First of all, can you tell us a little about your background and how you came to work for the Hornets?

Let me start by saying thank you for inviting me to do this. You and Ryan Schwan do a great job and I know I speak for many people who follow the Hornets in saying that the writing and sense of humor that Hornets247 consistently provides makes this website a very entertaining read.

In terms of my background, I began my career as a newspaper sportswriter near my hometown in western New York. I worked full time for two small daily papers that primarily covered high school and Division III college sports, along with Syracuse University football and basketball, but I also wrote feature articles on NBA players for basketball magazines, including SLAM, Inside Stuff and Hoop. Due to my proximity to Toronto, I would periodically squeeze in trips to Raptors home games on my off days to interview/profile guys like Chris Bosh and Matt Bonner, or opposing players who were visiting Toronto.

I remember one week where I covered a high school volleyball match on Thursday, drove to Toronto on Friday for a Raptors game, then came back to New York on Saturday to cover high school football. It was kind of surreal, because one night I might be at a volleyball match with 50 people in the stands, then the next night I'd be in Toronto's Air Canada Centre, sitting courtside with a media credential from a national publication. And I'd look around the arena and see 20,000 people in the seats.

So basically I was simultaneously doing a combination of mostly thankless assignments (for my newspaper) and "glamorous" work (for the magazines). It made me realize even more that I needed to get a full-time job in the NBA.
In October 2005, I saw online that the Hornets had a job opening for a writer and sent in my resume and copies of magazine articles I'd written. I was hired a few weeks later by the team's marketing director, who chose me primarily because I already had NBA writing experience.

Despite knowing I would have to move halfway across the country to a state I had never even visited, the decision was probably the biggest no-brainer of my life. The chance to work exclusively in the NBA had been my main focus for several years.

What's the best part of your job?

It's tough to narrow this down, but since I was already so long-winded on question one, I will attempt to be concise... I think the best part is the fact that I get paid to do something I love. I watched a million NBA games a year before I ever imagined being paid a cent to write about the league, because I truly enjoy the sport. The fact that I actually get a paycheck every two weeks now is a dream scenario for me.

This job is not what any reasonable person would deem "work." I half-jokingly tell my friends that if they ever hear me complaining about my job, they have my advance permission to immediately slap me. Hard.

What's your take on the Hornets trading their draft pick last week? Should we expect to see the team making noise in free agency?

I was a little surprised at first by the decision to trade it, but after you look at all of the different factors, including the guaranteed money you have to commit to a first-rounder now matter how late you pick, it makes sense. I'd much rather see that cash go to a proven veteran who can help in 2008-09, if that's how it plays out in free agency.

Frankly, the Hornets' rise to contender status last season was so rapid that it takes a little getting used to the fact that they are now thinking in terms of "championship," not eking out a playoff berth like in the two previous seasons. They are clearly not as concerned about three years from now as they were in, say, October 2007. At the same time, three core players are 23, 25 and 27, so it's not like there is a huge risk of completely mortgaging the future to pursue a title now. Chris Paul, Tyson Chandler and David West are going to be here a long time.

In terms of free agency, I am surprised by some of the names that people are reporting to be realistic options for New Orleans. But I never thought there was a snowball's chance that the Hornets would sign Peja Stojakovic two years ago, either.

Jeff Bower seems to be a little cagey when asked about his plans. Does he remain so when off the record?

From what I've seen, Jeff doesn't go off the record very often, and when he does, I doubt he would ever delve into something as momentous as what he's planning to do in free agency. Not to put words in other people's mouths, but I think any GM would feel the same way. It's too risky to give out information to reporters that could affect negotiations or provide other teams with an indication of your intentions, even if you genuinely trust those reporters.

One of the things that stands out about Jeff is that he has a humble, down-to-earth demeanor that makes him extremely well-liked within the organization. He doesn't walk around acting like he's the general manager of an NBA team and above everyone else. But don't be fooled: He is extremely intelligent, well-prepared and thorough. Casual fans still might not know his name, but it's no accident that he's become one of the best executives in the NBA.

