Since his trade from the Charlotte Bobcats this summer, Hornets center Emeka Okafor hadn't been able to spend much time with his new teammates. But after convening for the first time during media day on Monday at the New Orleans Arena, Okafor quickly picked up from the Hornets' returning players that they still are angry about last season's first-round playoff elimination to Denver, which included a 58-point home loss in Game 4 to the Nuggets. From improving the roster with six new players to Hornets owner George Shinn pledge to hold everyone accountable from the coach to the general manager, advancing deeper in the playoffs is the primary objective.
"I've got the feeling that everybody was pretty disappointed about the early exit, and I think that's fueling the hunger for this season," said Okafor, who was acquired in exchange for Tyson Chandler but has never participated in the playoffs in five seasons in the league.
When the Hornets open training camp today in Lafayette, point guard Chris Paul said his message to his new teammates is come hungry to win a championship.
"I'm excited about the guys we brought in," Paul said. "This may be the deepest bench that we've had since I've been in the league."
It's deep because power forward Darius Songalia and point guard Bobby Brown were obtained in a trade from the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for veteran Antonio Daniels. Brown is quick and can breakdown a defense. Songalia has shooting range from 15 feet and can score in the post.
"I've been here for the past two weeks working out, and everybody is on the same page," Brown said. "As long as we have guys that want to work hard and win, it should be pretty easy."
Ike Diogu was signed this summer as a restricted free agent and will contend for backup minutes at power forward and center. First-round draft pick Darren Collison was impressive in summer league and can push the tempo in the same quickly-paced manner as Paul. Rookie Marcus Thornton, who played at LSU, is expected to be a scoring threat off the bench at shooting guard.
"My message is to come ready from Day 1," said Hornets Coach Byron Scott, who is in the final year of his contract. "I'm confident in the guys we brought in. The one thing I'm excited about is that we have competition at every position with backup guys trying to get minutes or trying to push starters. C.P. doesn't get any easy practices when you got Bobby and Darren coming at him all day because they can match his speed."
After finishing 49-33 last season, one of the objectives in the offseason was to strengthen the bench, so Paul and starting power forward David West could avoid having to play extended minutes for the entire season. During the playoff series against Denver, West and Paul appeared worn down as New Orleans was eliminated in five games.
"We definitely got talented guys now," West said. "We've got a group that's smarter, and it's just a matter of how we're going to come together as a group."
Hornets General Manager Jeff Bower and Scott decided to conduct training camp in Lafayette to build team chemistry quicker. They think that will be accomplished from staying at the same hotel and having team meals together. Scott said when the team was forced to temporary relocate to Oklahoma City due to Hurricane Katrina in 2005, they bonded during training camp.
"I'm extremely anxious to get started," Collison said. "Anytime there is a good competition, the team gets better. You can tell the looks on everybody's face that we want to win. Whether it's Emeka trying to play on a playoff team for the first time or Chris trying to be the MVP, everybody has something to prove."
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John Reid can be reached at jreid@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3407.
