Tyson Chandler has also been playing well, his best years since his early years in Chicago. Peja Stojakovic is back dropping threes like rain drops. JR Smith just couldn’t be slowed down. David West is playing great ball at the four-spot. Then there’s prized off-season acquisition, Morris Peterson, who also has been playing so well.

But perhaps the one guy who has not been commended for a sterling performance is Byron Scott. He is a great coach. Remember that he stirred the New Jersey Nets to the NBA Finals twice! Ever since he took over the coaching job New Orleans, I had no doubt in my mind that he would make this team a contender. And he has not disappointed me.

Many skeptics sighed heavily on the season’s most shocking and biggest trade. Experts believed that O’Neal does not have anything left in his tank. But O’Neal promised that he would want the fifth, and even a sixth, championship ring circling his fingers. And Steve Nash and the rest of Phoenix would want nothing but the Larry O’Brien landing on their laps by the end of the season.

They were robbed-off of a championship last season with the scandal surrounding Tim Donaghue. Hopefully, this season, there’ll no repeat of that misfortune. But most of the other teams in the West have bolstered their line-ups with reliable veterans. The Los Angeles Lakers added Pau Gasol, and the Lakers have won five of their last six. The Spurs added veteran guard Damon Stoudamire into their fold. He is better back-up than Jackie Vaughn. And the Dallas Mavericks are looking forward to add Jason Kidd.

But certainly, Steve Kerr and the Suns took the biggest gamble by taking in a 100-million dollar, aging and ailing big man. They will definitely miss Marion’s versatility, but Shaq could certainly help them inside the paint which is their weakness. They have been giving-up offensive rebounds to opponents. That may all change with the hulking O’Neal in the middle. Could this be the year? I believe so because the last time I remembered, the Diesel, Shaq, has always kept his promise. (photo courtesy of yahoonba.com)

The cast for the Eastern Conference Playoffs has been completed for some time now, but the match-ups have yet to be determined. Most teams, especially the Central Division, are still battling for two of the top four slots, and gain home court advantage. Detroit has clinched the top spot, but Cleveland is just a half game behind Chicago for the second seed.

Out West however, the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Clippers are slugging it out for the eighth and last spot. Hell, the Clippers may even snatch the seventh spot if the Lakers lose their last assignment. Right now, the Warriors own that eighth spot at 40-40, just one game ahead of the Clippers (39-41). The Warriors have won their last three games, while the Clippers lost four of its last six, a bad omen for the Los Angeles boys.

The Clippers would love to go back-to-back in postseason wars. The last time they did that was in the 1991-93 seasons. They have Phoenix and New Orleans as their last assignments. A lone win, coupled with two Golden State losses, will catapult them to the play-offs since they own the tie breaker.

The Warriors, on the other hand, will clinch that play-off spot if they win their last two games. Thus, in any scenario, they need to win their last two meetings, one with Dallas and the other with Portland, to avoid any complications.

For me, I would like Golden State to go to the play-offs. Why? First, their coach, Don Nelson, was the one who brought the Dallas franchise back to life as he stirred the Mavericks to successive play-off appearances from 1999-2005, after the ballclub has stayed in limbo for a decade. What drama would emanate if Nelson faces his former team. It is also important to note that Nelson was the last coach to guide the Warriors franchise to their postseason appearance back in 1993-94 when his General Manager, Chris Mullin, was still playing for him.

Second, Golden State holds the edge against Dallas in their season series. And only two other teams have won twice against the Mavericks. They are Phoenix and Utah. But the Warriors may sweep Mark Cuban’s boys tomorrow, and hold that psychological advantage coming into the first round.

Lastly, I would love to see another running team making it to the postseason. That will really make it more exciting. Imagine Dallas, Phoenix, Denver, the Lakers and Golden State Warriors in the play-offs and eventually beating methodical and boring ballclubs like the Jazz and the Spurs. I would just love to see that.

That gave Bower the go-signal to shake his line-up a “little bit more” during the summer to the liking and needs of Coach Byron Scott. He signed three-time All-Star Peja Stojakovic and another former King in Bobby Jackson. Then he traded for underachieving big man Tyson Chandler and fellow Bull Jannero Pargo. He then drafted three big men in Connecticut’s Hilton Armstrong, North Carolina’s Cedric Simmons and 6-8 Brazilian forward Marcus Vinicius. The Hornets had the biggest roster change in the league coming into this season.

And the result, the Hornets are currently second in the Southwest Division, with an 8-4 record, just behind perennial play-off contenders, the San Antonio Spurs (10-2). So far, so good, huh?

The secrets to New Orleans early triumph are their defense, good transition attacks, and an improved half-court offense.

Seven-feet-one center Tyson Chandler is the anchor of New Orleans’ vaunted defense and transition offense. Chandler is a proven shotblocker. He is long and extremely hardworking. He intimidates shooters with his length and quickness. He tirelessly run into perimeter threats, putting his hands on their faces, and still could run back to the rim to grab the defensive board. His caroms then lead to their fastbreak attacks. He has grabbed 18 rebounds twice this season, this early. He also had a 16-rebound night against the Phoenix Suns. When your team controls the boards, you control the tempo. And the Hornets have done just that, thanks to Chandler’s rebounding. They have outrun their opponents in their wins. And they have good finishers in Paul, Mason, Bobby J and even Chandler himself. All of them are high-above-the-rim finishers.

Stojakovic, on the other hand, is the vital cog to their half-court offense. He is a legitimate outside threat. He has been shooting a lot of threes and perimeter jump shots this season. This is what New Orleans lack last year. Stojakovic has scored 20 points or more for more than thrice this season. And Pargo and Rasual Butler have also helped the Hornets from the outside.

Then there’s Bobby Jackson. He has been superb off the bench. “Super-sub” Bobby J has energized New Orleans with a 14 point, six rebound performance in demolishing the defending champions Miami Heat, 101-86, on 5-of-9 shooting.

So far, Coach Scott has consistently started with Chandler, Stojakovic, Mason and Paul. The starting power forward role has been assumed by either veteran Marc Jackson or sophomore Brandon Bass. Bobby J, Butler, Pargo and rookie Simmons provide the boost from the bench. Armstrong and Johnson have played sparingly.

Last year’s biggest scoring surprise David West is still currently out due to an injury. He may reclaim the starting forward role when he comes back.

Upon Scott’s summons, the Hornets have adhered to their commitment to defending and rebounding. If they continue to do this, they are in good shape. They are one of only two teams to remain unscathed at their home floor, with a 4-0 slate (the other team being the league leading Utah Jazz). They have a four game winning streak going into their game against the Suns.

The Suns, however, beat them in their own game. The Suns relied on their “rarely present” defense to subdue the Hornets, 92-83, on a bad shooting night. The bright side to that loss is the 16-rebound output of Chandler. Stojakovic and Mason both fired 18 points, while Paul added 16. They were still consistent in their production, as what is expected from them. They were just unable to stop two-time MVP Steve Nash, who had 24 points and 7 assists. And the struggling Boris Diaw had an almost perfect night, scoring 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting. It could have gone either way if not for Diaw’s stellar game.

The Hornets are hoping to reach the upper echelon of the Western Conference by the end of the season. They have not gone to the play-offs for the past two years, and they remain optimistic that their fate will change this coming postseason. They are improving in every year they have been in the West. And seeing their focus and renewed spirit, I believe they will make it to the play-offs. And upon the return of West, they will have another scoring threat and additional firepower. They won’t fall short this time around. (pics courtesy of yahoonba.com)

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