You got to see a lot of the pre-draft workouts in New Orleans. Can you describe what those are like?

They're probably not as exciting or interesting as some people believe. Basically, workouts consist of 3-on-3 halfcourt games, shooting drills and individual physical testing. In other words, it's a lot of things that give talent evaluators snippets of a player's ability, but much of it doesn't translate to what a player can do in an actual 5-on-5 fullcourt game.

Personally, I don't think the workouts should be treated as a major piece of the evaluation of a specific player. Everyone I've talked to in the Hornets front office seems to feel similarly, that it doesn't make sense to greatly factor workout results into how you view a prospect. If a guy has played 100 college basketball games against high-level Division I competition and performed a certain way, that's a much better indication of what he'll do in the pros than how he fares in a three-hour workout.

However, one of the underrated aspects of workouts is that they give the front office a chance to get to know players on a personal level and find out more about them as people. It also gives Byron Scott and his staff an up-close look at players the team is considering drafting. During the NBA season, there simply is not enough time for Scott and the assistant coaches to watch a lot of college games.

Which Hornets employee doesn't get enough public recognition for the job they do?

It's not easy to select one person, but I think the team's director of promotions and events, Cris Quintana, would be a good choice. One of the reasons I name him is because Cris is the man working behind the scenes on all of our fan-friendly events such as Buzz Fest, the Fan Up pep rallies and many of the community appearances that helped give the Hornets greater visibility in New Orleans last season. He is also responsible for executing the multitude of giveaways and freebies that fans received over the course of the season, including bobblehead dolls, the Fan Up T-shirts and so forth. He was the guy on the phone, tracking down companies that could supply us with 20,000 gold T-shirts for a home playoff game.

When I moved to New Orleans in June 2007, I noticed that there were a relatively small number of people walking around town in Hornets gear. I've seen a huge change in that over the past few months. Now when you go to the mall or walk around downtown, you see infinitely more fans sporting Hornets apparel. Obviously the team's tremendous success on the court in 2007-08 has a lot to do with that, but I also think Cris and his department's promotional efforts deserve credit for this as well. The Fan Up playoff T-shirts, to use one example, seem to be incredibly popular, because I see New Orleanians wearing them all the time now.

Which Hornet (player or coach) gives the best interview?

The 2007-08 team was the best group of athletes I've ever been around in terms of interviews. I enjoyed talking with pretty much everyone, but I would say the best interviewees were probably Tyson Chandler and Melvin Ely. Tyson has been extremely gracious with reporters in every instance I've seen over the past two years. He is unfailingly polite and friendly, and usually has interesting things to say about a lot of different subjects, which is one reason his NBA.com blog has been so popular.

Melvin is one of those guys that you could ask him something as simple as "How did you think you played today?" and he will give you a three-minute response that includes details and probably a self-deprecating joke or two. I remember interviewing him last summer on the day he signed. After talking to him for five minutes, he acted like he'd known me for 10 years. He's a very funny and good-natured guy, from my experience.

Can you explain why Chris Paul is torn between a 3 year and 5 year deal? What are the benefits of the 3 year deal?

I think it comes down to deciding between having more long-term security, or having the freedom to explore your options after a shorter period of time. If you sign a five-year extension, it's great from a financial standpoint and you know where you're going to be playing through 2013-2014. On the other hand, a three-year deal gives you the flexibility to know that in 2012 you'd have the option of becoming an unrestricted free agent. Obviously now everyone is reporting that Chris is planning to sign a four-year extension, so that means his contract in New Orleans would run through the 2012-13 season.

So Chris and now possibly Tyson will be playing for Team USA this summer. Do you think there's much risk for the Hornets with these guys playing international ball?

