook and Jrue Holiday...

Collison is a college senior, a category of player that empirically does not do well in the NBA. Flynn, Evans, and especially Holiday are absolutely teeming with upside while Collison has almost no upside. But can anyone definitively say Collison is not a top 5 point in this draft, filled with so many excellent ones? Absolutely not.

Some video of the newest Hornets:

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Tonight, the Hornets drafted Darren Collison out of UCLA and traded 2 future second round picks to Miami for Marcus Thornton of LSU.

That's a haul I can respect.  Of the players available when we picked, we essentially got my second and fourth choices, with DeJuan Blair slipping fairly deep into the second round with his bad knees(to the Spurs, ouch) and Sam Young sliding inexplicably even further.[Edit: Wups, right before. Doh.]

Once our haul was set, I began to think about where the Hornets were going to fit the new players into the rotation . . . and something interesting began to percolate in my mind.

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