Last season the Hornets were within a win of advancing to the Western Conference Finals, but they couldn’t close out the cagey Spurs. This season, perenial-MVP candidate Chris Paul will try to take the still young Hornets a step further.

The core of the 07-08 team is returning as Tyson Chandler, David West, Julian Wright, Peja Stojakovic and Morris Peterson are back. Janero Pargo is gone and the most important player in the NBA, James Posey signed with NO as a free agent. Devin Brown has also been signed to replace Pargo off the bench.

Of course, why even talk about anyone else? New Orleans is home to The CP3 Show. (With regular appearances by Chandler as “The Oop.”) There’s no getting around it – the guy is sick. His scoring and assists have gone up all three years he’s played in the league. He averaged 21 points and 11 assists in the regular season last year and only got better in the Playoffs, putting up 24 and 11. Chris Paul also loves to bowl. The kid can do no wrong.

The Hornets should again be near the top of a crowded Western Conference. Was last year’s playoff run enough of an experience builder or will they again hit the wall that many Championship teams face for multiple years before finally winning a title? The Hornets should win anywhere from 55-65 games, be a top-4 seed out West and run deep into the Playoffs. How deep is the only question.