I haven't heard much concern or talk about Tyson, but Byron Scott has mentioned several times lately that with Chris participating for Team USA this summer, it means Scott will have to monitor Paul more during Hornets training camp and preseason. The last time Chris played for USA Basketball (in 2006), he ended up missing 18 games due to injury the following NBA season (2006-07). Byron is concerned about fatigue and wear and tear, as most NBA coaches who have players in the Olympics will be to an extent.

On the flip side, there is one thing that I think gets overstated about guys playing in international competition: People forget that many NBA players are playing in daily pickup games anyway during the offseason. It's not like they spend the entire summer staying off their feet, then step back on the court a few days before training camp starts. Sometimes people make it sound like the only players in the NBA who are going to be running and playing hoops a lot during the summer are those playing for USA Basketball, when that's definitely not the case.

Mucho thanks to Jim for taking the time to answer all the above. He's hereby added to the official Hornets247 Christmas card list. Leaving you with the links below, were you can check out more good stuff from Mr. Eichenhofer...

• Six things to know about the Salary Cap
  
• Big Easy Buzz Blog

So . . . YAY!

Moving on.  In order for the Clippers to bring Baron and Brand on board, it will become necessary for them to renounce their rights to Corey Maggette.  The impact?  No trades can be made with the Clippers to pick up Maggette, because they no longer have the rights to sign him for more than the salary cap allows.

This means the Hornets can now only go after him by using the Mid-Level Exception, and already I've seen reports that the Celtics, Spurs, and a couple other teams are preparing to make that offer to him.  That's tough competition.

It may be a moot point, however.  I haven't seen any confirmed reports that the Hornets are pursuing Maggette at all.

The only free agents the Hornets appear to be targeting at this time are James Posey and Jannero Pargo. 

Posey is of course getting lots of interest around the league.   From all reports, he's willing to settle for the Mid-Level Exception, but he's already rejected a preliminary offer by the Celtics that was deemed too short.  It seems we'd need to give him the full Mid-Level for 5 years, which would mean he'd be collecting 7 mil at age 36.  Hmm.

Pargo has said he wants to return to the Hornets, but the Nuggets, Nets, and Jazz have also reached out to him in Free Agency.  Of course, those contacts are all reported by Mark Bartelstein, Pargo's agent, so you have to take that information with a grain of salt.

I'm still wondering though, what big man the Hornets are targeting.  There's been a lot of rumblings in the organization that they have one in mind, but no reports have surfaced that I've seen.  Diop appears to be off the market already - going to Dallas.  Turiaf is restricted.  Najera has said he wants the same amount he made last year.(When he was overpaid) Chris Andersen has been brought in by the Celtics to work out for them.  Hope something surfaces soon.

I'll keep these updates going as long as new information appears.

I don't actually believe that.  People can change.  But I do believe that people don't truly change unless something seriously life-altering occurs.   All those seminars to teach people how to be more effective, or more motivated, or more disciplined?  They don't work.  At best, the person may pick up one thing to help them on their way - if they are already inclined that way.  If a person is normally lazy(like me), or disorganized(like me), or selfish(sometimes, yes), they pretty much stay that way unless something occurs that both kicks them in the teeth AND makes them realize it's a specific bad habit that makes them suffer.

Baron Davis?  He's been insulated his whole life.  People have sucked up to him since high school, and so far he's been rewarded for his style every step he's taken.  He's never suffered a real check.  It was no surprise to me when he opted out at the last possible moment from his contract, stunning the Warriors and leaving them grasping at straws while he agreed to terms with the Clippers.  I knew that Baron wasn't staying in Golden State from the moment Don Nelson benched him in an important game late last season.  With that one action Nelson had become a roadblock.  An annoyance.  Baron doesn't deal with those, he just goes somewhere else.  He's done it before.

The tipping point for Baron wanting to leave the Hornets was when the Hornets passed a team rule excluding  personal trainers from the practice center.  Baron wanted his, and in a petulant snit, he brought his trainer to the center and stretched with him on the sidewalk.  When the Hornets held firm, his campaign to leave New Orleans began in earnest.  The Hornets, and the straight-talking Byron Scott, had become annoyances.  It was time to leave.

