With only a week remaining before free agents can sign contracts, the Hornets may have the hardest challenge of any NBA team to retool their roster.

New Orleans is the only franchise in the league with only five players under contract. Since last Wednesday, when general managers could begin contacting the agents of available free agents, Hornets General Manager Dell Demps has been scrambling to get his targets in line.

The NBA is finally back to business after an agreement was reached to end the 149-day lockout. With a shortened 66-game regular season set to begin on Christmas Day, general managers such as Demps are working long hours to get their rosters in order.

League sources confirmed the Hornets are interested in re-signing both David West and Carl Landry. But the Indiana Pacers and Golden State Warriors have shown the most interest in West, and Landry has been targeted by the Portland Trail Blazers.

Former LSU forward Glen “Big Baby’’ Davis, a free agent who has played four seasons with the Boston Celtics, has listed the Hornets as one of the teams he would consider if offered a deal. Small forward Josh Howard could be another player the Hornets might pursue.

Although the league granted permission for team officials to grant media interviews last week, Demps has not been made available yet.

Teams can sign free agents to contracts beginning Dec. 9, the first day training camps open. The season is set to begin on Christmas Day, and the Hornets could open on Dec. 26.

“Our front office has done a great job so far since I’ve been here,’’ backup guard Jarrett Jack said. “A lot of people looked at the Marcus Thornton trade last season and thought that was something that was going to hinder us further on down the line. But adding someone like Landry, coincidently, David goes down, and he comes in and steps forward for us.

“I’m sure they are going to do a great job of providing us with the necessary parts and pieces we need to be competitive.”

However, it could be difficult for the Hornets to attract free agents with the uncertainty involving All-Star point guard Chris Paul’s future with the franchise. Paul has not indicated if he will sign a long-term extension, and the Hornets have listened to trade offers.

Despite swirling trade rumors concerning Paul, the Hornets are trying to carry over momentum gained last season when they advanced to the playoffs for the first time since 2009 and before losing to the Lakers in six games in the first round under Coach Monty Williams.

Paul said he didn’t know who all the available free agents are, but the most important thing the Hornets could do is find out what West wants to do.

“At the end of the day, he’s going to do what’s best for him and his family,’’ Paul said.

At $42 million, the Hornets have the sixth-lowest payroll in the league. They will have just less than $16 million to spend on free agents and would stay under the projected $58 million salary cap.

“I felt we did pretty good last year, considering we had so many new bodies with a first-year coach,’’ forward Trevor Ariza said. “We’ve got to deal with the cards that we have, not worry about anybody else and try to get it done.’’

Ariza, who lives in Los Angeles, said he did not try to entice any free agents to consider New Orleans. However, Jack said he told some free agents about the benefits of playing in New Orleans.

“I live in Atlanta, so there are various guys that come in and out of the gym, and I’m always throwing New Orleans out there as a nice landing pad. But I’m confident our front office will be able to handle that and are up to the task to do that and get ready for the season.’’

•••••••

John Reid can be reached at jreid@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3407.

There is the quick update of the day.

If anybody needs tickets to games, remember to click the tickets link at the top.

New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul was named All-NBA third team, which was announced by the league on Thursday.

It is the third time in his career, Paul has earned All-NBA honors after becoming the first Hornet in franchise history to earn first team honors for the 2007-08 season and being selected to the second team the following year.

For the season, Paul averaged 15.8 points, 9.8 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 2.4 steals in a team-high 80 games (all starts). Paul’s numbers ranked him first in the NBA in assist-to-turnover ratio, second in total assists, fourth in assists per game and 11th in free throw percentage.

He was named to the Western Conference All-Star squad for the fourth consecutive year and second time as a starter, becoming the first player in franchise history to start in two All-Star games. Paul was named the Western Conference Player of the Week for Nov 1 – Nov. 7 and was the recipient of the NBA Cares Community Assist Award for the month of October.

Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls, the 2010-11 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player, and LeBron James of the Miami Heat, winner of the two previous MVP awards, highlight the 2010-11 All-NBA First Team. James was the lone unanimous choice, receiving all 119 first-place votes. Joining James and Rose on the First Team are Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers, Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic.

The All-NBA Second Team consists of guards Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat and Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder, forwards Pau Gasol of the Los Angeles Lakers and Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks, and center Amar’e Stoudemire of the New York Knicks.

Joining Paul on the All-NBA Third Team at guard was the San Antonio Spurs’ Manu Ginobili, the Portland Trail Blazers’ LaMarcus Aldridge and the Memphis Grizzlies’ Zach Randolph at forward, and the Atlanta Hawks’ Al Horford at center.

