Team Dreamin' 2011: New Orleans Hornets

The New Orleans Hornets dodged a bullet this offseason when Chris Paul decided to stay put. Like Carmelo Anthony, Paul has sometimes seemed less than thrilled with his situation, and for a while toward the beginning of summer, it certainly seemed as though he were going to force a trade situation. Now, with the season here, it looks like the Hornets have managed to secure their star point guard for the upkeeping season. But how can they keep him happy until after the 2011-2012 season, when his contract expires, and even beyond? How can they become a winning team that any star would want to play for?


Like most questions in life, I believe this one can be answered by David Simon. You see, when Simon decided to make a show about New Orleans, he wisely came to the conclusion that in order for Treme be truly authentic, he would have to get Dr. John involved. So as he started working on the first season, he brought the venerable New Orleans musician in as an advisor and guest star. Unfortunately, when the Hornets moved to New Orleans, they didn't even have the courtesy to call the Dr. It's not too late to amend this, though.


The Hornets need to do away with the whole silly idea of a house DJ playing Black Eyed Peas travesty after Black Eyed Peas travesty and formally invite Dr. John and his friends to be the house band at the New Orleans Arena. Think about how pumped up the Hornets players would get if timeouts prompted The Night Tripper to launch into "Right Place, Wrong Time," rather than prompting some dude in a booth to press play on "Let's Get It Started."

Could make all the difference, Hornets.