Rookies Playing Well

By Ryan Lemoine

Despite a close loss to the Miami Heat on Sunday night, it looks as if the Hornets are making strides in the right direction. Coming into this past week they were 3-8 and the future did not look bright at all, as they had tough home games looming against the Phoenix Suns and the Atlanta Hawks. However, after beating the Clippers 110-102 on Tuesday night, the proceeded to take care of both conference leaders. On Thursday night, the Hornets took care of Phoenix 110-103. They were led by rookies Darren Collison and Marcus Thornton, as well as old-man Peja Stojakovic. To think that the rookies couldn't play any better was a misstatement, as both Collison and Thornton followed up with career-best performances Saturday night against the Atlanta Hawks. Collison had his first career double-double with 22 points and 11 dimes, and LSU alum Marcus Thornton poured in a season high 21 points. These performances helped snap a seven game winning streak that Atlanta was on.

It's good to see both of these youngsters get a chance to shine under new head coach Jeff Bower, and it seems like the Hornets may have made the right move in letting Byron Scott go. Scott was never a proponent of rookies getting a lot of playing time, and was always quick to yank a rookie out after one or two mistakes. Bower seems to be letting them play through any minor struggles that they encounter, and this is adding confidence and maturity to two guys who will play a huge role in the Hornets future. With Scott still here as coach, these two young studs probably would not be getting the same experience.

I know that it is a long season, and a lot can happen in 82 games. However, to run off three straight wins against some good teams means a bunch to the Hornets. Judging by the way things were going, I thought that the Hornets could easily finish this week 3-12 instead of 6-9. The team is coming together, and all of this is happening without their superstar point guard Chris Paul, who is out indefinitely with a sprained ankle. The Hornets are showing that they can handle their business at home, now Bower just needs to get them to carry that winning mentality and intensity out on the road.

As for their upcoming schedule, the Hornets get a bit of a light schedule this Thanksgiving week. They host rookie sensation Brandon Jennings and the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night. After that, they get three days off before going back to Cali for games against the Kings and the defending champion LA Lakers. Two out of three would not be bad, but a guy can hope for another three in a row, can't he?

Hornets Woes Continue

By Ryan Lemoine

The early season struggles of the Hornets continue as their is no time set for Point Guard Chris Paul's return. Paul sprained his ankle Friday night in the Hornets home loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. An MRI has revealed no further damage, but Paul is expected to miss at least two weeks, and this comes at a time when the Hornets cannot afford to lose any more early season games.

The Hornets, who were picked by most experts to finish as high as the fourth seed in the Western Conference, are 3-8 and have lost three straight contests by large amounts. They have also lost five out of their last six. During this losing streak, the Hornets decided to part ways with their former Coach of the Year, Byron Scott. Coach Scott seemed to have no sense of urgency, and while the Hornets were struggling mightily on their west coast road-trip, he seemed more concerned with getting golf games arranged. General Manager Jeff Bower has taken over, and since he's the one responsible for putting this dreadful lineup together, I can't see how it makes sense that he's going to be the coach to get these guys to play well. Sure, he brought in Tim Floyd, but the last five years of Tim Floyd's coaching career have not gone well at all.

It almost seems to me that while the Saints are representing the city by moving out of their old ways of losing, the Hornets are slipping right back into that mentality. It is still very early in the season, and there is a chance to turn things around, but it's not looking good. Something has to shift for the team in the next few games. Maybe if they get a couple of wins in a row with Paul sidelined, it will give them the confidence boost that they need to move forward. Two of the Hornets next three games are against teams that trounced them last week. They play the Phoenix Suns and the Atlanta Hawks home at the hive. Let's hope for the sake of wanting a nice,long, interesting season that the Hornets can come up with a couple of big wins. Stay tuned!!!!

Paul Carries Hornets Past Mavs

By Ryan Lemoine
Nov. 5, 2009

Chris Paul was the best player in the New Orleans Arena on Wednesday night, as he went 14-23 from the field for 39 points to go along with seven assists, to lead the Hornets past the Mavericks 114-107 in an overtime thriller. David West chipped in as well, going for 25 points and 10 rebounds.

Earlier in the day, Hornets coach Byron Scott got on the team for their sluggish start, mainly their lack of defensive focus. Coming in to the Mavs game, the Hornets were giving up 104.8 points per game, as opposed to just 94.3 per game last year. It seems as if his message was heard loud and clear, as perennial all-star Dirk Nowitzki, who dropped 40 points on the Utah Jazz Tuesday night, fouled out in the fourth quarter of the Hornets game with only 12 points.

The Hornets looked good for most of the game, until they relinquished the lead midway through the fourth quarter. Jason Terry caught fire for the Mavericks in the fourth, finishing with 35 points, and Erick Dampier also had a big night for the visitors, as he finished with 16 points to go along with 14 rebounds. New Hornet Emeka Okafor struggled with Dampier's size all night, and for me, the verdict is still out as to whether trading Tyson Chandler to the Bobcats for Okafor was a wise move.

Luckily for the Hornets, they have a guy named Chris Paul on their side. He looked incredible all night, and very well deserved the chants of MVP that came from the home crowd as the game winded down. However, an offensive foul by Paul late in the fourth quarter almost cost the Hornets the game. With less than twenty seconds to go, Paul shoved off of Jose Barea and was called for the offensive foul. David West was then charged with a technical foul, and down three points, with the Mavs shooting three free throws, it looked as if the Hornets would drop their third consecutive game. However, Jason Terry missed the technical free throw, and Barea missed both of his foul shots. The Hornets then set up a play, and Peja Stojakovic hit his only shot of the night to tie the game at 97, and send it to overtime. The Hornets then rode that wave of momentum into overtime and coasted from there to their fifth straight home win against the Mavericks, in front of a decent sized crowd of 13,566 on ESPN.

For me, it was an exciting early season win, and Hornets fans can only hope that this is the start of something special for this squad. There would be nothing more exciting for the city of New Orleans, than to ride the excitement of a terrific Saints season into a great Hornets basketball season. We've waited a long time to have winners play in this wonderful city, and it's great to be able to witness it all as it unfolds.