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Since the season ended, the #1 question has been which PG is being traded and when. It looks like we finally have our answer. ESPN is reporting that a four team trade has been finalized that will send Collison and Posey to Indiana, Troy Murphy to the Nets, Courtney Lee to the Rockets, and Trevor Ariza to the Hornets. 

From the Hornets point of view, it is a move that accomplishes multiple objectives. It upgrades the small forward position instantly, both offensively and defensively. It also sheds the second worst contract the Hornets have on the books, and finally it shows Chris Paul that management is going all in on him as their point guard and leader of the future. Of course Paul can opt out in two years and leave the team with no floor general, but the front office is showing that they aren't going to be held captive by fear and "what-ifs."

Financially, the Hornets will pay Ariza slightly less than they would have paid Posey over the next two years and will save approximately 1.5 million this year if you include shipping out Collison. Of course that money will likely be spent on whomever the new backup point guard will be, so the savings is negligible in reality. 

On the court, the upgrade from Posey to Ariza will be rather substantial on both ends of the court. Ariza is only 25 and averaged 15 points per game in his first full season as a starter last season. Defensively, he is both good as an on-ball and off the ball weakside defender who can fill passing lanes and get the Hornets out in transition with frequency. 

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As Monty Williams continues assembling what appears to be a talented group of assistants, one name remains missing. Former Hornets assistant Robert Pack, credited by both Darren Collison and Marcus Thornton as crucial in their development last season, has yet to sign with a basketball team for the coming season.

If Monty's brief track record of cleaning house is any indication, there won't be an announcement that Pack is returning. The Hornets have yet to retain a single coach from last year, in what is likely an attempt to cleanse the locker of of any lingering resentment from last year, and an effort to eliminate the mentality from the Bower era.

While Monty Williams isn't the first coach to completely clean house, and won't be the last, it seems unwise not to retain a coach as obviously talented and familiar with the team as Pack. The New Orleans native is a 13 year NBA veteran and has coached for only a single season. Despite being new to the coaching game, Pack played a huge role in the development of the rookies, both of whom gave the Hornets considerably more than was expected.

Earlier this summer I asked Marcus Thornton about Robert Pack and all of a sudden Thornton, who had been rather emotionless up to that point, seemed genuinely interested in the conversation.

Joe: I wanted to ask a little about Robert Pack and the role he played in your development.

Marcus: Ah man, he was huge. Me and DC will both vouch for him. I hope he's back because he was a big part of our success last year.

Joe: Anything specific?

Marcus: He was just there when we needed him. He brought us in hours and hours before practice and just made us do what we had to do to get better. He was a player once, so he knows what he's doing out there.

The Hornets had no comment when asked about Pack. What do you think? Is it worth it to bring back Robert Pack, or should the team continue it's complete house cleaning?

Perhaps nobody informed Chris Paul, but his recent rumblings about wanting to win do nothing but hinder the Hornets, his Hornets, ability to build a contender around him. He claims that his number one goal is to win a title in New Orleans, but the recent leaks from his camp leave the Hornets in a position in which they are unable to build around Paul in fear of losing everything.

The Hornets best chance to substantially improve their roster this year, trading Darren Collison to shore up a weaker position, turned to dust, at least temporarilly, at the global realization that Chris Paul is truly intent on leaving New Orleans. An example of a trade like this is the Granger deal talked about weeks ago. Although that trade was fabricated out of thin air, the reality remains that a highly beneficial trade is possible, but only if Paul is committed for the long term.

On a team with tons of expiring contracts and only one true non-essential player with high trade value it seemed a forgone conclusion that if the season was going well, a deal sending Collison out of town would be announced before the trade deadline. That was how the Hornets would be able to add talented players this season in spite of their salary obligations. That was how they would position themselves as a premier destination for players in the summer of 2011. All in all, that was how they could become a contender in the short term with Chris Paul.

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Two months into the season the media and basketball junkies worldwide are going to be talking about the New Orleans Hornets and Chris Paul as if they just crawled out of the swamp to become one of the better teams in the Western Conference. When that happens remember this post.

You see, the memory of NBA fans can be compared to a stoned elephant, or perhaps a goldfish swimming in Everclear. As soon as something new and flashy comes along or an completely fluke injury occurs to a star player they do a 180 on their stance, sometimes completely contradicting their previous sentiment.

Think about it for a second- Two years ago the Hornets were considered dark horse title contenders. ESPN experts had them as the second most likely team to win the NBA title. They weren't unrealistic though, and had the foresight to essentially predict what would wind up happening.

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Looking forward to next season we will be taking a look at Danny Granger and why it might not be so far fetched to think that he could be dealt at some point this season. Yesterday I talked about how the Hornets should just lay low this summer and wait until the season is under way to add players.

Granger, a New Orleans native, is exactly the type of player that the Hornets should be looking to acquire due to his on court skills, the Pacers recent draft picks, their team needs, and most importantly their ownership situation.

Let's start with taking a look at what kind of player he is. Here are some basic stats comparing Granger to the average NBA small forward, adjusted for playing time of course. The league average reflects guys who played 40 or more games at small forward and averaged in excess of 25 minutes per game. All stats are per 40 minutes.

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