John Salmons appears to be the frontrunner for the backup three spot after coach Monty Williams said, "in a perfect world, I want to have Tyreke handling the ball more and Austin or Jimmer in a scoring role, along with John (Salmons) are whoever else play

Salmons appears to be the frontrunner for the backup three spot after coach Monty Williams said, "in a perfect world, I want to have Tyreke handling the ball more and Austin or Jimmer in a scoring role, along with John (Salmons) are whoever else playing that backup three spot," the Times-Picayune reports.

Analysis:

Salmons had previously been competing for the starting small forward job, but has since lost out to Tryeke Evans. All of Salmons, Luke Babbitt and Darius Miller have struggled this preseason, but it seems like the veteran Salmons will have the first crack at plying his wares once the games start counting. His role should be a minor one unless injury strikes in New Orleans.