~*~*2009-2010 NBA Season Thread*~*~

[elcheato]

We face the Magic next game, and we're still trying to find a groove, won't be pretty, we'll probably get crushed.

 

[Benny21]

Kings are gonna get smashed tonight
Warriors >

 

[snipezo]

Mr.Crackhead Teeth (Tyreke Evans) will have a good game tonight vs Warriors.

 

[.GR]

Kings are gonna get smashed tonight
Warriors >

No no no. Reke and JT goin off.

 

[.GR]

Mr.Crackhead Teeth (Tyreke Evans) will have a good game tonight vs Warriors.

Hell yes son.

 

[elcheato]

OKC killed Orlando, but Vince wasn't playing. Probably on the refs, since Stan Van and Dwight think their team should never lose..

 

[.GR]

Omri Casspi 3-3 from three point in the 1st qtr off the bench.

 

[yezzir]

Who needs Bynum or Gasol when you got Mbenga getting offensive boards for you.

 

[Whisper]

I feel bad for CP3, only the first quarter and he already looks pissed that he has no real help on this Hornets team.

Cp3, D-Wade, Kobe (back in 04-06), are perfect modern examples of players that just can't do it themselves no matter how great they are.

 

[elcheato]

Hornets should be going into a fire sale movement soon, I'll take David West.

Anyway, Mike Brown plans to start Hickson at PF more often, to see how he does on the first unit playing off LeBron/Shaq/Mo. But not really going to play starter minutes, Varejao will still get over 30 minutes off the bench.

Or we might be showcasing him for a trade..

 

[.GR]

Tyreke is going off for the second straight night.

 

[Whisper]

Hornets should be going into a fire sale movement soon, I'll take David West.

Anyway, Mike Brown plans to start Hickson at PF more often, to see how he does on the first unit playing off LeBron/Shaq/Mo. But not really going to play starter minutes, Varejao will still get over 30 minutes off the bench.

Or we might be showcasing him for a trade..

I'll take Posey to take Walton's spot to come off for Artest.

But anyway, Idk, Hickson fits more with Shaq's game than Varejao's IMO, but what would you trade him for?

 

[elcheato]

I'll take Posey to take Walton's spot to come off for Artest.

But anyway, Idk, Hickson fits more with Shaq's game than Varejao's IMO, but what would you trade him for?

Hickson's a pretty talented player, developed a decent jumper but he still gets blocked too much for being such an explosive jumper, he thinks he can dunk over every one. He'll learn soon.

And I don't know what we'd trade him for. Could be a SG/SF/PF. I just don't know why he'd all of the sudden crack the starting line up this early, but we haven't been playing that well so it's always good to try new things.

 

[.GR]

Tyreke with 20/6 at the half.

 

[yezzir]

Kobe's a beast. And with that, I'm out.

 

[.loggie]

my boy Nathan Jawai put on for the twolves tonight
16 points, 6 rebounds in 22 minutes

 

[Mexi]

Kobe for MVP



DJ Mbenga with his first career double-double!
10/12/4 blocks

Lakers win 5 in a row.............

 

[Benny21]

Nelly is a curse.
We need a new coach.

 

[jonathanlambert33]

I feel bad for CP3, only the first quarter and he already looks pissed that he has no real help on this Hornets team.

Cp3, D-Wade, Kobe (back in 04-06), are perfect modern examples of players that just can't do it themselves no matter how great they are.

Here's a great post about the Hornets:

"Fire Byron Scott!" "Trade West!" "Fire Bower!" "Play the rookies!''

All of these are 'solutions' offered by most Hornets fans on how to fix the Hornets problems but they are over simplifications at best. Why? The Hornets problems start at the very top, not with Scott or Bower or any one player on our roster. They start up top and that means basketball operations and the lack of commitment that this part of the Hornets org. receives.

