Each week, The Times-Picayune’s New Orleans Hornets beat reporters Jimmy Smith and John Reid will take a topic or question and debate or analyze. We encourage and welcome your input on the topic as well.

This week: How important is Eric Gordon to the New Orleans Hornets?

Smith

One stat stands out from this season relating to Eric Gordon. He played nine games. The Hornets were 6-3. In two of the victories, he scored the winning points. 

His defense and his passing ability, I think, were easy to overlook this year because of the brevity of his season. 

But his explosion off the dribble and ability to get into the lane are powerful complements to his outside shooting. He’s the piece around which this team can rebuild, and that reconstruction can be accomplished rather quickly, provided he remains healthy. 

The only question is whether Gordon can be satisfied financially with a contract extension.

Reid

If Gordon hadn’t missed 51 games because of his knee injury, the Hornets would have won between 30 to 35 games instead of 21. 

There is no question about Gordon’s talent. He is a scorer. When your team need a clutch shot down the stretch, Gordon is the guy you get the ball to. Another strength is ability to play both guard spots. 

He can score off drives, so teams cannot just concentrate on defending him on the perimeter. My only question is his durability. He’s been injury prone for the past two seasons. He missed 26 games with the Los Angeles Clippers during the 2010-11 season because of a slow-healing wrist injury. 

He also missed four games because of a sore lower back this season. However, Gordon will become a restricted free agent this summer and the Hornets should match any offer he receives to keep him around regardless of his previous injury problems. He is star you can build a team around. He’s coachable and is a good defender.

What’s your take? How important do you think Gordon is to the team?

BATON ROUGE — Legislation that would give the NBA’s Hornets a $36.5 million tax rebate over a 10-year period as part of a new deal to keep them in New Orleans cleared a Senate committee Monday after being criticized by opponents as a raid on state funds when dollars are scarce.

The Committee on Revenue and Fiscal Affairs voted 7-2 to keep alive House Bill 1072 by Rep. Cameron Henry, R-Jefferson. The bill now heads to the Senate floor for debate.

“I am thinking we ought to change their names from Hornets to Bandits,” complained Sen. Robert Kostelka, R-Monroe.

Henry said that the team is now getting paid a subsidy from the state for “empty seats” that totals almost $30 million for the next three years as well as the tax credits under the Quality Jobs program.

Henry said a newly negotiated contract bewteen the state and the NBA would end the subsidy for attendance levels and extend the job credits program througjh the Hornets’ 2024 season.

Henry said that granting the tax rebate for the next decade is not that much more than what is paid now.

He said the state has signed an agreement to keep the Hornets in the Arena through 2024 with a five-year renewal option. The team is limited in the bill to no more than a 10-year tax rebate based on the jobs they create and salaries and benefits paid.

The Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget will review the jobs and tax breaks after the first five years to determine if the franchise still qualifies for the rebates.

“This is a piece of the puzzle to keep them here,” Henry said.

He said that a recent study by the University of New Orleans shows that the Hornets generates an annual economic impact of $114 million for the New Orleans area. “This is not a new project; it is a continuation” of what is in place now for another 10 years.

Sen. Robert Adley, R-Benton, said that under terms of the quality jobs act, a business can only get the benefits of the tax break based on salaries for 10 years, and Henry’s bill would extend it to 20 years. Adley said the tax breaks have been in place since 2002 when the team moved to New Orleans from Charlotte.

“It is a 10-year program and we are expanding it for 20 years … and for one entity?” Adley asked. “Correct,” Henry replied.

The team now employs 176 workers from the general manager to sales representatives.

Sen. Rick Gallot, D-Ruston, tried to amend the bill to require the extension of tolls on the Crescent City Connection through 2022 to require the first $3.65 million a year in tolls go to pay the Hornets.

He said the rest of the state should not pay for the team and those who go to the games should. The amendment failed, 2-7.

Voting against the bill were Gallot and Kostelka. Voting for it were Sens. Dale Erdey, R-Livingston; Adley; Sharon Weston Broome, and Yvonne Dorsey-Colomb, both D-Baton Rouge; J.P. Morrell, D-New Orleans; Gary Smith, D-Norco; and John Smith, R-Leesville. Sen. Neal Riser, R-Columbia, who chairs the panel did not vote, and Sen. David Heitmeier, D-Algiers, was absent.

Ed Anderson can be reached at eanderson@timespicayune.com or 225.342.5810.

HOUSTON — Perhaps the light bulb should have illuminated that early December afternoon in the New Orleans Hornets’ Alario Center practice facility that this would be a season unlike any other. NBA players had just been given clearance, thanks to the end of the nearly five-month-long lockout, to report to their teams’ training centers to begin preparations for a 66-game season that would begin for 10 teams on Christmas Day and for the other 20 on Dec. 26.

As a media horde converged around All-Star guard Chris Paul, one of just a handful of New Orleans’ veterans who were under contract before the training camp roster would be fleshed out with long-shot free-agents and Developmental League prospects, little did anyone know it would be the last time Paul spoke publicly as a member of the Hornets.

Two weeks later, Paul was traded to the Clippers, and the Hornets officially found themselves in a rebuilding mode for a season that mercifully ended Thursday night with an 84-77 loss against the Rockets at Toyota Center. The Hornets led by 17 at one point, and for all but the final 1:18 of the game.

The Hornets finished tied for the third worst record in the league at 21-45.

For Hornets Coach Monty Williams, Thursday’s game was the end of a two-year stretch that he conceded he figured would be unusual.

“I knew coming in when I heard all of the speculation with Chris Paul that it wasn’t going to be a ‘normal’ two years,” said Williams, harkening back to the previous offseason when rumblings of an impending Paul exit began. “I didn’t want to admit that and tried not to say it. But when I took on the job, I kind of knew that. What happened in December only solidified that.

