The firing of now former New Orleans Hornets coach Byron Scott earlier this week has done a couple of things: let Hornets players and fans know this year is already a wash, made the country's unemployment rate just a liiiiitle higher, and pissed off the team's franchise player.

All-world point guard Chris Paul (23.8 ppg, 9.2 apg, 1.9 spg so far this season) shortly after Scott was given his walking papers told reporters all the blame can't be placed on Scott. The fifth-year guard also said he isn't pleased with how the situation was handled, saying he felt someone would have at least consulted with him and asked how he felt before the decision was made.

Having a disgruntled star on your team is never a good thing. Rarely do situations like the one unfolding in the N.O. end well. That roster, outside of Paul and forward David West, is kind of like the opposite of a pot of gumbo: a bunch of things thrown together that turned out awful.

The man who built that roster, Hornets GM Jeff Bowers, now has to try and make chicken salad out of chicken (you know what) and I think that team is destined to remain a bunch of (you know what).

That means Paul will have to continue to try and be a basketball version of Jason Bourne, but he'll only be able to do that for so long. Paul recently signed a new deal that will pay him about $45 million over the next three seasons (the deal includes a player option for a fourth year). His is a deal any team in the NBA would be willing to take on, even in the state of the league's economy.

But there aren't that many teams that are realistic options for Paul. In any deal, the Hornets would obviously want to receive pieces in return that would keep the team viable. There are some deals out there that would serve as short-term solutions and would work for all parties involved (Paul for Steve Nash straight up comes to mind). But I see very few real options for the Hornets. I say that because other GMs in the league would be calling Bowers and Bowers would be the one holding all the cards.

Paul and Peja Stojakovic to Orlando for Jameer Nelson and Rashard Lewis
The money matches up just about right, which is important in NBA deals. Both teams would be dealing more than $26 million in salary. Stojakovic and his two years and around $29 million are basically a throw-in in this deal, which amounts to trading all-star point guard for all-star point guard. Nelson was an all-star last season, but missed part of the second half of the season with a shoulder injury. So far this season, in 29 minutes a game, Nelson is averaging 13.5 points and 5.6 assists. Lewis (currently serving a 10-game suspension for testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug) was arguably Orlando's best player in the NBA Finals and is versatile enough to play both forward spots. Lewis is also coming off a season where he put in around 18 points and 6 board a night. In this deal, New Orleans would be getting two players who are relatively young and who can make big contributions. Orlando would be pairing one player who is the best at his position - center Dwight Howard - with another - Paul. Losing the scoring punch Lewis provides would normally be a blow to any team, except Orlando in the off-season added Vince Carter, who's averaging 18 a game this season and has averaged 23.5 over his 12-year career.

Paul and Hilton Armstrong to Detroit for Rodney Stuckey, Tayshaun Prince and Jason Maxiell
The return of Isiah Thomas. Paul would be exactly what Detroit needs: someone to ignite the team's fastbreak offense, which is obviously what the team is looking to do going forward. Armstrong, with one year left on a $2.8 million deal, is basically a throw-in to make the contracts match. On the Detroit side, The Rodney Stuckey as a Starting Point Guard Experiment is heading nowhere fast. Sure, he leads the team in assists at 4.1/game, but backup point guard Will Bynum has the same total in 12 less minutes a night. So far, that has added up to the Pistons being last in the league in assists/game at 15.9. All the teams at the top of that category are either really good, or they run an uptempo offense. Right now, Detroit is trying to be the latter. Imagine Paul on the floor running and gunning with Ben Gordon (who has been a revelation so far this season, pouring in 23.8 points a night on .492 percent from the field), Rip Hamilton and Charlie Villanueva. Paul might be the only man in the league would could possibly make Kwame Brown look good, too. As far as Prince, Stuckey and Maxiell go, they could bring some toughness and hard work to a roster that looks lethargic right now.

There are other possible deals for Paul, but they wouldn't benefit the Hornets at all and some of them would put Paul in the same position he's currently in.

So Otis Smith and Joe Dumars, if you're smart, pick up a phone.