I feel for the Golden State fans.  When Baron, playing for the Hornets, threw down two triple doubles in the playoffs against the Magic, shoving McGrady's claim that he was the best player on the floor in his face, I couldn't have been happier.  Baron was my boy.  My wife still reminds me of that fact to this day.  Golden State got to experience that glorious crushing of the Mavericks.  They got to see Baron at his best. Now they get to see him at his worst.

Baron is, at heart, a selfish person who typically takes the easy way out.  You can see it on the basketball floor.  He takes too many stupid off-balance three pointers, eschewing the effort it would take to go to the hole, despite being one of the best in the league at it.  He plays the Point, but makes sure the glory goes his way - through direct assists or scoring on his part.  Entry passes, disciplined offense, tight defense?  Too much work. Play a full season?  Rarely - and it isn't a surprise he played a full one this year, considering he was going for a new contract. 

Now, he's not all bad.  He'll make gestures, like throwing 50k New Orleans way after the hurricane and the way he said good things about his teammates in the flush of victory during their magical playoff run.  Still, those are easy things, cheap in effort, and need to be identified as such.

In the end, if the Clippers want this to work, Dunleavy had better be at his butt-kissing best, the Front Office had better make sure they have a back up point guard capable of playing 20+ games a season as a starter, and Clippers fans had better brace themselves, because when Baron leaves, it stings all the more because he will do it with indifference, not even caring enough to muster contempt.

Either of those two players are possible, but 'possible' is about the strongest word I can use.  The Celtics would be fools to let Posey walk, and their window for a repeat is only good for a couple more years at best anyways.  They should keep him.  Maggette opted out of a contract paying him 7mil, and I have a hard time seeing him taking less money than that - and the Hornets can only offer a little short of 6 million.

We have been helped a little by Baron Davis and Elton Brand opting out of their contracts.  With those two guys joining Gilbert Arenas in a Free Agent market that only has a couple teams that can offer much in the way of cash, it makes the available cash that much tighter.  That could translate into Maggette taking the Mid-Level exception from some team.  Still, I'm not sure I'd want the Hornets to passively hope that Maggette, who will be bound to get multiple offers of the Mid-Level Exception, would select them over the other teams.  I've always believed that if there's a player you want, you should figure out what you're willing to give up for him, and make an aggressive play.  So of course, my inclination would be for the Hornets to go hard after Maggette.  I would love to have them see if the Clippers would bite on a Sign and Trade.  How about:

Morris Peterson + Rasual Butler + a 2009 1st Round Pick for
Corey Maggette signed to a 5-year $40-45 million deal.

The Clips aren't exactly floating in wing shooters, having only a badly aging Cat Mobley, a Slashing non-shooter Al Thornton, and rookie Eric Gordon to play those positions.  Adding Peterson as a solid big shooter and Butler as a possible defender/shooter who conveniently has an expiring contract the same year Thornton needs an extension seems like something they'd have to consider.  And the 1st round pick is a nice sweetener.

If I were Jeff Bower, I'd also think hard about a package to try and pry Udonis Haslem from the Heat.  With Beasley in the fold, they don't need Haslem so badly and Udonis can't really play the center position full time.  With Shawn Marion also there, something has to give.  Would Hilton Armstrong, Mike James, a re-signed Chris Andersen, and a couple second round picks be enough to get Haslem?  Hilton and Andersen would shore up the Heat's hole at the center spot, and Riley likes veteran points.  Mike James could be the ball-handling deep threat the Heat need to put next to Dwayne Wade.

So - that's my speculation for the day.  Hopefully we'll hear something exciting soon.

(Click each image for a larger version.)

(From left to right: Shannon, Martine, Jessica and Krista.)

Okay, enough of that. In actual basketball news, free agency begins at midnight tonight, and there's talk of the Hornets targeting Corey Maggettes, Ben Gordons, Ron Artests and perhaps even Josh Childresseseses. I'd link to something solid to back up these wild rumors, but such a link does not exist

Maybe tomorrow.