“It’s one thing to hear the forecast. But to feel the rain, it’s a different deal. When we got to December, I felt the rain. And it was one of those deals that I realized, ‘This is going to be a tough year.’ ”

In the days that preceded Paul’s departure and the arrival of Eric Gordon, Al-Farouq Aminu, Chris Kaman and a potential 2012 lottery pick in return, NBA Commissioner David Stern, acting in his role as Hornets’ owner, vetoed a trade that would have sent Paul to the Lakers in return for a group of veteran players that might have provided enough firepower for the Hornets to be a low-seed playoff contender this season.

The deal that finally was consummated no doubt could have made the Hornets a stronger team this season had Gordon not arrived with a right knee injury that eventually required arthroscopic surgery to remove loose cartilage and resulted in him being sidelined for 51 games.

With Gordon in the lineup nine times, New Orleans’ record was 6-3, and Gordon made the winning points in two of those six victories, including the season-opener Dec. 26 at Phoenix.

Gordon’s 20.6 scoring average led the team.

Gordon’s injury, while the most significant, certainly wasn’t the last, nor was it the only mystery that shrouded the Hornets.

Emeka Okafor went out with a sore left knee before the All-Star break and did not return, playing only 27 of 66 games. The extent of Okafor’s knee injury has never been revealed by the club.

Jason Smith missed 20 games with a concussion and Carl Landry was out for 23 with a second-degree medial collateral ligament sprain in his left knee.

Jarrett Jack missed the final 13 games with a stress fracture of the fifth metatarsal in his right foot.

Kaman, who had an expiring $14 million contract, missed 11 games with bronchitis and a bruised left tibia, after being exiled from the team for a week at the end of January while, the team said, it attempted to trade him. When that failed, Kaman was welcomed back and he remained with the team after the March 15 trading deadline despite getting 10 double-doubles in the 20 games after his return.

Forward Trevor Ariza missed 17 games with injuries, then was benched for the final 10 games, and did not accompany the Hornets on this last road trip. The Hornets will no doubt seek to trade Ariza in the offseason.

On Jan. 4, the Hornets traded for swingman Xavier Henry, who arrived recovering from torn ligaments in his right ankle and did not play until Jan. 25.

Williams used an NBA-high 28 starting lineups this season, and the Hornets have had a total of 22 players on the roster.

Still, the Hornets registered 10 wins this year against teams who’ll be in the playoffs when they begin Saturday.

“This year was difficult, with the schedule and just having to pick up and start playing, and the trade we had at the beginning of the season,” said Jack, one of three co-captains. “There was just a bit of uneasiness. Getting used to the guys in training camp, only being in a week, two preseason games, free-agency was a week. It was crazy from the jump.

“You had to do things on the fly. That’s no excuse. Other teams had to deal with the same thing. It hasn’t been an easy-going season as far as being stable, being healthy or having the roster set. That was the most difficult part.”

Yet Williams said in some respects, this season has been more gratifying than his first, though admittedly a playoff run a year ago was exhilarating.

“Some older guys taught me a long time ago, if you’re teaching, then you’re not winning,” Williams said. “You’re only winning if you’re coaching. I felt we had to teach a lot this year, and that took away from our ability to win close games.

“Lately, I’ve felt we’ve been coaching a lot more, reminding guys as opposed to showing them the whole deal. That was the tough part: having to teach every day.”

Former Hornets coach Paul Silas agrees with NBA Commissioner David Stern that Tom Benson is the perfect owner, and he’s so convinced of it that he predicts Benson is ultimately going to build the Hornets into a championship-contending team.

“They’ve got a guy there now that’s going to keep that team in New Orleans, and he wants to win,’’ said Silas, now in his second-year as head coach for the Charlotte Bobcats. “If you look at what he has done with the Saints, they struggled for a long time. But he just kept trying to rebuild, rebuild. Finally, they hit the right button. I think he’ll do the same with this team, I really do. What they have now, they can build from.’’

Silas said the Hornets have a franchise player they can build around in shooting guard Eric Gordon, who will become a restricted free agent this summer. With the franchise no longer in a state of flux over ownership uncertainty, and likely to be in favorable position regarding the salary cap, New Orleans might attract more free agents this summer, especially if they land the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft in June.

“I think that’s what happens normally, that (Benson) probably will look at this team right here and the people that’s running it and so forth, and give them a chance and go from there,’’ said Silas, who coached the Hornets for five seasons but was fired after their inaugural season in New Orleans in 2002-03. “The things they’re doing now, looking at different players and that kind of thing … they are looking at the younger players, and I’m sure they want to know who they’re going to keep and who they’re not.’’

Benson, who last week purchased the Hornets from the NBA for $338 million, brings stability to a franchise that has had a persistent image problem since relocating to New Orleans in 2002 from Charlotte, N.C.

A year after the move from Charlotte, former Hornets owner George Shinn and his former partner, Ray Wooldridge, were barely on speaking terms, having vastly different ideas on how the team should be run in the Crescent City. The Hornets also had to re-establish its fan base in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 forced the franchise to temporarily relocate to Oklahoma City for two seasons before returning for the 2007-08 season. Ultimately, Shinn’s significant debt problems led to the NBA purchasing the franchise from him for $318 million in December 2010.

“Our city has gone through a lot, and I think our fans can see that the sun is a bit brighter to have somebody like Mr. Benson and his family step up to the plate and take over the team,’’ Hornets Coach Monty Williams said. “I don’t know any other way to say it, I just think it’s really good for our city.’’

