New Orleans Hornets

It is difficult for me to properly convey the joy in my heart as a New Orleans Hornets fan at the outset of the 2011-12 NBA season. The Hornets top players left, David Stern mismanaged the Chris Paul trade and the national media left us for dead. However, early on in the NBA season, the Hornets are undefeated which is more than many so-called superior teams can say. Take a closer look at five “random” NBA teams with worse records than the Hornets.

New York Knicks: 1-1

The first indication that Chris Paul wanted to leave the Hornets was when he indicated that he’d like to play for the Knicks. New York played horribly in the 2011 NBA Playoffs and things aren’t much better in this NBA season. The only thing keeping the Knicks from being winless is an early season NBA matchup versus the old Boston Celtics.

Boston Celtics: 0-3

I’m sure most Celtics fans will blame their 0-3 start on the loss of Paul Pierce. However, the Hornets are still undefeated in this NBA season despite Jarrett Jack and Eric Gordon each missing a game. The Hornets won their home opener over the Celtics by 19 points. It may be awhile before the Celtics are contenders in the NBA again.

Dallas Mavericks: 0-2

Of all the NBA teams with worse records than the Hornets, the Mavericks have been the least impressive. The 2011 NBA champions look like a totally different team this year. I thought Lamar Odom would help compensate for the loss of Tyson Chandler, but I was mistaken. The Hornets should finish ahead of the Mavs in the Southwest Division.

Los Angeles Lakers: 1-2

I was mortified at the prevalence of Lakers fans in the New Orleans Arena during the Hornets NBA Playoff series versus L.A. I wonder what all of those fans are thinking now. David Stern laid waste to the Lakers in the failed trade with the Hornets. Once one of the best teams in the NBA, the Lakers may no longer be the best NBA team in L.A.

Los Angeles Clippers: 1-1

I still can’t figure out why Chris Paul preferred playing for the Clippers to the Hornets. The Clippers never make the NBA Playoffs and the Hornets usually do. Early on, it looks like the Clippers need more than Paul and Blake Griffin to become an elite NBA team. I can’t wait for the Hornets to play the Clippers in New Orleans on March 22.

Other “random” NBA teams with worse records than the Hornets

Chicago Bulls: 1-1, Orlando Magic: 1-1, Utah Jazz: 0-2, Memphis Grizzlies: 0-2

Patrick Michael was born in New Orleans and currently resides in the Big Easy. A loyal New Orleans NBA fan, Patrick was a diehard New Orleans Jazz fan and now cheers for the Hornets. Patrick was in the New Orleans Arena the night the Hornets were one win away from the Western Conference Finals.

Sources

“2011-12 NBA Season Summary,” basketball-reference.com

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After an eight-month wait, New Orleans Hornets guard Marco Belinelli heard cheers again Wednesday night at the New Orleans Arena. And it appeared to inspire him and his teammates, as the Hornets dominated the Boston Celtics from start to finish in taking a 97-78 victory in front of a sellout crowd of 17,802.

Because of the 149-day lockout, it was the first significant game played by the Hornets at the arena since they lost Game 6 to the Lakers in the playoffs last April.

With former Hornets All-Stars Chris Paul and David West now playing elsewhere, the new-look Hornets (2-0) are proving they can win without them, relying on their team-first concept that centers around defense.

“It was about our defensive play,’’ Hornets Coach Monty Williams said. “We demand defense, but you have to have guys that understand our defensive plan. Sometimes players are the best coaches.’’

The Hornets stayed in front of the Celtics’ shooters for the entire game, never giving them a chance to get into an offensive rhythm.

The Hornets’ frontcourt of Carl Landry, Emeka Okafor and Chris Kaman challenged nearly shot taken by Kevin Garnett and Jermaine O’Neal in the post. The Hornets had 12 blocks against the Celtics, who are 0-3 for the first time since the 2006-07 season.

New Orleans led by 21 points in the second half as the Celtics, who were without injured All-Star forward Paul Pierce, shot 37.2 percent.

The Hornets got their second consecutive victory without having Monday night’s hero, Eric Gordon, who missed the game after suffering a bruised left knee.

Gordon suffered the injury Monday night against the Phoenix Suns in the third quarter when he bumped knees with Grant Hill. He made the winning shot with 4.2 seconds remaining and finished with a team-high 20 points in the Hornets’ 85-84 victory.

New Orleans didn’t need any last-second heroics against the Celtics. The Hornets had things under control, leading by 16 in the first half before taking a 48-39 halftime lead.

