New Orleans Pelicans facing first season without an established star
The Chris Paul Era
Two playoff seasons, two fired coaches. However, Byron Scott was brought back for a second season despite only winning 18 games. That poor record gave New Orleans a chance to bring in the biggest star to date, Chris Paul. Brandon Bass was also drafted, giving some LSU fans reason to pay attention.
David West and Rookie of the Year Chris Paul led the young team to a respectable 38 wins. There were late season playoff possibilities, but a poor run of form paired with a suspension to Anderson meant New Orleans would again miss the playoffs. However, the team had a bonafide star in Paul and real optimism moving forward.
It was during that season and the next that the team faced many logistical nightmares due to Hurricane Katrina. Two busted picks in the draft shoulder some blame for the team stagnating like the still-water left after the storm. With Paul and West developing chemistry, the team only improved one win over the previous season, finishing 39-43.
In only his second year, Paul was in the “young star” conversation. West was in the formidable second tier of All-Star caliber players being overlooked nationally. Byron Scott was retained for a third season.
That second-third season (6th in NOLA, 3rd for Scott) was a charm. The team finished 56-26, thanks to additions of Peja Stojakovic and Tyson Chandler. Both were on the edges of secondary star recognition. Chris Paul excited the crowds nightly as the Hornets won the division and earned the second seed. Byron Scott won coach of the year.
The franchise got its first playoff series win, which was extra delightful because they eliminated Dallas. The second round series went to a Game 7, but the opposing coach was Gregg Popovich, who was leading the defending NBA champs. New Orleans took the Spurs to the brink, but needed the wounds and lessons of that series loss to grow from.
Tyson Chandler fell apart the next season, missing 37 games. The other four starters missed a combined 68 full games, with some early exits to boot. A first round exit to the Carmelo-led Nuggets was littered with blowouts, as the Hornets depth was depleted.
Still, they had two All-Stars and a bright future. Chris Paul signed his contract extension and the team had flexibility going forward.
Byron Scott started his fourth season horribly and was fired just nine games into the season. GM Jeff Bower stepped into the lead chair, and invited Tim Floyd back into the New Orleans coaching fold. Rookie Darren Collison flashed potential through the season, but ultimately the Hornets finished last in the Southwest Division.
Those high hopes were drowned out by apathy. The coaching carousel made little sense and the skeleton crew front office was barely functional. There is a reason George Shinn is a cursed name in Charlotte and New Orleans.
Shinn’s mismanagement hampered the first seasons of Dell Demps and Monty Williams. But the addition of college star Emeka Okafor added some star power to the roster. New Orleans jumped to 46 wins and a playoff berth, but were eliminated by the Lakers in the first round.
The turmoil behind the scenes did not help matters. Shinn’s scheming led to him relinquishing the team. This ordeal led to the Chris Paul trade disaster that tainted both the franchise and NBA commissioner David Stern. The NBA lockout paired with the trade nonsense was a stain on the whole season.
The next season had only Okafor and then-promising Eric Gordon to lead New Orleans. The abbreviated season suppressed any leaps of development for most of the roster. The Paul trade shook the franchise into a lost season. Carl Landry and a young Trevor Ariza were the lone bright spots. But again, the team was about to land another superstar.