Sale of Hornets has coach Monty Williams, GM Dell Demps looking over their shoulders

The fate of the New Orleans Hornets, who have been under the stewardship of the NBA since December 2010, could be decided soon as the NBA’s Board of Governors meetings are underway in New York. And that’s making some within the organization a little nervous.

That’s because, among the potential buyers for the team are Los Angeles businessman Raj Bhathal, Saints owner Tom Benson (whose brother, Larry, has been connected to Bhathal’s group) and Louisiana shipbuilding magnate Gary Chouest, with Nhathal believed to be the leading candidate. The possibility of Benson and/or Chouest joining Bhathal’s group remains distinct. The problem for those currently running the Hornets, though, is that Bhathal’s group also includes veteran coach and general manager Mike Dunleavy. And that could mean drastic changes.

“Mike is going to want his own people in there, he has a reputation as a control freak,” a team source told Sporting News. “It will be good for the team obviously to have an owner in. But I think everybody is a little on edge because of that, because you don't know what is going to happen. Or I guess you do know, you know there are going to be changes coming once there’s a new group in charge. It could be a house cleaning.”

That’s probably unfortunate, because there isn’t much to complain about when it comes to the job that coach Monty Williams and general manager Dell Demps have done, despite the team’s 16-42 record.

Under Williams, the Hornets took the Lakers to six games in the first round of last year’s playoffs, and this season, he has gotten his team to play hard despite injuries and a rebuilding scenario. He has another year on his three-year contract, and if he were to be let go by the Hornets after a sale, he almost certainly would be able to land another job.

Demps figures to be in a tougher spot. He has run the team for the past 17 months under the direction of commissioner David Stern, who is acting as the Hornets' owner. In December, when Demps attempted to trade Chris Paul to the Lakers, with a return that would have included power forward Luis Scola, shooting guard Kevin Martin, point guard Goran Dragic from the Rockets and forward Lamar Odom from the Lakers, the deal was turned down by Stern, creating a firestorm around the league and the perception that Demps’ hands were tied.

But the deal that Demps and the Hornets did find for Paul—sending him to the Clippers for Eric Gordon, Chris Kaman, Al Farouq Aminu and a Timberwolves’ draft pick—may be better for the Hornets in the long term. Gordon, who has missed most of the year with a knee injury, is a restricted free agent, meaning the Hornets hold his rights and can match any offer. Minnesota’s recent struggles, meanwhile, have seen the Wolves fall to 22nd overall in the NBA standings, meaning the Hornets could have two high picks in what is expected to be an excellent draft. The Hornets will also be in a position to create about $20 million in cap space this summer.

Draft picks, young talent and cap space are the magic trio when it comes to rebuilding in the NBA. But the sale of the Hornets may mean that Demps—and possibly Williams—won’t be around to see the job through.

“It’s almost like doing the hard part,” the source said. “Then having someone else get to do the fun part.”