In a brief address to players before watching his first game as the Hornets owner this past Sunday at the New Orleans Arena, Benson told them he’s all about winning.

“It’s an excitement for the fans and the players, even coaches, that we’ve got someone now we can look forward to playing hard for,’’ Gordon said.

New Orleans Hornets shooting guard Eric Gordon, who required surgery last month to remove cartilage debris from his right knee, will begin practicing with the team next week.

Hornets Coach Monty Williams said Gordon has ramped up his workout regiment in a push to return to help the team.

Though the regular season is just more than a month from completion, Gordon said he wants to help bring back some options that hopefully bring more wins.

“I look forward to trying to get back,’’ said Gordon, who will become a restricted free agent this upcoming July.

Williams has been forced to use 15 different lineups, including 13 different players starting at least one game. But injured forward Carl Landry practiced Monday for the first time without restrictions since spraining the medial collateral ligament in his left knee during a Feb. 4 game at Detroit.

Landry could be back in the lineup no later than this Saturday against San Antonio if he doesn’t experience a setback, Williams said. There remains no timetable on starting center Emeka Okafor’s return from a sore left knee. Okafor has missed 18 consecutive games. 

QUICK HITS: The Hornets did not re-sign center 7-foot center Jeff Foote, whose 10-day contract expired on Sunday.

The NBA’s annual trading deadline has come and gone, and the one Hornets player who was the object of the most speculation about his future in New Orleans was back on the court in the Hornets’ 99-89 loss to the Washington Wizards on Thursday night — in a Hornets uniform.

Center Chris Kaman, who was exiled from the team the last week in January as it attempted to negotiate a trade, only to return one week later when nothing could be consummated, remains with the team, presumably for the rest of the season. His $14 million contract expires at the end of the season, and the Hornets could opt to re-sign him or allow him to become a free agent.

“I don’t even have a reaction, to be honest with you,” Kaman said Thursday night. “I’m just here. I didn’t anticipate being moved after all that whole situation before when they couldn’t find a trade, or a trade didn’t work out that they had. I just kept hearing that things were kind of dead. I heard my name a couple of times the last couple of days, but mostly by you guys and some other people that I know in the media. I hadn’t really heard anything solid. So here I am to finish out the season with the Hornets.”

Asked if that was good or bad, Kaman, acquired from the Clippers in the trade for Chris Paul, said: “A good thing. I’ve established a relationship with a lot of people here, and my teammates, and we just want to finish the season as best we can and hope for the best this summer and see what happens.”

Is Kaman still open to re-signing with the Hornets in the offseason?

“Yes sir,” he said. “Certainly.”

And according to General Manager Dell Demps, the team will consider that option.

“There is that possibility,” Demps said. “We’re open to everything. We value Chris. The door’s not closed on him. I think he has had a good season. He has proven he can score the basketball. As we move forward, he has been very impressive, especially in the last few weeks. The door is not closed on Chris. We’ll have his Bird rights this summer, so we think there’s a lot of opportunity still with Chris.”

Thursday’s apparent closure of the Kaman-on-the-block saga ends a rather bizarre chapter this season for the Hornets.

During the week Kaman was told to stay away from the team, his likeness was excised from the pregame video that is shown on the arena screens before player introductions.

He, and his video image, returned after missing five games, and he has started the past 17 in the absence of starting center Emeka Okafor, who’s out with a sore left knee. During that time, Kaman has been arguably the Hornets’ best player, with a team-high 12 double-doubles. Kaman has, however, displayed carelessness with the basketball, committing 49 turnovers in 17 games, including six in the loss Wednesday night to the Lakers.

There has been speculation that if the Hornets could not trade Kaman, he could be bought out of his contract for the rest of the season. Demps, however, discounted that.

“Everything is always a possibility,” Demps said. “I mean there’s no reason to say I’m certain, 100 percent sure. There’s always a possibility. I never want to say never. But our intention is to keep Chris.”

Demps said he fielded “lots of calls” for various scenarios Thursday, but couldn’t negotiate a deal that would improve the team in the future.

“So we thought we’d stay put,” Demps said. “Sometimes the best trade is the trade you don’t make. We’re happy where we are now. We’re not happy with our record, but we’re happy with the direction the team is going. And we think we maintained flexibility. We have some picks coming up, and we get an opportunity to see some of our young guys play the rest of the year, and we’re excited about the possibilities.”

Demps said despite perceptions that the league-owned Hornets have been hindered in making trades by NBA intervention, that wasn’t the case Thursday.

“I was working with the league hand-in-hand, on the phone with them all day, all week. They’ve been great. We just didn’t feel like there was an opportunity to make the team better.”

NOTES: Demps said the team hopes to have injured shooting guard Eric Gordon back for the last month of the season. “He’s working out hard,” Demps said. “The big thing with him is keeping him off the court. We’ve got to slow him down. He really wants to come and show you guys that he can play.” … Hornets Coach Monty Williams seemed visibly uncomfortable by the firing of his friend and former mentor Nate McMillan in Portland.

“I haven’t talked to him,” Williams said. “Until I do, I don’t want to get into too many particulars about that.”

•••••••

Jimmy Smith can be reached at jsmith@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3814.

Although it hasn’t yet approached the international media frenzy that often surrounded Yao Ming before chronic injuries prematurely ended his career, there’s nevertheless a growing crowd in front of Hornets forward Gustavo Ayon’s locker as he travels to each NBA city. Monday night’s grouping of Spanish-speaking print and electronic journalists, who descended upon the New Orleans Arena for an event in which two natives of Mexico were expected to play in an American professional game for the first time, seemed to almost outnumber the local press in the pre- and postgame dressing room access.

