NEW ORLEANS -- Last season couldn't have been a bigger success for the New Orleans Hornets. They went from missing the playoffs entirely to roaring to the Southwest Division championship and coming within a game of a trip to the Western Conference finals.
This year, they've set their standards higher.
With one of the league's premier players in Chris Paul, an All-Star forward in David West and a budding star in the middle in Tyson Chandler, New Orleans feels it has a nucleus in place to make a run at an NBA title.
And because of that, the most important Hornet this year may not be any of those three or even a starter. Instead, it's the guy they got in the offseason who already knows what it's like to win a championship -- reserve forward James Posey. Obtaining Posey wasn't just a priority -- it was the Hornets' entire offseason shopping list.
Because of his track record as a key cog in title-winning teams in Miami and Boston, Posey didn't come cheaply at four years and $24 million. But the Hornets are hoping his Finals magic dust can make him three-for-his-last-three in leading new employers to a championship.
So far, the Hornets like what they're getting. While he's still learning the offense, his experience and intensity on defense is exactly what the Hornets feel they need come May.
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Copper