The Hornets pounded the aging Celtics inside with Kaman, Landry and Okafor.

“I think we have a number of guys that can play in a pinch,’’ Williams said. “To me, it’s the only kind of depth you can have over the long haul. We just have guys who can play different spots.’’

Landry finished with 20 points. Okafor had 13 and Kaman had 12.

For long stretches, Williams had Okafor and Kaman paired together on the floor. With near flawless execution, the Hornets outscored the Celtics 46-24 in the lane.

“I think this team (New Orleans) is going to play with a chip on their shoulder the entire year,’’ Boston Coach Doc Rivers said. “If I was a player and all I heard that if you lose Chris Paul, it’s the demise of the franchise, it make you try to prove a lot of people wrong.’’

On the perimeter, the Hornets were just as effective. Boston couldn’t slow down guard Jarrett Jack or Belinelli.

Jack returned to the lineup after missing Monday’s game after serving a one-game suspension by the league for a DUI arrest near Atlanta last season. Jack kept the Hornets on attack mode, sending passes inside and to open shooters on the wing. When he wasn’t creating, Jack made eight of 17 shots for a team-high 21 points. The Hornets’ backcourt duo of Jack and Belinelli scored 34 points, with Belinelli finishing with 13.

Belinelli, who started in place of Gordon after playing point guard Monday night, made three of four 3-point attempts.

After making two of 16 3-point attempts against the Suns, the Hornets made four of 12 Wednesday night.

“It is good for us to have Marco in a position where he can play some point guard and can play the two (shooting) guard,’’ Williams said.

John Reid can be reached at jreid@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3407.

There is the quick update of the day.

NEW ORLEANS – Jarrett Jack’s first regular-season start since the Chris Paul trade was more than good enough for the New Orleans Hornets.

Jack had 21 points and nine assists in his season debut, and New Orleans dominated in its home opener, beating the winless Boston Celtics 97-78 on Wednesday night.

The Celtics are 0-3 for the first time since 2006-07, the season before they traded to bring Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen in to help star Paul Pierce. Pierce has yet to play this season because of a bruised right heel.

The Hornets, meanwhile, were without Eric Gordon, who bruised his right knee in a season-opening win at Phoenix in which he scored a team-high 20 points.

Jack did not play in the win over the Suns on Monday night because of a one-game suspension stemming from a drunken driving arrest last season. His return helped a Hornets squad looking for a boost in Gordon’s absence, and power forward Carl Landry pitched in with 20 points and 11 rebounds.

Allen led Boston with 15 points.

Jack inherited the Hornets’ starting point guard job in the preseason after Paul, a four-time All-Star, was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers for Gordon, Chris Kaman, and Al-Farouq Aminu.

Kaman, who had 10 points and five rebounds off the bench in his Hornets debut Monday, came back with 12 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots against Boston.

Kaman backed up Emeka Okafor, who had 13 points, six rebounds and five blocks. Marco Belinelli, who started for Gordon at shooting guard, was 3 of 4 from 3-point range and also finished with 13 points. Five of Landry’s rebounds came on the offensive end, helping the Hornets outscore the Celtics 21-11 in second-chance points.

Rajon Rondo scored 13 for Boston, while Louisiana native and former LSU star Brandon Bass added 11 points and Keyon Dooling 10.

Kevin Garnett had a difficult night in what was Boston’s third road game in four nights to open this lockout-compressed season. He finished with eight points on 4-of-10 shooting.

The Celtics shot like a team with tired legs, hitting only 37 percent from the field (29 of 78). New Orleans, by contrast, appeared energized by a sellout crowd, shooting 45.6 percent and outrebounding Boston 48-37. The Hornets also had a whopping 46-24 advantage in points in the paint.

New Orleans took the lead for good late in the first quarter and Belinelli’s 3 ignited a 13-4 run to open the fourth. Landry’s jumper capped the spurt, giving New Orleans an 85-67 lead with 6:25 to go.

Boston’s largest lead was 9-2 before the Hornets stiffened defensively and raced into the lead with an 8-0 run ignited by Belinelli’s 3 and capped by Jack’s steal and fast-break layup. Belinelli later added a three-point play on a tough fade as he was fouled and fell to the court, helping the Hornets build a 24-18 lead by the end of the opening period.

The Hornets led by as many as 16 points in the first half after Okafor and Landry scored four points each during an 8-0 run that made it 46-30.