There's not many "great" teams in the NBA.

These next five teams all have serious question marks as far as personnel, yet I think they could all make the playoffs and make a run in the playoffs.

This season is gonna be fun, but, outside of the top teams, it'll be about as predictable as Mike Tyson.

The Buffalo Wild Wings Division

15. Philadelphia 76ers
Philly is intriguing for a lot of reasons. The Sixers have athletes all over the place (Andre Iguodala, Thaddeus Young, Lou Williams, etc.). They have size inside (Elton Brand, Samual Dalembert, Marreese Speights). But they don't have a point guard. Andre Miller, who played all 82 games in 2007-08 and 2008-09, left for Portland as a free agent, with the reins being handed to Williams (going into his 5th season at 22 years old). Williams in the last two seasons has missed just three games, but has never started a game in his career. His high in assists per game was 3.2 in 2007-08 and his best assist to turnover ratio was 2:1 that same season. Look for Iguoldala to share ballhandling duties with Williams. And expect rookie point guard Jrue Holiday (the only "true" point on Philly's roster), to get some time at the point, as well. If that pans out and Brand, who's played 37 games the last two seasons, stays healthy, Philly could make some noise in the playoffs.

14. Phoenix Suns
Phoenix will most likely sneak into the playoffs this season, but the run is over for this team. Reports I've read have the Suns going back to their run & gun style, which will be fun for the first 82, but, as has been proven in the past, that style won't translate to a championship, or even a trip past the first round. Phoenix's core now features a 37-year-old with bad ankles (Grant Hill), a 35-year-old with a bad back (Nash) and a 26-year-old coming off eye surgery (Stoudemire). That group also features former MSU star Jason Richardson and Barbosa, 28 and 26, respectively. Phoenix does have some young pieces that should contribute in second-year center Robin Lopez and 2009 lottery pick Earl Clark. The Suns have the pieces to have a solid season, but with the moves some other teams out west have made, I don't think Phoenix has enough in the tank to compete.

13. New Orleans Hornets
Chris Paul lost his Shawn Kemp when center Tyson Chandler was traded to Charlotte in exchange for Emeka Okafor. The move is actually an upgrade, as Okafor for his career has averaged 14 points a game to Chandler's 8.2, along with pulling down 10 boards a night - a slight bump from Chandler's 9. The move also helps out power forward David West, as Okafor is just a little more adept at playing away from the basket than Chandler. That frees up room for West, 21 points, 8.6 boards in 2008-09, to work. But the key to this team is Chris Paul. His numbers have gotten better every year. But this team needs to start going deep in the playoffs. Paul is a winner and if this team doesn't start winning big, trade rumors centering around Paul could begin to swirl.

12. Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks, in my opinion, reached their peak last season. The squad got to the second round of the playoffs before being swept by Cleveland. This is a team that has lots of talent and is good enought o be a playoff team every season, but it won't make any real noise in the playoffs. Taking Boston to seven games in the first round of the 2008 playoffs was good for the squad, as was getting out of the first round last season. But there are too many guys on this team (Marvin Williams, Josh Smith) who don't want to play a role.

11. Toronto Raptors
Acquiring small forward Hedo Turkoglu in the offseason was a solid move. With that, Toronto has basically become the (really) northern version of the Orlando Magic. The Raptors have Chris Bosh (22.7 ppg, 10 rpg in 2008-09) to play the role of Dwight Howard alongside Turkoglu, while Andrea Bargnani (15.4 points, 5.3 boards, 41 percent from 3, 83 percent from the line) will take on the role Rashard Lewis played in Orlando. Jose Calderon, in the second year of a 5-year, $45 million contract, will run the team - and is one of the underrated players in the league, in my opinion. Toronto has a wealth of bulk up front, including former Piston Amir Johnson, who I expect to contribute now that not a lot it expected of him. The Raptors backcourt depth leaves a lot to be desired. They need someone to play alongside Calderon and Jarrett Jack, who came over this summer from Indiana, isn't a starting two guard. Lottery pick DeMar DeRozan will get a chance to prove his wealth early.

Part V coming tomorrow