Collinson gets his big chance posted by Andy Charles

That collective sigh you heard was the one coming from New Orleans Hornets fans when they learned that All-Star point guard Chris Paul would be missing for maybe as long as two months in the wake of knee surgery.

Paul needs arthroscopic surgery for a cartilage tear in his left knee, an injury suffered in freak fashion seconds from the end of the loss to the Chicago Bulls last week when he collided with a photographer on the baseline as he went to retrieve an errant shot.

Results of a scan showed that Paul had a partial tear of his meniscus, an injury that really cannot be played through and could develop into something serious if left untreated for a long spell of time.

But maybe, just maybe, Paul’s absence will not be felt as badly as some NBA Predictions first thought, based on the performance of his replacement Darren Collinson in the 109-102 overtime win over a decent Memphis outfit on Saturday night.

Collinson played all but a few minutes of regulation and ended the game with 17 points and a superb Paul-esque 18 assists, working well in tandem with fellow rookie Marcus Thornton in the backcourt.

But is playing two rookie guards, with very little depth to come off the bench, what the Hornets need in the middle of a fierce playoff race that sees eight teams covered by only three-and-a-half games (as of Monday).

Sure the Hornets have plenty of experience further up the court in David West, Emeka Okafor and Peja Stojakovic, but another injury among their current starting five would put them in deep trouble with most NBA Bets and there isn’t really much coming off the bench that could be traded for an established veteran to help out.

Big Daddy Feels Turbulence on Cloud 9 posted by Les Leonard

     New Orleanians began their work week all smiles again Monday morning courtesy of the Saints’ record-setting 9-0 start. Even though our wallets were decimated for the ninth straight game, Saints fans ain’t complainin’. As the Saints aim to complete their second of three triumphant visits to the Sunshine State Sunday, Big Daddy mentally prepares to go where Who Dat has gone before. In this week’s edition of the Section 645 Saints Beat, Big Daddy congratulates former U.S. Representative from Louisiana’s 2nd District William “Dollar Bill” Jefferson, reports the action live from the Kingpin, recaps the Tampa Bay game, examines recent Saints scares, forecasts the New Orleans Hornets season, and releases his World Famous Pregame Information.

     Who wasn’t relieved when U.S. District Court Judge T.S. Ellis III made his wise decision? Wednesday Ellis ruled that William Jefferson will remain free while he appeals his 11 count federal conviction. Obviously, Dollar Bill isn’t a flight risk because he’s such a devoted God-fearing family man. Bill’s ability to spend priceless family time during Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, Mardi Gras, and the Saints first Super Bowl with his wife and kids has to be the feel-good story of the year. Do you think Lifetime will make a syrupy holiday special depicting the Jefferson’s tight-knit family? Perhaps the made-for-TV gem would teach struggling Americans how to afford Ivy League educations for their offspring like the Jeffersons did with their five amazing children. Since locals love “making groceries,” the movie could show people where to find those special frozen pie crusts that chemically react when ordinary freezers transform them into extraordinary devices that produce cold hard cash.

Big Daddy Navigates Uncharted Waters: posted by Les Leonard

     The Saints have gotten unprecedented rewards out of this season’s motto, “Finish!” Sunday the Who Dat Nation watched the Saints turn in another dominant second-half performance after trailing early to post a new franchise record 8-0 start. Saints fans remember last year’s painful gut-wrenching losses, when the team displayed innovative ways to snatch defeat from the hands of victory in the fourth quarter. In this week’s edition of Saints Beat, Big Daddy questions the SEC’s officiating, reports from Section 645, recaps the Carolina game, reviews a vault classic from Lost Treasures of NFL Films, and releases his World Famous Pregame Information.

     Before we talk Black ’ n’ Gold, Big Daddy must vent about the despicable officiating which crowned Alabama the 2009 SEC Western Division Champs last Saturday. Seeing the continuous favoritism aid Alabama throughout the contest, Big Daddy understood that the SEC’s top brass met with the officials to fully explain how important a Florida/Alabama Championship match-up would be to their job security. Naive viewers might have noticed “the foul stench in the state of Denmark,” but orchestrated flag throwing never fools obsessed football junkies. That said, nothing could have prepared Big Daddy or LSU fans for what transpired with about 5:30 remaining in the game. Officials on the field called Tiger cornerback Patrick Peterson’s obvious interception an incomplete pass, drawing absolute outrage from every Kingpin patron. Tiger faithful felt certain the replay booth would correct the egregious mistake, giving LSU one more chance to defeat the Crimson Tide. However, the replay booth confirmed the ruling on the field, cementing the tainted victory. Since the zebras (guided by the SEC) used the Tim Donaghy approach to ensure the desired outcome, we’ll never know whether blunders like LSU Head Coach Les Miles’ decision to go for 2 in the third quarter, the foolish waste of all three timeouts early in the second half, or the injury to starting quarterback Jordan Jefferson cost the Tigers a shot at this year’s Western Division title. What a shame!