(Thanks once again to Matt McIntosh of Storm Surge Photography for the pictures.)

Irritated with the source that broke the news, and more irritated with the Times-Picayune continued coverage of the news.  The T-P reporters continue to act like the deal is already done and just waiting on a soon-to-be completed call to the League Office, basically spouting what was stated by the ESPN source.  That's not the case.

During the interview, Jeff Bower answers a question about when the trade will be completed, and he said, quite clearly, "Not until the draft."

He also states multiple times that they don't consider themselves out of the draft yet, and that there are other options.  He does make it pretty clear that this is the most likely outcome of the draft.

In my opinion, it sounds like Bower is doing what he should be doing.  He will wait until the guys he wants are off the board, and then call Portland and sell them the pick, having been convinced that there isn't anyone else in the draft that's worth more to the team right now than $1 million in money that could be spent on a free agent.

I guess I have myself to blame for running with a source-reported item, but this does make me feel better about how the Hornets are handling the draft than I did yesterday.

The Hornets have $58.8 Million in Salaries currently on the books for Peja, Chandler, West, James, Peterson, Paul, Butler, Armstrong, Wright and Ely. (Ely hasn't indicated if he'll become a free agent yet.)

That number puts us over the cap right now. The Cap is not expected to rise very much, and last year it was $55.6 million.

Since we are over the cap, we can offer:

• Any number of contracts worth a total of $5.7 million per year to various Free Agents, using the Mid-Level Exception.
  
  
• A contract to Pargo, who holds Early Bird Rights (for playing a continuous two years with the Hornets); a deal worth up to $3.5 million a year (175% of last year's salary), OUTSIDE of the Mid-Level Exception.
  
  
• A contract to Bonzi Wells, who also holds his Early Bird Rights (his time with Houston counts; you can't lose your Bird rights through a trade), any contract up to about $4.0 million a year, OUTSIDE of the Mid-Level Exception.
  
  
• As many contracts as we want to players who will accept the veteran minimum.

BUT all of this spending is limited by the Luxury Tax line. Last year, the Hornets spent right up to that line, coming under it by a few hundred thousand. I would expect that we will do the same thing this year.

That line was set at $68 million last year. So we have about $9 million to spend.

If we had not sold the draft pick, we would have had $8 million to spend. The amount of money the Hornets got for the pick is undisclosed. Whether it goes into the pocket of Shinn or not depends on whether the Hornets make money this year or not.

An example would be; We sign Pargo for $3.5 million a year, Bonzi Wells for $4 million a year, and have $2.5 million to spend on a Free Agent Big like Ronny Turiaf.

Funny, isn't it?  I spent so much time posting about how unlikely(71% chance of a bust) it is to get a viable player from a pick so late in the draft, but when the pick was sold, I can't help but feel a boatload of disappointment. 

I guess a lot of that is how the pick was shipped out.  I would have been excited to see it used as a sweetener for a trade for a veteran.  I would have been pleased to see it used in the draft, even if the chances of a successful pick were small.   I could have lived with the Hornets trading out of the first round and into the second to pick up multiple picks and cut down on guaranteed salary.

But to outright sell it to Portland for cash?  Really? Have we not seen how poorly that has worked out for Phoenix?

I know this is a business.  I know the Hornets have a long history of making moves solely to put a little more money in the bank:  They reached an agreement with Peja to sign as a free agent, only to turn around and allow him to sign with Indiana and then be traded to us - giving Indiana a huge trade exception to play with - for a reported sum of $250k.  Last year, we took on the contracts of Mile Ilic and Bernard Robinson from the Nets, allowing them to get under the luxury tax line.  What did the Hornets get out of it?  Cash payments.  Reportedly, those cash payments covered the contracts value and then some, giving the Hornets a little money.  I applauded those moves then - the Hornets aren't the most financially solvent ball club around, and every little bit helps.

