http://www.nola.com/hornets/index.ssf/2010/08/new_orleans_horn ets_gm_dell_de_1.html 縮網址:http://tinyurl.com/2f2eq7o New Orleans Hornets GM Dell Demps already playing his cards right Just when it seemed the New Orleans Hornets were going to make more front-office moves than player additions to a needy roster this summer, new general manager Dell Demps hocused and pocused Wednesday and displayed some of the creativity he said he could deliver when he was hired. James Posey and Darren Collison have vanished, gone to the Indiana Pacers in a four-team deal that brought Houston Rockets wing man Trevor Ariza to New Orleans. Julian Wright also disappeared, shipped to Toronto in exchange for Raptors guard Marco Belinelli. 「I』ve always been a fan of his abilities and what he brings to the game, 」 Demps said of Ariza, the marquee acquisition. 「I just think that he』s had a lot of success in the league, and he helps teams win games on both ends of the court.」 Toss Demps a bouquet for both moves and not solely because of glee over the fact that the Hornets finally, after an NBA offseason that had been as dry as the Sahara in New Orleans while other franchises created varying degrees of personnel flooding, showed a pulse and made it rain. One, he got veteran help in Ariza, a 25-year-old, former NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2009 who』s coming off his best statistical season. Yes, there』s a risk involved. Collison was one of the league』s best rookies last season and viewed as the ideal backup to Chris Paul at point guard. He could become an All-Star, but the key word is could — 40 or 50 standout games as a rookie don』t constitute a career. Meanwhile, Ariza is a six-year pro whose career has arched upward. Two, he got rid of a declining player with a bad contract (Posey) and an unproductive one (Wright) who assured his departure by refusing to play in summer league after new coach Monty Williams asked him to. It doesn』t matter much whether Belinelli can play, though he』s 6-foot-5 and a career 39 percent shooter from 3-point range, compared to Wright, who was as likely as not to airball a foul shot. A Wright-for-anyone trade falls in the addition by subtraction file. As nice as Wright was, no one accused him of actually 「getting」 it. In both instances, it was Demps making something happen and not just making a move for the sake of being able to say a move was made. 「I think we』re going to be aggressive, 」 Demps said. 「We』re going to look at the league and do everything we possibly can to make the Hornets the best team we possibly can be.」 On Wednesday, they got better. The deals weren』t blockbusters, but the Hornets don』t have those kinds of bargaining chips unless Paul is at the center of the trade conversation. In Ariza, the Hornets get a player who can stretch defenses (he made 136 3-pointers last season), defend (he』s 6-8, 210 and capable of guarding point guards, shooting guards, small forwards and probably some power forwards) and display terrific athleticism. If New Orleans runs as much as Paul wants to run — and pushing the ball only can play to the strength of a player who averages 10 assists per game in his career — then its fans will fall in love with Ariza flying down the wing. 「We went to get him, 」 Demps said. 「He』s an exciting, young player. He』s what we call a young veteran — a young player in the league that also has a number of years of experience. We see him as an integral part of our team moving forward. It was tough to trade Darren, but I think it』s one of those situations where it』s win-win for everyone. Darren』s going to get the opportunity to go play in Indiana. ... We』re really excited to have Trevor become part of the Hornets family. 「Obviously, we』ll have to acquire another backup point guard, but we want to maximize the roster. We felt Trevor added an element to the team that was much-needed at the wing position. He checks a lot of boxes when he plays the game of basketball, and we』re real excited about that.」 Collison was one of the few bright spots in last season』s 37-45 campaign. Routinely, he and fellow rookie Marcus Thornton were about the only reasons to watch the Hornets play. But reality is the Hornets are a better team with Paul playing than with Collison. And as well as Collison played, the Hornets were a lottery team — and in a couple of years, he was going to want (and perhaps deserve) to be paid like a starter. The Hornets now have done something to help them move back toward the playoffs, which will help them improve their relationship with Paul, who Demps said was kept abreast of the situation. A proven veteran gives the team a better chance to be competitive next season. And they still will have a major bargaining chip in Peja Stojakovic, whose contract will be especially attractive at the trade deadline. Demps then will have a favorable hand to play. If he was able to make something happen Wednesday with what he had, the wonder is how much better it could be when he has something that desirable. --

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