Hornets Draft

With the 21st pick, the New Orleans Hornets selected PG Darren Collison out of UCLA to back up point guard Chris Paul. Many fans were hoping for the local player in LSU's Marcus Thornton. They didn't have to wait long, as the team traded two future second round picks to Miami for the rights to Thornton, who was taken with the 43rd pick.

Looking back, the Hornets sured up part of their bench, but they still haven't found the size and toughness that they lacked in the postseason. Pittsburgh forward DeJuan Blair was on the board, but his bad knees may have scared off the team. His knees scared off enough teams for Blair to fall all the way to the second round, where the Spurs selected him.

Now the team will have to look for some rebounding and height in free agency. The team would love to move a few players during the offseason as well, so look for the Hornets to be one of the more active players in trade talks.

Here's a look at the newest Hornets:

• Darren Collison, PG, UCLA

• Marcus Thornton, G, LSU

A few grades for the Hornets picks:

• ESPN: B-
• SI.com: B
• Yahoo: 7/10
• NBADraft.net: C
• Houston Chronicle: D+
• CBSSportsline: A (1st round only)
  

More grades and analysis can be found at Ken Trahan of NewOrleans.com's draft report