That Charlotte Bobcats reserve forward Eduardo Najera was inactive because of a sore knee didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of those wishing for a moment of Ayon’s time, speaking in Ayon’s native tongue.

As Ayon has steadily blossomed into a reliable NBA player, exhibiting the skills he developed playing nearly two seasons in Spain’s premier professional league for Madrid’s Fuenlabrada, the desire of Spanish-speaking media to chat with the unassuming 6-foot-9 power forward has increased almost exponentially.

And there will no doubt be a crowd tonight as the Hornets host the Los Angeles Lakers for the first time since last season’s playoffs.

Emilio Peralta, the Hornets’ Spanish-language radio broadcaster (830-AM), sometimes serves as Ayon’s interpreter when the language barrier gets in the way, as it did Monday. Though Ayon can understand some English, he seems reluctant to answer questions using a language he hasn’t mastered.

“We’re outnumbering you tonight,” Peralta said of the Spanish-speaking media.

Although Ayon’s game is still evolving, he has exhibited the type of skill set that will make him a valuable asset to the Hornets. He has proven to be an adept passer, has a dangerous reverse layup from either side of the basket and is adjusting well to New Orleans’ offensive and defensive schemes.

Does Ayon feel as though he has becoming more acclimated to the NBA game since he became the starter in Jason Smith’s absence?

“It has been great. The coaches and the team and everybody has really welcomed me,” Ayon said through Peralta’s interpretation. “Everybody has made me really comfortable. It has been a great year for me. I’m really happy.”

Aside from New Orleans’ 73-71 loss to the Bobcats, in which Ayon scored two points and couldn’t seem to get into an offensive flow, he has provided the Hornets with a viable power forward option while Smith (concussion), and backup Carl Landry (MCL sprain), recuperate from injuries.

He had three assists off passes inside in a win at Minnesota on March 10, drawing praise from Coach Monty Williams.

“Gustavo’s passing was really, really good,” said Williams, who has been patient with Ayon’s limited English but grown to appreciate his abilities. “He knows where guys are on the floor. If you put me in another country and ask me to go do a job, even if it’s basketball, I’m going to struggle. He just hasn’t struggled. He has sacrificed a lot to come here and play.

“He has got a lot going on in his life. (His wife) is expecting a baby. … he’s the guy for us. Everybody loves him because he plays hard, and he has a great spirit about him. He’s just going to get better. Fortunately for me, it’s good he doesn’t speak English well, because he doesn’t need to understand everything I’m telling him all the time because I might mess him up.”

Ayon has 73 assists in 34 games. Seven times as a starter he has scored in double digits, with three double-figure rebound efforts and the Hornets are 6-11 with Ayon in the starting lineup.

Has he always been the type of passer he has proven to be, and what aspect of his game does he believe needs the most refinement?

“I’m not thinking about passing the ball,” Ayon said. “I don’t consider myself a good passer. I wait for the game to come to me, and if there’s an opportunity to make a pass, I will — but I’m not thinking about it.

“I think I need to be a little more offensive with the rebounds and play better defense.”

Williams admitted Ayon still has some difficulty comprehending some American basketball terminology, such as “cut back door,” and Williams hasn’t yet learned the Spanish equivalency for that basic move.

“But his feel for the game, I think, covers up for what he doesn’t understand in English,” Williams said. “He just has a great feel for the game, unselfish. Sometimes I want him to be a little more aggressive with the ball around the basket, but he’s just an unusual player who can fit in with anybody.”

And has become the object of international attention.

KAMAN NOT FOCUSING ON DEADLINE: Despite being rumored as the Hornet most likely to be traded, center Chris Kaman said he doesn’t want to go anywhere and would like to continue playing for New Orleans.

“Right now, at this point, I’m feeling comfortable and have been playing pretty solid for the team,” said Kaman, who was told in January to stay away from the club while it sought to make a trade, only to be asked to return a week later. He has started the past 15 games at center in the absence of Emeka Okafor, who is out with a sore left knee.

“We’ve been winning a little bit more games,” Kaman added. “It’s not the season we anticipated or everybody wanted to have, but at this point we’re trying to do what we can to win, and I’m happy where I’m at.”

There has been speculation nationally that with former Los Angeles Clippers coach and general manager Mike Dunleavy negotiating for a group looking to purchase the Hornets from the NBA, Kaman might not be traded by Thursday’s 2 p.m. deadline because of Dunleavy’s possible involvement in Hornets’ basketball operations once a sale is consummated.

Kaman said Dunleavy’s presence in any capacity might influence his future thinking if he’s not traded.

“At this point, whether he’s here or not here, I think I’ve proven myself,” Kaman said. “I feel comfortable in the position I’m in. I have a good relationship with Mike; I played for him for seven years. He’s a great coach who understands how to coach. I don’t think he’s into coaching at this point, but if everything goes well for his situation he might be in more of a leadership role, getting guys in and out, presidential stuff. So it’ll be interesting to see what aspect he takes on.”

Williams said he knows that General Manager Dell Demps is working the telephones, but added he isn’t thinking about what might transpire.

“Trades and all of that, Dell and I will talk about that later today if something comes up,” Williams said. “He’s working. I don’t know what he’s doing as far as scenarios are concerned or if there’s a scenario. I’m not sure right now. We talked (Monday) night, and there was nothing to talk about.”

Williams said he has enjoyed having Kaman on the team.

“He has given us a different dimension that we didn’t have, a big who can score the ball and rebound,” Williams said. “I enjoy having a guy who can put the ball in the hole. As a coach, you’re thinking you’re going to have the same team no matter what because trades are so hard to pull off. I’m thinking he’s going to be here. Until it changes, that’s my mindset.”