This is different though.  The Hornets are right there.  I truly believe they are just two consistent bench players away from being a contender for the title.  The 27th pick of the draft, no matter your take it's value, is still an asset, and the Hornets gave it away for cash.  Is cash for the Hornets an asset?  Yes.  Is it an asset to the team on the floor?  Not so much.

I'm sure there will be spin to this decision.  There always is.  Not selecting in the draft does free up around 1 million dollars of salary room over the next couple years, but I want to be honest about that number.  Add that million to our other expiring contracts, and we are still not under the cap.  With Peja, West, Chandler, Mo Pete and Paul's soon to exist extension, we won't be under the cap for another three years at best.  That means the million can't be used to sign Free Agents from outside the team.  The best we can do with it is throw it at a Hornets player who is now a Free Agent.(you can go over the salary cap to sign your own players)  Maybe it's needed to resign Pargo - Or the team has decided to bring back Ryan Bowen, Chris Anderson or Bonzi Wells and need that million to get it done.

Those are all legitimate reasons for the trade, but I've seen those guys.  None of them are the consistent bench player we need, not even Pargo.  So it feels like - at best - we've dumped a player with unknown potential to retain an already flawed part.  Hence, my disappointment.

Oh - one last thing - can you imagine how great it would be to be a Portland fan right now?  A team of young, solid players and an owner who lets his GM be like a kid in a candy store, buying anything he can get his hands on.  It's enough to breed jealousy and a desire to send Henry Abbott of TrueHoop(a Blazers Fan) a congratulatory note with lots of bitter undertones in an attempt to make him feel bad for his good fortune. 

I'm not a petty man.  Really.  I swear.

[EDIT: This post was causing the site to load badly for some folks, so I took out the embedded videos and just linked to the respective pages on YouTube. Of course, these videos aren't exactly relevant anymore since the Hornets look to be trading the 27th pick.]

Mario Chalmers
6-1 point guard from Kansas | DraftExpress profile

• Chalmers highlight mix
  

Chris Douglas-Roberts
6-7 swingman from Memphis | DraftExpress profile

• CDR highlight mix
  
• Bonus video: CDR dunks on Kevin Love
  

Jamont Gordon
6-3 combo-guard from Mississippi St. | DraftExpress profile

• Gordon's no-look dish results in a jam
  
  

Courtney Lee
6-5 two-guard from Western Kentucky | DraftExpress profile

• Lee highlight mix

Recently, I've been trying to get a handle on three things, which I will present to you today:

1. How deep is this draft, really.
2. Which players are going to be value picks if they land where projected.
3. Which players are workout wonders who will end up being taken too high.

Figuring these things out has been made greatly easier over the last week as the major sites all released their statistical analysis for the players in the draft.  Hollinger over at ESPN dropped his over the weekend, and DraftExpress has done some great by-the-numbers stuff for each position.  The Wages of Wins Journal has also spit out a set of draft analysis.  As a stat geek who could only watch College Ball in bits and pieces during the season, these are invaluable to me. 

So the first question - and one that should be most important to Hornets fans since our team holds the 27th pick:  How deep is this draft, really?  A lot of sites have stated that the best feature of this draft is how deep it is.  Most claim that there will still be lots of solid players available in the second round.  Applying my own analysis of the numbers presented above . . . I get right around 28 guys who will be worth drafting.  Is that an unusual number? Let me point you to the "Value of a Draft Pick" post I made before.  Apply those numbers, and you get about 20 guys worth drafting per year.

So yes, this draft seems deeper than usual.  Will that mean if the Hornets trade the 27th pick and pick up one or more mid-second round(40-50) draft picks, they will get a good prospect?  No.  Look at the chart in the Value of a Draft Pick post.  After the 38th pick, you have, on average, a 3% chance of getting someone who will contribute.  3%.  Even if you wanted to stretch and say this draft could possibly be twice as good as any other, you're giving yourself a 6% chance of success.  No thanks.  If the Hornets move the 27th pick for picks later in the draft, I'll be writing off the draft and just be happy that second rounders don't get guaranteed money - and hoping free agency isn't so disappointing.

