John Reid, of the Times Picayune writes that Alexander got waived. I like that. What about signing Dampier now that another roster spot is open. Last week I read that the Hornets had interest in him and as has been stated on this site, he could really help with his rebounding, size and also defense. I dont know what other teams problems are with him, but I think he is an upgrade over Mbenga and would complement Gray as the backup - depending on matchup.

Or do you guys think that a trade with one more guy coming in than being sent out is immenent?

It was just reported that the Hornets signed Michael Washington for the training camp. I think its a great way to beef up the frontcourt. I checked out what draftexpress had to say and they were raving about his physicality and that he seems to be a true speciman. With 6'10'' and a mean streak he could be a good 3rd PF and really help with the defense.
It really creats competition during training camp. Three players have to be cut and I have the feeling that all players in camp are at least serviceable. It is such a different approach this year than all the other years before. Competition and the unknown of whether you make the team or not. Those on the verge of being cut will not only push the others with unguaranteed contracts but the established guys as well. I hope it shows on the court and lights some fire under the team.

So, the Amundson thing didn't work as planed. Who else would you wanna sign. It probably would have to be somebody willing to come for the vets minimum. I just read that Nana Papa Yaw Dwene "Pops" Mensah-Bonsu is returning to the NBA. I think he could be a viable option. Here is a quote from Ridiculous Upside:

He was an absolute stud for Great Britain's hational team during their play this summer in the Eurobasket qualifiers.  In eight games, Mensah-Bonsu averaged 19.3 points and 13.5 rebounds with his best game probably being 32 points, 21 rebounds and four blocks he hung on Bosnia as part of a 94-85 victory on August 26.

He wont duplicate that in the NBA, but it shows the guy can play. He is 6'9'', but could probably only play PF. He also was a D-League standout. Demps could really have his eyes on him.

The other known options are Earl Barron and Josh Boone. What do you guys think, will one of these three be a Hornet pretty soon? (Pops is to sign very soon, like we havent heard that before).

Will the Hornets start with a roster of 14 or 15 players?

<strong>Topherprice</strong> posted this at hornets247.com:
According to @MikedupRadiocom: @SpearsNBAYahoo @EricPincus Lou amundson to sign with #gsw soon...Donnie Nelson OUT, Assistant Keith Smart taking over.
This kind of fills in the blanks for what Lou's agent was saying about waiting to see how "something" shook out before they signed. He said they would sign quickly once that thing they were waiting to develop was finalized. Guess its on to Barron. (I hope Topher doesnt mind me quoting him)

thats what I found out so far and had to say:
I checked those twitter accounts and there last messeges and couldnt find any indication that either spear or pincus tweeted or said anything about Luo and GSW closing the deal, or nellie being out.
spears tweeted: Warriors sign athletic swingman Rodney Carney, but not close to signing athletic big man Lou Amundson. (on sept. 8th and hasnt said anything else about that since then)
ericpincus actually only retweeted the tweet by mikeup, but had no tweet containing any info about Lou himself.
that doesnt mean it wont happen like this mike said, but there is no indication his "sources" said anything themselves. I think its weird situation and if Lou actually signs with GS, it would be a great loss for us.

What do you guys think?

Correction on my part:

Topher just informed me that I misunderstood the timeline and direction of information. He corrected me and said that this Mike guy informed Spears and Pincus and not the other way around. Still, the word seems to be Nellies is out and that was the only thing holding Lou from signing with GS. Lets see what happens.

Hi everyone. Its the dog days of agust (alright almost september) and I was looking at the hornets lineup again. We all agree that we need another Center and another Point Guard. I still hope that we sign Amundson and/or Ike as backup Power Forwards and that Bracks pans out. For the first time in ages, I think we all can agree that the Shooting Guard and Small Forward positions are set and really good (that feels good just typing it, I cant wait to actually see it). If we sign Amundson (shouldnt his "Decision" have happened already?) another quality plaer is needed at the Center position. My idea is to trade for Samuel Dalembert of the Kings. We send them Peja and maybe another second round draft pick and cash consideration. Peja used to be a fan favourit there and probably wouldnt mind ending his career in SacTown. Dalembert is "only" 29 and also expires after this season. Moreover, the Kings have a couple of young Center and Power Forward prospects and probably dont really need Dalembert.

The money works and our frontline would actually look really good with Okafor/Dalembert/Gray and West/(Amundson)/Bracks.

What do you guys think? Is it plausible and good for both teams?

[Thanks to berlinhornets and Qblank119 for breaking the news. For now, I'm assuming Shakur will be third string. Either way, this is a monumentally historic day for those who are fans of both 2Pac and the Hornets. -Rohan]

According to DraftExpress we have our new PG from the bench. DraftExpress wrote:

Mustafa Shakur has agreed to a partially guaranteed contract with the New Orleans Hornets, reliable sources tell DraftExpress.

They contiue raving about the signing and think it was a great move by Demps. I tend to believe DraftExpress and their talent evaluation, since they watch all these players and their developments even whene they are not in the NBA anymore. Shakur played in the NBADL last season. So we have our first D-League call up now.

In their eyes he seems to be a high reward low risk signing. I tend to agree.

source: http://www.draftexpress.com/

I was thinking about the upcoming draft and what we need and what might actually be there. Looking at out roster and our weaknesses everybody agrees that we need a big man to defend and rebound. In the upcoming draft a lot of big men will be available. Nevertheless, I think there are only four to really consider since they are sure contributors: Monroe, Aldrich, Patterson and Udoh (in that order). All the other bigs are mainly projects (and I dont want another of those - Armstron, Simmons, JuJu...). 

My hope is that we get one of the above mentioned and we can be pretty sure that this years draft will be a success just like last years draft (Udoh has his offensive limitations but could work with CP3 and DC very well). If none of these four are available I recommend drafting Motiejunas and stashing him in Europe for one more year and let him grow. He'd be the best talent available and could become a perfect replacement for Peja (whose contract is running out), since he could slide between the 3 and the four. The next season still wont be a run at the title anyway. We still have Ike(hopefully healthy) to back up West. Moreover, Donatas wouldnt count against this years salary cap. This could be helpful in obtaining another free agent via trade or signing. Most good teams (well mainly the Spurs) take this rout and usually are quite successful with it.

What do you guys think.