Recently named to the 2010-11 NBA All-Defensive Second Team, Paul led the NBA in steals per game (2.4) to go along with an NBA-best 188 steals on the season. He also became one of only three players in NBA history (Magic Johnson and Isiah Thomas) to record at least 7,000 points, 3,500 assists and 900 steals through their first 400 career games when he played in his 400th contest Feb. 11 at Orlando.

Leave your comments on the news below.

The NBA office has released the possible Western Conference playoff scenarios that could develop over the next two nights.

Critical games tonight for the New Orleans Hornets include the Memphis Grizzlies at Portland Trail Blazers and the San Antonio Spurs at the Los Angeles Lakers.

Here’s what needs to happen:

WESTERN
Dallas will be seeded:
   ·    #2 if Mavericks win and Lakers lose at least one game OR if Lakers
      lose both games and Thunder lose.
   ·    #3 if Lakers win both games and Mavericks win OR if Lakers win at
      least one game and Thunder lose one game OR if Lakers lose both games
      and Thunder wins.
   ·    #4 if Lakers win at least one game, Thunder wins and Mavericks lose.

LA Lakers will be seeded:
   ·    #2 if Lakers win both games OR if Lakers win one game and Mavericks
      lose.
   ·    #3 if Lakers lose one game and Mavericks win OR if Lakers lose both
      games and Thunder loses.
   ·    #4 if Lakers lose both games and Thunder wins

Oklahoma City will be seeded:
   ·    #2 if Thunder wins, Lakers lose both games and Mavericks lose.
   ·    #3 if Lakers win at least one game, Thunder wins and Mavericks lose
      OR if Lakers lose both games, Thunder wins and Mavericks win.
   ·    #4 if Thunder loses OR if Lakers win at least one game and Mavericks
      win.

Portland will be seeded:
   ·    #6 if Blazers beat Grizzlies OR if Blazers beat Warriors and
      Grizzlies lose to Clippers.
   ·    #7 if Blazers lose to Grizzlies but beat Warriors and Grizzlies beat
      Clippers OR if Grizzlies win both games and Hornets lose.
   ·    #8 if Blazers lose both games and Hornets win.

Memphis will be seeded:
   ·    #6 if Grizzlies win both games OR if Blazers lose both games and
      Hornets lose.
   ·    #7 if Grizzlies lose to Blazers and beat Clippers and Hornets lose OR
      Grizzlies beat Blazers and lose to Clippers, Hornets win and Blazers
      lose OR Grizzlies beat Blazers and lose to Clippers, Hornets lose and
      Blazers win.
   ·    #8 if Grizzlies lose both games OR if Grizzlies lose to Blazers and
      Hornets win OR if Grizzlies beat Blazers and lose to Clippers and
      Hornets and Blazers win.

New Orleans will be seeded:
   ·    #6 if Hornets win, Blazers lose both games and Grizzlies lose to
      Clippers.
   ·    #7 if Hornets win and Blazers beat Grizzlies OR if Grizzlies lose
      both games OR if Hornets win and Grizzlies win both games and Blazers
      lose to Warriors OR if Hornets win, Blazers lose to Grizzlies and
      beat Warriors and Grizzlies lose to Clippers.
   ·    #8 if Hornets lose and Grizzlies beat Blazers OR if Grizzlies win
      both games and Blazers beat Warriors OR if Hornets lose, Blazers beat
      Grizzlies and Grizzlies beat Clippers.

What are your opinions.

New Orleans Coach Hornets Monty Williams is expecting the Memphis Grizzlies to come after them in the same attack mode they saw a week ago.

The Grizzlies held the Hornets to a season-low 12 points in the first quarter, outrebounded them 40-28 before coming away with a 93-81 victory at the New Orleans Arena on April 1.

The rematch is set for Sunday afternoon at the FedEx Forum in Memphis with both teams having already clinched playoff berths.

“I think they are going to come out and go at our heads,’’ Williams said after Saturday’s practice. “They’ve been that way all year. “We’ve got to come with that grit from the start because they are going to try and attack us.’’

The eighth-seeded Grizzlies clinched their first playoff berth since 2006 with Friday night’s 101-96 victory against the Sacramento Kings.

Neither the Hornets (46-33) nor Grizzlies (45-34) have locked up seeds yet. They both could go anywhere from sixth to eighth with three games remaining. The Hornets hold a 2-1 season series lead against the Grizzlies. 

The Hornets are currently in seventh-place, a half-game behind the sixth-place Portland Trail Blazers, who beat the Los Angeles Lakers 93-86 Friday night. The Grizzlies are a game behind the Hornets.

Behind backup guard Willie Green’s 31-point performance, which included making a franchise-record 12 consecutive shots, the Hornets beat the Phoenix Suns 109-97 Friday night.

“We are still playing for something, we could easily be in sixth place,’’ forward Carl Landry said. “We looking to go back to Memphis and let them know that we are better than the team they played a week ago.’’

Thanks for reading! .