Hornets general manager Jeff Bower believes that the team has improved this offseason.
"Yes," Bower told the Times-Picayune when asked if the Hornets are better. "I feel real good about that. I think we've added some depth and quickness to our backcourt, I think we've added two players to our front line (center Emeka Okafor and power forward Ike Diogu) that give us a different element from a physical standpoint and from a point-scoring standpoint.
"I think our returning players are coming back with a mentality that's hungry and want to accomplish a lot and have taken the steps this summer to allow them to do that. And that's a big thing for us. The progress that we've made over the summer with our roster, as far as changes, is one thing. But I think the improvement in our current players is something that we're going to see a big impact from, as well."