Last season the New Orleans Hornets were somewhat of a surprise team in the Western Conference as they were able to get back into the playoffs and actually gave the two-time defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers a run for their money in the first round of the playoffs. Even though they won two games in that series against the Lakers, the Hornets still fell short and were knocked out of contention by Kobe Bryant and company.

The interesting thing about that series was that the Hornets had to start their campaign in the playoffs without their leading scorer David West. Without West, the Hornets were thought to stand no chance to compete against the defending champs and possibly get swept. That didn’t turn out to be the case as the recently acquired Carl Landry came in and filled the void at forward.

Now two-time All-Star forward David West was faced with tough decision about his future. David West could either opt out of the last year of his contract ($7.5 million) to become a free agent or sign an extension with the Hornets. Despite the new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) expiring and the new CBA being potentially devastating to new player contracts in the NBA, West chose to be a free agent and test his worth on the open.

Not only will this move by David West make the New Orleans Hornets a weaker squad moving forward, but this could convince perennial All-Star point guard Chris Paul that it is time to move on. If CP3 heads elsewhere via trade or free agency, the Hornets will almost certainly begin an extensive rebuilding process that could take the franchise years to get back into playoff contention in the Western Conference.

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