Hilton, Melvin, and the Kiwi are no Zo, LJ, and Parish . Or even Elden Campbell, P.J. Brown, or Derrick Coleman. But how well the trio is used will be just as important as the play of most any individual.

At first glance, it seems that Sean Marks will be the odd man out. He's only played 300 minutes once in an eight year career. He's averaged 66 missed games a season. Hilton and Melvin are much more familiar with Byron Scott's system, and the Hornets will surely observe Hilton more closely in potentially his last year. Still, Coach Scott's proclivity for Ryan Bowen makes you reconsider that assumption.

Offensive Ability

Still, who offers the most in terms of post play and which pair should be on the court together? Offensive Ability One thing all three players have in common is the inability to finish at the rim. Hilton Armstrong's eFG% took a significant plummet (54% to 45%) last season primarily because he didn't take it up strong enough. We saw numerous dunk attempts blocked, and he often couldn't shake off fouls near the rim and finish. Melvin Ely was probably the most egregious lay-up misser on the team. And while I haven't seen Sean Marks play much, his Hot Spots indicate that he took most of his shots from close range, and he's a career 43% eFG% shooter.

Ely does have an advantage offensively in that he draws fouls at a 4.3 FTA/36 min rate, higher than Armstrong (3.6) or the Kiwi (0.9). Throw in his polished back to the basket game, and I think it's clear that Ely is the superlative offensive player.

Defensive Ability

Defensive Ability When Hilton was first drafted, I was most excited about the defender he could turn into. He was in possession of a 6’11," 240 pounds, and the full complement of Jay Bilas "long," "athletic," and "upside" comments. His rookie year, we saw flashes of that potential. But last year, he took a serious step back. The two biggest negatives: fouls per block attempt rose sharply, and he struggled to keep up his footwork with opposing post players. His fouls per 36 (6.4 last year) is at odds with the rest of the non-fouling Hornet defense, while Ely’s defense (4.3) fits in far more. And yet, I’d still peg Hilton as the better defender. Ely simply doesn’t have the length of Armstrong. Hilton’s slender frame makes him more versatile as a defender.

Sean Marks, surprisingly enough, may also be in this conversation. In 19 games, he registered a 5.0 BLK%. It’s probably worth seeing if he can replicate that.

Rebounding

Rebounding Believe it or not, rebounding was not one of the Hornets’ strong suits last year. Remove Tyson Chandler from the equation, and the rest of his teammates seriously underperformed on the boards.

The one aspect HA didn’t drop off in last year was rebounding. His offensive rates (10.2) and defensive rates (16.4) remained solid, and if nothing else, will assure him playing time. Sean Marks brings less offensive rebounding to the table (6.8), but more defensive (18.4). And Ely is somewhere in between at 8.3 and 15.6. Overall, Hilton is the best rebounder (13.2), with Marks second (12.6) and Ely third (11.8). Still, those three values are pretty close. This comes down to which rebounders work well together as opposed to an individual analysis. Do you want a good offensive/defensive look with Marks and Armstrong together? A more safe approach with Ely paired in there? How does having James Posey on the floor impact things? All good questions, and all difficult ones to answer without actually seeing the trio function on the floor.

The Best Pair?

Defensively, the Armstrong-Marks combination intrigues me. Both have block rates which would allow them to be great help defenders. Obviously, help defense is something the overall defense was predicated on last year. DX and TC did a terrific job covering for the small CP3/Pargo backcourt, and I expect James Posey to slide into a similar role this year.

The best offense-defense combination may still be Armstrong-Ely. Even though Sean Marks is the better defensive rebounder empirically, I have a hard time believing he can man up better than Hilton. Marks really doesn’t cover any of Ely’s or Armstrong’s deficiencies on the offensive end either.

As much as I’d like to see the Ceiling Fan Repair Man backed by The Kiwi, it doesn’t make much sense from any angle. Then you also have the chance of another Brandon Bass scenario with Hilton Armstrong. Not likely, but not rule-out-able.

