Hornets' owner George Shinn is not a gambler, but he monitors the Las Vegas odds that determine his team's chances of winning a championship.

After recently seeing 6-to-1 odds, Shinn is more eager for the season to start than he has been in a long time.

"Before we signed (free agent) James Posey, we had 12-to-1 odds to win the championship, which isn't bad," Shinn said. "After we signed him, it went to 6 to 1. I will take any day to be one of the top six."