Posted: Thursday, December 29, 2011, 6:55 PM

T-P Hornets beat writer John Reid discusses the Hornets’ ability to defend well despite having nine new players.

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The NBA made official what was reported Thursday on the the New Orleans Hornets’ preseason schedule: the Hornets will play two preseason games against the Memphis Grizzlies, in Memphis on Dec. 16 at 7 p.m. and at the New Orleans Arena on Dec. 21 at 7 p.m.

Not much else going on in the NBA world today.

Posted: Thursday, December 01, 2011, 11:06 PM

T-P beat writer John Reid discusses Chris Paul’s uncertain future with Hornets.

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New Orleans Hornets guard Chris Paul and forwards Trevor Ariza and Quincy Pondexter went through a voluntary workout at the team’s Alario Center practice facility on Thursday morning under the direction of Paul’s personal trainer.

By Thursday, the ranks are expected to swell to four with the arrival of guard Jarrett Jack, another of the five players under contract. Center Emeka Okafor is out of the country as is guard Marco Bellinelli, to whom the Hornets tendered a qualifying offer prior to the 149-day NBA lockout.

Trainer Idan Ravin of Washington, D.C.’s Water Street Gym, has worked with Paul for the past several years as a personal trainer. He said Thursday the work he put Paul and his teammates through on Thursday – just more than an hour on the court, was merely an extension of the work he has done with Paul throughout the offseason.

“This is just continuing what we’ve already been doing for the last five months,” Ravin said. “I work with Chris so much, but this was getting the players more acclimated to his intensity to his speed and his mental appoach as well, to kind of ramp up their intensity a little bit before training camp starts.

“I’ve been with Chris for a while. He’s just continuing at the same pace. There’s a culture around Chris Paul that’s important, and everyone else has to become acclimated to it. That’s why I like bringing his teammates in because they understand that culture, that winning environment, that seriousness and intensity.”

Paul has routinely brought teammates into his workouts prior to the beginning of training camp, which ordinarily would have begun Oct. 1. This year, because of the labor dispute, training camp begins Dec. 9.

Ravin said his focus Thursday was on-court work.

“Just to improve their efficiency, their spacing, their speed and conditioning and skill work,” Ravin said. “Kind of more of a game-like environment confined to the parameters of a basketball court.”

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

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Just six months after undergoing surgery to reconstruct the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, longtime New Orleans Hornets forward David West on Thursday received full medical clearance to resume his NBA career.

West opted out of the final year of his contract with the Hornets on June 27 and will be a free agent when the league and the players association agree to a new collective bargaining agreement.

“Cleared today by the DOC…Kne is Gucci!!! Back at it…,” was the pronouncement on West’s Twitter account Thursday afternoon.

West injured the knee March 24 in a game at Utah and had knee surgery April 12 in New York City where Dr. David Altchek reconstructed the torn ligament. The original diagnosis for complete rehabilitation was six to eight months.

But West, who said at the time of his injury that he would approach his rehab with the mentality of a boxer, has worked sometimes twice daily five days a week to return the knee to full strength and function as quickly as he could.

West, along with his agent, Lance Young, visited Altchek on Thursday, at which time, Young said Thursday afternoon, Altchek proclaimed the knee virtually 100 percent.

“He was pleasantly surprised to get the news that the doctor said everything almost seems to be back to as good as new,” Young said. “It was a six-month check-up. (Altchek) said, “If I did a bunch of tests on both knees, I couldn’t even tell you which knee had the surgery. In the next couple weeks, if not now, I’d think you would be 100 percent.’

“That’s some really good news. He said, ‘I don’t need to see you anymore. You’re the doctor now. If it gives you any soreness or anything, just tone it down a little bit.’ But David has had no problems, no soreness with it.”

In a interview in late June, three days before apprising the Hornets of his decision to walk away from the final year of his contract that would have paid him $7.5 million, West said, “I’m not worried about my knee. I started rehab two days after my surgery, and really haven’t stopped. Even before the surgery, I was going through rehab. I’ve kept that momentum. I have total confidence in my knee.”

When West informed the Hornets of his opt out, he did not close the door on re-signing with the team which drafted him in the first round in 2003.

“We’ll have to talk to them,” West said then. “The Hornets have an opportunity. But I’m looking for an opportunity to win, honestly. We’ll see how things work out and what the Hornets do to make our situation better.”

The Hornets have only six players currently under contract and, as every other team, have been unable to make any upgrades because of the NBA lockout, which commenced on July 1.

Young affirmed Thursday that a return to the Hornets for West was still a possibility.

“I think it’s a level playing field right now,” Young said. “I don’t think there’s any team he’s looking at more than any others. He just wants the best situation for him and his family and to win. That’s the bottom line. He’s stuck by that since Day One when he opted out.”

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

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Posted: Thursday, August 18, 2011, 9:14 PM

The basketball coach compares the intensity of Drew Brees to Chris Paul.

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Published: Thursday, April 14, 2011, 7:37 AM     Updated: Thursday, April 14, 2011, 7:45 AM

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