With the acquisition of Sean Marks, the Hornets are unofficially officially set for the season opener. They've carried only 14 guys into the last few openers, a practice they're sure to continue. For one, it allows roster flexibility in-season, and second, virtually every player that signs on as a 15th man will be available later. So, a revised version of the depth chart I posted a couple weeks ago:

Obviously, things can and will shift around. I expect Devin Brown to get some minutes at the point, Posey at the 4, Ely at the 5, etc. How does this depth chart stack up against last year's playoffs depth chart?

According to the CBA, a team can have only 12 active players. Andersen and Butler were the odd men out last spring. My best guess is that Sean Marks joins Butler on the inactive roster to start the year. With that in mind, let's do a quick head-to-head.

Backup Point Guard (Advantage: New Hornets)

I discussed this in more depth (pun alert!) earlier this week. Short story short, I think James is significantly better than Pargo. While last year's Hornets had more depth at the 1 (Paul-Pargo-James), this year's version has the correct guy in the 2nd string role. And Devin Brown should be able to fulfill third point guard duties.

Backup Shooting Guard (Advantage: New Hornets)

Last year, the Hornets' biggest holes were at backup shooting guard and backup center. The reason for the lack of production from the spot is obvious with a glance at the depth chart- the players who manned the spot (Pargo, Wright, and even Wells) were by no means shooting guards. You have a 6'1", 175 dude and a rookie drafted as a SF/PF masquerading as off guards, and you've got problems. Those issues were compounded when Mo-Pete played far and away the fewest minutes among the starters (the other 4 averaged at least 35.2 mpg; Mo played 23).

I think the Devin Brown acquisition will help much more than people anticipate. Because Byron Scott liked to play Pargo and CP at the same time, Chris Paul was often left to guard talented off guards (Rip Hamilton, Ben Gordon, and even Manu Ginobili were all checked by Paul last year). Devin Brown's size alone will help Paul out tremendously, defensively. Brown may bring little to the table offensively, but the defensive upgrade at the back-up 2 can't be emphasized enough.

Backup Small Forward (Advantage: New Hornets)

Julian Wright is a year older and James Posey replaces Bonzi Wells. Enough said.

Backup Power Forward (Advantage: Tie)

I'm pretty sure Ryan Bowen beats out Sean Marks on the active roster; Byron Scott can't get enough of his hustle. Honestly, I'd rather have the 6'10", 250 lb. Marks on the bench instead of Bowen, but it's a tough decision. But either way, nothing really changes from last year. David West will probably still have to play the entire first quarter and first few minutes of the second quarter.

Backup Center (Advantage: Tie)

With Marks relegated to IR duty, we're left with the fantastic duo of Batman and Robin, Tyson and Hilton. Just as with the comic books, you bow down to the greatness of Batman and groan every time you see Robin.

Overall

The Hornets went into the off-season looking to bolster the front-court, first and foremost. Did it happen? No. Yeah, I know Posey can slide over to the 4 and all that. But the bottom line is we went into the summer hoping to find a replacement for Ely or Armstrong, and it didn't happen. While I think the Devin Brown signing is underrated, while I think letting Pargo walk was an awesome move, and while I love that we snatched James Posey from the defending champions, the lack of upgrade at F/C just doesn't seem right.

I guess the title of this post- "Did we get better?"- isn't asking the right question. Rather: Did we get better at the right spots?  Is it smarter to carry 3 point guards or 3 centers? Is a good backup power forward more valuable than a good backup point guard? How about a good backup center? Wouldn't it change from year to year, based on the opponents you face? And what exactly is "good" anyway, considering we can't even measure an entire half of the game- defense- very effectively?

I don't know. On paper, this team did get better. But until next June, we won't know the answer to the biggest question of all: can an NBA champion have Hilton Armstrong and Melvin Ely in its frontcourt?