Carl Landry agrees to a $ 9 Million – 1 year deal with the New Orleans Hornets – NBA Update
The New Orleans Hornets are going through some major changes these days.
With an ownership crisis plaguing the franchise, two of the star players in power forward David West and star point guard Chris Paul have already left. In the latter trade, the Hornets got their hand on shooting guard Eric Gordon,
power forward Farooq Aminu and centre Chris Kaman. As such, the franchise is getting a totally new look.
However, hours after the Chris Paul to Los Angeles Clippers trade, the Hornets retained one of their old men – Carl Landry. The deal is for one year and is worth about 9 million dollars.
The 6 ft 8 big was brought from the Sacramento Kings last season to support David West off the bench. However after West got injured late in the season, he got the starter role and in 33 games with the franchise, he posted an average
of 11.8 points and 4.1 rebounds.
With West at the Indiana Pacers now, Landry is likely to be the starter at the position again with the second year PF Aminu as his reserve.
The New Jersey Nets and the Portland Trail Blazers were also interested in acquiring the services of Landry, but according to his agent Mark Bartelstein, Carl’s fondness with head coach Monty Williams and general manager Dell Demps
greatly affected his decision.
The duo also played a big role in re-signing Landry. Talking to the Associated Press, Bartelstein appreciated the effort;
“They did an unbelievable job communicating to him how bad they want him back, and what they were trying to build,” Bartelstein said. “Carl really enjoyed playing for Monty.”
Demps also expressed his delight at the development;
"He understands the system. He really thrived later in the season after the injury to David West. He had some big-time moments for us in the playoffs last year. We want to grow on that. ... He fits our system and we're excited
about the agreement."
The one year agreement is due to the uncertain ownership scenario at the franchise. This period will give Landry enough time to make up his mind about playing here and if the things don’t go according to plan, he will be a free
agent next off season.
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