Former New Orleans Hornets exec and current state Senate candidate Jack Capella has been ordered by a judge to respond to an inquiry relating to consulting fees he was paid by a now-defunct company that received millions of dollars in financing from Hornets owner George Shinn.

Shinn has declined to speak publicly about the case or go into detail about Mr. Capella.

Capella said Shinn "is a successful businessman who was fully aware of all aspects of his investments."

"At no time during my tenure with Mr. Shinn did I have any conflict of interest," Capella said.

DraftCity?s latest stop on the road brought them to a private open run at the University of Akron ran by LeBron James.  

LeBron was not the only NBA star participating, as New Orleans rookie J.R. Smith was in Cleveland for a few days and decided to partake.  Draft prospects Louis Williams, Devin Green, and Chet Mason were also in attendance.  The group was rounded out by local current and ex college players, as well as three elite area high school players.

The New Orleans Hornets announced today that they have exercised their option on Jackson Vroman, which will keep the forward with the team through the 2005-06 season.

Vroman averaged 5.4 points and 4.5 rebounds in 36 games with the Hornets, including 8.3 points and 6.9 rebounds in 17 games as a starter.  He was originally acquired from Phoenix along with Casey Jacobsen and Maciej Lampe in exchange for Jim Jackson and a 2005 second round draft pick on Jan. 21, 2005.

"We were very pleased with how Jackson improved over the course of the season and are excited to have him coming back," said General Manager Allan Bristow.  "He became a solid contributor for us by the end of the year and we're looking forward to his continued development within our system."

Vroman averaged 9.3 points and 7.8 rebounds over the last six games of the season.  The rookie forward finished the year with cumulative averages of 4.6 points and 3.8 rebounds in 46 games between Phoenix and New Orleans.

The savior of Golden State, Baron Davis, who led the once lowly Warriors to an 18-10 record after being traded from the New Orleans Hornets, has been hired by ABC to work alongside host Mike Tirico and analysts Steve Jones and Bill Walton to help with Sundays playoff coverage.

"I think being a Warrior had a lot to do with it," Davis said during a phone interview Thursday. "If I were still with New Orleans, I probably wouldn't have wanted to do it. I wouldn't have done it."

New Orleans Hornets forward-center Chris Andersen said on Friday that he will opt out of his $1.76 million contract for next season to become an unrestricted free agent.

Andersen, The Birdman, who earned his nickname while playing for the Nuggets from 2001-04, averaged 7.7 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.49 blocks this season.

"I finally got a chance to prove what I can do," Andersen said. "I believe I'm worth more than what's on paper. To do what is best for myself and my family, I have to (become a free agent) because it's a business.

"When I got the minutes, I produced. That's a main fact why my stock is going to go up. I can give a team some energy off the bench."