I don't know how much stronger the 5-8 seeds from the west will be. 2 of the 5-8 teams from the East should come from Atlanta/Chicago/Milwaukee, which is a decent group.
That's fair - I'm not big on Atlanta or Milwaukee this year, but there is a little more depth than in previous years.
But if the Hornets make the playoffs (a big if of course), and if the CBA isn't settled before the draft (a much smaller if), there's a good chance that Bayless will have more value than a high-teens pick in a shallow draft.
I see LA, Dallas, OKC, Utah, and Denver as being clearly better than NO this year. Hornets I'd put in a group with Portland, San Antonio, Houston, and Memphis. One or two of the three other Cali teams could move up, but I doubt it'll happen this year.
I think Phoenix will fall off the table as they're currently built. Denver has the big Melo question mark, so they could wind up anywhere from 2nd to 11th depending on how that shakes out. And I wouldn't be surprised if this is the year San Antonio drops out of the playoffs, but I'll believe it when I see it.