Jimmy Smith of the New Orleans Times Picayune reports that Robert Traylor will return to the Hornets. They re-signed him to a 2-year deal yesterday.

"You know, he's a great insurance policy for us," Silas said. Last year when center Elden Campbell was out with a hamstring injury, Traylor and Jamaal Magloire "stepped in and we didn't miss a beat.?

"We won some games with him. He plays the four and five for me; he knows the system so we don't have to teach him and he's a heck of a rebounder. On top of that, he's a crowd pleaser. They love him. He adds a lot to our club."

Terms of the contract weren?t released, but it is expected that Traylor will be taking a pay cut from last season?s $2 million salary. "Annually it won't be a raise," Traylor?s agent, Andre Colona said. "But a lot of it stems from his relationship with Coach Silas."

Traylor was scheduled to visit the Orlando Magic next week, according to Colona, but opted to rejoin the Hornets because of his rapport with Silas. The coach "really stepped up," the agent said.

"I think after talking to coach and believing in his philosophy, plus the relationship we had last year, it was just a great situation for me to go back there and play," Traylor said Friday from his offseason home in Detroit.