Nuggets guard Arron Afflalo, left, tries to find a way around Hornets guard Marco Belinelli on Friday at the Pepsi Center. (Barry Gutierrez, The Associated Press)

Two months and more than 30 games later, the Nuggets erased the bad memories of the last time the New Orleans Hornets were here in Denver.

With a 110-97win against the Hornets on Friday night, the Nuggets won the type of game they were supposed to, unlike that humiliating night Jan. 9 when they lost 94-81 here at the Pepsi Center, or like Wednesday, when they lost 100-99 to Cleveland.

Those are the type of losses, to teams with a couple of the worst records in the league, that Nuggets coach George Karl knows can can damage a team’s confidence and return to haunt them in April.

It won’t mean much if the Nuggets win big games on the road — like they did last week at Houston and San Antonio — if they can’t

win the contests they should at home. And Friday, in the third game of a nine-game homestand, it was a game the Nuggets couldn’t bear to lose. Each of the team’s next six opponents has a winning record.

“Play aggressive, be positive,” Karl told his team before Friday’s game. “Feel good about what you’re doing and where you’re at. Get your confidence back by playing hard and playing physical.”

It was an important message for a rookie like Kenneth Faried, who was making his 10th consecutive start. Faried, the fan favorite, had a block and two dunks — including one off a huge lob pass from Ty Lawson — in the game’s first five minutes. The Nuggets also forced the Hornets into 10 turnovers by halftime. Denver forced just

13 turnovers all game on Wednesday against Cleveland.

But the line between aggression and smart can be a thin one, as Faried learned.

He was called for three fouls in the first half, and quickly picked up his fourth and fifth after halftime, heading to the bench with more than 6 minutes left in the third with nine points and four rebounds.

Denver led by as many as nine points in the first quarter, yet struggled to pull away from the Hornets. New Orleans erased an early Denver

lead to tie the game at 40 with 4:36 remaining in the second quarter. Denver led 50-46 at halftime.

Still, Denver wasn’t completely in control until late in the third quarter, when Arron Afflalo’s three-pointer gave the Nuggets an 11-point lead. From there, the Nuggets cruised.

Afflalo led all Nuggets’ players with 28 points — four shy of his career high and his second-highest total of a season — on 9-of-13 shooting. Forward Al Harrington added 20 points off the bench.

Reserve forward Lance Thomas led New Orleans with 18 points.

Lindsay H. Jones: 303-954-1262 or ljones@denverpost.com

Sacramento, Calif. — With their lineup still decimated by injuries, New Orleans Hornets Coach Monty Williams hasn’t been able to solve his team’s glaring offensive execution problems. At home and on the road, the Hornets continue to have dismal, low-scoring quarters that have led to one-sided losses such as Monday night’s 86-74 defeat to the Portland Trail Blazers.

The Trail Blazers held the Hornets to a season-low 10 points in the third quarter, holding them to 4-of-16 shooting.

The Hornets’ problems can be attributed largely to not having key players who are injured, such as shooting guard Eric Gordon, forwards Carl Landry and Jason Smith and center Emeka Okafor, and they haven’t had enough from others to play well in their absence.

The Hornets (9-29) continue to miss shots, and are often forced to take shots just before the 24-second shot clock expires, appearing to have no semblance of rhythm. Opponents have been successful taking away the Hornets’ inside scoring by loading up on their point guards, Jarrett Jack and Greivis Vasquez, to force them to initiate the offense deep on the perimeter.

“We’ve been plugging guys in all year, trying to get them to understand our system,’’ Williams said. ”When you’ve been faced with adversity as long as a period as we have, you are either going to grow or quit. It’s not part of our DNA to give up.’’

Against the Trail Blazers, the Hornets went through a five-minute stretch without scoring in the third quarter, after center Chris Kaman and shooting guard Marco Belinelli each scored during the opening minute. During the dismal stretch, the Hornets missed seven consecutive shots and turned the ball over twice.

With their poor execution, New Orleans finished the third quarter with only 48 points.

In last Saturday’s 102-84 loss to the Indiana Pacers, the Hornets trailed 54-37 at halftime after scoring just 14 points in the second quarter. The Pacers took away driving lanes from Jack and Vasquez, and the Trail Blazers also used that tactic.

“We have to be more aggressive, especially me and Jarrett,’’ Vasquez said. “We have to get people involved. I watched the tapes, and I think we can do much better.’’

With no consistent threat from the perimeter, the Hornets rank 29th among the league’s 30 teams in scoring offense, averaging 87.9 points. Only the Charlotte Bobcats, whom the Hornets play Monday night at New Orleans Arena, is averaging less, 86.7 points.

“Teams have done a good job pressuring us,’’ Jack said. “It’s obviously frustrating, because we have played solid defense, and then we haven’t been able to manufacture good shots and attempts on the other end.’’

QUICK HITS: Williams said after Monday’s practice at Power Balance Pavilion in Sacramento that there is a good chance center Solomon Jones will be signed for the remainder of the season when his second 10-day contract expires after tonight’s game against the Kings.

Jones, 6 feet 10, 245 pounds, has scored in double figures in two of the past three games. After 10 games, Jones has averaged 6.1 points and 3.9 rebounds for the Hornets.

“That’s not in my control,’’ Jones said, regarding if he should be re-signed. “The only thing I can do is play and help my team win.’’

•••••••

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

The Portland Trail Blazers brought an end to their three game losing streak, beating the New Orleans Hornets on Monday night (March 5). Though the Blazers played very poorly in the fourth quarter, the 86-74 win was much more one-sided than the score might indicate.

This is the third time that the Blazers have beaten the Hornets this season, which in itself isn’t something to get too proud about. The Hornets are now just 9-29 on the season, so if the Blazers couldn’t beat this team, there are bigger concerns than just the lack of effort in recent games.