Hornets Fire Byron Scott posted by Scott Shepherd

The New Orleans Hornets became the first team to make a coaching change this season, firing head coach Byron Scott today.

Scott being fired doesn’t come as much of a shock to anyone who has watched the Hornets play this season. They look brutal. They are just 3-6 this season. Every time I turn on a Hornets game they seem to be getting blown out.

Add that to the fact that Chris Paul looks like he’s about two weeks away from punching a teammate in the face on the way back to the bench and I would say that it was time to make a coaching change.

In reality, Scott should have been fired in the offseason. The Hornets lost game four of their first round playoff series against the Nuggets by 58 points. That’s not a typo. 58 points. And New Orleans was at home.

How in the world does a team lose a home playoff game by 58 points and their coach keeps his job?

The Hornets went on to lose game five in uninspiring fashion and their season was over.

Clearly Scott had lost the team at that point. He was set up for failure coming into this season. If you lose any game, let alone a home playoff game, by 58 points, there has to be some doubt in the player’s minds about the quality of the coaching staff. Why start a season like that? Why not start fresh and send a message to your team that says, “It’s time to move on and focus on 2009-10”?

In fairness, the bad start isn’t completely Byron Scott’s fault. Look at the Hornets roster. He doesn’t have a lot of options. I mean, Morris Peterson has started six games for crying out loud.

New Era of NBA Bigs? posted by Scott Shepherd

Have you looked at the league leaders yet this season?

There are some familiar faces atop some of the big categories. Kobe leads the league in scoring. Nash leads the league in assists. Rondo leads the league in steals.

You almost expect to see those guys near the top of those categories.

But have you taken a look at the league leaders in rebounds? It’s not exactly a who’s who of NBA big men over the past few years.

Here’s the top ten:

1. Gerald Wallace 13.8

2. Marc Gasol 11.9

T3. Chris Bosh 11.6

T3. Carlos Boozer 11.6

5. Dwight Howard 11.1

6. Joakim Noah 11.0

T7. Brendan Haywood 10.7

T7. Al Horford 10.7

T7. Zach Randolph 10.7

10. Emeka Okafor 10.5

I know it’s still very early in the season, and inevitably some of these names will fall out of the top ten. But as of right now, only three of the top ten rebounders have ever played in an all-star game (Bosh, Boozer, Howard).

Last year, six of the top ten rebounders have been all-stars. The year before that the number was five. Before that, it was eight.

What does it all mean? Probably nothing. Like I said, it’s still early.

But, it could mean that there has been a shift in the way teams are putting together their rosters.

Earlier in the decade, there seemed to be a real focus on finding big guys who could not only rebound, but contribute offensively as well. The logic behind that makes sense; you want a player that can do everything in your lineup.

Hornets summer league posted by john howard

Here is my take on the Hornets' summer league in Las Vegas.

Marcus Thornton was the team's leading scorer with 20ppg but only played in 3 games.  He doesn't have a guaranteed contract.  He did make a strong case to make the team.  Or at least, be activated when players get injured.

Darren Collison showed that he might be a viable back up to Chris Paul by averaging 18 points and 4 assits.  Antonio Daniels is the current backup. But has 6.6mil contract and isn't really what the team is looking for.

Julian Wright averaged 15points and 4 rebounds.  He may get an increased role this year.  He played more minutes indicating that the team wants more from him.

The only other signicant perfomance was Anthony Tolliver with 10pts and 6 reb per game.  He is not under contract. But, he may get  a 10 day contract later in the season.

Catching up with the Phoenix Suns rumors this off season and who should be kept around for next year? posted by Ryan Greyslak

There have been many rumors surrounding the Phoenix Suns since they missed the playoffs this season. Some of these rumored trades would actually help the team, but some of the options are only opportunities to cut payroll for the oncoming season and further destroy the team. Some of the biggest names involved in these rumors for the team have been Amare Stoudemire, Shaquille O’Neal, Steve Nash, Leandro Barbosa, and Jason Richardson.

 Shaq Rumors 

Shaquille O’Neal has not been shy about the fact that he would not mind playing for another team other then the Phoenix Suns and is interested in a contract to extend him for one to two more years. Some of the rumored teams to be interested in Shaq are Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, and New Orleans Hornets.

Cleveland has reportedly offered Ben Wallace (who might request a buyout or retire) and Sasha Pavlovich who has a non guaranteed contract. The Suns could potentially get out of both players and save money off payroll this year. This is a bad deal for the Suns and I would not expect it to happen for these players. They would get nothing for Shaq.

Another of the rumored teams interested in Shaq are the Dallas Mavericks. One of the rumored packages would send Jerry Stackhouse expiring contract and Erick Dampier. Dampier is guaranteed for the next two years at over 23 million. This again would be a horrible trade for the team and they would essentially be giving Shaq up for a smaller expiring contract and a slower less effective center. If the Suns have any talks with Dallas they should absolutely involve Josh Howard but it is rumored Sarver does not want to do business with Cuban.

