David West opts out

Just a few days ago, New Orleans Hornets forward David West officially declined his player option for the 2011-2012 NBA season.

"After many months of talking with the people around me, this is the best decision for myself as a player and my future," West said.

Before anything else, it must be said that the move is a smart one from West. During the season, he repeatedly expressed his desire to opt out and test the free agent market, strongly believing he could fetch more than the $7.5 million owed him in the final year of his deal. Coming off a season-ending surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left knee has made the decision-making process longer, but c'mon. Shouldn't the injury actually make the decision quicker? Bee Ball's Andrew Juge, writing on West's option before he officially opted out, said it best:

I still believe he's likely to waive the final year of his deal. Why? Because uncertainty over how he'll recover is a better position to be in that KNOWING he can't play anymore.

If he plays very poorly next year following the injury, then the league will label him as damaged goods. The uncertainty of this offseason will yield him a better contract than the certainty that he's not the same player.

From the Hornets' perspective, the power forward's decision is not particularly good news.

However, the situation is not so bleak. West's camp has reiterated that the Hornets are still very much a possibility. “David wants to win, whether it’s in New Orleans or someplace else,” Lance Young, West's agent, said Monday morning. “He wants a fair shot to look and see what else is out there. He loved the Hornets, but it’s about finding the perfect place to win."

Not so cool from New Orleans' side, but West is keeping the front office accountable for making this team a playoff contender in years to come.

Currently, the Hornets have a core of Chris Paul, Emeka Okafor, Trevor Ariza, and Jarrett Jack locked up for at least next season (with Carl Landry and Marco Belinelli thrown into the mix if re-signed). That's a playoff core right there, but does West want to play on a team with just a playoff core?

Two teams who are said to have a major interest (and cap space, at least under the current Collective Bargaining Agreement) in signing West are the New Jersey Nets and the Indiana Pacers.

The Nets could have 2-time All Star West join up with fellow 2-time All-Star Deron Williams and rising big man Brook Lopez to form their own Big 3 (how many of those are in the NBA these days?). Add to that a complementary cast of Anthony Morrow, Travis Outlaw, Jordan Farmar, Kris Humphries, and Sasha Vujacic (assuming the last two are re-signed), and you have a team that is as good, if not better than the Hornets.

On the other hand, the Pacers' most accomplished player would be Danny Granger, who made the All-Star team in 2009. They can, however, boast of a deeper roster with a nice blend of veterans and up-and-coming players: big man Roy Hibbert, point guard Darren Collison (whom West played with in New Orleans), second year wing Paul George, Tyler Hansbrough, newly acquired combo guard George Hill, veterans James Posey, Brandon Rush, and defensive specialist Dahntay Jones.