Built Ford Tough Posted November 1, 2011 Report Share Posted November 1, 2011 Most likely amnesty cut: None How likely not to use amnesty this season? Slam dunk Other amnesty candidates: None Analysis: The yet-to-be-sold, league-owned Hornets have a mere five players under contract. They thus have, by all accounts, zero appetite to exercise amnesty for anyone. That includes Trevor Ariza, who's still highly regarded within the organization despite a subpar season in 2010-11 and a contract with almost $22 million remaining over the next three seasons. As for Emeka Okafor ... guess again. With fellow big men David West and Carl Landry both headed for free agency? Okafor is a Hornets cornerstone now. http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/7147880/nba-most-likely-amnesty-candidates The only player contract wise that makes sense is probably Okafor, but even then, I still wouldn't cut him. He isn't worth the money he is being paid but he is hardly a liability on the floor and with New Orleans potentially losing both West and Landry to free agency, the Hornets can't afford to lose another solid big man. People may bring up Ariza, but he is still a good player, just being forced to assume a larger role than he is capable of. He may be a tad overpaid, but if he is able to play the defensive specialist, spot up shooter and athletic finisher role that he is suited for, he has proven in the past that he is capable of being a very good role player on a contending team. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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