Here's my list of players who will be value picks:

1) Marreese Speights
This guy could go anywhere from 10th to 30th according to most of the information I've been able to gather, mostly because hes looked somewhat out of shape and teams question his committment to basketball.  Here's the rub:  Statistically, he's probably the best big man in this draft behind Michael Beasley and Kevin Love.  That's with him being fat and possibly disinterested.  Take this guy, get him into an NBA weight training regimen, and see if he doesn't explode.

2) Mario Chalmers
The numbers love this guy.  Chalmers is not mistake prone, an efficient shooter, and does well in stats that most basketball stats guys say are good predictors for athletic success in the Pros.  Chalmers is probably the third, and maybe the second, best point guard prospect in this draft.  If he falls to the Hornets, I'm going to gurgle with happiness.  You heard me.  Gurgle.

3) Richard Hendrix
This guy is almost universally regarded as an early second round, possible late first round pick.  The perception of him is that he's an undersized banger with little skills.  The statistics tell the story that he's good at some things that don't fit that description.  He's a surprisingly good passer, remarkably good at holding on to the ball, and is one of the 5 best rebounders in this draft.  He deserves to go in the early 20s, late teens.

4) DJ White
DJ is the classic tweener that everyone writes off,  allows to slip to the beginning of the second round, and then surprises everyone by playing well.  He's good enough to eventually be the first big man off the bench for a lot of teams, based on his adjusted college numbers.  Like Hendrix, he probably should go in the early 20s.  Instead, he'll probably go at the beginning of the second round.

5) Pat Calathes
Pat has been generally ignored after posting several very good seasons.  Sure, he'll never be an unstoppable scorer.  However, he probably will be the guy who can do all the little things, defend well, get your team a few baskets and be worth 20 minutes a game on the floor.  That means he should go 20th-30th, not 40th to undrafted like he's projected to go.

Players who are workout wonders, but their numbers say they aren't what they look like:

1) Courtney Lee
*Gasp* I hear you say.  Yes.  The player the rumors say the Hornets have identified as a primary target is overrated.  No, I don't think he'd be a terrible pick at 27.  However, the numbers say that Lee feasted on easy competition at WKU and that his stats don't actually stand out that much.  The numbers point him to be about the 30th best player in this draft.  Right now he's getting consideration at 19 or 22.  That's too high to take him.

2) Robin Lopez
His brother Brook is solid.  Robin looks like crap according to any stat line, but it looks like somehow he's worked his stock up a good ten slots or so and will be taken around 15th.  Congrats whoever takes him - they've just picked Rafael Araujo.  I guess its fitting that Toronto seems to like him.

3) Russell Westbrook
Westbrook has worked out so well he's high in the Lottery now.  Every workout is accompanied with raves about his athleticism.  Too bad his career at UCLA produced really crappy numbers.  He was turnover prone, shot poorly, scored poorly, and played a lot of minutes while producing very little.  Even his defensive markers were poor.  It appears the GMs are hoping they are drafting the next Rajon Rondo.  Not a chance.  Maybe the next Fred Jones.

4) Anthony Randolph
Please don't hurt me, LSU fans.  Randolph is actually falling down the charts as a result of his workouts.  He started as a top 10 player, and is now likely to go in the mid-teens.  The problem is, according to his adjusted stats, that's still way too high to pick him.  His numbers are absolutely dreadful, and overall his ranking ends up around 40th overall in this draft.  He's only 18, but that's abysmal.  Someone is going to pick him too high.

So here's my updated list of people I'd love to land at 27.  Keep in mind this is a list of people that COULD fall to us there:

1) Speights(I really doubt he falls past 20)
2) Mario Chalmers
3) Richard Hendrix
4) Chris Douglas-Roberts (His numbers are solid, but unspectacular)
5) DJ White
6) Courtney Lee