New Orleans Hornets-Hindsight is 20/20 posted by Keith trussell

What Ifs, What Fors, and What The #@^&s?

     Twenty-eight NBA teams are looking at how to fix what went wrong about now, soon to be Thirty. Some wonder about squandered potential, some about how to fix injury issues, some at how to dump salaries to save cash (shame on you, wretched greedheads. More on that later), some looking at incredible young potential and how to keep them, etc.  And that’s all well and good, but I need a moment to hang my head and ask “What if” about a few aspects of the Hornets I found troubling, who…well, they just…nevermind. Here we go.

What if?

1)They hadn’t released Chris Anderson?

     I realize that sounds like a great deal of hindsight, but I complained about this move since they released him last summer. Sure, he was coming off a substance abuse suspension, and New Orleans may not be the best city for a recovering alcoholic, but they had him by the cojones. Pay him the minimum, make him the 10th or 11th man or even send him to the D-League; anything for someone who’s that much of an athletic freak and going for bargain basement prices. If he messes up again, you cut him and still come out ahead. Where were the Hornets shallow this year? THE BENCH, especially the frontcourt bench. The Birdman is a solid 6’10”, 228 who can play center or power forward and probably start on most teams. So just to rub it in, here’s what he did in Denver this season coming off the bench and averaging a measly 21 minutes per game (note: these stats are only regular season, not including his crazy postseason  performances): 54.8% FG, 6.2 RPG, 6.4 PPG, and 2.46 BPG. Yes, you read that last part correctly: he averaged 2 and a half blocks a game averaging only 21 minutes. I believe that a gentleman named Dwight Howard is the only one who has a better block per minute played ratio

Dallas Mavericks weakened by Denver Nuggets' physical play in Game 1 posted by Peter

The Mavs have just finished the series with the San Antonio Spurs who plays with speed and finess. Now, they face a Nuggets team that plays a different brand of basketball: a physical, pound the paint, and defensive style of playing that the Mavs could not adjust to in Game 1.

The Nuggets went for every block and every steal while clogging up the lane and batting away any one who dares come near the basket. The Mavs were frustrated by the non-calls and could not play their slow, half court game. The Mavs became careless with the ball and just gave away the ball in the second half. That, and the Mavs bench didn't show up.

What will the Mavs need to do to have a chance at winning this series? Take care of the ball, and play some defense in the paint. Nene scored 24 points in game 1 when he averaged only around 10 in the Nuggets-Hornets series.

And maybe if the refs would call a few more fouls on the Nuggets instead of the street ball: no blood no foul mentality. Jason Kidd touches the hair on Melo's arm and gets a foul, but Dirk getting pulled down at the waist in the middle of a shot by Nene doesn't count? We have HDTV now, refs, we can see everything you missed!Continue reading "Dallas Mavericks weakened by Denver ..."

NOT TOO SHARP "BUDINI" posted by Aarwich

Local news papers, though desperate to stay afloat, have a responsibility not to print one of their extremist's pipe dreams simply because he's been on ESPN.

Drew Sharp, a columnist for The Detroit Free Press, also known as Budini on FM 97.1 “The Ticket,” wrote a little ditty about how desperate the New Orleans Hornets are due to the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina and the economic struggles thereafter. He feels now would be a good time to take advantage of said peril and go after Chris Paul (CP3). This would be a great idea, if Hornets management wanted to go down in NBA history as making the most ignorant move ever.

If you haven't read Sharps latest smug attempt to sound clever while insulting the intelligence of the Detroit sports fan, I'll break it down for you.

-“Joe Dumars should go after New Orleans point guard Chris Paul.” OK, BUT NOT BEFORE HE (DUMARS) GOES AFTER LABRON JAMES, KOBE BRYANT, DWYAN WADE AND DWIGHT HOWARD. HE WOULDN'T BE DOING HIS JOB IF HE DIDN'T MAKE THAT CALL. BUT I'M SURE JOE APPRICIATES YOUR ADVICE.

-“It's not as outrageous as you might think.” TAKING A TRIP TO MARS ISN'T AS OUTRAGEOUS AS YOU MIGHT THINK.

-“Overall league revenues are falling...” SO LET'S GET RID OF ONE OF THE NBA'S MOST MARKETABLE PLAYERS.

-“...the Hornets cannot afford (Paul) unless they part with most of his high-priced supporting cast...” RIGHT, BECAUSE THAT WOULDN'T MAKE SENSE. PEJA $14.2, CHANDLER $11.85, WEST $9.0

Raptors, Hornets swap Wright, Belinelli (AP)

The Toronto Raptors have acquired forward Julian Wright from the New Orleans Hornets in exchange for guard Marco Belinelli. The 6-foot-8, 225-pound Wright averaged 8.1 points and 4.6 rebounds in 68 games with New Orleans last season. "This move should help balance the roster and alleviate some of the redundancy we have with our guards," Raptors president and general manager Bryan... [read full article]

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