The Hornets basketball operations as it stands now is literally a skeleton crew. Even when this part of the org. had a full staff they were ineffective and it's only going to get worse as the Hornets had to slash some jobs from the payroll. The Hornets have a whopping two scouts on the pay roll as of 11/8/09. Yes, two scouts who are in charge of scouting and player evaulation. Even if these two were top of the line, incredible scouts(they're not) they would be overwhelmed by the workload that is meant for 6-8 people not two. Because of this the Hornets have no presence in Europe, no presence in the D-league, and a very limited presence in the U.S collegiate system. The Hornets chances of finding the next Peja or Dirk in Europe is non-existant, and it's not only limited to Europe either. The Hornets won't be able to find any big time players in South America, China, etc. So as the talent pool as grown the Hornets personnel to look at that talent has shrunken.

Why is the pay roll of basketball ops so barren? The Hornets have a big lack of commitment to the basketball side of their org. They've always had a bloated corporate operations and a smaller 'mom and pop shop' like basketball operations. The problem has exacerbated as the Hornets have had to save money and slash some positions. They've had to undertake the philosophy of just looking at managing the roster rather than being aggresive and finding the quality young players in FA and the draft that only good scouting can get you. This is a big reason why the Hornets have had to overpay for older has beens, they've been inept at finding 'steals' in the draft and FA, thus leading to overpaying for free agents and to our current predicament under the luxury tax.

Another thing that has been hampered by our situation with basketball OPs has been assistant coaching. The Hornets have been unable to surround Byron Scott with quality assistant coaches. People like to pin all of our problems in developing young players on Scott but that's unfair. Look at Los Angeles, it wasn't Phil Jackson who mentored Bynum into the player he was today, it was Kareem Abdul Jabbar. Or for an example closer to home, think back to Jamaal Magloire's 1st two years as a New Orleans Hornet. He was a top flight center who was developing under assistant Brian Hill, not Paul Silas. The Hornets don't have the type of coaches who can take young players aside each day and develop them into big time contributors down the road. This is a direct result of a basketball ops. that is basically a headless chicken.

Where are we headed?

To be quite frank, disaster. I've heard whispers that Chris Paul is extremely frustrated and is looking around at sucessful NBA organizations and comparing them to the Hornets. He knows that our management as it stands now is a disaster. You may think you know Chris Paul and that he'd never demand a trade of anything of the sort, but the truth is you or I don't. He seems to be a ticking time bomb and that leads towards a trade demand or him leaving at the end of his current contract.

The roster this year is only fit to compete for a 7th/8th seed and that may be generous as I watch this game now. It won't get any better next year even though Scott will be gone as the Hornets will still be handcuffed with bad contracts. The roster won't be changed much at all. Yes, the Hornets will have a ton of expirings in two years but it's naive at best to trust that this FO will hit on those expirings and second, it's a very real possibility that Chris Paul may be on the outs with the Hornets by then, if not already gone.

NIH, what do we do? WHAT DO WE DO?

We let the organization know that we see deeper than Scott, Bower, Peja's contract, etc. We do this by raising the level of talk here, by calling into sports radio, editorials, whatever. We let them know that we won't fall for the simple scapegoat of Byron Scott. Will it change things? I don't know, but it's our best shot at having any impact on the current situation.

What needs to happen for any of this to truly change?

The Hornets need to change hands, I hope Shinn fights well and beats this cancer, but I don't think this franchise will progress any further than the 2nd round under him. Unlike most owners, his bottomline depends on the Hornets. They're not simply a hobby to him, they're what puts bread on his table. He's in it 100% to make money all the while trying to win a title. I'm not doubting at all that his ultimate goal is an NBA Championship, I just doubt that he can acheive that goal as owner. He can't absorb the losses that other owners can to truly compete for a title year in and out. I'd rather minority owner Gary Chouest to buy out Shinn and give this team a facelift. He has the money to have the Hornets as a hobby and he'll have the opportunity to give this franchise a face lift. How? By putting a true basketball man in charge and getting out of his way, this will ensure a total commitment to basketball and will give New Orleans a better shot at its 1st NBA Title.

 

[Mexi]

November 18th

Return of the Mac