Five players finished in double-figures scoring for the Blazers, led by 19 points from Nicolas Batum and 13 points from Gerald Wallace. Raymond Felton returned to the starting lineup, going 5-for-10 from the field and posting 11 points to go along with 10 assists. It was a pretty good game for him, possibly indicating that he has learned from his demotion to the bench.

The game wasn’t a clean one for the Blazers by any means, but the Hornets are playing such terrible basketball that it didn’t even matter. Portland shot just 43.1 percent from the field, but found a way to take advantage of second-chance opportunities and play shut-down defense when needed.

Portland is now back to a .500 record on the season (19-19), but the team is still No. 10 in the Western Conference standings. The team is half a game behind the Minnesota Timberwolves at No. 9 and two games behind the Houston Rockets for that coveted No. 8 slot. Portland will play Minnesota on Wednesday night (March 7); giving the team a chance to make up some ground, but time is really starting to run out on the Blazers this year.

The NBA trade deadline (March 15) is growing ever closer and the Blazers have a numbers of players that could certainly get traded before that date. It makes this next week very important if the Blazers are going to make a serious run at moving back up the standings. Losing to Minnesota would spell out the beginning of the end for this combination of players though.

More From YCN:

Aldridge An All-Star

Blazers Knock off Nuggets

Lakers Blown Out By Portland

Blazers Take Out Thunder

Blazers Predicted to Miss Playoffs

Sources:

Blazers_Team_Stats

Blazers Full Schedule

Blazers Preseason Schedule

Blazers Team Page

Blazers Updated Roster

*Ryan is a Northwest bred sports fan that has been a Portland Trail Blazers fan for years. He has high hopes that the Blazers can make it to the Western Conference Playoffs again this year.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

In practice, New Orleans Hornets guard Marco Belinelli persistently works to make shots he’ll likely attempt in games. Although he shows a push to improve, Belinelli’s shooting percentage has dropped from last season — 43.7 to 39.5 percent — and his scoring average has slipped from 10.5 to 9.7 points.

Belinelli leads New Orleans with 37 3-pointers made, but he has twice as many attempts as anyone else on the team with 107.

“I know that’s not really good for me because I knew this year I needed to score more,” Belinelli said. “I think the last couple of games were pretty good, but I need to be more aggressive every game.”

In the Hornets’ 94-86 loss to the visiting Portland Trail Blazers on Friday night, Belinelli scored 12 points but missed five of seven shots in the fourth quarter.

New Orleans re-signed Belinelli as a restricted free agent in December, extending him a one-year, $3.3 million contract.

“We have to keep him confident and don’t let him go through a shell or get bashed for it,” Hornets point guard Jarrett Jack said. “He’s a gunslinger, and he’s got to come out with that kind of mentality every night.

“This league is up and down, and there are going to be peaks and valleys. Only a few guys stay on an even keel all season, but his shots are going to fall for him.”

The Hornets (4-23) need all the help they can get, especially from players like Belinelli, who is familiar with Coach Monty Williams’s system after playing last season.

Williams said one of the problems they are having is trying to integrate several young players into the lineup. The Hornets also have struggled with injury problems.

Going into tonight’s game against the Utah Jazz at the New Orleans Arena, the Hornets have lost eight consecutive games and 23 of 25 overall. They have lost 14 of 16 at the Arena.

“Most people don’t expect for us to be in games,” Williams said. “From that standpoint, guys like Marco should be able to go out and play free. Last year we would be up by eight or 10 points, and Marco would miss a shot and it wasn’t that big of a deal.

“Now he misses a shot, I kind of have to check myself on that — but we would like for him to get him more consistent from that spot. Marco is probably playing more minutes than he should. Therefore, those guys tend to get more tired. That’s more pressure.’’

As a motivational ploy, Williams demoted Belinelli from the starting lineup, replacing him with DaJuan Summers, who was waived by the Hornets last week despite starting six games.

When Williams returned Belinelli to the starting lineup, he said the experiment didn’t work with trying to inject something new after moving Summers from small forward to shooting guard.

For most of the season, Belinelli has got open shots because opposing defenses have turned their attention on limiting the Hornets’ inside scoring. New Orleans is shooting 29.3 percent from 3-point range, which ranks 27th in the league.

“I just want to be ready when he (Williams) calls me and do my best,” Belinelli said. “It’s tough because last year was a different team. There was a double team every time C.P. (Chris Paul) had the ball, and I got open more.’’

QUICK HITS: Williams said he doesn’t know how Hornets center Chris Kaman got injured during warm-ups before Friday night’s game against the Trail Blazers. Kaman sprained his left ankle and had it heavily wrapped during Sunday’s practice at the Arena. … Jack could miss up to a week with a bruised left knee that he re-aggravated last week against the visiting Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night after playing 27 minutes.

“I was playing through it for four or five games before that, but it got to the point that I couldn’t perform like myself — and I was doing the team a disservice,” Jack said.

There was plenty of intrigue hours before the New Orleans Hornets met the Sacramento Kings on Sunday night, resulting from a player-coach spat that forced Kings Coach Paul Westphal to banish starting center DeMarcus Cousins from Power Balance Pavilion.

Westphal, who indicated that Cousins had demanded a trade, calling that “just the tip of the iceberg,” told Cousins to stay at home instead of coming to the arena to play against the Hornets.

The Kings were visibly undermanned in the post and along the front line, but they nonetheless scored an emotional 96-80 victory against New Orleans as Westphal, who has a 49-115 record with the Kings in his first two seasons, desperately tried to regain control of his team’s direction.

