Earlier Post form June 2012.

Here is something I wrote from this past summer.

Here are some solutions:

1.) Increase free throw attempts. The Hornets ranked No. 25 in attempts and No. 20 in free throws made. This can be improved when the skill of "attack off the dribble with quickness" is added to the roster, as more pressure is put on the opponent's defense.

The addition of more speed and quickness also increases the number of possessions that are "attacking the basket" in the open floor, thus even more pressure is put on the opponent's defense.

2.) Get more shot attempts. The Hornets ranked No. 29 in shot attempts and No. 24 in shots made. Again PACE play a huge role in this stat, but limited possessions gives a team a "small margin of error."

"You need players that can create shots on their own, outside the structure of a set offensive play."

3.) Cultivate an ability to shoot the three ball. New Orleans ranked No. 30 in three-point attempts and No. 30 in three-pointers made. The three ball helps offset those empty trips up the floor and also increases the number of points per possession because of its value. It also benefits other areas of the offense, because the ability to make long-range shots forces the defense to cover more of the floor ... thus allowing others to have wider cutting and driving lanes. Making a defense "run and chase" plays a significant role in basketball.

"Make defenders run longer routes with their defensive rotations. Your on-the-ball defense is only as good as your rotating defenders."

4.) Bump up the offensive rebounding rate. This differs vs. total offensive rebounds, as it measures the percentage of offensive rebounds per the number of possessions per game. The Hornets ranked No. 16 in this area, which is middle of the pack. Improving this will increase the number of second-chance points, which creates more shots per possession. The Hornets, by the way, ranked No. 19 in total offensive rebounds. Again remember, the limited number of possessions impacts this number. Less shots means less offensive rebounds.