Boston, which fell behind in large part because of 33 percent shooting (15 of 45) in the opening two periods, cut its deficit to single digits with a 9-2 run capped by Rondo’s end-to-end layup in the final seconds of the half, making it 48-39.

NOTES: Attendance for the home opener was announced as an overflow 17,802. … Celtics rookie Greg Stiemsma blocked six shots. … Boston also was without F-C Chris Wilcox, who has a bruised right shoulder. … The Celtics return to Boston for their home opener on Friday against Detroit. … The Hornets remain at home for their next contest on Friday against Phoenix.

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Posted: Wednesday, December 28, 2011, 5:07 PM

T-P Hornets beat writer John Reid previews tonight’s home opener against the Celtics.

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New Orleans Hornets starting point guard Jarrett Jack will return to the lineup for Wednesday night’s home opener against the Boston Celtics at the New Orleans Arena. He missed Monday night’s season opener after serving a one-game suspension for last season’s DUI arrest near Atlanta.

Without Jack, Marco Belinelli earned his first career start at point guard, but appeared to have problems getting the Hornets into their offense quickly enough before the Suns were able to set up in their halfcourt defensive sets. After newly acquired guard Greivis Vasquez replaced Belinelli, the Hornets’ offense began to flow better.

Shooting guard Eric Gordon made a 20-foot jump shot with 4.2 seconds remaining to lift the Hornets to a 85-84 victory against the Suns. Gordon scored a team-high 20 points in his debut game.

New Orleans (1-0) are now preparing to play a veteran Boston team that is expected to be without All-Star forward Paul Pierce, who has a bruised right heel. Without Pierce, the Celtics lost 106-104 to the New York Knicks on Christmas Day.The Celtics play the Miami Heat tonight.

“I know everybody is thinking it’s going to be a down year for us,’’ Hornets Coach said Monty Williams, who gave his team Tuesday off after their long flight from Phoenix.  “It’s never crossed our minds. We don’t talk about it and we certainly won’t give in to it. Starting with our defensive mindset, I feel we got the players who want to do things necessary to win games.’’

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While one New Orleans Hornets All-Star awaits his fate, another could be on the way out. The Hornets are negotiating a sign-and-trade agreement with Boston that would send two-time All-Star forward David West to the Celtics, league sources said. Some reports have the Hornets acquiring center Jermaine O’Neal in the deal, but it could not be confirmed Saturday night.

West, 31, opted out of a contract that would’ve paid him $7.5 million this season. The Hornets had pursued re-signing him.

Meanwhile, guard Chris Paul, who played with West for six seasons, is awaiting word on a second attempt at a trade that would send him to the Lakers.

The Hornets would liked to have had West back, and Paul’s situation had no bearing on his decision.

“David made it very clear that he loves Chris, but they are not connected at the hip,’’ Hornets General Manager Dell Demps said Friday. “We have talked to David and his representatives.’’

West, a first-round pick by the Hornets in 2003, tore his left anterior cruciate ligament last season and required reconstructive knee surgery. If he joins the Celtics, he would battle for playing time behind Kevin Garnett. Former Orlando Magic and LSU power forward Brandon Bass recently was acquired by the Celtics in exchange for former LSU forward Glen “Big Baby’’ Davis.

With West out of the picture, it might lead to the Hornets zeroing in on re-siging Carl Landry, who was acquired last spring after West was injured.

Landry’s agent, Mark Bartelstein, said they were still having conversations with the Hornets and several other teams. The Hornets had hoped to sign West and Landry.

Landry, who came from Sacramento in a deal for fan favorite Marcus Thornton, averaged 11.8 points with New Orleans and was its primary low-post scorer.

“We have a lot of free agents that we’re hoping to bring back,’’ Demps said. “We had some guys that had some really good seasons last year that helped us get to the playoffs.’’

Forward Trevor Ariza said he has had conversations with West, Landry and guard Marco Belinelli, who is a restricted free agent.

“Of course, you would love to have those guys back, but at the same time I do understand that it is a business,’’ Ariza said. “And that’s how they have to approach it, doing what’s best for them and their families to the fullest.

“It’s tough. David West has been here for so long. Carl and Belinelli were here last year and were a big part of our team, and they are not here right now.’’

GRAY WEIGHS OFFER: Free-agent backup center Aaron Gray is considering signing a one-year contract offer from the Toronto Raptors.

Gray averaged 3.1 points and 4.1 rebounds for the Hornets last season. He made a significant contribution off the bench in the Hornets’ first-round playoff series against the Lakers last season.

