http://www.nola.com/hornets/t-p/index.ssf?/base/sports-1/1084094827180320.xml NEW-AGE MOVEMENT Hornets executives will face some hard choices as they maneuver to build a younger and more athletic team for their move next season to the more competitive Western Conference Sunday, May 09, 2004 By John Reid Staff writer The Hornets were the oldest team in the league this season, with six players older than 32. But all that experience didn't help the team advance beyond the first round of the playoffs for the second consecutive season. Now the Hornets are heading in a new direction. Tim Floyd didn't win enough games, so he was fired Friday. For the new coach, the roster likely will be overhauled to get more younger and athletic players for next season's move to the competitive Western Conference. For the first time since the 2000-01 season, the Hornets' core group -- guards David Wesley and Baron Davis, forwards P.J. Brown and Jamal Mashburn and center Jamaal Magloire -- could be split up. Davis, Brown and Magloire are expected to return, but Mashburn is a likely choice to be traded. And Wesley could be the team's designated player left unprotected for next month's expansion draft and claimed by the Charlotte Bobcats, who start play next season. Wesley has two years remaining on his contract that pays him $4.4 million next season and $4.9 million in 2005-06. Hornets majority owner George Shinn and executive vice president of basketball operations and general manager Bob Bass, who announced his retirement effective June 30, haven't specified which players will stay or go. But they indicated roster changes would occur. "Every player we have is an asset, and we can move those assets any way we want," Shinn said. "We have a feel for the players we want to keep, and we have a feel for players we would rather somebody else have. "We plan to get better with a good draft choice, with possible trades and free agency. I know we're going into a challenging conference. We're going to have to get real good -- not just good but real good." The Hornets are more likely to improve their roster through trades. They are above the salary cap, and Bass said they could only offer a free agent the midlevel exception contract, like the Los Angeles Lakers gave to Karl Malone last summer. The salary cap this season was $43.8 million and the Hornets' salary total was $49 million. The cap has not been set for the 2004-05 season. The Hornets also can get a player through a sign-and-trade deal. Mashburn, who has three years remaining on his contract, remains the most obvious choice among the Hornets' starters to be traded. But his trade value continues to decline because his injured right knee hasn't healed. It forced him to miss 63 regular-season games and the entire playoffs. If they deal him, they would likely want an All-Star caliber frontcourt player in return, along with a decent backup. "I can't worry about what people say or what the organization is trying to do; my main focus is trying to get healthy," Mashburn said. "And if it means for me to play next year or not, that's a decision that I'm going have to make. "I have to wait it out to see how my knee responds over the summer. The people that know about my knee are the doctors. They know how serious it is and why there's no cartilage between the bones and why every time I run, it swells up." Mashburn has a career 19.1 scoring average and he played in the 2003 All-Star Game, but his teammates disliked the way he handled his rehabilitation for his knee problems after he stayed away from the team to do all his work in Miami. During the playoffs he was banished by the team for comments he made about the Hornets' misdiagnosing some of his past injuries. "In my opinion, Mashburn is an incredible talent. An absolute terrific talent," Shinn said. "He's had some problems. If Mashburn comes back next season, we clearly know the best way to manage him. We played him too many minutes. He's getting older, but he is an incredible athlete. He's a tremendous shooter. A great player. He's got a lot of trade possibilities, too. "Our goal is to get better. If we can get better by getting Mash healthy and getting him right, we'll keep Mash. If we can get better by trading Mash, then we're going to get better. We're going to do what we've got to do to get better." Another area the Hornets likely will seek to improve is getting a 6-foot-6 or 6-7 shooting guard who can make shots. Nearly every team in the Western Conference has that caliber of player in its starting lineup. Wesley had problems throughout the season defending taller guards and had stretches of shooting slumps. The Hornets also must decide whether to re-sign shooting guard Courtney Alexander, who missed the season because of a ruptured right Achilles tendon. Alexander likely will return. But the Hornets are not expected to re-sign the majority of the players whose contracts expired at the end of this season. Stacey Augmon, Robert Traylor, Shammond Williams and Steve Smith all are free agents, and their roster spots could go to younger players. "I expect the team to make changes," said forward George Lynch, who has two years left on his contract. "If they trade me for Tracy McGrady, you've got to respect that. I am not trying to go to the Western Conference just to be there. I want to win and go to the playoffs. I'm trying to finish my career as a winner." The Hornets' biggest need is a scoring power forward as a backup to Brown, so rookie David West can remain at small forward, his natural spot. It's unlikely Traylor will be re-signed, so the Hornets will need to get a quality backup center. --

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