The way Sacramento played in the second half, overcoming the Hornets’ inside advantage by increasing defensive intensity and finding shooting range, Westphal’s actions seemed well received.

“I think it’s time for this solution,” Westphal said. “You can only have so many chances, then something has to be done. It’s time that something has to be done.”

With Cousins out of the lineup, Sacramento was forced to go with undersized, 6-foot-6 Chuck Hayes in the middle, sliding 6-9 J.J. Hickson over to Hayes’ customary power forward spot.

The Hornets, with the superior size of 6-10 Emeka Okafor and 7-footers Chris Kaman and Jason Smith, dominated Sacramento on the glass, which kept New Orleans close despite another miserable shooting effort, especially in the first half.

New Orleans had a plus-12 rebounding advantage through the first half, 36-24, and had 14 offensive rebounds.

Nonetheless, Hornets Coach Monty Williams was certainly not conceding any advantages despite the void left by Cousins’ absence.

“For us, we’re in no position to do that,” Williams said. “We’re undermanned (shooting guard Eric Gordon missed his third straight game with a bruised right knee). They have young bigs over there who can step up. They’ve got (J.J.) Hickson, they’ve got (Jason) Thompson. Those guys have been chomping at the bit wanting time.

“Obviously Cousins is a big part of what they do. He is, in my opinion, one of the best bigs in the league. So when you have a situation like that, guys will want to step up and show they deserve more minutes. And we can’t allow that to mess with who we are. We have to go out there and play the Kings and not what their lineup might look like.”

Williams had good reason for his concern.

The Kings increased their defensive pressure in the second half, forcing turnovers and capitalizing on New Orleans mistakes, while heating up from the field just enough to build a substantial cushion.

Cousins has had his difficulties with Westphal since coming into the league last year as a rookie.

By Sunday, after a reported shouting match between the two following the Kings’ 114-92 loss to the Knicks, Westphal had had enough.

Sacramento players were caught off guard when they arrived at the arena to learn of Westphal’s actions.

“I think that each individual player will have a different way of looking at it,” Westphal said. “At the same time, we have a game tonight, we’re going to go play it, and we’re going keep trying to build this team with the people who want to take it in the same direction that everybody wants to go.

“I think, I hope that DeMarcus has a change of heart and joins up with full reinstatement. That’s all up to him. I hope that. This will give him the best chance to do that, and if he chooses not to do that, then we’ll be better off moving forward in the same direction. It’s just something that I think the team can use to band together, which is the most important thing for a new team.”

Certainly on Sunday night, Westphal’s message had gotten across to the rest of his team.

Sacramento battled back in the second half, building a lead of as many as 20 points while the Hornets appeared to be settling for too many outside shots and playing generally carelessly.

The Kings were led by Tyreke Evans, who had 27, while former LSU and Hornets guard Marcus Thornton put in 25 and John Salmons had 13.

For the Hornets, Kaman had 14 points and 15 rebounds, Okafor 13 and 12 and Trevor Ariza had 17 points.

Sacramento’s starting backcourt of Evans and Thornton outscored Hornets starters Jack and Belinelli 62-12.

New Orleans did not make a 3-point basket in 15 attempts, breaking a club record.

Westphal, in a statement he issued late Sunday afternoon, says he took the drastic step because of continued difficulty with Cousins.

“When a player continually, aggressively, lets it be known that he is unwilling to embrace traveling in the same direction as his team, it cannot be ignored indefinitely.”

Jimmy Smith can be reached at jsmith@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3814.

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana — Phoenix coach Alvin Gentry never had a problem with his team’s effort and figured it was only a matter of time before the Suns would snap out of their shooting slump and secure their first victory of the young season.

Hakim Warrick scored 18 points in a reserve role, Channing Frye added 10 points and 16 rebounds, and the Suns handed the New Orleans Hornets their first loss, 93-78 on Friday night.

“When you look at the schedule and you’re 0-2, you think there’s a chance you’ll go 0-66,” Gentry said. “You look at the schedule after you win and you say, ‘Oh, we can do this or we can do that.’ It’s all psychological … though. You’ve just got to go out and play. We’ve been doing a good job of competing, but our offense has been so stagnant. Tonight, we got out and ran.”

Jared Dudley added 16 points, while Steve Nash dished out 12 assists for the Suns, who had shot 40 percent through two losses to open the season, including one to New Orleans in their home opener Monday night.

“We made a few more shots, but more than that, we continually created offense,” Nash said. “To be consistent in creating good offensive opportunities was a step in the right direction because in the first game against New Orleans, I thought we missed some shots we usually make. But in our second game (against Philadelphia), we just looked really hesitant, out of synch and kind of like we were dumbfounded a little bit.”

Hornets shooting guard Eric Gordon missed a second straight game with a bruised right knee, and this time New Orleans could not compensate for the prolific scorer’s absence.

Carl Landry led New Orleans with 17 points, while Emeka Okafor had 10 points and 16 rebounds, but the Hornets shot only 29 percent (26 of 90), the second worst shooting performance in team history.

“We’ve got scorers on this team. Everybody on this team can average double-digit points. Just the ball didn’t fall,” Landry said. “It’s unusual for a team to shoot (29) percent for the game. Unfortunately that was something we did tonight. It will turn around.”

Gentry thought his team’s intensity on the defensive end, more so in terms of contesting shots than rebounding, played a big role in the Hornets’ shooting struggles.

“We did a great job of challenging everything at the rim,” Gentry said. “It wasn’t our offense. It was our defense that won the game.”

Suns center Marcin Gortat scored 12 points and blocked four shots while playing with a splint on his injured right thumb. Shannon Brown added 11 points and Grant Hill 10 for Phoenix, which shot 42 percent (33 of 78). Warrick was 6 of 12 from the floor and 6 of 7 on free throws.