BLOG ISSUES: Hornets Coach Monty Williams isn’t a fan of the reports on the Internet about Chris Paul’s future and his team’s unsettled roster.

“It’s just a lot of speculation, blogging and tweeting,’’ Williams said after Saturday’s practice. “I’d rather tongue-kiss a maggot than tweet or blog. It’s freakin’ unbelievable. I really would.

“I don’t know how guys find time to, `Hey, I’m tying my left shoe, here goes the right, stay tuned for details.’ ’’

There is the quick update of the day.

EL SEGUNDO, CAL. — As stunning as the Los Angeles Lakers’ Game 1 loss to the New Orleans Hornets was, ending Lakers fans’ assumption of a first-round playoff sweep, reality has sunk in. Hornets point guard Chris Paul gave the Lakers’ backcourt a major headache in Sunday’s 109-100 victory, and the dilemma that faces the Lakers now is how to prevent Paul from creating similar havoc Wednesday in Game 2.

Two days of practice and perhaps a tweaking of the defensive game plan will reveal whether the Lakers have a solution. Because anything similar to Paul’s Game 1 line of 33 points, 14 assists and only two turnovers will cause serious jeopardy for the Lakers, who hope to gain a split of the two games here, before the playoff series shifts to New Orleans for Game 3 on Friday and Game 4 on Sunday.

The problem the Lakers face is how to defend the Hornets’ pick-and-roll game, and keep Paul out of the lane. Because once the Hornets’ floor general penetrates the lane, he has a bevy of options — dropping a pass to an open teammate when the Lakers slide a help-side defender over, pulling up and taking the shot if the help comes over late or not at all, or driving to the basket.

Lakers guard Kobe Bryant described the defensive assignment his team faces as a huge challenge.

“(Paul’s) tough,’’ Bryant said. “He’s a great player. We’ll have to do a much better job on him than we did in Game 1.’’

One of the prime recipients of Paul’s forays into the lane was backup center Aaron Gray, who made all of his five shots in scoring 12 points. But Gray’s availability likely will be a game-time decision after he sprained an ankle in Sunday’s victory.

In regard to snaring Paul, Lakers Coach Phil Jackson said, “We have to be more attentive.’’

That’s easier said than done, because the Lakers do not have anyone on their playoff roster who can match up with Paul one-on-one. Quick point guards have given the Lakers problems over recent years, most notably Boston’s Rajon Rondo, who was a menace when the Celtics beat the Lakers in the 2008 NBA Finals, and last year, when the Lakers outlasted the Celtics in a lively, seven-game Finals.

Paul is similar to Rondo in a number of ways and has one asset the Celtics’ guard does not possess: Paul can make a jump shot on a consistent basis. So what are the Lakers going to do?

“There are a lot of things that we can do, but we have to do them,’’ said guard Derek Fisher, who had problems trying to contain Paul in Game 1. “There aren’t any new things or any secrets. We just have to do what we’ve practiced and do the job that we’ve done on other quick guards throughout the season. We’ve played some great defense in a lot of stretches this season. But it’s a five-man job. We were poor in that area last Sunday. We have to be a lot better.’’

Plenty of kudos: Jackson and Lakers players were enthusiastic in their response to forward Lamar Odom winning the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year Award. Odom, who appeared in all 82 regular-season games — 47 off the bench — averaged 14.4 points, 8.7 rebounds and three assists.

Odom got 96 of the 117 first-place votes from the media that regularly cover the league, outdistancing Dallas Mavericks guard Jason Terry, who was the runner-up for the second consecutive year.

“(Odom) deserves it,’’ Jackson said. “It is good recognition for a player who has really filled a role for us the last couple of years.’’

Bryant also said the award was deserved, pointing out that Odom played a vital role this season in the Lakers’ success.

Bryant’s backcourt mate, Fisher, talked about the intangibles Odom brings that only Lakers insiders could appreciate.

“His personality … his energy that he brings to our team and just his presence, he’s a fun guy,’’ Fisher said. “He enjoys laughing, having a good time and really enjoying the day-to-day grind that comes with this job. There are a lot of days that without him, most guys would feel like they’re going to work, as opposed to playing a game. That’s how important he is to our team, regardless of what his stats are.’’

Rotation switch: Although late-season signee Trey Johnson played well in a limited role in Game 1, Jackson is expected to go back to guard Steve Blake when the Lakers’ second unit gets the call. Blake missed Game 1 and the last two regular-season games because of the chickenpox but has been cleared to play.

Running low on time today, i’ll be back tomorrow hopefully with some more news.