Lee Nailon, a suprise player for the Charlotte Hornets in 2001/02, is back with the Hornets.

Nailon and guard Junior Harrington both signed contracts with New Orleans, giving the duo a home for training camp with a chance of earning something more.  

The signings bring the Hornets' preseason roster to 19 players. Only 12 make the active roster, with three others kept on injured reserve.

The Hornets have topped off their training camp roster with the signing of four low-level free agents.

Sean Finn, Tremaine Fowlkes, Britton Johnsen and Nate Williams all signed contracts this week to compete in the New Orleans training camp that starts this upcoming Tuesday.

New Hornet head coach Byron Scott has spoken over the phone several times and he has stated that no trade has been mentioned.

"He (Baron) never brought it up," Scott said. "I asked him what is going on, so I kind of left it open for him to talk about anything he wanted to talk about. He said he was working out and looking forward to training camp."

The official announcement is coming later on today, however, most around the league now know the status of New Orleans Hornets star, Jamal Mashburn.

Limited to only 19 games last season because of a deteriorating knee condition, Monster-Mash has seen little improvement.  Rather than trying to play this season or retiring outright, Mr. Mashburn has decided to sit out the season in hopes of a comeback in 05-06.  

The Hornets must now spend their first year in the talent-filled West riding on the shoulders of point guard Baron Davis and center Jamaal Magloire.

The Jamal Mashburn situation is coming to an end, as Mashburn's troublesome right knee pushes him further out of the Hornets' plans and possibly into retirement.

Barring an exam that shows major improvement, Mashburn likely will be placed on the injured list next week, the precursor to sitting out the season and maybe the first step to his departure from the NBA.

Mashburn says he has no cartilage in his knee, and there's no remedy for bone-on-bone, other than tolerating the pain.

The problem for the Hornets is that Mashburn's salary, almost $20 million over the next two seasons, not including an option for a third year, counts against the salary cap. If Mashburn cannot play, the Hornets have an insurance policy that will absorb most of the financial blow, but the team won't have that cap space to spend on other players unless majority owner George Shinn decides to exceed the cap and pay the NBA's stiff luxury tax in the process.

Baron Davis is a name that keeps surfacing in the Vince Carter saga.  The reason this rumor keeps popping up might be becuase it is pretty much an even trade.

The Factors:

-Both players are reportedly unhappy playing for their respective teams.

-Both are superstars in the prime of their careers.

Using the RealGM Trade Checker software we see that the salaries are very close to an exact match and the trade goes through smoothly.  Tf the trade went through today, Toronto will gain .4 points per game, 2.7 assists per game, while losing .5 rebounds per game.

One of the only stumbling blocks are both players want to remain in their respective conferences, with Davis in the West, and Carter staying in the East.  This could pose a potential problem.

With all the rumors about, the Raptors do not seem to be making any moves on Carter.  Raptors GM Rob Babcock said yesterday that there is no movement involving Carter.

Training camp starts in less than a month and the Hornets are still not sure if Jamal Mashburn will be able to participate because of his knee injury.

The star forward has been unable to work out since re-injuring his knee last March.  MRI tests are showing no improvement and the Hornets will not get league approval for a trade unless he passes.

"I think we've got to look at all the possibilities, and we will lay them all out in front of us when he comes in, and we'll go from there," (Hornets? GM Allan) Bristow said. "I think it will all clear itself at the end."

At this moment it is very unclear as to when Mashburn will play again.

"I have a condition that's not going to change," Mashburn said. "I don't have cartilage in my knee."

With Baron Davis? last outburst demanding a trade to the winning team, the vibe must be a little more than awkward in New Orleans.  The Hornet?s all-star guard now has to win back the trust of his teammates and the organization after going public about his dissatisfaction.

Spurned on by the good fortunate Tracy McGrady?s trade to the contending Rockets, Baron Davis must have felt it was his turn to get a piece of the pie.  Now Davis must return to camp and face his teammates while trying to salvage his leadership role as the teams franchise player.

The current trade demands by Baron Davis was a sudden surprise to most NBA insiders.  It was no secret that the Hornets would have a difficult time competing in the Western Conference now that they have been realigned.

Apparently, when the Magic signed Hornets free-agent forward Stacey Augmon this summer, Davis wasn't happy to lose his closest friend on the team.  They also did not re-sign Courtney Alexander, another friend of Davis', who missed last year's entire season due to injury.

"They let go two of the players I was closest to," Davis said. "I can't do anything but sit and wait and see what happens."

Although the Hornets thought Augmon, 36, was too old to help anymore, the Magic wanted his leadership and defensive abilities. Davis wanted him too, but he didn't get it, leading to his recent demand for a trade.

Hornets star Baron Davis is disappointed in his teams' roster and according to his agent, may ask to be traded. The team has no intention of letting him go.

With the restructuring of the NBA, the Hornets now play in the tough Western Conference. Davis has said that he doesn't think his team can make a strong playoff push if the roster remains as it is right now.

"We built this team around Baron, and we feel very excited with the coaching staff that we have and the players we got this summer," Hornets general manager Allan Bristow said. "On the basis of that, we're going into this season with a very competitive team, and we're disappointed that Baron doesn't feel that way."

Bristow said he plans to meet with Davis after he returns to New Orleans in mid-September.