Jarrett Jack scored 12 points and Marco Belinelli grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds for New Orleans, which outrebounded Phoenix 57-47 and had 24 offensive boards, more than any team in the NBA in this first week of the season.

The Hornets had 23 second-chance points, but could have had a lot more if not for their shooting woes.

“We didn’t play hard, and that’s a sign I didn’t do what we needed to do … to have the team ready,” Hornets coach Monty Williams said. “We couldn’t throw it in the ocean. That happens on occasions, but our defense was not there tonight.”

The Hornets got away with poor shooting in the first half, but it finally caught up with them halfway through the third quarter, when they were still just below 30 percent again (17 of 59).

Nash pulled up for a 3-pointer to give the Suns a 61-51 lead. Dudley then scored inside after baiting Chris Kaman to leave his feet on a ball fake. Frye followed with a 3 from the corner that fell through after a high bounce off the rim. Then Gortat capped a 10-0 run with an inside basket that made it 68-51.

New Orleans was unable to get any closer than nine points after that.

New Orleans hit only four of its first 20 shots (20 percent), but trailed only 16-14 at that point. Halfway through the second quarter, the Hornets were 10 of 35, but still trailed by only four after Okafor’s free throws.

Soon after, the Suns raced to their first double-digit lead when Nash fueled a 6-0 spurt with fast-break feeds to Hill for a layup and Warrick for a dunk, making it 43-33.

New Orleans finally got over 30 percent — barely — when Belinelli hit his second 3 and Greivis Vasquez set up Okafor’s dunk to make it 52-45 at halftime.

“When you look at the schedule and you’re 0-2, you think there’s a chance you’ll go 0-66,” Gentry said. “You look at the schedule after you win and you say, ‘Oh, we can do this or we can do that.’ It’s all psychological … though. You’ve just got to go out and play. We’ve been doing a good job of competing, but our offense has been so stagnant. Tonight, we got out and ran.”

Jared Dudley added 16 points, while Steve Nash dished out 12 assists for the Suns, who had shot 40 percent through two losses to open the season, including one to New Orleans in their home opener Monday night.

“We made a few more shots, but more than that, we continually created offense,” Nash said. “To be consistent in creating good offensive opportunities was a step in the right direction because in the first game against New Orleans, I thought we missed some shots we usually make. But in our second game (against Philadelphia), we just looked really hesitant, out of synch and kind of like we were dumbfounded a little bit.”

Hornets shooting guard Eric Gordon missed a second straight game with a bruised right knee, and this time New Orleans could not compensate for the prolific scorer’s absence.

Carl Landry led New Orleans with 17 points, while Emeka Okafor had 10 points and 16 rebounds, but the Hornets shot only 29 percent (26 of 90), the second worst shooting performance in team history.

“We’ve got scorers on this team. Everybody on this team can average double-digit points. Just the ball didn’t fall,” Landry said. “It’s unusual for a team to shoot (29) percent for the game. Unfortunately that was something we did tonight. It will turn around.”

Gentry thought his team’s intensity on the defensive end, more so in terms of contesting shots than rebounding, played a big role in the Hornets’ shooting struggles.

“We did a great job of challenging everything at the rim,” Gentry said. “It wasn’t our offense. It was our defense that won the game.”

Suns center Marcin Gortat scored 12 points and blocked four shots while playing with a splint on his injured right thumb. Shannon Brown added 11 points and Grant Hill 10 for Phoenix, which shot 42 percent (33 of 78). Warrick was 6 of 12 from the floor and 6 of 7 on free throws.

Jarrett Jack scored 12 points and Marco Belinelli grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds for New Orleans, which outrebounded Phoenix 57-47 and had 24 offensive boards, more than any team in the NBA in this first week of the season.

The Hornets had 23 second-chance points, but could have had a lot more if not for their shooting woes.

“We didn’t play hard, and that’s a sign I didn’t do what we needed to do … to have the team ready,” Hornets coach Monty Williams said. “We couldn’t throw it in the ocean. That happens on occasions, but our defense was not there tonight.”

The Hornets got away with poor shooting in the first half, but it finally caught up with them halfway through the third quarter, when they were still just below 30 percent again (17 of 59).

Nash pulled up for a 3-pointer to give the Suns a 61-51 lead. Dudley then scored inside after baiting Chris Kaman to leave his feet on a ball fake. Frye followed with a 3 from the corner that fell through after a high bounce off the rim. Then Gortat capped a 10-0 run with an inside basket that made it 68-51.

New Orleans was unable to get any closer than nine points after that.

New Orleans hit only four of its first 20 shots (20 percent), but trailed only 16-14 at that point. Halfway through the second quarter, the Hornets were 10 of 35, but still trailed by only four after Okafor’s free throws.

Soon after, the Suns raced to their first double-digit lead when Nash fueled a 6-0 spurt with fast-break feeds to Hill for a layup and Warrick for a dunk, making it 43-33.

New Orleans finally got over 30 percent — barely — when Belinelli hit his second 3 and Greivis Vasquez set up Okafor’s dunk to make it 52-45 at halftime.

Notes: Brown got a technical foul in the second quarter for arguing with officials. … Gentry also was called for a technical foul in the second quarter. … New Orleans entered the game having won four straight against Phoenix, including the last three meetings last season. … A near scuffle occurred early in the fourth quarter between the Suns’ Robin Lopez and New Orleans’ Trevor Ariza, who were each assessed technical fouls, but Brown and Jack quickly stepped between them before it escalated. … New Orleans’ offensive rebound total was higher than they had in any game last season.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.